Debates of April 17th, 2024

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister thinks anyone who puts gas in their car is rich and needs to be made poor. He thinks any single mother who is not already pouring water in her children's milk is too rich, and he wants to make her poorer. He thinks that families who are heating their homes in big, cold Canada are too rich, and he wants to make them poor.

That is a bit rich coming from the guy who stuffed his family fortune in a tax-sheltered trust fund and helps his billionaire island friends avoid paying their bills. Why does he not stop taking from the have-nots and giving to the have-yachts?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in this budget, we are proposing to ask the ultrawealthy to pay more in taxes to support lower-income Canadians and middle-class Canadians, which is something that the Conservatives are standing against. They choose to stand with the ultrawealthy while we continue to invest in supports for families. We have cut the child poverty rate in half since 2016. We have continued to move forward on investing in supports for families right across the country. With this budget focused on fairness for every generation, we are continuing to do exactly that, despite the opposition of the Conservatives.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is not the opposition from the Conservatives that he needs to worry about. It is the Liberal Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. He said, “On the carbon tax in particular, the prime minister has tried to bait me at times with certain ad hominems and name-calling, almost. But look, we have a very different opinion on the carbon tax” and “I wish the prime minister would understand that. He's being very sclerotic in his approach on this ideologic marriage that he has to this [carbon tax]”.

Will the Prime Minister end his ideological marriage with the carbon tax so that Canadians can eat, heat and house themselves?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am resolute that I will fight climate change and put more money back in the pockets of Canadians right across the country. Any premier is welcome to come forward with a plan to put a price on pollution that meets the levels required by the federal government instead of complaining, but that is what we will continue to do.

We will ensure that a price on pollution that puts more money back in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians, including in Newfoundland and Labrador, continues to be in place right across the country because that is what Canadians need for a stronger future and for affordability.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed, in fact, that six out of 10 Canadians pay more in carbon tax than they get back in rebates. One hundred per cent of middle-class or middle-quintile Canadians pay more in tax than they get back, with it being especially bad for rural and suburban Canadians.

Now, we have two-year highs in gas prices all across Ontario. Ontarians are being punished because of a 23% carbon tax. They can thank the Prime Minister every time they fill up the tank. Why will he not axe the tax so that Ontarians can afford to drive to work?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Ontario is an excellent example of a jurisdiction that chose to move forward with its own cap-and-trade system so that it would not be subject to the federal carbon-pricing backstop. It was the choice of a Conservative premier to scrap the carbon-pricing system that they had and to take on the federal carbon-pricing backstop, but that is not all bad because that actually puts more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Ontarian families, which is something that the Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed repeatedly.

We are fighting climate change and putting more money back in people's pockets.

The Budget

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I refuse to believe that the Prime Minister is working hand in hand with Quebec. On the contrary, I believe he has his hand in Quebeckers' pockets. He is blatantly abusing the fiscal imbalance. He is blatantly abusing his spending power. Furthermore, he is racking up an appalling deficit that Quebeckers will be paying off for a long time to come simply to save his government's skin, and his own skin, in the next election.

Does he understand that I am condemning this government and this budget as it concerns Quebeckers?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am shocked, shocked I say, to hear the Bloc Québécois complain about a government in Ottawa. That is its job, after all, and it has been for many decades.

We will continue to invest everywhere in Canada, including Quebec, in partnership with the Government of Quebec, to ensure that more housing is built, to invest in health care systems, and to support Quebec's efforts to provide a health care system. We will continue to be there to fund the creation of child care spaces. We are there to be partners in the well-being of Quebeckers and of all Canadians.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if you have 10 minutes, I would ask you to explain to the Prime Minister what purpose the opposition serves in Parliament, especially since it comes so naturally to a Quebecker.

The Prime Minister is interfering in all of Quebec's jurisdictions, and yet the Liberals think it is outrageous for Quebec to want to use a tiny piece of the Constitution, the notwithstanding clause, to protect its own jurisdictions. The Prime Minister is abusing his power at Quebec's expense, and I will continue to speak out against that.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I will continue to fulfill my responsibility, both as a member from Quebec and as the Prime Minister of Canada, to invest in helping Canadians across the country. That includes investing to create housing for Quebeckers, jointly investing in health care, and investing to create more opportunities for Quebeckers in the coming years in good careers and good jobs in a green economy. We are there to invest across the country. The Bloc Québécois is the only one that does not like that.

The Budget

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, even a former NDP leader has more common sense than the current Prime Minister and the current leader of the NDP. Thomas Mulcair said yesterday that this government is going to spend $54.1 billion on interest on the debt, in other words on bankers. That is exactly how much is collected with the GST. Every penny that Canadians spend on GST is going not toward services, but toward bankers.

Does the Prime Minister think that is acceptable?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to note that, like the Conservative Party, Thomas Mulcair was against increasing taxes on the 1% in order to lower them for the middle class. That is what we did in 2015. We have continued to invest in helping the middle class and young people, while the Conservative Party continues to advocate for austerity and cuts. The Conservatives are siding with the wealthy once again.

