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Nov/24/21 10:42:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I asked the question of Michael Reeve from Q101, stationed in Merritt, because he was continuing to do his job as a journalist to make sure the public was informed of the policies and guidelines that were being taken, and he was evacuated. The difficulty with dealing with these kinds of cases is we that put journalists, first responders and local officials in such difficult situations, where they are trying to support their communities as much as they can, yet they have to deal with all the challenges that I have made out in my speech. During the summer, I had an elected official who was actually evacuated because of fires. I was receiving calls from citizens who were complaining about his lack of attention, and I said that this person was trying to evacuate his home just like they were, so they should try to work with him. It is a tremendous challenge and we need to support one another so we can help the people in our communities.

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Ms. Kristina Michaud (Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, BQ)

Nov/24/21 10:43:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. The information that he provides is always very precise and well thought out. He talked about how he spoke with a mayor and about how high the costs will be. Even if the federal government covers 90% of the cost, small communities still may not be able to cover the remaining 10%. Should the federal government cover 100% of the costs? That is a valid question. Earlier, I was saying that it will cost a lot of money to make the transition but that it will cost more in the long run if we do not make it. Does my colleague agree that we need to start changing the way we invest and that we need to invest taxpayers' money in forward-looking solutions that work? I would like to know whether he agrees with those solutions.

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Mr. Dan Albas

Nov/24/21 10:44:34 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I certainly appreciate the member raising the issue. Again, the mayors who requested that this be looked at really do not care if the 40% is coming from the province and the remainder is coming from Ottawa, or vice versa. They are just saying that they cannot afford this but they have to proceed with these repairs. They have to protect their communities. They have to get these things done. Quite honestly, they do not care who is doing what. At the end of the day, we should be using some good, sound judgment. If a province is strong, has a tax base and is in a position to fund these things, then we should let it take the lead. I will also say that is why we are part of a united country, because sometimes some provinces are not going to be in a position where they can write that cheque. We need to use our best judgment, and that is where a national government would come into play.

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Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)

Nov/24/21 10:45:46 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola for his speech and for bringing up the example of Oliver and the irrigation canal. It was one of the most frustrating issues of my career trying to get that project funded. The government actually fixed that problem after four years of lobbying and three infrastructure ministers. Unfortunately, it came too late for Oliver. I would like to give the member the time to talk more about what is happening in Princeton and Merritt and what the future looks like. He painted a vivid picture of what the past weeks have been, but what does the future look like? What do they have to do?

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Mr. Dan Albas

Nov/24/21 10:46:25 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my fellow British Columbian for his participation here tonight and for sharing some of his knowledge and expertise. The community of Grand Forks, as he said, went through quite a process, and we are going to see the same things happen here. We are going to be running into it. Right now, I hear from people who are saying that, if they are insured, they are being told that they do not get any support. When they go to their insurance company, they are told it is not going to cover everything. There are going to be some tremendous challenges on an individual or household basis. As I elaborated here, from a community perspective this is not easy. The Coldwater River has shifted at least a block over. Right now it is along a course over a gas line and utilities that were never designed to be underneath a river. These are large-scale challenges. When I say how difficult it is for the municipal staff, just imagine what it is for a senior or a person with a disability to come home and find out they have to restart from scratch without assistance. Small communities need the help.

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Ms. Michelle Ferreri (Peterborough—Kawartha, CPC)

Nov/24/21 10:47:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to stand for the first time on behalf of Peterborough—Kawartha. I want to give a big shout-out to my friend Arnold Taylor from Curve Lake for this beautiful piece of indigenous children for those who did not make it home from residential schools, which he sent here to the House of Commons. I also want to say hello to my children, who waited up for this moment. Mom is actually working. I thank my colleague so much for his work and for everything that has been done. We have heard a lot about the financial restrictions and the economic impact of trying to find hotels and all of these things. Then we heard about being charged $5,700 for PCR tests to get necessities over the border. Now we are hearing that it is being passed over to public health. What can we do? What are your suggestions on ensuring that these people are not held accountable for that?

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Nov/24/21 10:48:46 p.m.
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I want to remind the member that she is to address questions directly through the Chair and not to the individual member. The hon member for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola.

