Debates of Dec. 5th, 2024

Reference to Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have obviously upset the Conservatives because they consistently mislead. The fact that he called me an “asshole” is inappropriate and is unbecoming of the Conservative Party and that member. I am happy that he apologized and withdrew it, but—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa is rising a point of order.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Madam Speaker, that is very unparliamentary language. I ask the member to please withdraw it.

[An hon. member]

I was quoting him.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for New Brunswick Southwest is rising on the same point of order.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Madam Speaker, my colleague had withdrawn the comment. I do not think it is correct for a member to keep raising it once the member has done the honourable thing.

I would ask the member to both withdraw what he said and apologize, as this member did.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The government deputy House leader is rising on the same point of order.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is entirely appropriate to comment on anything that happens in the House, including when somebody might choose to withdraw a comment. For that member to suggest that suddenly, because somebody withdrew something, we cannot discuss it anymore, is in my opinion, and I believe you would find the same thing, just not correct.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

On the same point of order, the hon. member for Northumberland—Peterborough South.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Madam Speaker, then it would be fine for me to say that the Prime Minister once called someone in the House a piece of shit.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

This is now getting out of line. I would ask all members to please be respectful. It is raising a lot of discourse in the House.

I would again ask members to please be respectful with the words they are using in the House. This has raised disorder, and I would ask members to not use those words, whether against each other or in reference to what has been said.

The hon. member for Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa did the right thing and withdrew his statement, so I would ask members to please be respectful.

The hon. member for Edmonton Griesbach has the floor.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Speaker, I always appreciate your interventions and the clarity they provide in this place to ensure all of our colleagues act with the best conduct that is fitting of their constituents. It is unfortunate that that member from the Conservative Party would be so weak and so beholden to his emotions that he would go out of control like that in such a sporadic and extreme way, to try to diminish this place so greatly—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Speaker, now they are heckling me. That they continue to try to diminish the reputation of this place is truly unbecoming of the Conservative Party. It is so unfortunate—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Edmonton Griesbach has two minutes to continue his debate, and he continues to have the floor.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Speaker, I will say again that I always appreciate your interventions for the clarity they provide in this place. I just wanted to bring greater clarity to the Speaker's statement regarding the importance of the decency we should all have.

It is so unfortunate that, in the last few weeks, we have seen such dissent in the demeanour of Conservative Party members. It is likely because of two things. One, it is likely because their leader continues to whip them so badly that they cannot say what they truly mean, or two, it is because they are getting so worn down by the fact that their tired old slogans can only go so far, and the bumper on their car is only so big.

It is important that we do the hard work of ensuring that we get to the bottom of SDTC. One of the most important ways to get to the bottom of SDTC would be to know exactly the interests of those who abused taxpayer dollars. Ms. Verschuren abused taxpayer dollars, kicked money back to the Liberals and the Conservative Party, and now both do not want to answer questions about it. The Conservatives want to do something even worse, which is to attempt to go around some of that and accuse—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member will be able to finish his speech the next time this matter is before the House, which will probably be sometime tomorrow. I will be here tomorrow, and I hope members will be much kinder to each other and to me.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Carbon Pricing

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Madam Speaker, Canadians were shocked and outraged to learn that the Prime Minister's climate change ambassador charged taxpayers over a quarter of a million dollars in less than two years to travel around the globe promoting the failed carbon tax. She is probably in the air right now.

My question is simple.: Does the member personally believe that Canadians are getting good value for money from the Prime Minister's climate change ambassador, yes or no?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Special Advisor for Water]

Madam Speaker, I am responding to the question the member asked in the House not long ago. I would just remind him that in recent years, climate change has had unprecedented effects on Canadians. Impacts from climate change are wide-ranging, affecting our homes, the cost of living, infrastructure, health and safety, and economic activity in communities across Canada.

Released yesterday, “Canada's Food Price Report 2025” states that extreme weather and climate change pose significant challenges to the cost of food, something I know the hon. member is very interested in as someone from an agricultural community. The science is clear: We must continue taking ambitious actions to combat climate change before it is too late. This includes using all of the tools in our tool box, including putting a price on pollution.

Despite what the Conservatives may think, the Bank of Canada has confirmed that carbon pricing contributes less than 1% to inflation. In fact the impact of carbon pricing on inflation is just 0.15%. Our government's plan to combat climate change is working. For the first time in Canadian history, we are on track to meet a climate goal, in 2026.

We are focused on building a stronger economy, combatting climate change and making life more affordable; that is exactly what putting a price on pollution does. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed multiple times that the vast majority of Canadians are better off with the Canada carbon rebate. A family of four in the riding of Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, a very beautiful part of my home province, the member's home province of Manitoba, with the Canada carbon rebate, will receive $1,200 a year. That is not all; in rural communities, residents will receive an additional 20% top-up.

We remain focused on the bigger picture: protecting Canadians from the devastating impacts of climate change and ensuring a prosperous future for generations to come.

I know that the hon. member is a strong environmental advocate. I would like to hear him and his party, for once, talk about climate change, the opportunities it has for our economy and the impacts it is having on agriculture and on people's lives from coast to coast to coast.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Madam Speaker, we all realize climate change is real. In climate change, we have to reduce emissions. Meanwhile, the climate ambassador is flying all over the world, racking up air miles.

The member did not answer my question. Does he believe that Canadians are getting good value for money from the Prime Minister's climate change ambassador, yes or no?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Madam Speaker, my answer is an unqualified yes, and we are getting good value from the measures that we are introducing to combat climate change.

As I mentioned earlier, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed that carbon pricing does not contribute to inflation. We know that the impacts of climate change are something in the order of $25 billion a year. They are impacting our farmers. They are impacting people in cities and in rural Canada alike. I was very happy to hear the hon. member say that climate change is real. I think he is one of the few members from his party across the aisle whom I have heard say that.