Debates of Oct. 2nd, 2024

Carbon Pricing

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the campus Conservative who turned career politician does not actually care about Canadians. What he is actually doing is proposing to take money out of the pockets of eight of the 10 Canadians who do better with the Canada carbon rebate, while we fight climate change. He stood against dental care that is delivering for over 800,000 people across this country, something he still says does not exist. He is standing against the school food policy that is helping 400,000 kids get better food across the country. He stood against child care. He has stood against affordability measures.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, when one quadruples the tax on the farmers who grow the food and on the truckers who ship the food, one taxes all who buy the food. The Canadian Trucking Alliance has calculated that the carbon tax will cost $20,000 for every long-haul truck this year alone. Now the Prime Minister wants to quadruple the tax, which will grind those trucks to a halt, meaning empty shelves in grocery stores, no parts for factories and no paycheques for our workers.

Instead of doing that, why not call a carbon tax election so Canadians can axe the tax and save our economy?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I suspect that, like me, members have noticed that the Leader of the Opposition is particularly full of shameless slogans today. The reality is that he has nothing to offer Canadians. He has nothing but political slogans and easy attacks on politics, no actually moving forward on delivering on programs that are going to help Canadians, and no stepping up to put more money in people's pockets. He is offering tax breaks for the wealthiest and cuts for services and programs to everyone else. That is not what Canadians need right now.

[The Speaker, Greg Fergus]

I would like to remind the right hon.Prime Minister and all members of the House that this is not an avenue we want to go down. It can easily get out of control, and I would suggest that we do not go that close to the line.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition has the floor.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, every time I mention a carbon tax election, the Prime Minister becomes so panicked and erratic that he loses control of himself and starts spitting out incomprehensible insults. Canadians deserve our focusing on them. The fact is that after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, there are two million people lined up at food banks, a record-smashing number. After nine years, one in four kids is going to school hungry.

Before more kids go to school hungry, why can we not have a carbon tax election so Canadians can axe the tax and afford their food?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada carbon rebate puts more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians right across the country. It supports the middle class and people working hard to join it while we successfully fight against climate change, reduce emissions and grow the economy.

The leader opposite still does not understand that we cannot have an economic plan if we do not have an environmental plan. His plan is to abandon the fight against climate change, leave Canadians to their own devices, lower taxes for the wealthiest and leave everyone else to fend for themselves. That is not what Canadians do.

Seniors

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not only is his minister a laughingstock in the eyes of the Quebec media, but the Prime Minister is also saying that we voted against adjusting the age of retirement from 67 to 65 and against enhancing the GIS. In both cases, however, the vote always included jurisdictional interference and other issues that are unacceptable to Quebec. The Prime Minister and his minister are misleading Quebeckers.

Will the Prime Minister admit that a separate vote on the GIS and retirement age was never held in this Parliament under his watch?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we can plainly see the Bloc Québécois leader's defensiveness when we point out that the only reason they are here is to pick fights and stand in the way of measures that can improve the well-being of Canadians and Quebeckers. They do not want the Government of Canada to work for Quebeckers. That was why he voted against a dental care program that is currently providing hundreds of thousands of seniors across Canada and Quebec with dental care that was once beyond their means.

We are here to invest in Canadians and Quebeckers. The Bloc Québécois is here to bicker.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is defending Halloween-style horror stories, when this coming Halloween may be his last as Prime Minister.

Up to one million Quebeckers and up to four million Canadians are affected by the Bloc Québécois proposal. By refusing to clearly answer questions and by letting his minister insult the intelligence of people from pensioner associations, does he realize that he is creating serious insecurity for up to four million people in Canada and one million people in Quebec?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have demonstrated that we are always there to invest in seniors and the most vulnerable. We chose to do so by increasing the GIS by $1,000 for the most vulnerable seniors. That is what we are doing to give older seniors a little more, because people are living longer and their savings do not always last as long as they hoped, as costs go up.

We will always listen and reflect on how we can better support seniors. We will always be there for seniors, but we will not get involved in the Bloc Québécois's squabbles.

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, The Economist magazine asked this question this week: “Why is Canada's economy falling behind America's?”. It goes on to note that national income per person in Canada was 80% of that in the U.S. in the decade before the pandemic. It is now just 70%, the worst gap in decades.

The Prime Minister has not answered my questions. Maybe he will answer The Economist's questions: Why is our economy falling so far behind the Americans'? Is it because of the Prime Minister's quadrupling carbon tax?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, one of the reasons why foreign direct investment is up by 60% since 2015 is that, contrary to what the Harper government put forward, we are actually leading on the fight against climate change, on green energy and on responsible building for a sustainable future that means countries around the world want to invest.

In fact, last year we were the third largest recipient in the world of foreign direct investment, after the U.S. and Brazil, which makes us number one in the G20 for people investing in Canada. We are going to continue to invest.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's workers get 55¢ of investment for every dollar an American worker gets, and only 65¢ for every dollar an average OECD worker gets. For a net, 450 billion more Canadian investment dollars have poured into the U.S. than have come back, under the Prime Minister's nine years.