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Mr. Dan Albas

Nov/24/21 10:48:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, first of all, I am delighted, and I congratulate the member for her election. I am also delighted that her children get to see her in action. I feel badly that they had to see 20 minutes of me to get to that. Most important, there are so many challenges at an individual household and community level that this is where we really need to come together. The member for Abbotsford said it more than anyone else, that there really does need to be a continued partnership and information sharing and action. We can talk all we want, but there are people who are really suffering. At the end of the day, during a public disaster that is what government is supposed to do. It is supposed to act. There will be some mistakes made, but it can be dealt with through better communication and a willingness to work together and to get it done.

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Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP)

Nov/24/21 10:49:53 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to focus on one aspect, which is that in disaster after disaster so many of us assume that our devices are going to work. Whether it is wildfires in the interior or wild storms on the coast, community after community discover there is no land line, no cellphone, no way to hear what is going on. I spoke at length with a deputy fire chief in Ashcroft once. I asked what they do when they are on evacuation alert and how their community know the evacuation was now on. This fire chief said, “We considered what to do for technology, and we have decided to get a really big bell for the fire station that we can ring”. What does the hon. member think we can do to better network people in disasters for better preparedness and to get the information that they desperately need?

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Nov/24/21 10:50:57 p.m.
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We will have a brief answer from the member for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola.

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Mr. Dan Albas

Nov/24/21 10:51:00 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, you know there is no such thing as a brief answer from me, but I will try. The leader of the official opposition was very wise in appointing, as his shadow minister for emergency preparedness, our member from Alberta. If we hearken back to the tornado that hit Ottawa, there were concerns around the lack of cellphone coverage, part of that being because of the infrastructure that runs these things and they often have a battery life of eight to 12 hours. It depends on each operator. The member did a motion that said we should be studying this at committee, and that we need to spend a lot more time asking about these things. This is something under the federal jurisdiction. We need to know exactly what we can expect from our devices because we are so glued to them. Imagine people not being able to reach their child who has a cell phone during a disaster. These are things that we need to have an ongoing conversation about. I appreciate the member and her contribution here tonight.

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Mr. Taleeb Noormohamed (Vancouver Granville, Lib.)

Nov/24/21 10:52:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. I am grateful to rise in the House of Commons for the first time as the member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville, which is located on the traditional unceded territory of the Coast Salish first peoples, the Musqueam, the Squamish and the Tsleil-Waututh. I am grateful to represent the residents of this incredible riding and to work hard on their behalf every single day. I also want to thank my parents, my partner, my sister, my family, my community and my volunteers, who worked so hard every day to make this possible. Like many British Columbians, my heart is heavy tonight and has been for the last several days, as we see the devastation, loss and hardship caused by extreme weather events, with a loss of property, of life and indeed of a sense of security. This evening, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who are doing what they can to support British Columbians while we are dealing with the shocking effects of the flooding, which has caused so much distress, destruction and devastation across British Columbia. Our hearts and thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those who are still missing. It is a great comfort to know that in times like these, to echo what the Minister of National Defence said last week, Canadians will always come together to support one another. We have seen volunteers, first responders, everyday citizens and indeed our armed forces all step up to serve and support their fellow citizens. We have already heard my colleague speak of the extraordinary efforts of our armed forces to help B.C. residents through this nightmare, evacuating people and pets to safety, delivering food and supplies, sustaining critical supply chains, supporting provincial planning and relief efforts, protecting and rebuilding critical infrastructure, roads and properties, and so much more. We know they will keep working to stabilize the situation for as long as they are needed. It is gratifying to know that we can count on the incredible men and women of our armed forces to come to the aid of Canadians, as they are doing right now in British Columbia and indeed as they have done across the country throughout the pandemic. It is heartwarming to hear the stories of communities across our province rallying together, across difference, in support of their fellow citizens. I think of the Jewish Federation, which has raised almost $250,000; Islamic Relief Canada loading up vehicles with urgent supplies and providing emergency relief; the many gurdwaras across the province helping to feed thousands; and many more stories like this. This is the British Columbia of which we are so proud, and it is so good to know that at times like this we can count on one another. It is almost eight o'clock in British Columbia tonight and there are people we all know who are not sitting down for dinner in their homes, who will not be settling in for a night in front of the television and who will not be picking up their kids from hockey or doing the normal everyday things they might have been doing. Instead, they are figuring out what comes next for them, their families and communities. I am so grateful that our government has stepped up, in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, to put in place the resources needed to support our fellow British Columbians. Today we all stand united, regardless of political affiliation, in our desire to help British Columbians and our province get back on their feet and rebuild. We are all united in our desire to build back quickly and to help those affected. The reality we face as British Columbians and as Canadians is that the growing number of forest fires we have seen in recent years and floods like this one will become the norm. We cannot just rebuild and pretend it might not happen again for another year or two. The truth is that it will happen again, and it will continue to happen if we do not take vigorous steps to prevent further global warming. Canada is warming at twice the global average. That is why acting now, as our government has pledged to do, is so important. If recent history, whether the forest fires or these floods, has taught us anything, it is that climate change is no longer an abstract phenomenon and is no longer something we can pretend will not affect us in our lifetime. It is and it will continue to, and it will require us all to work together so that we not only build more resilient infrastructure, but also make the tough decisions needed to fight climate change. We must build back and we will, but we must build back in a way that allows us to withstand the onslaught of climate change even as we work to stop it. We must continue to invest in innovation and technology here in Canada that allow us to be at the forefront of the battle against climate change and that allow us to lead on building a green, sustainable economy for the decades ahead. As we plan for the future, it is gratifying that the House stands united in its desire to work together to ensure that we build resilient communities and sustainable infrastructure, and that we make long-term investments in ensuring the safety and security of British Columbia and indeed all Canadians. Our government has been seized with this task. In 2018, the Government of Canada launched the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund, committing $2 billion over 10 years to invest in structural and natural infrastructure projects to increase the resilience of communities that are impacted by natural disasters triggered by climate change. In budget 2021, an additional $1.375 billion over 12 years was announced to renew this fund. This government has been there for British Columbians and all Canadians, and we will continue to be there for British Columbians as we rebuild from this crisis and as we do all we need to do to ensure that we are ready for the next one, even as we continue in the fight against climate change. After every disaster, particularly ones as horrific as the one we are living in British Columbia right now, it is best practice to learn and to ensure that we are better equipped for the next one and better able to respond to serve those affected. Equally, we must look to the root cause of this crisis: climate change. In this case, working together in partnership to address climate change and acting boldly without making it a partisan issue is our easiest path to success. Tonight, as we sit thousands of miles away from British Columbia, I want to express my gratitude to all members of the House for focusing their thoughts and attention on British Columbia, and for their commitment to working together to ensure that we are able to recover quickly from this tragedy.

