Debates of June 17th, 2024

Carbon Pricing

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the fix is in. Last week Conservatives forced the reveal of the secret report that the Prime Minister and his carbon-tax-obsessed environment minister covered up, which confirmed that the carbon tax costs families almost $2,000 per year, and every year $30 billion is lost in economic productivity. Liberals are so desperate to hide the truth, they publicly smeared and gagged the independent budget officer.

When will the minister of economic and environment vandalism resign, or better yet, get fired?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, that question has been asked and answered several times already today. My question for the Conservatives is this: Why should a dollar earned from working, whether it be as an insurance broker, a fish plant worker, a construction worker or a cashier, be taxed higher than a dollar received as profit from the sale of an investment? Why is it that a person flipping burgers pays a higher tax rate than a person flipping stocks?

Indigenous Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, the more that Inuit regain their pride, the more identity fraud we see. The problem is being made worse from inside the Prime Minister's caucus. The parliamentary secretary of northern affairs recently said her government would recognize the constitutional rights of NunatuKavut, despite the court ruling differently. Johannes Lampe, president of Nunatsiavut, has called for the demotion of the parliamentary secretary.

Will the Prime Minister show his commitment to Inuit and protect legitimate communities from identity fraud?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government is fully engaged in making sure that all section 35 rights are developed and exercised with everybody who deserves section 35 rights. We will continue engaging. We will continue talking to communities, be they first nation, Inuit or Métis, and we will make sure that section 35 rights are respected.

The Environment

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in Union Bay on Vancouver Island, a massive ship full of toxic chemicals is being broken up in the high tide zone in the same waters that half of B.C. shellfish come from. Recent tests show that this area has become a toxic wasteland with copper levels 15 times higher than they should be. Local government, first nations and the province are calling for the federal government to act, but the Liberals are instead green-lighting the dumping of toxic waste on our coast.

When will the Liberals finally put an end to this harmful ship-breaking and protect local health and the economy?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, our government is keenly aware of the environmental impact that abandoned vessels can have on Canadians and their communities.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is committed to working with local communities and harbour authorities to reduce the number of abandoned vessels.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada's efforts are paying off. Since 2017, more than 584 hazardous vessels have been removed.

Whether it is by following the rules or reporting any offences, we all have a role to play in keeping our waterways safe.

Public Safety

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians from across the country are concerned about the rising levels of auto theft. This is an issue that our government takes very seriously, and we have taken meaningful action to combat it. Yesterday, our government announced the deployment of a mobile X-ray scanner in the GTA to combat auto theft. This scanner will enable the CBSA to recover even more stolen vehicles and help our law enforcement partners to crack down on crime.

Can the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs tell Canadians about the action our government is taking in the GTA to combat auto theft?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's announcement adds to multiple measures our government has taken to counter auto theft and crack down on organized crime. The deployment of an X-ray scanner is an important step in combatting auto theft and organized crime, not only in the GTA but also right across the country. The scanner will allow law enforcement to intercept stolen vehicles before they go to ports to leave Canada.

While Conservatives were in power, they cut the CBSA and its capacity to counter organized crime. We will continue to crack down on organized criminals.

Housing

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

Mr. Speaker, July 1, moving day in Quebec, is fast approaching, and it is set to be a disaster because of the housing crisis. The government, supported by the Bloc Québécois, created this situation with its exorbitant, inflationary spending, and we are now seeing homelessness in places like Trois‑Rivières, Rimouski, Rouyn‑Noranda and Sept‑Îles. All these towns are located in Bloc ridings.

To alleviate the housing crisis, can the Prime Minister and the Bloc Québécois commit to stop wasting taxpayers' money?

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

Mr. Speaker, it has been a while since we reminded my colleague from Charlesbourg—Haute‑Saint‑Charles that his Conservative leader built six affordable housing units across the country during his entire career as minister responsible for housing, while there are 222 in his riding alone and, in the next few days, we will be announcing the Habitations Charles IV housing project right in his riding.

Would my colleague care to invite me for a tour of those units? There will be far more than the six his Conservative leader built.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois voted for $500 billion in budget appropriations, which contributed to the current housing crisis. The Bloc also voted with the Liberals against the bill introduced by the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, who was trying to make housing more affordable.

Numerous newspaper articles are now reporting that homelessness is going up sharply in ridings represented by the Bloc Québécois. Quebeckers are suffering and have lost confidence in this government and its Bloc buddies.

Will the government do the right thing and call an election today?

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

Mr. Speaker, what we can do today is go visit some of the 222 affordable homes built in his riding over the last few months. That figure does not include the thousands of homes that will be built there in the coming years with the support of the Quebec government.

Unfortunately, this stands in stark contrast to the six affordable homes that his Conservative leader built during his entire tenure as minister responsible for housing. I am referring to the chief insult-hurler, who insults Quebec municipalities by calling them incompetent in matters of housing.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Liberal government, Quebeckers are going through housing hell. The lack of affordable housing throughout Quebec is forcing many women to remain in abusive situations.

