John Barlow

[Taxation, October 17th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, they may not want to admit it, but the job situation in Alberta is critical. Here is the real impact of the Liberal tax policy on some Alberta communities: High River minor hockey registration is down 20%; a Calgary dance studio's registration is down 100 kids; and Redwater food bank usage is up 60%.

They took away the child fitness tax credit, they took away the universal child care benefit, and they are replacing them with the job-killing carbon tax. It is only going to make a dire situation much worse.

When is the government going to realize that the tax policy decisions it is making and these schemes are only going to make lives much worse for Canadian families?

[Paris Agreement, October 4th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate that and I want to thank my colleague for his speech. Throughout his speech he talked about flexibility and the Vancouver agreement and how hard he wants to work for his province of Nova Scotia. However, the environment minister of Nova Scotia walked out of that meeting in Montreal yesterday, so I do not think the people of Nova Scotia are quite as on board with this carbon tax as the member may believe.

The member mentioned that 85% of Canadians live in an area where a carbon tax already exists. Did the Prime Minister and the government have an agreement in place with the province of Alberta or Nova Scotia to have a $50 per tonne carbon tax by 2020?

[Employment, October 4th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, Albertans appreciate the compassion, but they want jobs; they do not want EI.

The Liberal government is imposing a carbon tax that is going to plow Alberta's agriculture sector into the ground. Alberta's farmers and ranchers want to know why the government is attacking their livelihoods. One worried farmer in my riding said this carbon tax would drive the cost of his fuel alone from $125,000 a year to $150,000 a year, putting his operation in jeopardy.

I am sure the Liberals' response will be to use public transit or get an electric car. The farmers and ranchers in my riding have one question. How many head of cattle can I fit on a bus—

[Employment, October 4th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, employment insurance claims in Alberta are up 90%. More than 200,000 Albertans are out of work. My home province is facing a jobs crisis. Even Royal Bank's CEO David McKay understands this dire situation, saying that Canada will not succeed if Alberta's energy sector does not succeed. The Liberals' response to this crisis is imposing a punitive job-killing carbon tax.

Why is the Liberal government so determined to destroy Alberta's economy with national energy program 2.0 and why are Alberta's four Liberal MPs willing to let this happen?

[Paris Agreement, October 3rd, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's speech, but again, we are focusing a lot on funding public transit.

We heard a lot about working with provinces and municipalities. I would say, referring to my other colleague's statement, this is an aggressive government. This is a government that is imposing this on the provinces. The vast majority of Albertans do not want a carbon tax. The vast majority of Saskatchewan residents do not want a carbon tax.

The government will be funding infrastructure for public transit. There is not a lot of public transit in rural Canada. In my entire riding there is not one single bus service. There is barely a taxi service. I would like to see how the Liberals would feel about addressing the disproportionate impact on rural Canada this program will have.

[Paris Agreement, October 3rd, 2016]

Madam Speaker, we have heard from colleagues across the floor and from my colleague from Calgary Nose Hill, in her presentation, that people should simply drive an electric car. We have heard that in Alberta. The response from the Alberta provincial government when it came to imposing its carbon tax was that people should just start using public transit or an electric car. The government suggested that people should just trade in their cars.

I live in rural Alberta. It takes me more than five hours to drive from one end of my riding to the other. In the middle of winter it can be a challenge for certain, but the vast majority of my constituents are ranchers. They will not be using a Toyota Prius to haul their cattle liner down the highway. They will not be using an electric car to haul bales from one field to the next.

What impact does my colleague feel the carbon tax will have on the agricultural sector? This is not simply about changing one's lifestyle. We have a lifestyle that ensures that we are successful. What would a carbon tax mean and what will its implications be for the agriculture sector?

[Pipelines, September 27th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to pay tribute to a great Canadian nation builder, one that contributes immensely to Canada's economic growth. It is a pipeline.

More than 700,000 Canadian jobs rely on the energy sector, but the Liberals are turning their backs on these hard-working Canadians. Liberal inaction is putting this industry in jeopardy. Trans Mountain, northern gateway, and hearings on energy east have all been delayed. Billions of dollars in investments are gone.

While the Liberals delay and dither, more than 100,000 energy workers have lost their jobs. Royal Bank CEO David McKay has come out and said that he must speak out because Canada will not succeed if Alberta does not succeed. Alberta will not succeed if its energy sector does not succeed.

Our energy industry is world class. We must focus on how cleanly we can produce it, how safely we can transport it, how wisely we can consume it, and how many jobs it creates.

The Conservatives understand pipelines are critical to Canada's economy. As Conservatives, we understand pipelines are an essential nation builder.

[CANADA LABOUR CODE, September 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad my colleague asked that question, because in just about every answer from across the floor we hear that they are working hard to strengthen the middle class and those who are working hard to join it. What about the 125,000 who have just left the middle class in Alberta's energy sector? We do not hear a word about that. Repealing Bill C-4 would certainly not get those people back to work.

Our priority in the House right now should be to come up with ideas and a plan and policy that would attract investment back to Canada. We talked about it the other day. Encana is now investing $1 billion in the oil sector in Texas, not here in Canada. The United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and France all have similar legislation to Bill C-377 and Bill C-525.

Why are we the one western democracy to be eliminating the opportunity for Canadian workers to have a secret ballot, when our priority should really be finding a way to get those 125,000 Canadians back to work?

[CANADA LABOUR CODE, September 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate her question, but I am not on the committee, so I do not want to speak for my colleagues on the committee.

What I can say is that we were quite satisfied, obviously, with Bill C-377 and Bill C-525. There was great support from Canadians. We do not want to see those two pieces of legislation repealed. I do not think there is an amendment to Bill C-4 that we would be in support of because Bill C-4 is repealing two critical pieces of legislation.

I cannot speak for the NDP members, but we heard from our colleagues across the floor that one of the biggest issues with bills C-525 and C-377 was they were private members' bills. I'm really looking forward to seeing those two bills put back into legislation, but maybe through a government bill from the Liberal Party.

[CANADA LABOUR CODE, September 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question, but it has absolutely nothing to do with what we are talking about here today. Again, it just goes to show that the Liberals are not taking seriously these very important issues to all Canadians. Rather than talk about the issue we are addressing today, secret ballots and financial transparency, he wants to talk about something else because they do not want to talk about these important issues.

Just so he knows, if he has ever actually left downtown Toronto, I can speak for Albertans. I know how Albertans are feeling right now. They are feeling very frustrated that they have a government that does not care what they are going through, that is not doing anything about it, but would rather have some rhetorical discussions about issues that take two to tango, by the way.