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Mr. Brad Vis (Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, CPC)

Nov/24/21 10:59:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Vancouver Granville for his first speech in the House of Commons. Indeed, many of the disasters we have seen since the summer and into the fall, in my riding especially, are caused by climate change. However, we cannot forget that early in the 20th century the Government of Canada drained the Sumas Lake and created a system of dikes that have artificially kept that lake from existing in the Fraser Valley. A lot of that infrastructure needs to be updated immediately so that we do not have another flood. I would like to get a commitment from the member on whether he supports the efforts that we have heard tonight to fund that critical infrastructure to prevent Sumas Prairie in my hometown from flooding once again.

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Mr. Taleeb Noormohamed

Nov/24/21 11:00:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, when we talk about the Sumas Lake, I think of the guidance that was provided at the time to the first nations communities about what might happen in a situation like this. That said, we are where we are today, and of course the government has pledged to make sure that we are able to rebuild British Columbia and do our part by doing everything that is required to ensure that the province and the regions that are affected return. We must do the things that allow people to live the lives they need to live. We will all work together to make sure that British Columbia and the regions that are affected are able to build back to make sure that communities are able to survive.

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Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP)

Nov/24/21 11:00:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to make note in the House that between 2006 and 2011, floods cost Canada about $120 million. Between 2010 and 2015, it was $360 million. Between 2016 and 2018, it grew to $430 million a year. Now we are at over $1 billion. The PBO projected in 2014 that if we kept going the way we were going, floods and fires were going to cost us $43 billion to $50 billion a year. What a deficit to leave to future generations. The member talked about investing heavily and taking bold and courageous action. The Liberals are investing $2 billion over 10 years. Bold and courageous is cancelling the Trans Mountain pipeline, which is $17 billion, and ending oil and gas subsidies, which are $18 billion. Let us start spending the money, the $43 billion to $50 billion a year that we are leaving, on my kids and most of our children and grandchildren now instead of shouldering them with the deficits. The Conservatives talk about inflation. Just wait. Insurance rates are going to go through the roof. Let us protect future generations by investing now in the right thing.

