Debates of May 21st, 2024

Carbon Pricing

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine summers, Canadians know the Prime Minister is not worth the cost. His carbon tax has hiked up the prices of everything. Canadians deserve relief, not taxes. Unlike the coalition of convenience, Conservatives have a solution: It is to cancel all federal tax on gas from now until Labour Day, keeping nearly $600 in the bank accounts of Ontarians to spend on basic needs and maybe even visit family.

Would it be too much to ask for the Prime Minister to lend a helping hand to Canadians and take the tax off their summer road trips?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I am curious about whether the hon. member has actually approached Conservative premiers across Canada, who maintain their own taxes on fuel. In particular, in the province of Alberta, Danielle Smith has increased the price of fuel by 13¢ and offers no rebate. I expect she knows very well that the majority of families receive more than they pay in a fuel tax, but facts do not seem to matter to a party that is committed to eroding all the environmental protections that exist in this country and has virtually no plans to invest in the things that are going to help working-class families address the cost of living.

We are in search of solutions, not fights. I wish Conservatives would at least come armed with facts.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are calling on the NDP-Liberals to axe the carbon tax and all federal taxes on gas from Victoria Day to Labour Day. For Nova Scotians, this would represent $542 of savings per family this summer. After nine years, we know the Prime Minister will jet off to surf in Tofino this summer at taxpayers' expense while Nova Scotians cannot afford a summer road trip.

Will the Prime Minister do a surfing cutback to help Canadians by taking the tax off the summer road trip?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I know the Conservatives are excited because they think they have found a new bumper sticker, but what would they say to families? Not only are they taking away their carbon rebate, but they would also be taking away child care. They would be taking away their dental care. They would be taking away their diabetes medication. What they would give in exchange for taking all those things away from vulnerable people is a false, empty promise. That is what we have on the other side: empty rhetoric and attacking vulnerable people at a time when they most need help.

We will continue to stand with those who need help.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, Canadians cannot afford the NDP-Liberal government's carbon tax that it just increased by 23%. That is why Conservatives announced a common-sense plan to axe the carbon tax and all federal taxes on gas from Victoria Day to Labour Day. It would mean saving 35¢ per litre. In Manitoba, that would represent over $600 in savings for each family during the summer.

Will the Prime Minister lend a helping hand to Canadians and take the tax off their summer road trip?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I was actually just in Manitoba last week, where we were announcing supports for Canadian families with more investment in creating more child care spaces to relieve the burden for families. These are programs that we continue to invest in, such as the Canada child benefit, dental plan and investments in Canadians, while we see the Conservatives continue to vote against them.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, people cannot afford to live or die. Funeral costs are now out of reach for Canadians in Ontario. The increase in unclaimed bodies is 488% since 2013. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. Seniors are already struggling with the affordability crisis. They built this country and now they cannot afford to bid their loved ones farewell.

When will the Prime Minister show some compassion and stop the out-of-control spending so people can live and die with dignity?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, for somebody to live with dignity, they need access to dental care. For somebody to live with dignity, they need access to their diabetes medication. For somebody to live with dignity, they need access to the medicine, support and health care that we are making sure we deliver each and every day.

For the party opposite, the Conservatives, to say that the solution to global inflation and the crisis that people are seeing all over the world is to slash supports to vulnerable peoples and attack the very supports that lift them up in the darkest times that we have faced in generations, we say “no”.

We will continue to be there for Canadians and make sure they get what they need.

Grocery Industry

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the past three years, the price of groceries has gone up by 21%. No wonder food banks are swamped. The Liberals and Conservatives could not care less, however.

When the CEO of Metro is a Conservative donor, it is clear who the official opposition leader is working for. Meanwhile, the Liberals are giving Loblaw and Costco millions of dollars in handouts. While ordinary folks are going hungry, CEOs are getting the VIP treatment. Enough is enough.

Will the Liberals support the NDP motion to make wealthy CEOs pay their fair share?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we have an economic plan that is fair for all Canadians, for every generation. We understand that, in order to fund this plan in a fiscally responsible manner, we need to ask the wealthiest Canadians to pay a bit more. That is what our government is doing.

The question should really go to the Conservatives, who are opposed to our plan. The Conservatives are the ones who are against a fair plan.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are hungry and hurting. Liberals have failed to lower food prices while Conservatives promote corporate greed. Over the last three years, grocery prices increased 21% while portions shrank. In 2023 alone, grocery giants made a record $6 billion in profit, all while Canadian families were tightening their belts and missing meals. That is why today New Democrats are forcing Liberals to take a stand.

Will Liberals support our motion to make CEOs pay what they owe or continue to put profits over people like the Conservatives do?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government has put forward a plan for fairness for every generation, a plan to invest in housing, in affordability and in economic growth. We have done it in a fiscally responsible way because we know inflation has to come down, so that interest rates can come down. To do that, we are asking those who are the most successful in our amazing country to contribute a little bit more.

That is tax fairness. We support it. The party that opposes it is the Conservatives.

Women and Gender Equality

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, eight out of 10 Canadians support a woman's right to choose. Yet, it seems the Conservative leader is unwilling to assure Canadians that he and his party will defend this fundamental right.

