Debates of Oct. 21st, 2024

The Economy

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, it seems that no part of Canadian life is safe from the finance minister's radical tax rampage, not food, not home, not gas and not even music.

In response to new streaming taxes from the government, Spotify just announced that it is raising subscription fees by 15%. Even the simple things like kicking back and listening to a playlist are not immune to this greedy government.

When will the finance minister wake up, face the music, and finally admit that her new taxes and spending are not worth the cost?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are recycling the rhetoric of the big platforms, which have been making millions in profits in Canada for years and which were recently asked by the CRTC to contribute to our system, like every other Canadian company.

This is not the first time that Spotify and the others have raised their subscription fees, but never once did we hear the Conservatives complain. This time, however, when it is for something that will help our Canadian artists, especially emerging artists, the Conservatives are up in arms.

I am not terribly surprised to see that they are still in the pocket of the U.S. tech giants.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, their hands are in the pockets of average Canadians. The finance minister told Canadians to cut Disney+, and she is probably going to tell them to cut their Spotify subscriptions, too.

The Liberals say the taxes will fix climate change and the economy. They say that paying more taxes is going lead Canadians to be better off. All the while, the Liberals talk down to people. The carbon tax is up, the streaming tax is up, capital gains taxes are up and the finance minister missed her target by 17%.

When will the finance minister admit that she has failed, axe the taxes and let Canadians live their lives without the government's hands in Canadians' pockets?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House have a plan for a prosperous economic future for this country.

The Conservatives, who continue to deny the existence of climate change, have a plan that leads backwards, not forwards. We are ensuring that things like the $12-billion Dow plant in Alberta is getting built, along with the $7-billion Jansen potash mine, electric vehicle and battery plants, and hydrogen facilities in Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

We have a plan for a future that is a great and prosperous future. The Conservatives have no plan.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, here are the consequences of the NDP-Liberal plan. A new report shows that 35% of Albertan families are skipping meals because of high food costs, yet the Liberals and NDP tell Canadians that they have never had it so good.

I would like to remind the Prime Minister that his own Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that Canadians are worse off paying the carbon tax. In fact, when the NDP-Liberals quadruple the carbon tax, it will cost Alberta families $2,000 a year.

Will the NDP-Liberals just finally admit their carbon tax is a scam and call a carbon tax election?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we continue to fight for Canadian families.

How do we do that? One way is the Canada child benefit. Families with children under the age of six can receive almost $7,800 each and every year per child. This is tangible support that arrives each and every month to help families afford the basics or whatever their child needs.

This is how we fight on this side for Canadian families.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to give the minister some facts about what Canadian families are facing. Some 35% of Albertan families are skipping meals because of high food costs. Food bank usage in Mississauga is up 60%. Doctors are worried about scurvy because families cannot buy nutritious food. Food inflation in Canada is 37% higher than in the United States. The government's own Parliamentary Budget Officer admitted and confirmed the carbon tax is all pain and no gain. The NDP-Liberal government can end the pain it is inflicting on Canadians by calling a carbon tax election.

Will the government do it?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, cutting a cheque that low-income Canadians are getting, as the vast majority of them, or 80%, are getting more back than than they pay, is not going to fix an issue like scurvy. What is going to fix scurvy is certainly not cutting our health system; it is not getting rid of diabetes medication or getting rid of free dental care; it is not attacking the foundations of our health system just as we are working with provinces and territories on solutions.

What is going to get it done in a time of global uncertainty is collaboration and working together, not nonsense slogans.

Housing

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, facts are stubborn things. The Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers says that the median price of a single‑family home in Quebec is now $450,000. It has increased by 74% in five years.

New homebuyers are now paying $1,055 more per month. In Saguenay, purchase prices have gone up by $130,000, making it even harder for people to buy a home. What does the “Liberal Bloc” intend to do to help these Quebeckers?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, that is a very interesting question. As the member knows full well, we are investing to build affordable housing in Quebec and across the country. In Quebec, we have invested more than $900 million to build housing.

I find it interesting, because the Conservative Party opposed the program that helps build housing. When the leader of the Conservative Party was the federal minister responsible for housing, he only built six homes across the country. That is unacceptable.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, once again, facts are stubborn things. In Trois‑Rivières, the price of a single‑family home has shot up by $190,000. In Drummondville, it has gone up by $200,000. That does not even include the costs associated with buying a home. These increases speak to a growing crisis that warrants urgent action.

