Debates of Feb. 27th, 2024

Carbon Pricing

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Order. There are some members whose voices carry, and they know who they are. I would ask them to please keep their voices down and allow the hon. member to finish his answer.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind members of what Canadians know: On this side of the House, we believe we can fight climate change and have a prosperous future for our children. We brought Stellantis into this country. We brought Volkswagen into this country. We brought Northvolt into this country.

We have created jobs for the next generation, fought climate change and ensured that Canada will lead in the 21st century.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption.

One in five families is living in energy poverty, and we know that rate is even higher in rural areas, such as northern Ontario. While they laugh about it, why does the Prime Minister not finally axe his April carbon tax hike so that Canadians can afford to heat their homes?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I think that member of Parliament needs to be unplugged from the wall and plugged back in, but here is what I hope will happen when that reboot occurs: I hope he will get up from his place, walk down to the Leader of the Opposition and say “Pass the fall economic statement; help Canadians. Pass child care; help the moms and dads out there who are waiting for those needed supports.” He can tell that to his leader. When will that member, instead of trying to get his leader's lines right, stand up for Canadians and get them the supports that they need?

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, no matter how much they try to distract or deny, their plan is simply not working. The carbon tax is not an environmental plan; emissions are on the rise. More Canadians are paying more in the tax than they are getting back in rebates. One in five families is living in energy poverty, and two million Canadians are going to a food bank every single month.

How much more must Canadians struggle before the Liberals finally listen to our common-sense plan and axe the tax?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I think a lot of Canadians at home noticed how the hon. member for Kenora was able to ask his question relatively free from interruption.

I am going to ask the hon. minister to respond. The hon. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

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

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives still debate whether climate change is real, while some of those members say that climate change is actually created by body heat from humans and others say that carbon dioxide is good for the planet, 200,000 farmers in the last decade have said that they have experienced the impacts of climate change, making food costs go up. There is no link between carbon pricing and food prices, but there is a link between climate change impacts and food prices.

What is the Conservative response? It is more climate change.

Seniors

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, members from all parties—Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Bloc—unanimously voted to do away with two classes of seniors when it comes to receiving old age security.

Members will recall that the government had decided to limit benefit increases to those aged 75 and over only. In committee, MPs from all parties voted to do away with this terrible idea. Now, the government just needs to give royal recommendation so that we can do away with these two classes of seniors.

Will the government give royal recommendation to Bill C‑319?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have been there for seniors. Increasing old age security was the right thing to do. They are more likely to outlive their savings, have disabilities and need health care.

We also increased the guaranteed income supplement, improved the Canada pension plan and introduced a new dental plan.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the asylum seekers file, the Minister of Immigration has some nerve. It has been since 2021 that Quebec has been calling on the federal government to reimburse the costs and ensure that asylum seekers are spread out among the provinces. It has been three years.

Today, the minister has the nerve to say that the Government of Quebec did not seem serious about sitting down to discuss this. He complains that Quebec suddenly threw out some figures at a press conference.

Does he realize that if he had been paying his debt since 2021 and negotiating instead of hiding that there would not be a problem today?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I think that it is fair to talk about reality. Imagine if I send someone a bill for $500, we talk and the next day I hold a press conference to double the bill without justification. That is kind of what we are dealing with here. We are responsible governments.

For my part, I talk to the people in my riding, in downtown Montreal, who are welcoming asylum seekers. They have not received one red cent from the Government of Quebec. These sums need to be justified. We are prepared to work with the Government of Quebec.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the bill would not be as high if the federal government dealt with asylum claims in a timely fashion. Former Liberal minister David Heurtel reminded us of that in the Journal de Montréal. Quebec experienced the same problems in 2018 under Philippe Couillard. Even then, Quebec was already asking the federal government to reduce wait times. Something that is supposed to take a maximum of 60 days should never take a minimum of 60 months. Six years later, nothing has changed. According to the former Liberal minister, the federal government's inaction is criminal.

When will the minister finally address these criminal, inhumane and extremely costly delays?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the member is partly right. It is true that there has been a historic influx of asylum seekers in Canada and that those numbers have gone up by about 50% to 60%. There is more work to be done, but it does not involve sending money to Quebec because Quebec does not spend that money on asylum seekers.

