Rick Perkins

[The Economy, February 1st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the percentage increases that Canadians care about are the percentage increases in their property assessments and their housing prices. The policies of the government have meant that young people cannot buy their first home, and older people and seniors are getting priced out of their homes. People are having trouble paying for food.

When will the government come to realize that Canadians are struggling because of its policies and admit that it is wrong, or is this “just inflation”?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, January 31st, 2022]

With regard to the Small Craft Harbours program: (a) for the 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22 fiscal years, what are the details of all project expenditures which have been made by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans under this program, including the (i) date, (ii) amount, (iii) location, (iv) project description or summary, (v) constituency; (b) what is the amount of fixed annual funding allocated to each harbour, broken down by location; and (c) what are the specific criteria and metrics used to determine how much funding is allocated to each harbour?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, January 31st, 2022]

With regard to Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and proposed changes by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, including the Draft Conservation Network Design for the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy Bioregion: (a) for each proposed change or additional MPA, what would be the impact to the lobster fishery and lobster quotas; (b) what would be the impact in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFA) 27 through 34, broken down by LFA; and (c) what are the details of all memorandums, briefing notes, reports, or correspondence related to the MPAs or the proposals since January 1, 2016, including (i) the date, (ii) the type of document, (iii) the sender, (iv) the recipient, (v) the title, (vi) the summary of the contents, (vii) the internal file or tracking number?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, January 31st, 2022]

With regard to the Fish Harvesters Benefit and Grant Program, broken down by each phase of the program: (a) what was the total number of applications for benefits that were (i) accepted, (ii) denied; (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by type of applicant, including (i) self-employed commercial fish harvesters, (ii) those who held limited entry commercial licence eligibility (Pacific), (iii) self-employed freshwater fish harvesters, (iv) Indigenous harvesters who were designated by their community under a communal commercial fishing licence, (v) share persons crew, (vi) Indigenous harvesters who are crew members, who earn a share of the revenue; (c) what was the total number of grants for benefits that were (i) accepted, (ii) denied; (d) what is the breakdown of (c) by type of applicant, including (i) self-employed commercial fish harvesters, (ii) those who held limited entry commercial licence eligibility (Pacific), (iii) freshwater fish harvesters (subject to provincial agreement to provide licensing information), (iv) Indigenous harvesters who were designated as Vessel Masters by their community under a communal commercial fishing licence; (e) what is the total dollar amount provided through the program to date; (f) of the applications which were denied, how many and what percentage of applicants appealed the decision; (g) how many and what percentage of the appeals in (f) were (i) granted, (ii) denied; (h) how many recipients have received claw back notices, broken down by type of applicant; (i) how many appeals has the government received related to the claw back notices; and (j) how many of the appeals in (i) were (i) granted, (ii) denied?

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 31st, 2022]

With regard to the Fraser Salmon Collaborative Management Agreement: (a) have any environmental assessments been done on how this agreement has impacted BC salmon stocks since the agreement became effective in July 2019, and, if so, what are the details, including the date the assessments were conducted and the findings; (b) what negative impacts have been found by government studies or assessments related to the agreement and what specific actions has the government taken to reduce or reverse these negative impacts, if any; and (c) does the agreement usurp any Department of Fisheries and Oceans regulations related to the salmon stock and, if so, which regulations?

[Nova Scotia Christmas Tree Farmers, December 16th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotia is the balsam fir Christmas tree capital of the world. Family farms across my province prepare every year for the busy Christmas season. Christmas tree farmers like former MP Gerald Keddy, former Senator Don Oliver and Kevin Veinotte, who I buy my trees from, ship their trees around the world and open their farms to families for picking out the right tree.

Christmas tree farming is an economic driver in my community and supports rural communities and families across Nova Scotia. The province of Nova Scotia exports more than seven million dollars' worth of Christmas trees every year. If people care about the environment, they should not buy a plastic tree from China. Instead, they should buy a renewable, sustainable and natural balsam fir tree from Nova Scotia. If they want to save the planet, they should buy a tree from Lunenburg or Queens County.

As we approach the holiday break, I hope everyone in my riding, all members present and their families have a very merry Christmas, and that all the tree farmers have a successful Christmas season.

[Criminal Code, December 13th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, is the hon. member aware that when the Liberals removed the mandatory minimum sentences for people who transport firearms without a permit that gang violence went up in places like Toronto and Vancouver? Obviously, it is something that the members from Toronto do not realize about their own communities. He could comment on that.

As well, can the hon. member comment on whether he thinks part of sentencing is punishment and not just rehabilitation?

[Fisheries and Oceans, December 13th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the government needs some time management, because the Liberals are working and studying things and achieving nothing. Gary from Comox received a clawback letter from DFO for his COVID fish harvester benefits. He appealed, and of course in October DFO said, “Whoops, we were wrong. You deserve them.” Four weeks later, DFO wrote a letter back to him, asking for the $6,000 back. DFO and this minister seem confused by their own rules. Gary fulfilled all the requirements.

Will the minister show who is in charge and let Gary and all fish harvesters keep their benefits, yes or no?

[Prince Edward Island Potato Industry, December 10th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, this week, P.E.I. potato farmers drove 6,000 bags of spuds to Ottawa to raise awareness about the Liberal government’s ban on P.E.I. potato exports. The government’s half-baked plan is smashing the island’s biggest economic driver, yet the four silent island Liberal MPs are not fixing the problem.

There are 300 million pounds of potatoes that sit idle. Hundreds of jobs are lost and countless family farms are at risk. In 15 days, families on both sides of the border will be sitting down to a Christmas dinner with turkey and cranberry sauce, deprived of P.E.I. mashed potatoes. If the Liberal government's export ban is not lifted, P.E.I.’s potatoes will not be spending their Christmas on plates across North America.

The Prime Minister has admitted that this ban is political and not backed by science. It is time that the spuds from the bright red mud started rolling down the highway smiling.

[Business of Supply, December 9th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I was impressed at the beginning of the speech by the hon. member for Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook and the incredible list of things the Liberals hoped to accomplish in the future on housing. He shared an impressive number of statistics. I am sure the member knows that housing prices in our province have gone up 21% in the last year. That is more than the national Canadian average. The plans that the Liberal government has put forward clearly are not working.

Why should the people of Nova Scotia believe any of those promises on housing when the government and that party has promised a national child care program six elections in a row? If we are supposed to believe those numbers going forward on housing, could he tell me how many day care spaces his six elections of promises have created in Canada?