Could the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth remind the House of our government's position on a woman's right to choose?

[Marci Ien, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy and her tireless work.

I am proud to stand in this House to tell Canadians our government will always defend and support a woman's right to choose. Conservatives claim this is settled, yet anti-choice bills and petitions keep cropping up.

It is settled for us. No ifs, buts or maybes. We will never stop defending the rights that women in this country have fought so hard for.

Housing

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, July 1 is shaping up to be a disaster for people looking for housing in Quebec. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, new housing construction in Montreal has decreased compared to last year for both multi-unit dwellings and detached homes. Clearly, this Prime Minister's strategy is just one more in a long list of failures.

Will the Prime Minister remove the barriers to building instead of wasting Quebeckers' money?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, that is interesting, considering that my colleague who asked the question has no plan to fix the situation.

We have a plan to make the investments needed to build housing. For example, we signed an agreement with Quebec to build 8,000 affordable housing units.

To contrast, the Leader of the Opposition, when he was housing minister, was only able to build six units across the entire country. The Conservatives are going to cut programs for housing. We are going to make the investments. There is no clearer contrast.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the minister should remember is that over the last nine years, this government, with help from their Bloc Québécois friends, has created the conditions that have made today's cost of living unaffordable, raised interest rates and increased inflation.

This government, aided by the Bloc Québécois, voted in $500 billion in inflationary spending. As a result, Canadians and Quebeckers are now faced with a housing shortage or unaffordable options.

Can the minister answer my question more thoughtfully?

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

Mr. Speaker, memories are short. After spending a week in our ridings, it is easy to forget the six affordable housing units that the Leader of the Opposition built when he was the minister responsible for housing. We are talking six affordable housing units across the entire country during his entire tenure.

In the riding of Charlesbourg—Haute‑Saint‑Charles alone, 222 affordable housing units have been built in the last few months thanks to the leadership of Quebec municipalities and the financial support of the Canadian and Quebec governments.

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

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this government, after nine years of this Prime Minister's leadership, this Liberal Party is not worth the cost. Unfortunately, Canadians are paying the price. In what way? Rent costs have doubled since the Liberals took office.

People in Quebec City are starting to worry about the crisis that is looming for July 1. Le Soleil spoke to Nicole Dionne, who helps people find housing. She said, “Starting in mid-May, people start panicking if they haven't found housing yet.... A lot of people could be forced to camp outside.”

What does the government have to say to those people who would rather camp outside when they cannot find decent housing?

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

Mr. Speaker, Ms. Dionne is absolutely right and, unfortunately, she will be surprised to learn that the Leader of the Opposition created only six affordable housing units across the country during his entire term as the minister responsible for housing. I do not mean six units in the Quebec City area. I mean six affordable housing units in the entire country.

Just in the riding of my esteemed colleague, the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, more than 150 affordable housing units have been built in the past few months, thanks to the leadership of Quebec City's municipal government, whom the Conservative leader calls incompetent, but also thanks to the support of the Canadian government.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is really unfortunate that the member for Québec is continuing to tell tall tales.

I am not sure that Ms. Dionne will find what he just said very funny, because people in Quebec City are suffering right now. According to Le Soleil, the organization is receiving twice as many requests in Quebec City and Lévis as it did last year, and 815 people have asked for help from the CMHC.

Is the minister willing to go see them and tell them another tall tale?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would be delighted to go and visit the 160 affordable housing units that have been built in my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent's riding. The problem is that his Conservative leader is accusing the municipalities of Quebec of being incompetent.

Nevertheless, hundreds of affordable housing units are currently being built in Quebec City thanks to the leadership of its municipal government and, obviously, with the support of the Canadian government, which, instead of boasting about the six affordable housing units that the Conservative leader built, is working closely and respectfully with all those involved.

The Budget

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is moving a closure motion to force the implementation of the budget.

This budget interferes in Quebec's jurisdictions; its theme is to decide for Quebeckers. Imposing conditions on Quebec and the cities under the threat of cutting funding for housing, intruding into health care in favour of private care, grabbing power in the financial sector; we have to wonder if the Liberals have a bit of a separatist streak. Indeed, never has a budget attacked federalism in such a way.

Why not collaborate with Quebec instead of picking a fight?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I am very surprised that my colleague is worried about the state of federalism. I thank him for his concern for Canada.

We too are concerned about Canada. That is why we are introducing important programs for all Canadians.

The Bloc Québécois should be ashamed because it campaigned on wanting to work for housing, for seniors, for the environment and for families. It voted against all that. It should be ashamed.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let me reassure the member, I do not care much about federalism.

I know that Quebeckers want to be masters in their own house, and yet what the federal government is doing with this budget is trying to be master everywhere.

While the Liberals seek to govern in place of the provinces, no one is looking after federal business. No one here is looking out for seniors 65 and over who do not qualify for the OAS increase. No one is looking after EI. No one is seeing to reimbursing the costs of receiving asylum seekers. No one is looking after our key sectors like forestry and aerospace.

Instead of trying to be masters everywhere, why do the Liberals not take care of their own responsibilities?