Debates of June 19th, 2024

Carbon Pricing

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the only way the Conservative leader's math makes sense is that he believes that climate change has no cost for Canadians. Canadians right across the country are seeing the impacts of climate events. There is a need to innovate and create greener, cleaner jobs for the future as we deliver our resources to the world.

The fact that the Conservative leader does not believe in climate change means that he does not believe that the climate action that puts more money in people's pockets is worth it. That is exactly where we disagree, and we are going to continue to help Canadians get through this.

Official Languages

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

Mr. Speaker, because American companies misunderstand Bill 96 on French in Quebec, they are pressuring Joe Biden's government to impose U.S. sanctions to counter Quebec's language law.

Will the Prime Minister shoulder his responsibilities when it comes to the United States? Will the Prime Minister protect a law that was legitimately passed in Quebec, or will he let our largest trading partner dictate our own language laws?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I know that, for many years, the Government of Quebec has had very good representatives in Washington and elsewhere in the world to talk about issues relating to its provincial laws.

At the same time, as a bilingual country that protects French and English within its borders, we will continue to be there during negotiations—as we were during the renegotiation of NAFTA several years ago with the American government—to protect Canada's culture and linguistic reality as well as the distinct character of our citizens from coast to coast to coast.

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

Mr. Speaker, he is allergic to the simple word “yes”.

We can see it: The inability to ensure that the number of immigrants Quebec so generously welcomes learn French, the decline of French in the Canadian public service, the unilingual English federally regulated employees in Quebec, the protection given a member who insults researchers duly invited to Parliament, all the money for protecting so-called minority languages in Canada sent to anglophones in Quebec, and the funds spent on fighting Bill 96 all the way to the Supreme Court.

Does the Prime Minister realize that francophones in Quebec and Canada—and we might be their only friends—are wondering if French even has a future here?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the leader of the Bloc Québécois is always looking to pick a fight. I would remind him that there are more Quebeckers in our Liberal caucus than in his Bloc Québécois caucus and that we will always stand up for French both in Quebec and across the country.

We will be there to invest hundreds of millions of dollars for Quebec, for ensuring that newcomers learn French. We will continue to defend French from coast to coast to coast, with a special focus on Quebec, because we know that Quebec must remain French, first and foremost, and we are there to support it.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Last week, the Bloc Québécois voted in favour of a tax hike for Quebec farmers during a food-pricing crisis, a tax hike for home builders during a housing crisis, a tax on doctors during a doctor shortage and a tax on small businesses in Quebec during an economic crisis.

Why is the Liberal Bloc always trying to take Quebec's money to feed the massive, centralist Liberal government?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure I followed what the leader of the Conservative Party was saying, but I can say that, although the Bloc Québécois is a party that sometimes picks fights with the federal government, it still recognizes the Conservatives' propensity for defending the wealthy and doing less for those who need it most. That is not the right way to go for anyone in this country, no matter what our political affiliation may be.

The fact that the Conservatives continue to oppose an initiative that will ask the wealthiest members of our society to contribute a little more to help our young people and seniors is really disappointing, and I am pleased that the Bloc Québécois is adopting the same position we are.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois always aligns itself with the Liberals to keep them in power. It is the Liberal Bloc.

Today the Angus Reid Institute reported that one in five Canadians earning between $50,000 and $100,000 a year believe they will be impacted by the Liberal Bloc tax hike.

If the Prime Minister wants to deny that, there is a very clear way for him to do it. He can support an amendment to exclude from the tax hike anyone who holds less than 1% of Canada's wealth. Will he do that, yes or no?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House knows full well that there are issues on which the Bloc leader and I disagree. We have talked about them often enough. However, from time to time, we come together to pick a fight with the Conservatives, who want to continue to defend those who are better off and protect the wealthiest in this country. We also go after them for not investing in housing, for not investing in assistance for seniors and for not investing in more child care spaces.

We know we need to be there for the middle class and those who are working hard to join it, while the Conservatives want to protect their rich friends instead. That is not how we are going to create a stronger economy for everyone.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, people who make between $50,000 and $100,000 a year are too rich for the Prime Minister? I guess he wants to make them poor. He is succeeding at that. One in five Canadians told Angus Reid that they will be affected, including one in five people making between $50,000 and $100,000 a year. It is another tax targeting the middle class by the promise-breaking Prime Minister.

If those Canadians are wrong and they will not be affected, will the Prime Minister announce that he will amend his tax increase law to exclude anybody making less than $100,000 a year?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, our increase of the capital gains inclusion rate will affect people who make more than $250,000 in profits when they sell successful investments within a given year. We feel that those people can make a slightly smaller amount of profit so that we can make sure we are investing in young people who can afford housing, so that we can help seniors with the cost of dental care, and so that can we can deliver free insulin and free prescription contraceptives across this country.

We are asking the wealthiest and the most successful to pay a little bit more so we can help those who need it, and the Conservatives are choosing to stand with the wealthiest.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, “socialist bafflegab” are not my words but the words of Scott Brison, the former Liberal president of the Treasury Board, the very person to whom the Prime Minister entrusted all of his spending. Add to that Bill Morneau and John Manley, two former finance ministers who have now said they are against the tax increase, and David Dodge, a Liberal former governor of the Bank of Canada.

Now that all of these Liberals say the Prime Minister is up to socialist bafflegab, will he reverse the job-killing tax on Canadians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it should actually be no surprise to Canadians to see the Conservatives, after pretending to care about workers and after pretending to care about vulnerable people revert to type, stand against an ask for the wealthiest to pay a little bit more in taxes so we can invest even more in Canadians who need it, whether it is through a national school food program, whether it is expanding places in child care or whether it is delivering dental care for seniors and Canadians with disabilities. These are all things the Conservatives stand against, just like they stand against asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share. That is a shame.

