House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 46% of the vote.
International Trade December 13th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, for several months now, I have heard the Prime Minister repeatedly encourage the other place to pass Bill C-282.
However, I have not heard that from the leader of the Conservative Party. I understand the reason: The issue is a divisive one on the other side of the House. Almost 50% of Conservatives voted against supply management. Every member on our side of the House voted for it. We expect the other chamber to respect the decision of the House of Commons.
International Trade December 13th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with the member opposite. It is shameful what Conservative members did in the House. It is important to remember that nearly 50% of Conservative members voted against Bill C-282. Now, the House has spoken. We support Bill C-282. We did our job.
We have made many calls to senators, and I encourage the member to continue making calls to the other chamber, because we expect Bill C-282 to be passed.
Finance December 13th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, I have read the Conservative Party's economic statement. Their plan is to fix the budget, and then it is a big blank page. The Conservatives have nothing to say about the economy.
Quebeckers and Canadians across the country are getting a GST holiday as of tomorrow morning. That is good news. My colleague had a chance to stand up for his constituents. What did he do? He just sat there. As a result, he will have to tell his constituents that, instead of voting for a GST break, he stood up to keep their taxes higher. That is shameful.
Finance December 13th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, we see that Scrooge is in town.
Tomorrow morning, Canadians and Quebeckers will have a GST holiday. That is good news.
After hammering away for a year about us needing to lower taxes, what did the Conservatives say? They just stayed in their seats.
We have stepped up. Tomorrow morning, people will have a GST holiday on diapers. They will be able to go to a restaurant and save money. That is what it means to side with Canadians. That is affordability.
The Conservatives have nothing to say about it.
Holiday Greetings December 13th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, I am rising in the House to announce that the Christmas spirit is alive and well in my riding of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell. From the food banks where volunteers spend countless hours ensuring that families in need have plenty to eat this Christmas, to the optimist clubs that are taking pains to make sure that kids who would otherwise go without get a Christmas present, our volunteers have their hearts in the right place.
Since this is my last chance to send out Christmas wishes from the House, I would like to wish a merry Christmas to my father Yves, my mother Nicole, my brother Mathieu and his kids and, of course, to my wife Kate and my son Léo-Xavier.
Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Speaker, to all my colleagues in this chamber and, obviously, to the staff who make us look smart.
Merry Christmas to my riding assistants Louise, Lynne and Carole, and to my parliamentary assistants in Ottawa, Trevor, Ian, Hugo and Emma. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all my constituents. I hope everyone gets to spend time with family and friends over the holidays.
Oil and Gas Industry December 12th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, again, if we do not challenge any sector, then nothing will get done. I wonder if Freon would have disappeared in Canada when we had acid rain if Brian Mulroney had just sat on his hands and not worked with the U.S. administration to do something. They did something. They banned Freon. They put a price on CFCs because there was a rationale to do so.
Doing nothing means I have to tell my five-year-old son, “Sorry, son, I polluted your planet. I am going to hand over to you a tool that is barely half usable, but thank you so much and good luck with the rest.”
We have to do something for the environment and that is exactly what we are doing.
Oil and Gas Industry December 12th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, I am glad to remind my hon. colleague that we are the only government to have built a pipeline to tidewater, something the previous Conservative governments and the oil and gas promoters on that side have never done. It is funny, because they laugh and scream, but they never were able to do it. We found the right formula. We understood that balance: the environment and the economy go hand in hand.
That is why the Government of Canada is putting a cap on greenhouse gas pollution from the oil and gas sector. That is a normal thing to do. Canada will be the first oil and gas producing country to do so. Our government published proposed regulations in November.
If the opposition members had their way, they would just let the sector pollute for free. We do not agree on this side of the House. They can challenge us on a policy, but they are still light on policy. All they have is five slogans. Until they showcase a policy, we can have an informed debate on this particular issue, but they still have nothing on the other side.
The greenhouse gas pollution cap will ensure that the sector invests in the maximum technically achievable decarbonization in order to achieve significant emissions reductions by 2030 and to get on a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050. This is good for consumers around the world. If we are able to get to net zero, Canada will be able to promote its oil and gas sector, because that is what consumers around the world are asking for. It is possible. Of course, if we use the technology of today it is not possible. However, we have full confidence that the people, and the sector, will be able to succeed in this challenge.
We have faith in the people and the industry to rise to this challenge. On this side of the House, we believe in technology, but we need to challenge the industry. That is why we have set this target.
Cap and trade is a proven market-based approach that has been used successfully around the world to reduce emissions. Quebec, California and Ontario at one point had a cap-and-trade system. Quebec and California still have a cap-and-trade system and their economies did not fall. They are doing very well.
Over time, the government gives out fewer allowances. To comply, facilities must reduce their emissions or buy allowances from other facilities that have reduced their emissions. I am explaining the cap-and-trade system, a mechanism that has been in place for a long time in Canada, especially in Quebec and Ontario, and California.
The government will continue to work closely with industry, provinces, territories, indigenous groups and other stakeholders to set a realistic, technically achievable goal for the sector. We want industries to use better technologies and improve efficiency. This will allow oil and gas producers to maintain or even grow production while lowering pollution.
On this side of the House, we believe a cap-and-trade system is the right system and we know the oil and gas sector in Alberta will continue to flourish.
Carbon Pricing December 12th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, we have already announced what we have committed to. The hon. member knows. I am not going to be a member of Parliament in 2030. I am not sure if he is still going to be here. I am not going to predict what is going to happen in 2030. If the member thinks that he is still going to be here and that he can predict what future governments will do in 2030, our commitment was $170 per tonne by 2030.
Carbon Pricing December 12th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, the smartest thing we have done in the last five years was to announce to the market that, yes, we would introduce a price on carbon at $170 per tonne by 2030. That sends a market signal. We could have hidden this fact, but all businesses in Canada know that this is coming, and it is smart policy. The market will react to that.
However, what we are still waiting for is the plan on environmental policy from the leader of the official opposition. I still do not know what he wants to do with the environment.
Carbon pricing is an important tool to reduce carbon emissions in Canada. It is an important tool to reduce carbon emissions in California. It is an important tool to reduce emissions in the U.S. It is true that the federal government has not imposed a carbon pricing scheme in the U.S., but many states have, which is something the Conservatives are a little shy of telling their constituents when they talk about a carbon pricing model.
I would add that it has been many hundreds of days since the leader of the official opposition was elected to be a leader. We are still waiting to see his environmental plan. Not having an environmental plan to protect Canadians and grow our economy is not serious. I will leave it at that.
The Environment December 12th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, as I said previously in my speech on those questions, there was a contribution agreement signed between the City of Burnaby and TMX. Those questions would be better asked of the City of Burnaby, but I would put my faith in the mayor. I would hope that he and council were assured that they can speak freely on this particular issue and that no gag orders were put on them.