Leah Taylor Roy

[Business of Supply, October 20th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite, with whom I enjoy serving on the environment committee very much.

I agree with you 100%. We know that we—

[Business of Supply, October 20th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, there have been two elections since 2015, just to remind the hon. member opposite. Canadians have chosen to return us with our climate plan, which they see as a real plan, as opposed to the flip-flopping on the Conservative side, which, at some points, wants a price on pollution and then changes to not having a price on pollution and then goes back to, perhaps, a price on pollution. I am not sure where they are now. One member here seems to support it while the leader does not.

If he could clarify that for me, that would be great but, no, we are not flip-flopping. We are staying consistent in fighting climate change and we will continue to do that.

[Business of Supply, October 20th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to speak to today's opposition motion put forward by the member for Calgary Forest Lawn. I will be sharing my time with the member for St. Catharines.

This motion proposes to exempt carbon pricing from some fuels based on their targeted purpose on the premise that affordability and fighting climate change are mutually exclusive. From the outset, I want to make it clear that this is a false premise and I reject it. The environment and the economy go hand in hand, and one good example of this is the price on pollution.

We know that the price on pollution has reduced carbon intensity in our economy since it was first introduced, and without it, our emissions would have been going up more than they have been. We know that the price on pollution is a market mechanism and is one of the most efficient ways to reduce carbon. It is widely held as the best way to do this from economists worldwide and has been instituted by many governments. We also know that this is a revenue-neutral price on pollution and that the money given back to Canadians who pay for it, for the most part, offsets any additional costs they incur.

We have been targeting our relief to Canadians who need it most. A blanket exemption of the price on pollution for all Canadians would provide relief to Canadians who need it and to Canadians who can perhaps afford it. All Canadians should be doing their part to reduce pollution. I believe we are doing that, and we are compensating those who can afford it least by returning this money, which is paid through the climate action incentive.

Canadians in provinces where this plan is in place have received a cheque. In Ontario, they would have received it starting last Friday from the climate action incentive. It gave them much-needed money at this time. The money they will be receiving back will be in excess of what they are contributing, if they are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint. It is this price signal that is so important for reaching our goals.

We all know that we have had inflationary periods over the past and that commodity prices rise and fall. We have seen this happening for many reasons. The global impacts of the war on Ukraine, of the post-COVID economy and of so much more have hit people around the world. This will happen again, and while we know it is causing challenges for many Canadians and we are providing programs and incentives that are targeting the Canadians who need help the most, we are also aware that the climate crisis is not going away.

We as a government have a commitment to Canadians. We have a commitment to businesses that are investing in clean tech. We have a commitment to Canadians, who are trying to make choices to reduce their carbon footprint, to maintain this price on pollution and not continually introduce waivers and exemptions along the way. They rely on our commitment to make investments. We need to continue to do that. If we want Canadians businesses to invest in clean energy and want Canadian businesses to invest in clean tech, we cannot go back and forth and say today it is on and tomorrow it is off.

The Progressive Conservative Party used to be a party of business. It understood economics. I am really dismayed to see how the CPC has changed its bend. Now its math is even off. The price on pollution will be increasing from $50 a tonne to $65 a tonne on April 1, 2023. For most of Canada, that is after the coldest winter months, and in the math that I learned, that is not a doubling, a tripling or even a 35% rise in the price on pollution. I am not sure where the Conservatives are getting their economic or math abilities these days, but clearly they are not doing it themselves.

To go back to the price on pollution and the need for it, we often talk about what it costs Canadians and the cost of a price on pollution, but we do not often talk about what it costs us if we do not do this. What does it cost us if we do not take action to fight climate change?

Those costs are significant. We have seen them recently on the east coast with hurricane Fiona. We saw them on the west coast with atmospheric rivers, which none of us had heard of before but we now have in our vocabulary. These costs are significant. It is estimated that they are now $1.9 billion a year.

Those costs and the effects they have on Canadians' day-to-day living, on small businesses, on the agricultural manufacturing sector, on farms, on so many people are real costs. They include the cost of insurance going up, the flooding of homes and the supply chains that are being affected, which ultimately affects inflation. These things are happening because of the climate crisis and because we are not doing enough.

Therefore, in addition to the price on pollution, we have introduced other programs to try to expedite that change, because we know we have not met some of our targets. However, the price on pollution is effective and we have seen that because the intensity of carbon emissions has gone down. We cannot be short-sighted in this House. We cannot just be focused on the next six months. We have to look at the long term and do things for Canadians, both to build a stronger economy and to help Canadians with affordability while at the same fighting climate change.

