Debates of May 22nd, 2024

The Economy

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we announced the national school food program in the budget, and just after question period today, the Conservatives have an opportunity to vote in favour of that national school food program and other initiatives that are going to help hundreds of thousands of kids across this country and, indeed, millions of Canadians with the high cost of living. However, he is going to stand there and vote against it to prevent it from delivering the help Canadians need.

We will keep going on delivering support for Canadians. We will keep going on putting more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians with our price on pollution, which supports Canadian families and successfully fights climate change.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been making exactly the same promises for nine long years, yet the NDP-Liberal government has doubled housing costs, doubled the debt and increased the size of the bureaucracy by 50%. Now he wants to quadruple the carbon tax, all to deliver two million people to a food bank every single month.

If government programs were really going to solve the problem he caused, then why are Canadians so hungry?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, here is a perfect example of where the Conservatives stand. They stood and voted against our dental care for seniors program. As of today, over two million seniors have signed up, and in the 22 days since May 1, close to 100,000 seniors have gotten free dental care. That is in just 22 days on a program that he voted against and campaigned against across the country over the past number of months.

We will be there to invest in supporting Canadians with a national school food program, with dental care and with more child care spaces, despite him voting against them.

Official Languages

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claim to be interested in French in Quebec and Canada. The fact is that they are subsidizing the quiet disappearance of francophones in western Canada and outside Quebec, much like the proverbial frog in a pot of boiling water. What is more, the Liberals are mobilizing dozens of unilingual anglophone members to protect their offensive member, whose comments were as underhanded as they were inappropriate.

Would the Prime Minister really have francophones believe that it is out of a love for French that they are going to stack the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie tomorrow?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, francophones across the country, including those in Quebec, know full well that the members of the Bloc Québécois are not interested in the fate of French outside Quebec. That is why they want to make Quebec their own country, to protect French.

We know that the best way to protect French in Quebec and across Canada is by investing in every francophone community from coast to coast to coast. As for protecting French in Quebec, yes, we are here to do that. We are also here to continually stand up to protect francophone minorities from coast to coast to coast. We will continue to do so.

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

Mr. Speaker, he is right, and I appreciate this stroke of brilliance: the best thing that could happen to French in Quebec, in Canada and partly around the world, is an independent Quebec.

Meanwhile, what did the Prime Minister of Canada say during the English debate in 2021? When I was the only one who wanted to talk about francophones outside Quebec, in English, I was told that I did not have the right to talk about French in English during his country's English debate.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in this debate, as in every debate and at every opportunity, I will always stand up to defend the French fact in Canada, to defend francophone communities from coast to coast to coast. I have always done so and I will continue to do so.

Defending linguistic duality, this country's two official languages, across this country, is a core value of the Liberal Party of Canada and of the Liberal government. We will continue to do so every chance we get.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Loblaws is not content just ripping off Canadians when they buy their groceries. Now it is teaming up with Rogers and Bell—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

It is important that we be able to hear the questions being asked, as well as the answers.

The hon. member for Burnaby South, from the top, please.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, again, I know the Conservatives do not like when I take on corporate greed, but Loblaws is not content just ripping off Canadians when it comes to their groceries. Now Loblaws is teaming up with Rogers and Bell to rip off Canadians with their cellphone prices. We know they are going to limit choices, and limiting choices means higher prices for Canadians. The Prime Minister promised to lower cellphone fees. They are sky-high. He promised to lower grocery prices. They are sky-high.

When will the Prime Minister finally stop greedy CEOs from ripping off Canadians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have actually seen cellphone bills decrease across the country by 25% over the past number of years, and we are going to continue to stand up for Canadian consumers. Indeed, I know the minister is looking into the Competition Act to see if there are needs to be referred on a number of things that have come forward.

We are going to continue to stand up for the middle class and people working hard to join it, which is why we raised corporate taxes, why we asked the wealthiest Canadians to pay a little more so we can invest more in younger Canadians and why we are continuing to step up on creating fairness for every generation with this budget, with the investments we are making and with further investments as well.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, he acts like he does not have the power to stop these greedy CEOs, but he does.

Apparently, ripping people off at the grocery store is not enough. Today we learned that Loblaws is teaming up with—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Colleagues, I know it is Wednesday and everybody is a little more primed for action, but it is really important for us to hear the questions and answers.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, you act like you do not have the power to stop these greedy CEOs, but you do. I know the Conservatives do not like it, but we need to take on corporate greed.