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Mr. Taleeb Noormohamed

Nov/24/21 11:02:05 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, bold and decisive action means implementing a plan that was supported by Canadians in the last election, which is what we are here to do. Bold and responsible action is making sure that we are able to meet our targets, as we have committed to doing. Bold and decisive action means ensuring that we are working with all stakeholders, provinces and indigenous communities to make sure that we are able to take on the fight against climate change and deliver results for Canadians.

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Mr. Andy Fillmore (Halifax, Lib.)

Nov/24/21 11:02:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Vancouver Granville for his first intervention in the House and congratulate him on his election. I am sure that the constituents of Vancouver Granville are very happy to have as accomplished and caring a representative in this place as they do at this time. The member, like me, campaigned on what came to be known as the strongest environmental plan on offer in the most recent election. I wonder if he would like to talk about some of the things that he heard from his constituents on what they liked the most in our plan. However, he may wish to address the remarks from the member for Courtenay—Alberni regarding the $18 billion in fuel subsidies, the majority of which were subsidies for workers and families who had lost their wages. I will leave it to him to make the choice.

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Mr. Taleeb Noormohamed

Nov/24/21 11:03:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, indeed the hon. member is right. In my riding of Vancouver Granville, constituents chose a plan that they knew made sense. They knew capping orphan wells was important and that not cutting funding to capping orphan wells was an irresponsible decision. They knew that making sure we transitioned away from fossil fuels was important and that investing in that appropriately was the right answer. They knew that investing in the right decisions to help our economy adapt and evolve into the greenest economy was the right answer, without compromising jobs and without compromising the economic safety and security of this country.

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Mr. Patrick Weiler (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, Lib.)

