Debates of Feb. 26th, 2024

Lac Saint-Pierre Biosphere Reserve

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to highlight that UNESCO has renewed the Lac Saint-Pierre region's prestigious designation as a “world biosphere reserve”.

It is a great honour for Berthier—Maskinongé and for Quebec as a whole to see the rich biodiversity of our region recognized in this way for 24 years now. By raising awareness and mobilizing communities to adopt healthy and sustainable practices, the Lac Saint-Pierre Biosphere Reserve is working to reconcile human activity with the protection of our natural and cultural heritage.

In the face of environmental challenges, we have a responsibility to adjust our policies, regulations and practices to ensure the vitality of the ecosystems that sustain our prosperity and quality of life.

I want to congratulate Henri-Paul Normandin and his team at the Lac Saint-Pierre Area of Prime Concern Committee. They can count on my support as they carry out their important mission.

Public Services and Procurement

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption. The details and cost of the arrive scam app, at $60 million and counting, get worse by the day.

Now the NDP is pretending to be outraged by the facts being uncovered. However, when the Prime Minister needed to approve the millions of dollars he funnelled to companies such as GC Strategies, the truth is that his costly coalition partners in the NDP and the Bloc voted to prop him up and allow this spending to take place, further enabling all this corruption and incompetence. GC Strategies did no actual work and got $20 million of taxpayers' money.

The record shows that the NDP voted with the Liberals to allow the arrive scam spending to continue, with all these money-for-nothing contracts, at least eight times. It gets worse the more we know. The truth is this: The NDP refused to block this spending and is complicit in it. After eight years, the Prime Minister and his NDP buddies are not worth the cost or the corruption.

Ukraine

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Speaker, two years ago, Russia massively expanded its illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

Two years on, we remember those who have died defending their homeland. These brave and fearless Ukrainians are fighting for their identity, their democracy, their history and their language.

Canada will always stand with Ukraine. Besides taking in 200,000 refugees, we have provided $13 billion of military and humanitarian aid. Let us not repeat the mistakes we made before World War II. Ukrainians are fighting and dying against tyranny for all of us.

To quote Churchill, the goal “is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.” We and our allies will continue to provide aid until that victory is achieved.

Slava Ukraini.

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, while the common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, after eight years, this Liberal Prime Minister, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption.

The Bloc Québécois voted eight times to give the Liberal Prime Minister tens of millions of dollars for the “arrive scam” cost overruns and contracts that gave money for nothing.

The leader of the Bloc Québécois knew that the “arrive scam” app should have cost only $80,000, but his party still went ahead and voted in favour of at least $24 million more for the app.

What is the point of the Bloc Québécois?

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

Mr. Speaker, that question has already been answered several times. We once again thank the Auditor General of Canada for her important report and her solid recommendations regarding the review of the ArriveCAN app. The findings are troubling.

The good news is that most of those recommendations have already been implemented. We will continue to do that for as long as it takes.

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

Mr. Speaker, the cost of ArriveCAN did not balloon all at once. The government needed votes to fund their corrupt $60-million app. The leader of the Bloc Québécois came to their rescue and voted with them not just once, but eight times.

The Bloc Québécois continued to vote in favour of allocating millions of dollars more for ArriveCAN. It is costly to vote for the Bloc Québécois.

In his defence, the leader of the Bloc Québécois said, “We are not going to scrutinize everything the government spends.”

How can an opposition party not scrutinize spending? What is the point of voting for the Bloc Québécois?

[The Speaker, Greg Fergus]

I see that the Minister of Public Services and Procurement is already standing to answer the question. I would like to remind all members that questions must pertain to government administration or else they should be directed to a committee chair.

The hon. Minister of Public Services and Procurement.

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

Mr. Speaker, indeed, I do not feel I can properly answer questions directed to the Bloc Québécois. I am sure our hon. colleague, the House leader of the Conservative Party, knows to whom he should be directing his questions and will find the appropriate setting to do so.

That being said, my responsibility and that of the government during the pandemic was to strive to protect the health and safety of Canadians in a dire emergency. We had not seen this type of situation since 1919. However, even in a crisis, all the rules must be followed.

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

Mr. Speaker, common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, fix the budget, build the homes and stop the crime. The NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is proving that he is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption.

The NDP is pretending to be outraged by the arrive scam scandal, but the Liberals did not have enough votes to get the funding through Parliament. Therefore, the NDP came to the rescue and, eight times, voted to keep funding no-show jobs and IT work that was never done.

Common-sense Conservatives voted no. Had the NDP and the Bloc done the same, the arrive scam would never have happened.

Does the NDP-Liberal coalition deal require the NDP to fund Liberal corruption?

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

Mr. Speaker, this question has already received multiple answers. The fact that it is coming from the former speaker of the House is obviously a bit strange.

He would know that, if he needs to ask questions of the NDP, we are not, on this side, the right people to answer those questions. I would invite our hon. colleague to ask the right people.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, it is his government's deal with the NDP.

While common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, fix the budget, build the homes and stop the crime, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is proving that he is not worth the cost or the corruption.

The Prime Minister managed to find $60 million for his arrive scam app. Now, he is going to reach into the pockets of Canadians yet again and hike the carbon tax on April 1.

Canadians are struggling with out-of-control costs, and millions of Canadians are visiting the food bank for the first time.

Will the Prime Minister just show some compassion and cancel his plan to hike the carbon tax?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, who deny that climate change exists and want to take money away from the Conservatives, we have a question for the Conservatives.