The Economist points out that our GDP per capita is now lower than Alabama's. It says, “Catching up to Alabama may soon seem like a distant dream.” Why?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are facing difficult times right now, which is why we made the choice to invest in things like dental care and to cut child care fees in half for families right across the country, to $10 a day in six jurisdictions across the country. It is why have we have chosen to step up on dental and why we are choosing to step up on pharmacare to deliver free insulin and prescription contraceptives to people who are having to make choices between their health and their rent or their food.

These are the things we are choosing to do because we are putting the best balance sheet in the G7, the lowest deficit in the G7, in service of Canadians who need support.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the worst mortgage debt, the worst housing inflation and the highest consumer debt in the G7.

Now The Economist is asking the following question: Why is Canada's economy falling behind America's? As is pointed out, Canada's per capita GDP is only 70% of the United States'.

I will repeat The Economist's question: Why is Canada's economy falling behind America's?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the International Monetary Fund projects that Canada will have stronger growth than the United States next year. We are leading the G7 with the lowest deficit, the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio.

We have a healthy macroeconomic situation, and we want to make it work for Canadians with programs that will help them, such as the dental care program and the school food program. We are here to invest. The Conservative Party is here to make cuts.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's per capita GDP, or per capita economic output, is lower today than it was 10 years ago. That is the worst growth per capita of any Prime Minister since the Great Depression. Canadians are also experiencing the biggest drop in per-person income of all the G7 countries. Now, The Economist has pointed out that our GDP per capita is lower than Alabama's.

How is it that Americans are getting richer while Canadians are getting poorer?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in recent years, Canada has been experiencing a much higher population growth than other G7 countries. At the same time, this has brought growth to our economy in general. We are growing faster than the United States is projected to grow next year. We are moving toward the best fiscal balance and the best fiscal position of all the G7 countries.

We are not choosing austerity and cuts like the Conservatives are proposing; rather, we are choosing to invest in the programs and services that Canadians need, because that is how we are going to get through this.

Housing

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, homelessness kills. That is not a metaphor, it is a sad reality. People are dying in the street.

That is why the federal housing advocate urged this Liberal government to take meaningful measures to deal with the encampment crisis. Not a single thing has happened since. The minister has done nothing. People continue to spend the night in their car or on the street. It is a real crisis, but not for this government it seems.

What is it going to take for the Liberals to offer a roof, a bed and security to the homeless in this country?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in municipalities across the country to help them invest and assist those who are experiencing homelessness. We are taking action. However, we understand that this is a shared jurisdiction between the provinces and the municipalities. Yes, the federal government can be there to invest and that is what we are doing.

No one should have to sleep on the street in Canada. That is why we are there to make the necessary investments with the municipalities and the provinces. Unfortunately, the Conservatives want to make cuts in these areas.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that answer is woefully inadequate.

There are over 2,600 veterans in Canada without a home. Legions and community organizations in Nanaimo—Ladysmith are doing what they can, but they need support.

Shamefully, the Liberals promised funds in the 2022 budget, but veterans have yet to see a dime. Liberals break promises and Conservatives cut help. Veterans and their families deserve better. Why is the Prime Minister, just like the Conservatives, okay with leaving veterans in the cold?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, after the Conservatives nickelled and dimed veterans and shuttered veterans services offices, we not only reopened them, but also invested tens of billions of dollars in more supports for veterans right across the country. We have continued to work with veterans organizations and municipal authorities to deliver on more housing and greater supports for veterans.

We know there is more to do, but we have invested tens of billions of dollars into the issue, and we will continue to be there for veterans, unlike the Conservatives, who keep using them for photo ops while nickel-and-diming them at the same time.

Seniors

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 27% of the residents in my riding of Scarborough—Agincourt are seniors. They remember when the previous government cut their pensions, increased the retirement age and made life more difficult for them. Since 2015, our government has provided much-needed relief for seniors. Can the Prime Minister remind Canadians of the concrete vision we have taken to support seniors across the country?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Scarborough—Agincourt for her hard work. She is right. Seniors remember the Harper era.

One of the very first things we did when we got elected was restore the retirement age to 65 after the Conservatives raised it to 67, and we monumentally boosted seniors' benefits, both GIS and OAS. Today, 800,000 Canadians, many of them seniors, have been able to see the dentist thanks to our dental care program. While the opposition leader would bring seniors back to the Harper era, we have chosen fairness for every generation.

Disaster Assistance

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and his government have not only taxed Canadians into poverty, but his former environment minister has also called single moms and small business owners arsonists because they oppose the carbon tax. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister ignored the warnings of his own parks department that the Jasper valley had turned into a tinderbox. These are warnings that go back to 2017, seven years ago.

There were repeated warnings to clear the brush and do controlled burns. Why did his government not do the job to prevent or mitigate this disastrous fire?