Tracy Gray

[Canada-U.S. Relations, March 28th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, it has been seven years. What I was asking the NDP-Liberal minister for was an outline of actions the government will be taking on negotiating a softwood lumber agreement, not just raising the issue.

The last softwood lumber deal was negotiated by the previous Conservative government, including achieving an extension, which expired in 2015. The Liberals did not negotiate softwood lumber into CUSMA, nor through three U.S. presidents, and they did not sit down and negotiate a new deal.

Lumber production is up in the United States, yet down in Canada. Mills have closed in Canada, thousands have lost their jobs and lumber prices have skyrocketed in large part due to U.S. tariffs affecting construction costs. We now have testimony at the trade committee that increases in lumber costs have increased inflation.

Residents in my riding of Kelowna—Lake Country cannot afford these cost increases affecting construction and housing prices. Could the NDP-Liberal minister tell us how long the government expects the forestry industry and my constituents dealing with inflationary costs to wait for a softwood lumber agreement?

[Canada-U.S. Relations, March 28th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, the absence of an agreement with the United States on softwood lumber continues to have disastrous consequences in my home province of British Columbia. We are seven years into the current government’s time in office, yet a softwood lumber agreement has not been a priority of this NDP-Liberal government.

Last year we heard from the Minister of International Trade that she was disappointed when additional American duties were placed on our critical lumber industries. Then last fall, after duties went even higher, the minister said she would raise the issue with the Americans.

Last week, when I questioned the government again on when it expects to have an agreement, the member for Winnipeg North, the most frequent government spokesperson in this chamber on a softwood lumber agreement, informed us that the government would “continue to monitor” this problem.

Canadians do not elect governments to monitor industry-destroying problems; they elect governments to solve them. Working families in my riding in Kelowna—Lake Country whose livelihoods are made in the forestry sector and the over 200 people who lost their jobs when a mill closed are perfectly capable of monitoring the situation themselves, as they are living through it.

The Prime Minister promised a new softwood lumber agreement within 100 days of his first election in 2015. We are now thousands of days past this, three U.S. presidents later, and no closer to that agreement. Does the government expect Canadians to wait another seven years?

The Liberals were not successful in negotiating softwood lumber into CUSMA. They left it up to negotiating a separate agreement, and this has not happened.

Over a year ago, on February 23, 2021, to much fanfare, the Prime Minister, the U.S. President and their trade counterparts announced the “Roadmap for a Renewed Canada-U.S. Partnership”. This mutual economic potential has not happened. Whether it is buy America policies or softwood lumber production moving to the U.S., Canada has the short stick.

It is not just those whose livelihoods are made in the forestry sector who are affected; Kelowna—Lake Country residents are seeing inflation rise thanks to the absence of government action on this file. Susan Yurkovich, the president of the BC Council of Forest Industries, recently testified at the trade committee that the lack of a softwood lumber deal has an inflationary effect. As those unfair and unwarranted tariffs get priced into the cost of lumber, Canadian construction companies and home renovators are forced to pass on these costs to consumers, leading to even higher costs to housing.

The Association of Interior Realtors recently reported that the benchmark selling price of a typical single-family home in Kelowna has now risen to more than $1 million, up from $761,000 just a year ago. House prices in Lake Country rose similarly, with new figures from BC Assessment showing a one-year increase of 32%. These increases are alarming. The escalation of home values jeopardizes the ability of seniors on fixed incomes to maintain their homes, prevents first-time homebuyers from ever being able to buy a home, forces families to live in homes that no longer suit their family's size and force people to spend far more than 30% of their pre-tax income on rent. House pricing increases are caused by several factors, and increased construction costs are certainly one of them.

The NDP-Liberal government has always acted as if a softwood lumber agreement was out of reach. Canadians know better than to believe in those excuses, because they remember that we had an agreement under the last Conservative government. We did not have to tweet endless photo ops that were disguised as productive meetings but produced no results; we got a deal that worked.