In particular, what are they going to cut? Are they going to cut $1,100 from Ontario families, $1,800 from Alberta families or $1,200 from Manitoba families?

Conservatives deny climate change. They are planning to take away hundreds of dollars from families. That is not common sense.

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

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are going to axe the tax and not take the money out of Canadians' pockets in the first place. The Liberals' own non-partisan, independent Parliamentary Budget Officer has concluded that Canadians pay far more in the carbon tax than anything they hope to get back in the rebate. On April 1, the Liberals are going to hike it again.

Something devastating is happening in Canada: People are starting networks on social media to coordinate efforts to go dumpster diving. There is actually one in Toronto, and the founder said, “The most common answer we get to the question of ‘why do you want to join this network?’ is ‘too broke to afford food’”.

Why are they hiking the carbon tax?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, we should note that the opposition does not rebut the claim that they deny climate change exists. We should note that they are not standing up for future generations of Canadians by protecting sustainability and acting on climate change.

The inflation numbers have come down below 3%. Our government is continuing to put money back in the pockets of Canadians. We will be there for Canadians, offering supports to the most vulnerable Canadians, while the Conservatives vote against them every single time.

Government Priorities

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, anyone worried about the relationship between the NDP and the Liberals can rest assured that this courtship will keep going strong until 2025, even if it is costly. The top priority is making Canadians happy. It is not about Quebec's priorities.

Quebeckers did not ask for day care, they already have it. Quebeckers did not ask for dental insurance, they already have it. Quebeckers did not ask for drug coverage, they already have it.

How much will the “majority insurance” of these two lovebirds cost Quebeckers, even though it ignores our priorities?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to my colleague that if Quebec is a leader in social matters, so much the better. Yes, we draw inspiration from Quebec when it comes to day care. Yes, we draw inspiration from Quebec when it comes to dental care. Yes, we draw inspiration from Quebec every time we implement initiatives that will push Canada to offer more services for Canadians.

What has surprised me this morning is that the Bloc Québécois is not talking about investments, particularly Moderna's investment in Laval this week. Canada will have the first Moderna plant in the world. It will be in Quebec. We will be able to ensure the health and safety of Canadians.

Health

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if only the Liberal-NDP “majority insurance” could improve care. A year after the forced deal on health transfers, Quebec has not received a single penny. Ottawa keeps imposing its conditions.

Eleven months have passed since Quebec demanded the right to opt out of federal dental coverage, and still nothing. Today, our lovebirds are having their third long-term spat, this one on pharmacare. In the meantime, not a single Quebecker is getting better care.

Instead of playing games just to stay in power, why not give Quebec the money it needs to take care of our people?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is clearly trying to pick a fight. We are seeking solutions. That is why we are having good conversations with Minister Dubé and the Government of Quebec about improving the quality of health care.

It is essential that all Quebeckers have access to dental care and a good health care system. That can be achieved through co-operation, not through bickering or this sort of debate.

Northern Affairs

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, people are getting ripped off by corporate grocery stores in this country; in the north, it is on another level. One litre of olive oil costs $36. The federal government subsidizes corporations working in the north with a program called nutrition north. Nutrition north gives millions of dollars in subsidies to these companies; the companies take a third of it and do not pass it on to consumers.

Will the Liberal government reform nutrition north so the benefit goes to the people, not to the CEOs of corporations working in the north?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to ensuring that 100% of the retail subsidy is passed directly to northerners. We know that prices are too high in the north. We have worked and will continue to work with territorial governments, indigenous partners and, more importantly, people who live in the north and the Arctic to make progress. Progress has been made, but there is a lot of work to do.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister knows the program is an abject failure.

There is no denying that grocery retailers in the north are gouging people and that the Liberal government is giving subsidies to these companies. Instead of helping ordinary people, these companies are giving massive handouts to the CEOs of big grocery retailers.

The question is simple. When will the Liberal government fix the program so that it works for the people and not for CEOs?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that important question.

Our government is committed to ensuring that 100% of the retail subsidy goes directly to northerners. We know that prices are too high in the north. We are working with the territorial government, our indigenous partners and the people who live in the north and the Arctic to make progress on this issue. This is such an important issue, and there is so much work to do. We will get it done.

Carbon Pricing

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the Liberal-NDP Prime Minister is not worth the crime, the corruption or the cost.

Common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax because the NDP-Liberal carbon tax coalition has failed. It has not hit a single emissions target.

Do members know who has succeeded? Farmers. According to the Global Institute for Food Security, the carbon footprint for canola grown in Saskatchewan is 67% lower than the rest of the world.

Why is the Prime Minister punishing Canadian farmers for this incredible accomplishment? Instead of blaming farmers for his carbon tax failures, will he not axe his plan to increase the tax on April 1?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, being a farmer, I fully understand the importance and the effects of climate change. I understand how important it is to take care of the land. That is why we, as a government, have invested $1.5 million to help farmers and processors reduce their environmental footprint and stay on the cutting edge. We will continue to fight climate change and work with farmers and ranchers right across this country.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that farmers are succeeding where the Liberal-NDP carbon tax coalition is failing. What is the farmers' reward for this? A 23% increase in the carbon tax on April 1.

Common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax and reward farmers for those accomplishments. Do members know that wheat grown in Canada can travel around the world three and a half times before it has the same carbon footprint as wheat grown in Europe? Canadian farmers have accomplished this through innovation, not carbon taxes.

Will the Liberals finally admit they were wrong, pass Bill C-234 unamended and axe their plan to increase the carbon tax on April 1?