Debates of Dec. 5th, 2024

Taxation

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the translation is that they will not.

Canadians are feeling squeezed. A new report says that a family of four can expect to pay $800 more in food in 2025. While grocery CEOs are getting richer, workers are scrambling to put food on the table. Liberals let people down, and the Conservatives want tax breaks for CEOs, leaving Canadians paying more for everything. Billionaires do not need relief; the working class does.

Will the Liberals permanently remove the GST from life essentials so families can get a break?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, we know that life is expensive, and we want to deliver a break to Canadians. We know that the cost of food has gone too high, which is why we want to remove tax over the holidays. The irony is that the Conservatives make the same attack but are opposing a tax cut on food for families.

I should point out that there is an important stakeholder who is in Ottawa advocating for a national school food program this week. Her name is Molly, and she is an eight-year-old in grade 3 at A.G. Baillie Memorial school in Nova Scotia. We are going to provide not only a tax cut on food but also a national school food program so she and her classmates will be able to enjoy a healthy meal every day of the year.

Carbon Pricing

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberal carbon tax coalition is delivering to Canadians a Christmas nightmare.

“Canada's Food Price Report” showed that, on average, Canadians will spend $800 more on groceries this year. The Prime Minister's carbon tax is making a dire situation even worse. The number of food bank visits in Toronto was up by a million people to 3.5 million visits, a 43% increase in new food bank users. Scurvy is on the rise. Food insecurity has surged more than 20%.

All Canadians want for Christmas is a carbon tax election. When will the Prime Minister make that Christmas wish come true?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, let us get serious.

The very report that the member opposite cites says that climate change is the greatest driver of food price inflation. It is the same thing Sylvain Charlebois said when he came to committee recently.

The Conservatives have no plan to fight climate change. In addition, we stepped up over the holidays to offer Canadians a GST tax cut. What did the Conservatives do? They opposed it. When we stepped up to help children across Canada get food at school, what do the Conservatives do? They opposed it.

If Conservatives want to give Canadians a Merry Christmas, then they should step up and help Canadians—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Foothills has the floor.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I guess it would take a Festivus miracle to have a serious prime minister who understands that when one increases the taxes on farmers who grow the food and truckers who move the food, one increases the cost of the food.

After nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, this is the Christmas list Canadians face: grocery prices are up $800, the price of food inflation is up 36% higher in Canada than in the United States, and a quarter of Canadians are skipping meals.

When will the Prime Minister grant a common-sense Christmas gift to Canadians and call a carbon tax election?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, Marc Lévesque, former chief economics strategist at TD Securities, says that he is not in the habit of calling people liars, but that it is an outright lie; the report the member is referring to does not mention that the carbon tax is a factor behind the $800 increase, and certainly does not say that the carbon tax will cost families $800 more on food.

[Jake Stewart, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, under the Prime Minister, New Brunswickers continue to struggle and will now have to pay $800 more for food next year. After nine years, the NDP-Liberal carbon tax has caused the price of groceries to skyrocket. According to Food Banks Canada, the number of people accessing food banks has increased by 73% in the last two years. Over a million Ontarians are relying on food banks; that is more people than live in my home province. Canadians deserve better.

Will the Prime Minister agree that now is the time to call a carbon tax election?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, this is a reminder that the member and all Conservatives have had an opportunity to support the work we are doing to provide relief to families in New Brunswick and across the country. I look to the national school food program. So far, four provinces have signed on, meaning that over 184,000 kids will receive food at school this school year. That is more than 1.5 million meals.

The Conservatives could support us with affordability measures, should they choose to do what is right

[Jake Stewart, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, not a single plate of food has been served, and 1.4 million Canadian children are living in poverty. The rise in the cost of food is a direct result of the carbon tax. The Prime Minister does not understand that if they tax the farmer who grows the food and the trucker who ships it, they end up taxing the family that buys it. Already the NDP-Liberal carbon tax has resulted in food prices increasing 36% faster in Canada than across the border.

Will the Prime Minister finally give Canadians the carbon tax election now?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Although the Chair could not quite make out the words, he did hear some people intervening from the far end of the chamber. It was brought up this morning that it is really important for members not to speak while other members are talking, for no other reason than the respect that we should have for our members who use the interpretation devices, so they can hear what is going on in the House.

The hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons has the floor.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, just because a Conservative member of Parliament makes something up does not mean it is true. The Minister of Environment has quoted the actual report that says specifically that the price on pollution is not responsible for the increase in food prices.

If the Conservatives were honest with Canadians and wanted to actually do something to help them with the high cost of food over the holidays, they could support our GST tax break for Canadians that is taking the GST off essential items, including groceries. If they were honest with Canadians, they would support the school food program that is feeding 184,000 kids.

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I am going to ask the hon. member for Abbotsford to please not to take the floor unless recognized by the House, so everybody can participate.

The hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent.

The Economy

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, are you aware of the lovely Canadian tradition of children writing letters to Santa? This year, it is not so fun. Today, Le Journal de Québec and Le Journal de Montréal reported that a record number of letters have been received. The worst part is that the children are not asking for toys. This year, they are asking Santa for food, mittens, scarves and winter coats. That is what children are asking for after nine years of this government. That is the result of this government's $500-billion deficit, which it accrued with the help of the Bloc Québécois.

Are they proud of their record?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, I find what my colleague said hard to believe. Let us consider the fact that he just voted against removing the GST from coats, mittens, children's clothing, and a good number of restaurant and prepared meals.

This member not only voted against the GST cut, but, believe it or not, he is also against the breakfast club. He does not want to fund breakfast and lunch at schools. It is unbelievable.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am indeed against the 10¢ tax cut on a bag of chips. That measure of theirs is a really huge deal.

The reality is that, after nine years of this government, how many Canadians are using food banks? Two million Canadians are going to food banks, and the cost of groceries is going to increase by $800 this year with this government's inflationary policies.

After nine years of this inflationary government, supported by the Bloc Québécois, is this government proud of its fiscal record?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, of course, we are very proud of the low unemployment rate in Quebec, the record level of foreign investments coming into our country and being a world leader in that regard.

What does my colleague do when we offer a tax holiday on children's clothing, toys, Christmas trees and restaurant meals?

He stands up and votes nay. He wants to make life affordable, but he is against affordability.

It is unbelievable.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the situation is critical for Lion Electric, and the Prime Minister must keep his promise.

In 2021, the Prime Minister personally visited Lion's plant to announce billions for the zero emission transit fund. The Prime Minister told Lion to prepare for a flood of bus orders from Canada. That never materialized, primarily because of the federal government's refusal to provide the full subsidy amounts promised to potential buyers.

Will the Prime Minister finally keep his promise and unfreeze his zero emission transit fund without delay?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Bloc Québécois for his question.

Lion Electric is indeed a very important company for the electrification of transportation, and not just in Quebec, but across Canada. The federal program will enable municipalities to purchase hundreds of electric buses thanks to this program, contrary to what my Bloc Québécois and Conservative Party colleagues are saying.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, “will” is in the future; by then, it will be too late.

The Prime Minister made that promise not only to Lion Electric, but to all the company's workers, including the 400 workers who were just laid off, right before the holidays.

Lion Electric took the Prime Minister at his word at the time. The company opened a second battery plant in Mirabel, hired people and made arrangements with suppliers. Now it has empty order books because the federal government has failed to provide the subsidies it promised to clients.

The Prime Minister is partly responsible for Lion Electric's troubles. The Prime Minister himself must do something about it.

Will he?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, we know where the puck is going in the world economy, which is toward the clean economy of the future. Our government has been working hard to attract billions of dollars of investment to secure good-paying jobs for generations to come. That is precisely the work we have been doing.

We know that Lion Electric is a leader in electric buses and electric trucks in this country, and we will make every effort to work with it to get projects across the finish line. The situation is being monitored closely, and we know how important it is to Quebec and to the Government of Canada.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada will make the green transition in transportation. It is inevitable. Canada will go green for school busing and everything else. The question is, will we be buying electric school buses made in Quebec by Quebeckers, or will we be buying American buses made by Americans because Ottawa, lacking vision as usual, failed one of our flagship companies?

Will this government finally wake up and let the zero emission transit fund dollars flow?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, through the zero emission transit fund, the federal government is helping public transit and school bus operators across the country to electrify their fleets.

It is essential to have made investments to support the transformation of our economy and to seize the opportunities to enhance the green economy. I am having conversations with my Quebec counterparts to find solutions.

We will continue to make the necessary investments to enhance the green economy across the country, including in Quebec.