I am hoping today we are going to hear from the NDP–Liberal minister on what steps she is taking to negotiate a softwood lumber agreement. We know the lack of an agreement is adding to inflation. Families in my riding of Kelowna—Lake Country and workers in my province and across the country are relying on this. Let us hear about the plan and see some action.

[International Trade, March 25th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, the failure of the government to secure a deal on softwood lumber for seven years is having a domino effect on people's lives. A representative from the B.C. Council of Forest Industries testified at the trade committee that a lack of a deal is helping to increase inflation. This is leaving Canadian lumber costs soaring and the prices of housing construction skyrocketing.

Is the NDP-Liberal minister actually interested in securing a softwood lumber agreement? Trees are growing faster in British Columbia than the minister's speed at securing an agreement.

[Business of Supply, March 24th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, of course we are debating the federal vaccine mandates today. The government has not been listening to its own health experts. We know that all of the provinces are removing mandates and restrictions. The federal government has not put forth any plan and it has not disclosed any metrics that it is using to make the decisions that it is making, so my question is this: What do these federal Liberal politicians know? What access to information do they have that the provincial medical health officers do not?

[The Economy, March 23rd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, two taxes are increasing on April 1: the excise tax and the carbon tax. The carbon tax increase will basically increase the cost of anything that is shipped or heated. Both will add to the 5.7% inflation. People cannot keep up, yet yesterday, the associate finance minister said that a temporary pause on taxes would not help Canadians at the pumps.

As other jurisdictions have done, will the NDP–Liberal Prime Minister have some empathy for Canadian families and small businesses, do the math, and cancel the April Fool's Day carbon tax increase?

[Business of Supply, March 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the member mentioned the infrastructure bank and how, five years in, there still has not been a single project that has been completed. I am wondering if she could go into a bit more detail about the failures of the infrastructure bank, what kind of projects it should be working on and how it has been really costly and ineffective.

[The Economy, March 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, members of Parliament come to this House to represent their communities and offer common-sense solutions on issues. Conservatives proposed a GST tax holiday on gasoline and diesel, something that would help my constituents in Kelowna—Lake Country, who are being hammered by gas prices as high as 214.5¢ this month. The Liberals are dismissing solutions.

If the ministers are so out of touch with the prices that Canadians are paying at the pumps, will they ask their drivers what they are paying as they escort them around?

[The Economy, March 4th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, that response was completely out of touch with what Canadians are going through.

The last time Canadians saw inflation surpass 5%, they were hearing the word “Internet” for the first time. Our finance minister continues to ignore and only compare Canada with others to justify Canada's inflation. Other countries in the G7, including the U.S., Germany and the United Kingdom, acknowledge their high inflation and have announced various plans to tackle inflation in their countries.

When will the Minister of Finance announce her plans on how she will tackle inflation in Canada?

[Taxation, March 1st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Liberals, all winery, cidery, brewery and distillery owners will wake up on April 1 to an increase in their excise taxes. Most owners I have talked to have struggled along due to perpetual lockdowns. Most do not fall within Bill C-2's benefits, and any potential offset does not come close to bridging their losses. One winery owner I spoke to will have a $50,000 excise tax hit.

Unlike the finance minister, I have owned my own small business and I have had to read financial statements. Will the minister cancel the April Fool's Day excise tax increase?

[Russia's Attack on Ukraine, February 28th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, this is an important debate we are having this evening.

In the last few days we have seen the spirit of people in my riding of Kelowna—Lake Country stand strong in making their voices heard in support for Ukraine.

I want to be clear that Vladimir Putin has created this invasion and human tragedy. It is not the people of Russia.

Central Okanagan is home to about 14,000 people of Ukrainian descent, myself included. I have been in touch with the Ukrainian leaders in my community and one of their asks is to immediately implement visas. As the official opposition, as Conservatives, we have actually taken it a step further and have recommended that on travel from Ukraine to Canada we eliminate visas.

Would the hon. member be in support of that?