What is the “Liberal Bloc” government going to do?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, what a lucky coincidence that the Conservative leader is here today, because I am going to ask him to help me. We travelled all over the Quebec region, including my colleague's riding, to look for the six affordable housing units that the Conservative leader built across the country during his entire tenure, and we have yet to find them. Could he come to Quebec with me to look for them?

Justice

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, recent events at the Bedford school in Montreal remind us that it would be a serious mistake to think that we have achieved secularism. On the contrary, we need to do even more. In Quebec, we are witnessing the return of religion to our schools, after decades of fighting to keep it out.

Gender equality and the separation of church and state are at the heart of Quebec's integration model and must be assiduously and regularly protected at all times. Will the government commit now to not challenging Bill 21 before the Supreme Court?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the Bloc Québécois sometimes confuses the responsibilities of the Government of Quebec with those of the Government of Canada. We are not responsible for education. Perhaps the Bloc Québécois wishes things were different, but education is not a federal government responsibility. My colleague might want to run for a seat in the Quebec National Assembly.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one day we will get there.

I would remind members that prayers are still said every day before the House begins its work. I would remind members that the government continues to uphold a religious exemption in the Criminal Code that permits calls for violence or even murder. That happened just a few weeks ago. That is serious. I would also remind members that the Prime Minister appointed a representative who spends her time criticizing Quebec's Bill 21 and blaming it for everything bad.

Canada is not moving toward secularism. It is moving away from it, and it is also working on moving Quebec away from it. Will the government listen to reason and restrain its irresistible desire to constantly undermine Quebec's model of secularism?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about desire. If he really has a desire to get mixed up in Quebec's jurisdictions, maybe he should run for a seat in the Quebec National Assembly during its next election.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I usually have a lot of respect for my colleague, but today he refuses to listen to the questions and his answers are nonsense.

Quebec chose an integration model based on common values such as gender equality, separation of church and state, and French as our common language and historical heritage. Ottawa chose a very different model. It chose multiculturalism, which basically means newcomers do not need to change or integrate. The result is that while Quebec is trying to integrate newcomers, Ottawa is telling them that it is okay if they do the opposite. The truth is that the federal integration model runs contrary to Quebec's plan for an egalitarian, secular, French society.

When will this government, or the next one, understand that multiculturalism does not work in Quebec?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, despite all my efforts, I find it difficult to answer a question about the Quebec government's areas of jurisdiction.

Carbon Pricing

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, Canadians are worse off. The effects of his deficits, inflation and carbon tax hikes have been devastating. A new report by the Angus Reid Institute says that a majority of Canadians are struggling just to buy food. Of course, that is even worse for low-income households, with two-thirds of those Canadians saying they cannot even afford to feed their families.

One way to lower food prices would be to axe the carbon tax on the farmer who grows the food, the trucker who ships the food and the grocer who sells the food. The Prime Minister could do that today.

Will the he show some compassion, lower food prices and just axe the tax?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, every day, we see the Conservatives get up in the House and tell mistruths. Eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back than they pay for the price on pollution.

Of course, this is no surprise when we hear what the Conservatives' closest friends and allies have to say. Danielle Smith believes planes are spraying chemtrails. Ches Crosbie says climate change is bogus. John Rustad says fighting climate change is a plot to reduce the human population and force people to eat bugs.

They say one can tell a lot about people from the company they keep. Well, we certainly can.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Although the hon. minister did not make reference to a particular member, I encourage all members to skate further away from the line, especially in regard to using that word.

The hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, the carbon tax scheme is not making Canadians better off. Otherwise, two-thirds of low-income Canadians would not be reporting that they cannot afford to pay for groceries and would not be lining up at food banks or waiting hours to get rejected potatoes.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer, the government's own watchdog, has concluded that when we factor in all the costs of the carbon tax, and remember that Canadians do not get to pick and choose which costs they pay, and after the Liberals are done quadrupling the carbon tax, a family in Ontario will be $1,400 poorer; one in New Brunswick, $1,000 poorer; and one in Saskatchewan, $2,000 poorer.

Why not let the people decide in a carbon tax election?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer and 300 economists across this country have said that eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back, and it works directly inverse to income. By taking away the price on pollution, the most vulnerable will become more vulnerable. The Leader of the Opposition and his caucus know that, but certainly—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The Chair is having some difficulty hearing the answer of the hon. minister. I will ask the hon. minister to start from the top, and will ask the hon. member for Foothills not to speak when not recognized by the Chair.

The hon. minister.