Housing

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis is hurting seniors in Port Moody. The Liberals have promised to build more affordable housing, yet they continue to sit on their hands and drag their feet. The closed Canada Post office at 45 Mary Street is a good location for quality affordable homes for seniors. New affordable homes at this location have the support of the city and the community, but the Liberals have yet to put a shovel in the ground.

Why will the Prime Minister not step up and build the affordable homes seniors need in Port Moody?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are pleased that we have been able to contribute to a massive number of seniors' homes across the country over the past years, but we also know we get to do even more with the most ambitious plan on housing this country has ever seen. From increased density to more affordable homes and to using public lands and federally held lands like post office buildings and Department of National Defence properties to build more homes that are affordable for Canadians, this is our plan to ensure that we are delivering for seniors and for future generations.

While the Conservatives want to sell off public lands to the highest bidders, we are going to make sure long-term leases give affordable homes for seniors and all Canadians.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, finally, after years of dragging their heels, word is out that the Liberals are moving open-net fish farms out of B.C. coastal waters. Most first nations and British Columbians want to see these polluting farms out of our waters, but where is the plan? The Liberals have spent years delaying on a real job strategy for all those people impacted. Coastal communities cannot be left behind.

Will the Prime Minister's decision include the delivery of necessary funds to support impacted first nations and coastal communities?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, protecting our environment is one of the top priorities of the current government and has been since we took office in 2015, as has reconciliation. As we move forward on the right kinds of things to protect our environment, including protecting wild salmon, we are also going to be there to make sure that we are supporting indigenous communities with economic opportunities and growth to continue to be able to provide for their communities, to continue to be able to thrive in Canada's economy of the future.

Indigenous Affairs

[Ben Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, as we approach National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, indigenous and non-indigenous people from across Canada will engage in meaningful celebrations. At the same time, we will undertake important reflections on our past and on the path that we are on to secure a better future. Manitoba is home to Canada's largest indigenous population. Alongside our provincial colleagues, we have been working hard to build bridges through new investments and partnerships, including with Canada's first-ever first nations premier.

Can the Prime Minister offer the House his reflections on the important progress that we have made together on our collective journey towards truth and reconciliation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg South Centre for his commitment to reconciliation.

We will always be there for indigenous people, and we will keep working with them in full partnership. As a government, we created the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We appointed the first-ever indigenous Governor General and indigenous Supreme Court Justice, and we created the indigenous languages commissioner. We also recently passed legislation, Bill C-29, to keep future governments accountable on the path of reconciliation to work with indigenous peoples.

We are all excited to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day with indigenous communities later this week.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Premier of Newfoundland says the Prime Minister's carbon tax will harm working-class people just trying to heat their home or drive to work. The former Liberal finance minister, whom he appointed, says that the latest job-killing tax that he has brought in will drive investment out of the country, and the Liberal Treasury Board president, whom he appointed, accuses the Prime Minister of socialist bafflegab.

With Liberals accusing the Prime Minister of socialist bafflegab, will he just admit that he is actually not even a Liberal? He is Canada's first NDP Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have demonstrated over the past nine years that investing in the middle class and people working hard to join it can create growth for the country. That is why we are continuing to step up to put back growth for work by putting more money in the pockets of Canadians, whether it is through a plan to fight climate change that puts more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadian families across the country, or whether it is by moving forward on asking the wealthiest who are selling off profitable investments to share a little more of those profits with Canadians who need it, by countering the housing crisis by investing in young people.

Once again, Conservatives stand with the wealthiest. We stand with the middle class.

Housing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, he is countering the housing crisis? He doubled housing costs. He is helping young people? Seventy-six per cent of them who say they cannot afford a home after nine years of the Prime Minister, but it is getting worse. The Prime Minister gave half a billion dollars to the Liberal-NDP mayor and council at Toronto City Hall, supposedly to accelerate homebuilding. What is the consequence? Since that money was handed over, Toronto City Hall has increased wait times and costs for building permits by 50%.

Why does the Prime Minister keep forcing taxpayers to bloat the gatekeeping bureaucracies instead of doing what we want: build the homes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the challenging fact that the Leader of the Opposition is trying to avoid is that just last week it was demonstrated that housing starts are up across this country. That is part of where we have been investing with communities across the country in the housing accelerator fund that is delivering more homes built faster. Indeed, we are going to see close to four million new homes in the coming decade because Canadians know that more density, better use of public lands, better protection for renters and better math for home builders to be able to build more affordable homes are the things that are going to make a difference in Canadians' lives.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, well, I think we can all agree that the Prime Minister needs better math.

However, here is the math. The Altus Group says that Canada's development charges are significantly higher and our wait times for getting building permits are the second-slowest in the entire OECD. What is the Prime Minister doing? He is giving half a billion dollars to the City of Toronto, which has just increased its development charges and its permit wait times by 50%.

Once again, why does the Prime Minister keep funding the gatekeepers instead of removing them so we can build the homes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, here is a concrete example of how one makes the math work to build more homes.

Last year, we made a decision to take off the GST on purpose-built, middle-income apartment buildings, the kind of apartment buildings we need more of right across the country. Within a few days after having announced that we would no longer be charging the GST on new apartment buildings, thousands of new units were being announced by developers across the country, because, suddenly, they were able to bring projects onto the table that had not been on it before. That is how to invest in housing. That is how we deliver for Canadians.