Apparently, ripping people off at the grocery store is not enough. Today we learned that Loblaws is teaming up with Rogers and Bell to block other companies from in its stores. That means less choice and higher cellphone bills. The Liberals are just standing on the sidelines.

Will the Prime Minister finally stand up to the CEOs and support an investigation into these allegations?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would like to take this opportunity to remind all members that when they ask or answer questions, they must do so through the Chair.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows full well that we have made changes and improvements to give the Competition Bureau more power. We know that ensuring competition between various companies will lead to better prices and better results for Canadians.

We also know that it is important to continue monitoring these issues. That is why the minister is asking the Competition Bureau to look into what is happening with cellphone plans and Loblaws. This is an issue that we will always take seriously.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, normally the NDP leader is well worth ignoring, but I just cannot help myself. He says that the Prime Minister acts like he has no power to stop all these greedy CEOs from ripping off consumers. Who else has the power? Well, it is the guy who joined the government two years ago. He has been in power during the worst food price inflation in over four decades.

Will the Prime Minister agree with me that his carbon tax coalition is nothing more than an anti-competitive price-fixing scheme that is costing Canadians at the grocery store?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Once again, Mr. Speaker, we see that the Conservative Party's opposition to the price on pollution is ideological and not concrete. Their opposition to the price on pollution means they do not care about fighting against climate change. Even as wildfires are already raging in different parts of the country, they have no plan to fight against climate change. They do it in the name of affordability while ignoring the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who actually showed that eight out of 10 Canadian families do better with the money put in their pockets from the Canada carbon rebate than it costs them with the price on pollution.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has concluded that 60% of Canadians pay more in carbon tax costs than they get back in the phony rebates. One hundred per cent of middle-class Canadians pay more than they get back in the phony rebates. Now the Prime Minister wants to quadruple the tax, all at a time when he is preparing to hand over power to carbon tax Carney.

Will the Prime Minister confirm if carbon tax Carney will follow through on his plan to hike the tax to 61¢ a litre?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed that eight out of 10 Canadian families in jurisdictions where the carbon price federal backstop applies are better off, with more money in their pockets through the Canada carbon rebate cheques that land in their bank accounts four times a year. That is money in their pockets that goes to the cost of groceries, the cost of rent and the cost of everything they need to raise their families. That is money in their pockets that the Leader of the Opposition would take away because of an ideological crusade against climate action.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's wacko carbon tax obsession is not just costing Canadians at the pumps; it raises the cost of home heating and groceries, because, of course, if we tax the farmer who produces the food and the trucker who ships the food, we tax all who buy the food. It is a housing tax, because it raises the cost of building materials that go into homes.

With the report out today that 25% of young people had to go to a food bank in just three months, will the Prime Minister accept the common-sense Conservative bill to take the tax off the farmers who produce our food?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition continues to make that argument even though he knows full well that farm fuels are 95% exempt from the price on pollution right across the country. That is something he ignores because of his ideological opposition to take any action in fighting climate change.

Well, I can tell the Leader of the Opposition that, in Conservative ridings right across the country, people are worried about droughts, people are worried about floods, and people are worried about wildfires that are more and more severe. Canadians need a clean plan to fight climate change, which is something he has not put forward. We are fighting climate change and putting money in people's pockets.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's carbon tax applies on barns, on grain drying, on fertilizers and on off-farm vehicles. It costs literally tens of thousands of dollars for many individual farmers, all of which gets passed on.

However, the Prime Minister, instead of defending his taxes, resorted to a really wacko and unhinged claim that, if Canadians just paid more taxes, there would suddenly be fewer fires. I thought that water and not taxes put out fires.

Can the Prime Minister clarify how high his tax would have to go for forest fires to stop?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are facing the impacts of extreme weather events that come from climate change that are, unfortunately, getting worse and worse every year. That is why our government, from 2015 onwards, has stepped up in the fight against climate change. Not only are we reducing Canada's emissions to the lowest level outside the pandemic in 25 years, but we are also stepping up in the jobs and technological innovations that the world needs to successfully fight climate change.

We will continue to fight climate change and put more money in people's pockets while the Leader of the Opposition sits with his arms crossed and has no plan.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister did not answer my question. Now he says that his taxes are going to make Canada a high-tech wonderland. Before his claim was that it was going to stop forest fires. It is he who made the link, not me. Obviously, I think the link between the two is absolutely ridiculous. His tax is not an environmental plan; it is a money-collecting plan. It is a plan of government greed.

I will ask the question again. The Prime Minister wants to hike the tax to 61¢ a litre. If it gets that high, and people are all starving in the streets, will that stop the forest fires?