The Bloc Québécois has made the housing crisis worse by voting for $500 billion in spending. On top of that, it voted with the Liberals against the Conservative leader's bill, which was aimed specifically at speeding up housing construction.

Can this Prime Minister, supported by the Bloc Québécois, stop forcing Quebeckers to live in misery by voting against measures designed to make their lives better?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would not want to compare the records of Conservative MPs in the Quebec City region. In her own riding of Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, 205 affordable housing units have been built in recent years.

That is slightly less than the 222 affordable housing units in Charlesbourg—Haute‑Saint‑Charles, but it is far more than the six affordable housing units that our colleague, the MP for Carleton and Conservative leader—and chief insult-hurler, since he calls everyone incompetent—built in this country during his entire career as minister responsible for housing.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with moving day two weeks away, Quebeckers are worried. Many of them are looking for a new place to live. In Saguenay, skyrocketing rent costs have families believing they will end up living on the streets.

Despite it all, the Bloc Québécois and the Liberals voted against our common-sense bill to build housing. The Bloc would rather support the government and vote for the $500 billion in budget allocations that helped fuel the housing crisis in the first place. Voting for the Bloc Québécois is costly, especially in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean.

When will the Liberals and their Bloc Québécois supporters listen to us?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have bad news for the member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord. A hundred and eighty-one affordable housing units have been built in his riding.

Now for the good news: 181 affordable housing units is 30 times more than the six units that the Conservative leader built across the whole country during his entire career as housing minister.

He got six affordable housing units built. I know people might not believe us, but that is a fact. Fortunately, 181 affordable housing units have been built in the member's riding over the past few months, with more on the way in the months to come.

Employment

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers are joining forces and speaking out against $145 million in cuts to workforce training in Quebec.

The Quebec government and labour market partners have asked Ottawa to back down in a letter signed by the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux, the Centrale des syndicats du Québec, the Conseil du patronat du Québec, youth chambers of commerce, as well as manufacturers and exporters. They are all speaking with one voice.

The Minister of Labour is scheduled to meet with his counterpart today. Will he announce that he is cancelling these cuts?

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. It is extremely important that our government invest in training. We are making historic investments in training.

We will continue to work with businesses across Quebec. As the minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, that is exactly what I am doing. I am working very closely with my colleague, the Minister of Labour, who is investing record amounts in training.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we know how the Liberals operate. They give money hand over fist to oil companies and to firms like McKinsey for untendered contracts. However, they count their pennies when it comes to helping unemployed workers, young people, people with disabilities and others join the workforce.

The $145 million in cuts represent 16% of federal labour transfers to Quebec. It makes no sense. The government needs to reverse course.

Will it cancel the cuts?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, our government is making record investments to create record jobs, with $50 billion in the auto sector alone, creating tens of thousands of jobs. We are also investing record amounts in skills training, amounting to billions of dollars each and every year for labour market transfers to the provinces, sectoral workforce programs, doubling the UTIP union training and $1 billion supporting apprentices annually.

No government has delivered more for training and jobs than this Liberal government has.

Taxation

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Niagara Falls is powered by tourism, and I am already hearing concerns from small business operators about the Liberal-NDP government's new capital gains tax. Simply put, after nine years, the Liberals do not care about small business. We should remember that it was the government that called them tax cheats. Now, these small businesses are falsely being targeted by the NDP-Liberal coalition as the top one percenters who need to pay more.

How many family-run businesses are going to be unfairly taxed and face ruin because of the government's policy?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would invite my colleague opposite to look into the important small business tax exemption that is also coming into effect.

I would like to know why the Conservatives would rather slash the pensions of our seniors than ask the wealthy to pay just a little more. I would like to ask the Conservatives why they would rather cut school lunches for over 400,000 children than to ask the one per cent in our society to pay just a little more.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member should be speaking to Nick and his family, who recently sold their tourism retail business after 40 years in operation. The price they negotiated this past winter did not account for the surprise, massive and unfair Liberal tax hike they will now be facing. In fact, Nick wrote to me that the sale was for the retirement of four families and that the extra loss of income, which they did not anticipate, is utterly unfair.

Why is the Minister of Finance targeting small family-run businesses and ruining their retirement dreams?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, who continue to mock the supports we provide small businesses and actually vote against all the supports we have provided to small businesses, on this side of the House we will continue to support small businesses. In fact on this side of the House we reduced small business taxes from 10.5% to 9%.

We will continue to support small businesses and be there for them to start, grow and scale their businesses.

Health

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, millions of Canadians are without a family doctor. The shortage is even more severe in rural and remote communities. The carbon tax already punishes them for driving long distances when they have no other choice. Now the Prime Minister's job-killing tax on health care will make it even harder to find a doctor.

It is not fair that Canadian families have to go without a doctor. How many more Canadians will lose a family doctor just to pay for the Prime Minister's out-of-control spending?