I admit that the distribution of asylum seekers must be fair, and we are working on that. For example, a lot of people move to Ontario. We are helping them, but these people have to give their consent. First and foremost, we need to treat people humanely. We are willing to do that, and I am sure that Quebec is too.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

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

Today, the commissioner of the RCMP confirmed that the Liberals' scandal-plagued $60-million arrive scam app is, in fact, under RCMP investigation. We have seen the Prime Minister use the powers of the executive to try to shield himself from criminal investigations, just as he did with his trip to the Aga Khan's island and the SNC-Lavalin scandal, for both of which he was found guilty of breaking the ethics act.

Will the Prime Minister fully co-operate with the RCMP investigation?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, not only will the government co-operate with the RCMP at every occasion, but it was also the government that referred a number of these cases to the RCMP. My friend has just realized what the RCMP confirmed some weeks ago, which is that it is looking into the issue of ArriveCAN.

Our government thinks it is important that the Auditor General's report be followed carefully, and we think it is important for parliamentary committees and other investigations to determine the facts of the issue before we throw mud around the House of Commons.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister and his colleagues thought that the Auditor General's work was so important, they would not have voted against the audit the Leader of the Opposition and common-sense Conservatives voted for. That was how we found out about this $60-million scandal, which has landed at the minister's feet. Now we have the RCMP investigating them. Twice before, the Prime Minister used the powers of the executive to shield himself from criminal investigations with the RCMP.

My question this time is simple. Will the Prime Minister interfere in the investigation again or will he allow the RCMP to do its work?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to hear that question.

I want to acknowledge the remarkable work done by the Auditor General. She indicated her support for the RCMP's operations several weeks ago. That is not new. She has stated this publicly many times. We could help the member find the places where she did that. She clearly said that she was already in contact with the RCMP to ensure that everyone can do their job.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is breaking news today from the ethics committee. The RCMP have now confirmed that they are investigating the $60-million ArriveCAN boondoggle. While common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost, crime or corruption after eight years.

Will the Prime Minister co-operate with the RCMP and its criminal investigation, or will he yet again try to obstruct?

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

Mr. Speaker, we know how good the Conservative Party is in providing slogans and doing all those sorts of things.

However, it is a bit strange to say that this is breaking news because it has been known for many weeks now that the RCMP and the Auditor General have been working really well together, and they will keep working together really well. That is what their jobs are about.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the minister needs to review the evidence from the ethics committee.

A two-person consultant company working out of their basement doing no IT work received $20 million tax dollars. Talk about hitting the taxpayer lottery. This sham of a company is already under RCMP investigation. Today, we learned the RCMP is investigating this in all kinds of criminality.

I will ask again: Will the Prime Minister fully co-operate and waive all cabinet confidences, or will he hide again and obstruct?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague learned something today that has been known in the public domain for a number of weeks.

We have said from the beginning that the government's responsibility is to ensure that taxpayers' money is always managed well. In this case, the Auditor General identified a number of opportunities that needed to be investigated and where the government will follow all of the recommendations. If people have done something inappropriate with taxpayers' money, they will be held to account.

Northern Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, people in the north are paying enormous amounts for food as the CEOs of the grocery chains make millions of dollars. Nunavummiut have said for years that nutrition north is not working, and the government is ignoring them. Nutrition north is keeping many northerners in poverty as the subsidy is going to CEOs' profits, not lowering food prices.

Why is the minister padding the pockets of rich CEOs instead of helping northerners afford their groceries?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we know that food prices in the north are too high. Affordability is a real issue in the north. Our government is absolutely committed to ensuring that 100% of the nutrition north retail subsidy is passed on directly to northerners.

We have worked, and we will continue to work, with territorial governments, indigenous partners and people living in the north and the Arctic to bring down prices. There is a lot of work to do. We are committed to getting it done.

Health

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, personal support workers are the backbone of our senior care system. They relieve young families worried about how they will take care of both their children and their parents. However, despite everything they do, many of these workers cannot retire with the dignity they deserve. For three years, the Liberal government has promised SEIU and other health care units help with building their retirement savings. It is a $50-million commitment, yet not a single dollar has flowed to these workers. New Democrats demand better for our care workers.

Will the Liberal government honour its commitment and release the funds these health care workers deserve before the fiscal year ends?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me give my thanks to personal care support workers. During the pandemic, which was a time so difficult for all of us, it was enormously difficult for personal care support workers, who did extraordinary work.

We did make a commitment to support provinces. It is the provinces that have the principal responsibility for this. We expect them to step up in supports for personal care support workers. We have said we are there to help them, but it is their lead, and they need to make sure that these individuals are compensated and acknowledged in the way that they deserve.