I am proud that our government is doing that. We are targeting support because we are cognizant of the effects of widespread spending on inflation. We are trying not to put in place a measure that all Canadians get. We are trying to put in a measure that Canadians who need it most would benefit from. Taking the price on pollution off of heating oil and propane at this time would benefit all Canadians who use that fuel. I use that fuel in my home and I am among the many Canadians who do not need that break currently.

Let us focus on Canadians who need it most. Unlike Conservative policy with the Canada child care benefit, which was given to millionaires, we changed that and gave it to the people who need it most. That is what we have to do with our dollars now: focus on those who are really suffering and try to help all Canadians through other programs that we have put in place.

We have one of the most ambitious programs to address climate change and we know that other countries around the world are joining us. In fact, one of the premises in the preamble of this motion is that we are the only country that has increased the price on pollution during this period, and that is not true. In Canada, we are doing it in a very orderly fashion, incrementally by $10 a year and $15 a year going forward. Germany, for example, put a price on pollution of $25 a tonne in 2021. It will be going up to over $55 a tonne in one fell swoop. That is not what we chose to do. We chose to do it incrementally and consistently, so that people knew what was going to happen, they could adjust to those price increases and it would allow businesses to respond accordingly.

I know that Canadians from coast to coast to coast recognize that we need a government with a real plan of action, including the very effective market mechanism of the price on pollution. It is not sufficient, so we are moving forward with that. We are sticking with it while offering support to Canadians who need it most now. We will continue to do that and show that a green economy and green future go together. Let us keep fighting climate change while supporting Canadians.

[Business of Supply, October 20th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, as the member opposite is talking about tax relief for Canadians, does he consider a doubling of the GST credit tax relief? If not, what is it?

[Business of Supply, September 29th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, the points the member made were very good. I am very glad to hear her call out the populism and the approaches being taken by the members opposite.

I would like to understand and get your thoughts on this. The new leader of the opposition has worked in the House since he was 24. He has never worked outside of the House. He has built his studies on the teachings of Milton Friedman. You spoke about his lack of consideration and lack of concern for monopolistic behaviour, as well as his emphasizing shareholder values and not worrying about Canadians. I am wondering whether you could comment on that and what influence that might have had.

[Business of Supply, September 29th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I have more of a comment than a question. I was very encouraged by the speech the member opposite just gave. I only wish that some of the members opposite me had been listening and that perhaps a few more of them were in the House to support the motion they have put forward because—

[Human Rights in Iran, September 27th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, “Say her name.”

Social media continue to call on us to name the women who have been murdered. In Iran, they are Mahsa Amini and Neda Agha Soltan, and there are many more whose names have not yet been said. These murders and other violence perpetuated against the women of Iran are in part due to restrictions of their rights and freedoms. In Afghanistan, freedoms that were entrenched in law for decades have been stripped away from women. Closer to home, we need only look south of our border to see women’s rights being rolled back. Unfortunately the list of countries and regions where women are currently being targeted is too extensive to list here, and the trend is getting worse.

We applaud the Iranian people who are protesting these atrocious and misogynistic policies. They are bravely protesting at their own peril, and we and others around the world are joining them in their indignation and anger. I am proud that our Prime Minister has spoken out against and placed sanctions on those responsible for the murder of Mahsa Amini.

I am asking that all of us in this House take a stand against the gender-based violence and repression being perpetuated against them in Iran and everywhere. We must all speak up and say their names.

[Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, September 15th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to our late Queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Before I do so, I would first like to give my condolences to the families and members of the James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, as they have just buried many of the dead and are suffering from the great tragedy that has beset them.

I rise on behalf of many of the constituents of Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill to pay tribute to the Queen and offer condolences to the royal family and King Charles III. I say “many” because not everyone feels the same way about the monarchy or the Queen. Many members in this House have already referred to that.

Our relationship with the monarchy is complex. There is a history of colonialism, and there are feelings from indigenous people and francophones that do not always align with the monarchy. However, there are many people, including me, who greatly admired the Queen and her life of service.

The Queen embodied many things. One of them, for me, was family. Family has always been so important to me and to many of my constituents, as well as to many Canadians. The Queen put family first. I believe her example in being a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother and in caring for her family above all was one set for all of us and one that we should all admire.