We will be there to deliver fairness for every generation, including young people, especially young people.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, austerity is what people are living every day when they cannot afford to eat, heat or house themselves after nine years of the current Prime Minister, but when people pay the GST they assume they are getting something in return. It turns out that they pay $54.1 billion in GST and it costs them $54.1 billion in interest on the national debt.

Does the Prime Minister realize that not one penny from the money Canadians pay in GST goes to valuable services? It all goes to pay wealthy bankers.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again in the face of the challenges Canadians are struggling with every single day, the solution by the Conservatives is for the government to do less, to invest less in supporting Canadians, less for seniors and dental care, less for child care spaces, less for medical supports for health care and less in building more homes. The solution proposed by the Conservatives is for the government to do less for Canadians. We are continuing to invest in people responsibly with the best and lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. We will continue to do that.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we propose less for bankers and bondholders, and more for doctors and nurses. This year, for the first time in over a generation, the federal government will spend more on interest for the national debt than we do on health care.

After the Prime Minister doubled the size of the debt and grew health spending slower than the previous Conservative government, why is it that he wants to give 54 billion hard-earned Canadian tax dollars to wealthy bankers and bondholders, and not doctors and nurses?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that would perhaps be a more credible partisan argument if it was not for the fact that the Conservative Party consistently stood against investments to support Canadians. The dental care program we are putting forward is already helping the 1.7 million seniors who have signed up. The Conservatives have not only voted against it, but they are busy spreading misinformation around the country to try to scare people out of that program for partisan gains. The fact is that we are going to continue to invest in child care spaces, because that helps families. We are going to continue to invest in supporting students, so they have less debt. We are going to build more homes. They want to do less.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's skilled workers and entrepreneurs are our greatest resource. Capitalizing on their ideas, innovations and hard work is an essential way to keep our place at the forefront of the world's advanced economies.

Can the Prime Minister tell the House about the new measures announced in the budget that will support not only our workers, but the Canadian economy as well?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vaudreuil—Soulanges for his question and for his hard work.

Yesterday's budget is a clear commitment to investing in our future and in the talents of Canadian workers.

However, the Conservative leader has said that he will vote against supporting Canadian clean-tech companies, against our investments in artificial intelligence and against people working on the electric vehicle supply chain.

While we are investing to ensure that every Canadian succeeds in the 21st century, the Leader of the Opposition wants to take us back to the Stone Age.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, David Dodge, proud Liberal and former Liberal appointee as governor of the central bank, said that this would be the worst budget in over 40 years.

It turned out that he was right. We have had John Manley, a former Liberal finance minister, who said that the Prime Minister is pushing on the inflationary gas pedal.

We now even have Bill Morneau condemning the government of which he is a former finance minister.

Why is it that so many Liberals have come to the conclusion that this Prime Minister is not worth the cost?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, there are people, like the Conservative Party of Canada, who are going to choose to stand with the ultrawealthy and not stand with young people, who need better supports, as we ensure more housing, more investments and more opportunities for them to succeed in an economy that is increasingly tilted toward the ultrawealthy and away from young people and the middle class.

That is why we are going to continue to step up and put money in the pockets of Canadians who need it, by asking the wealthiest to pay a little bit more, something that the Conservatives will continue to stand against, because they stand with the ultrawealthy.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, all the adults in the Liberal and NDP parties are saying that this budget is irresponsible. We have John Manley, former Liberal finance minister, saying that this Prime Minister is pushing on the inflationary gas pedal. David Dodge, renowned Liberal, is saying that it could be the worst budget in four decades.

Bill Morneau, if members remember him from before he became “Bill no more”, said that this is a troubling budget.

Even Tom Mulcair says that there is too much going to debt interest.

Is this not like the NDP-Liberal marriage? The parents went away, and the rambunctious, reckless kids went and trashed the place.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while the Leader of the Opposition continues to focus on partisan attacks, we are going to stay focused on building a better future for Canadians.

Speaking of inflation, this is the third month in a row in which inflation has been within the Bank of Canada's target range. That is because we continue to govern responsibly, in a fiscally sound way that is at the forefront of the G7, even as we step up to invest in Canadians and in their future.

Confident countries invest in themselves and their people. That is what we are doing, while the Conservatives propose to do less and to invest less to support Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I am not the one who is doing personal or partisan attacks against this Prime Minister's agenda. It is his fellow Liberals and New Democrats. It is his coalition partner, who simultaneously attacks everything he does and then enthusiastically stands up to support it.

It is the Prime Minister, who attacks his immigration minister for letting the system get completely out of control and then attacks himself for doubling housing costs, making life so unfair.

If they are so busy attacking themselves and their own record, why do they not just call a carbon tax election, so that Canadians can vote them out?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government is making the choice to invest in a fairer future for all Canadians, for every generation. That is the choice we are making.

The Conservatives are continuing to choose to stand with the wealthiest in this country and to do less to invest in child care, less to invest in solving the housing crisis and less to support young people across the country, who need to feel the opportunities they can build in the future again.

We will continue to be there to put money in the pockets of Canadians, to put homes in their communities and to build a stronger future for them and their families, while the Conservatives continue to promote cuts and austerity.

Housing

[George Chahal, Liberal, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have been hearing from young people in my riding that home ownership is just out of reach—