Debates of June 18th, 2024

Electoral Participation Act

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

[Chair read text of amendment to House]

If a member present in the House wishes that the amendment be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, I would ask for a recorded vote.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Pursuant to Standing Order 45, the division stands deferred until Wednesday, June 19, at the expiry for the time provided for Oral Questions.

Message from the Senate

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I have the honour to inform the House that a message has been received from the Senate informing this House that the Senate has passed the following bill, to which the concurrence of the House is desired: Bill S‑244, an act to amend the Department of Employment and Social Development Act and the Employment Insurance Act with regard to the Employment Insurance Council.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, there have been consultation between the House leadership, and I suspect if you were to ask for unanimous consent to call it midnight so we could get to the late show, that it would be approved.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I have received notice from all recognized parties that they are in agreement with this request.

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Carbon Pricing

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, the Liberal government refuses to acknowledge that Canadians pay more into the carbon tax than they get back. However, over a year ago, the Parliamentary Budget Officer published his report, which showed that, taking into account the full economic impact of the government's carbon tax regime, most Canadians were worse off.

On top of this, the government has a secret report, which shows that the carbon tax regime also has a costly impact on our GDP, lowering future GDP growth by tens of billions of dollars. After it was revealed at committee that the Liberals had put a gag order on the Parliamentary Budget Officer in a desperate attempt to protect their false narrative and prop up their failed carbon tax, Conservatives put the pressure on, and the report was made public.

What is even worse is that they have hidden this number for years. Let us stop to think about that. The Liberal government has been hiding the fact that the carbon tax will cost Canadians $30 billion by 2030. This works out to $1,824 per family in extra annual costs. Despite both of these reports showing that Canadians are worse off with the carbon tax, the Liberals are doubling down, to the detriment of Canadians and our economy.

Their claims are false. Canadians are not better off paying a carbon tax. The carbon tax has proved to be ineffective in reducing Canada's carbon emissions to targeted levels. The government has missed every target it has set. In fact, the environment commissioner has reported that the government will miss its targets for 2030. However, even if we reduced our emissions to zero, the natural disasters would not suddenly cease to happen.

We are not in a bubble protected by the government's carbon tax. In fact, the effects attributed to climate change would even continue to happen if Canada reduced its emissions to zero. Despite all these factors, the government continues to push its disastrous carbon tax, making Canadians poorer and tanking our future economic prospects.

Can the government explain why it refuses to accept the fact that its carbon tax has done nothing but cause misery for Canadians?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Madam Speaker, sometimes it is hard to know where to begin after hearing a speech like that, but let me begin with the part about the secret report. There is no secret report. The Parliamentary Budget Officer himself said today at committee that the government is not muzzling him. He specifically stated that. It makes no sense to say that documents are being hidden when all of the data, that information, was specifically provided to an independent costing officer to inform them as they prepared their public reports.

Environment and Climate Change Canada, like all departments of this government, routinely gives the PBO access to large datasets to support it in the creation of high-quality analysis. There is co-operation in preparing those reports. Just last week, Environment and Climate Change Canada published the data that was provided to the Parliamentary Budget Officer on carbon pollution pricing in relation to national and provincial gross domestic product for the 2022-30 period. That is the dataset we have been talking about.

We have disclosed the information, and the PBO has specifically said that he is not muzzled. He said there may have been a misunderstanding because he was speaking in his second language. It is very clear that everybody has the data now.

Let us talk a bit more about these pieces. I am so tired of hearing about carbon pricing costing more. Over 300 economists from right across our country have signed a letter to us parliamentarians specifically telling us that this is not true and that it works. Let us talk about both of those things.

First of all, pricing carbon pollution does work. It is simply incorrect to say that we are not meeting targets. We are on track to meeting our 2026 target. That was stated by the environment commissioner.

Let us go a few steps further. We put in a national inventory report with the UN last year for the 2023 inventory of our greenhouse gases. That report showed that last year, we had the lowest emissions in over three decades, except for the pandemic years. We are showing amazing progress in turning that ship around. It was a big ship to turn around because the Conservative government that preceded us did absolutely nothing. It did not have a plan to curb Canada's emissions.

We have put in place a plan. Our emissions are coming down. We are doing the hard work, and it is being done in a very efficient way with carbon pricing.

Let me talk briefly about the fact that carbon pricing includes a rebate. I am going to highlight that because I think we do not talk about it enough.

Most Canadians, eight out of 10 families, get back more through the carbon rebate than they pay in carbon pricing. As of April 15, 2024, a family of four will receive quarterly payments, which I am going to list here. It is $450 four times a year in Alberta; $300 four times a year in Manitoba; $280 four times a year in Ontario; $376 four times a year in Saskatchewan; $190 four times a year in New Brunswick; $206 four times a year in Nova Scotia; $220 in P.E.I.; and $298 in Newfoundland and Labrador. That is four times a year, plus a rural top-up to make it even more.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, the Liberal government has lost itself in its own ideological mess of narratives. Its insistence on misleading Canadians, despite their own lived experience dealing with the carbon tax, reminds me of a famous quote: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Canadians are not buying what the government is selling. After nine years of the Prime Minister, life has never been so expensive. His inflationary taxes have driven up the cost of everything. Mortgages have doubled. Rent has doubled. Food prices are up, forcing families to pay $700 more for groceries this year, while millions of Canadians are lined up outside food banks.

Canadians are tired of the government and its broken promises and failed policies. They are ready for change and a government that will actually take action for Canadians.

When will the government call a carbon tax election and allow Canadians to decide whether or not they want to axe the tax?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Madam Speaker, once again, over 300 economists and people from universities right across our country wrote to parliamentarians and said that carbon pricing does not cost Canadians more. They get more back through the rebate than they pay. Yes, it is effective. It is a market mechanism. It is effective and it works.

More to the point, climate change costs Canadians, and that cost is going to continue to go up if we do not tackle it now. That is what the Conservatives are going to do. They are going to let the planet burn, and they are going to force us to pay for it.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 8:51 p.m.)