Nov/24/21 11:04:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I first want to congratulate you on your reappointment to this role. It is a privilege to rise once more in the chamber to join the debate for the first time in the 44th Parliament. I first want to start by thanking all the volunteers, dedicated staff, friends and family who worked tirelessly to get me here. I am also deeply indebted to my partner, Nicole, for standing by my side and giving me the strength to be the best representative and the best person I can be. I am truly honoured that the people of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country have placed their trust in me to serve as their representative in the House. I am here to make their voices heard and be their advocate. That is why I am here today to speak about the crisis that British Columbians are currently facing. The last Parliament, while speaking about the landmark net-zero accountability act, I rose in the House to share about the increasing toll that climate change was having on British Columbia and the people of my community. That law now binds the Government of Canada to set ambitious targets and to report regularly on our progress to ensure that we are accountable to meeting them. Even as we and, increasingly, the world works to reduce emissions, we will be grappling with ever-worsening impacts of climate change over the coming decades at best. We cannot solely focus on mitigation. The events of the past two weeks underline that we are long overdue with actions to adapt to an already and rapidly changing climate. The year 2021 has been a watershed moment for the climate crisis in British Columbia. This summer, we suffered an unprecedented heat wave, or heat dome, and saw the town of Lytton become one of the hottest places in the world one day before being razed to the ground the next day. Almost the entire province set record-high temperatures, some places by 5°C or more, and 595 British Columbians lost their lives due to the extreme heat. The incredible heat wave sparked wildfires across the province that burned nearly 8,700 square kilometres of land and forced thousands of people out of their homes. People across B.C. had to breathe in some of the most polluted air on the planet as the sun was blotted out by wildfire smoke. High heat levels caused rapid melting of mountain snow caps that sent torrents of rushing water into the rivers below. When the nighttime temperatures at the top of snow-capped Mount Currie hovered in the mid-thirties, the nearby village of Pemberton was put on evacuation alert as melt waters came centimetres away from flooding the village. It was fortunate the water was able to infiltrate the soil at that time. The entirety of the coastal areas of my riding were affected as billions of marine organisms died, leaving an unmistakable stench throughout coastal B.C. Less than six months later, we find ourselves in yet another unprecedented climate disaster. An atmospheric river brought more than a month's worth of rain in just two days, breaking more than 20 rainfall records. Places that just this summer were burning uncontrollably are now underwater. This time it is extreme flooding that has caused thousands of British Columbians to flee their homes. It has destroyed homes, infrastructure and businesses, including in my own riding, where flooding on the Sunshine Coast has left roads closed, shut residents off from water and put others under a boil water advisory. This is happening in the same year where these same homes were under stage four water restrictions. While we do not have estimates on what the final cost of this disaster will be, we know that it will become the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history. It is easy to see why. Roughly $240 billion worth of goods travel through the Port of Vancouver every year, and the Lower Mainland has been cut off from the rest of the country. Every road and rail line was severed by floods and landslides or badly damaged. The Coquihalla Highway facilitates the transportation of billions of dollars worth of goods, and many thousands of people have suffered multiple extensive wash-outs and bridge collapses. It will likely be out of commission for months to come. Some of Canada's most fertile farmland has been flooded and thousands of livestock have drowned or have been euthanized. At this point, all orders of government are working together to respond to this crisis. We have seen heroic efforts of individuals to support those who have been impacted, by donating and transporting essential food, housing stranded people and donating generously to response efforts. The Government of Canada has revamped its El rules to rapidly get support to impacted British Columbians, negotiated with our American friends to ease border measures and deployed the military to build up damaged infrastructure to protect us from further incidence that is looming, with projected rainfall tomorrow being up to 80 millimetres. These are just some of the examples. These are the real economic costs of climate change and they are happening today. Despite being the most environmentally disastrous year in B.C.'s history, this is a harbinger of what we can expect to see in the future. This past summer, Oxfam conducted an analysis of research by the Swiss Re Institute that concluded Canada's economy could shrink by 6.9% by 2050 without ambitious climate action. These events will increase in both frequency and severity, and unless we are better prepared to be resilient, they will enact a heavy toll. The Government of Canada has been taking action in this space, but we need to do more and we need to do it faster. Programs like the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund provide support for large-scale infrastructure projects to help communities better manage the risks of natural disasters. Earlier this year, I was proud to announce funding to the Resort Municipality of Whistler to build firebreaks to mitigate forest fire risk for the area. We also launched a national infrastructure fund earlier this year that will allow us to focus on natural infrastructure solutions that are inherently more resilient to climate change for the reason Pemberton was spared from what I mentioned before. Budget 2021 also provided billions in new money to the provinces and territories to do disaster mitigation. Earlier today the Prime Minister committed to move forward with a low-cost national flood insurance program, and we are going to work with the provinces and territories to update flood risk mapping. This is incredibly important because we know towns like Merritt were relying on flood risk mapping that was almost 40 years old. Going forward, our government has also committed to work with first nations to mitigate wildfire risk, utilizing practices they have employed to great effect since time immemorial. It has also committed to introducing a national adaptation strategy within the next year and implementing a climate lens, including both adaptation and mitigation into all future government decision-making. The saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is certainly true in this case, and these and other actions are urgent. I want to end by mentioning the story of my friend Noah. Noah was driving home to Vancouver from near Merritt when he encountered a mudslide when going down the Coquihalla. He had to turn back and take an alternate route going down Duffy Lake Road. There were no warnings and no advisories on this road. Midway through his drive, he was stopped on the highway and before long he was unsuspectingly caught in a mudslide. His car flipped, rolled over multiple times and was totalled, but he and his passenger were miraculously able to make it out alive, if not bruised and very muddy. This is in no small measure to fellow trapped drivers, including first responders who worked swiftly to pull them and others out of their cars, taking them in and keeping them warm until they could get a ride out of there. They were lucky to get out safely, but at least four people tragically were not. We know events like this are going to be ever more commonplace, and we need to work with all orders of government to keep people safe. We need to ensure our infrastructure will be resilient to extreme weather events like these, that individuals understand the risk to themselves and to their property. We need to be adaptive to rapidly changing conditions we will see. I hope that all members of this House will capture and nurture the urgency and drive we all feel today so we can work together to lower our emissions and reduce the risks our communities face from a rapidly changing climate.

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Mr. Bob Zimmer (Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, CPC)

Nov/24/21 11:13:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to give a shout-out to everybody tonight who really have made the debate about the people of Abbotsford, the Lower Mainland up to the Fraser Valley and in the interior. It is really about the people and getting the people the help they need. That is what we are talking about tonight. As my colleagues from Abbotsford and Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon have mentioned so many times, it is about the people. We used to live in Abbotsford for four years when I went to university, and it became part of our family. It is where they grew up as little children. Again, we need to focus on what the needs are. We need to focus on the emergency there now, the storm that is going to come tonight and the storm that is possibly going to come next week. We are calling on the federal government to help now in any way we can to do that. Again, it is why we are here tonight. It is late in Ottawa, it is about a quarter after 11, but I just wanted to speak to the member and call on the government to do all we can to help the people of Abbotsford.

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