Debates of June 11th, 2025

Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (A), 2025-26

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. member.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Chair, does China have an industrial carbon tax?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am focused on Canada, not on China. We will let the Chinese decide how they want to—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. member.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Chair, does Brazil?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, again, I am focused on getting Canada building. I am focused on the one Canadian economy act.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Chair, does Russia?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, this is a great exercise. My answer will remain the same. I am focused on getting Canada going again.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Chair, how on earth can the minister say that he is focused on getting Canada going again, and getting companies and workers building our country, when he wants to maintain an industrial carbon tax that punishes Canadian workers and businesses, when none of our competitors in oil and gas or mining have them?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have had the privilege of speaking with many different proponents, such as first nations interested in oil and gas, and in the industry. They are supportive of the one Canadian economy act. They think it is how we will get the country going again. I really hope the members will join them in supporting the bill.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Chair, the Liberals' oil and gas cap will cut production by about 5% and $21 billion from Canada's economy.

If the minister agrees we are in a national economic crisis, does the U.S. have a federal oil and gas cap?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, I do not think any of us are interested in being like the United States.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Chair, does Iraq? Does Saudi Arabia? Does Libya? Does Iran?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, we have been through half the world at this point. My answer will remain the same: I am focused on Canada.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Chair, the Liberals can keep laughing. The point is that they are saying they want to build Canada, but their antidevelopment policies make Canada, our workers and our businesses unable to compete globally. Actually, they are not going to help build Canada at all.

What will the minister say to the families of the more than 50,000 people who will lose their jobs because of the only-one-in-the-world Canadian oil and gas cap?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, if this act gets approved, we will build many projects of national interest. We will build roads. We will build ports. We will build renewable energy. We will build transmission lines. Yes, we will likely build some pipelines. We will build some pipelines, with the Conservatives' support. I hope they will get on board and support the bill.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Chair, what does “consensus” mean?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, as we talked about in Saskatoon, the Prime Minister and the premiers agreed on a process for approving projects of national interest. The five criteria are laid out. As people bring those projects—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. member, a very brief final question.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Chair, the minister said he got lists from the provinces and will receive more.

Will he release the lists? Does he agree with the consensus of 79% Canadians and 80%—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. minister, a brief response.

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, when the projects are designated, they will be made public.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan, QC]

Mr. Chair, my questions are for the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure.

I would like to start by saying a few nice things about my colleague, Denis Trudel, who was not re-elected, but who worked on the housing file. He said quite a few things that the Minister of Housing might find interesting. Those were some of the same things I heard from people during the election campaign about improving housing construction and affordability.

According to the Auditor General's latest report on converting underused federal office space into housing, the current criteria for housing affordability in general were not developed to maximize access for the lowest-income households. That is something the Bloc Québécois has been speaking out against for years.

In its plan, will the government be adjusting its affordability criteria along with the definition of that term?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Chair, I thank the member for her question. I will answer in English.

Affordability is defined as less than 30% of someone's income after taxes. That is the measure of all the shelter affordability, the cost related to housing, utilities, mortgage and rent payments, etc. That is the general guideline for affordability that gets applied to projects across government.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan, QC]

Mr. Chair, that does not actually answer my question. It sounds as though they are not going to change anything.

What concrete measures will the minister take to review the affordability criteria to create housing that is truly affordable for the least well-off households and to maximize the initiative's effectiveness? When will he do that?