Although I did not have the opportunity to meet the Queen as many people in the House have, I feel like I did meet her through my family. My grandmother, Marie Ellen Taylor, was born in England. She went to school in Ireland and moved to Canada as a young woman. I could not help but notice all of the cookie tins, plates, china cups and photos of the Queen in her home. She was certainly proud of our Queen. She was proud as a Canadian, and she certainly shared that with all of us.

It was not just the Queen's dedication to family. It was also her great dedication to service. When we look at the over seven decades the Queen served, we see exemplary service. She, above all, wanted to connect with people. She was Queen of the Commonwealth, and as so many have already mentioned, she loved Canada and visited us often. I believe her connection to Canada was real and that she was not only connected to her subjects here from the past but that she grew and changed as Canada grew and changed. Her acceptance and desire to get to know so many parts of Canada and so many people was great.

There is a quote I want to read that made it clear that she believed in inclusivity and respected multiculturalism in Canada. She stated:

...it is as Queen of Canada that I am here—Queen of Canada and of all Canadians, not just of one or two ancestral strains. I would like the crown to be seen as a symbol of national sovereignty, a link between Canadian citizens of every national origin and ancestry.

Later, the Queen would say, “This nation has dedicated itself to being a caring home for its own, a sanctuary for others and an example to the world.” Her last message was to express solidarity and sympathy to the loved ones of those who tragically lost their lives on the James Smith Cree Nation reserve. She cared about our issues. She cared about our country.

I go back to her legacy of service and think about how she connected with people. She was the first queen to have a televised wedding. Of course, it was the first time television was available, but she also initiated walkabouts. Many members of this House have spoken of how many hands she shook, how many people she saw personally and all of the stories and memories written in the book of condolences. She definitely touched people. The importance of human connection and the recognition of individual dignity and the pursuit of good governance is one of Queen Elizabeth's legacies.

In a speech given to the United Nations in 2010, she stated, “I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together.”

It was this commitment to hope and unity that strikes a chord with so many who remember her lifetime of service, composure and personal strength, and offers a profound example for us as democratic representatives of the Canadian people.

I know that many will miss her. As a strong female presence in our world over a very long period, a period of change and tumultuous times, she always offered a vision of faith and hope. It is that faith and hope, I believe, that we still need as we move forward today.

I know I will miss her caring, stable presence in our world and that many will. Her absence is a loss for us all.

[Petitions, June 22nd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting this petition today on behalf of the students of Forest Run Public School and residents of Ontario who have brought to my attention the plight of Kiska, the orca whale, who has been held in solitary confinement, in poor health, in a concrete tank since 2011 at Marineland in Niagara Falls.

These students, teachers and others in our province want to ensure that Kiska is moved to a more suitable and healthy location. The ideal location would be the Nova Scotia whale sanctuary, and they ask that we support that project. Until it is ready to accept whales, they ask us to help Kiska have a better life, where she can live in a facility that can rehabilitate her and ensure her interaction with other orcas and cetaceans.

To achieve this, they ask the Government of Canada to remove the grandfather clause in Bill S-203, which allows Marineland to retain ownership of Kiska and possibly use her for entertainment purposes.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teachers, the principal and the students at Forest Run Public School for their hard work in advocating for Kiska, for putting forward acts of artistry and for the petition, which received over 700 signatures.

[Ending the Captivity of Whales, June 22nd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the plight of a 45-year-old female has been brought to my attention by Judith Goldberg, a principal in my riding. Teachers and students at Forest Run school are passionate and determined to do something about this situation. They have created art and a website, and ultimately circulated a petition.

This female has been kept captive for over 40 years. Pregnant five times, each time she lost her child and was left to mourn on her own. She lives alone in a concrete space with little room to move about. I visited the school and spoke with some of the students. One young boy looked at me, confused, and pleadingly asked, “What if someone did that to us?”

The 45-year-old female is named Kiska. She is an orca whale, a sentient being like us. She is highly intelligent and sensitive, and is currently being held captive at Marineland.

In 2019, the House passed Bill S-203 to end the captivity of whales, but Kiska was not released. Her misery was grandfathered in. She could live somewhere, such as the Nova Scotia Whale Sanctuary, and have decades left if we do not allow her to die first due to her confinement. Judith and her students know it is wrong for us to condone this in 2022. It is past time for us to do the right thing.