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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Feb/1/22 3:48:50 p.m.
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I would like to remind the hon. member that he must address the Chair and not the member for Humber River—Black Creek, whom I recognize again.

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Hon. Judy A. Sgro

Feb/1/22 3:49:00 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague has made it very clear in the time he has been in the House that these are issues that he cares very much about. I think together we will move forward to ensure there is housing that is affordable. Whatever name we want to put on it, we have to ensure that rental housing is being built that is affordable for all Canadians. As well, we need an avenue to give people the opportunity to get a foot in the door, as I like to refer to it, so they have a chance to start building some equity in their own home. Those are certainly the intentions of the programs we have through the national housing strategy. We have a Minister of Housing, so we have a lot of people in our government who are focusing on how we are going to make sure that housing is available and readily available.

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Mr. Lloyd Longfield (Guelph, Lib.)

Feb/1/22 3:49:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my question has to do with what the member ended her speech on: the benefits of affordable child care. I have family members in Toronto who are paying $2,600 a month for child care, just normal child care, and I think of what getting to $10-a-day child care would mean as far as immediate assistance, so we could help people to be able to afford homes.

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Hon. Judy A. Sgro

Feb/1/22 3:50:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, one of the most exciting things in the many years I have been in the House as a parliamentarian, and something I have wanted to see, is the issue of affordable child care for everyone. I cannot tell members the number of families, and single women in particular, I have met who did not want to stay home. They want to be out in the workforce, but the child care costs more than the money they would end up netting, so I think that $10-a-day child care will make a huge difference for all Canadians because everybody benefits. If the children are in a proper child care environment, they are getting the kind of exposure they need, and their moms can go to work knowing they are in a safe and caring environment.

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Hon. Michael Chong (Wellington—Halton Hills, CPC)

Feb/1/22 3:51:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time today with the member for Yellowhead. The government's foreign policy is not serving the country's interests nor its values, and the Speech from the Throne we are debating today does little to address this shortcoming. It does little to address Canada's decline on the world stage. The Speech from the Throne makes no mention of a foreign policy review. We have not had a significant foreign policy review in this country for almost 20 years. Countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia have regular foreign policy reviews. These are anchored around white papers that set out the government's foreign policy, its defence policy and its foreign aid policy. They guide the whole of government in implementing the government's policies in those spheres of foreign affairs. The United States goes through a similar process through the state department in order to anchor American foreign policy to ensure consistency and clarity. It also provides the capacity to respond to changing circumstances, but we have not done this. In fact, the last time I can recall a significant foreign policy review was in 2004, under the previous government of then prime minister Paul Martin, when Jennifer Welsh was tasked with taking a look at the government's foreign policy. Since then we have had no significant policy review, and the results are showing. We have had five foreign ministers in less than six years in the position of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. We have had ministers propose a foreign policy based on responsible conviction, a policy that lasted for a mere year or so before it was replaced with the policy of Canada as an essential country, outlined in a speech given to this House, which was supposedly the government's anchor for its foreign policy, its white paper, which guided the whole government's foreign policy. As a result, Canada's position on the world stage has diminished. That is an incontrovertible fact. In 2015, the Prime Minister came to office, telling the world that Canada is back. After the government made an attempt to secure a UN Security Council seat, the results came in, in June of 2020. Canada lost that bid for the UN Security Council seat, as it had done a decade earlier, and it lost with six fewer votes than it had won a decade earlier. That is six fewer countries that see Canada as a world leader on the international stage. In foreign aid, the government came to office promising to do better to help the world's poorest, but in the first five years of being in office, foreign aid was cut by 10% based on the internationally accepted measure of overseas development assistance as a percentage of gross national income, the target number being 0.7% of GNI. Under the government, foreign aid was cut from 0.3% of GNI during the 10 years of the previous government, to 0.27% of GNI in the first five years that this government was in office. On climate change, the government has failed to meet its climate change commitments. In fact, we have some of the highest per capita emissions in the world. Even south of the border emissions have declined over the last number of years, but in Canada, for each and every year the government has been in office, emissions have risen. In fact, in 2016, the first full year that the government was in office, emissions in Canada stood at 708 megatonnes. They have risen each and every year from that point. In 2019, the last year for which Environment Canada has data, emissions rose to 730 megatonnes, an increase of 22 megatonnes. No doubt this year we will once again go to record high emission levels because the data that is coming in on oil and gas, and other fossil fuel consumption in this country is indicating that Canada is trending to record high levels of fossil fuel consumption. Again, on climate change, the government has failed to deliver. The Liberal government came to office somewhat naively, promising to reopen Canada's embassy and re-establish diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, but it quickly realized once in office that it was not going to be able to do so. On the major issue facing the world today, of the rise of authoritarian governments in places such as Russia and the People's Republic of China, the Liberal government has been either incoherent or naive. On China, the government's policies have been utterly and completely incomprehensible. Here are a couple of examples of what I am talking about. David Vigneault, the head of CSIS has been saying since December, 2018, that China presents a threat to Canada in national security and in intellectual property in five sensitive areas, such as 5G telecommunications, quantum computing and biotechnology. It has identified Huawei as a threat to our national security and intellectual property, but the government has yet to act. It has yet to take action to restrict or ban Huawei from our telecommunications networks. In fact, it is unilaterally alone and isolated on the world stage in this regard. Four of our closest intelligence and security partners, New Zealand, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, have already taken measures to restrict or ban Huawei from their telecommunications networks. The Huawei issue highlights the incoherence of the government. In May, 2019, then public safety minister Ralph Goodale indicated that the government would make a decision on Huawei before the 2019 election. Several months later, in the summer of 2019, he reversed course and said that the government would not be making a decision before October 2019, and then that the decision would be after 2019. Over two years have passed since that time, and still there is no decision on Huawei. In fact, last fall the Prime Minister was asked by Global News if a decision on Huawei was coming. The Prime Minister indicated at that time, in late September or early October, that a decision would be forthcoming in “several weeks.” It is now several months since the Prime Minister indicated that, yet we have no decision on Huawei. On a new framework on China, the government promised to come forward with something during the year 2020. Apparently that was kiboshed before it got to the federal cabinet for approval. Under the direction of the minister, two foreign ministers ago, we got the three Cs on China: to challenge, co-operate and compete. That then morphed into the four Cs, with the fourth C being co-exist. That was replaced in the Speech from the Throne with an allusion to a new policy coming forward on the Indo-Pacific Region that would include China. This is apparently forthcoming. I am skeptical about the government delivering on a new policy and a new framework on China. On Ukraine, the Liberal government has been naive. Ukraine has asked for lethal defensive weapons. The government has failed to deliver. Diplomacy not backed up by the threat of force, and in very limited and in very controlled circumstances, is simply empty talk and rhetoric that weakens our ability to stand up for our interests and values. Russia has two tools of hard power: its military force, and its ability to cut off natural gas to western Europe. Russia supplies 40% of the gas to the European Union, and is using this as a weapon in order to get its way in Eastern Europe and to threaten Ukraine. This government is part of the discussions about how to ensure that global natural gas supplies are there for Europeans if the Russians decide to cut off natural gas. For all of these reasons, the Liberal government's Speech from the Throne does nothing to address Canada's decline on the world stage and the need to come forward with a coherent foreign policy.

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Mr. Denis Trudel (Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, BQ)

Feb/1/22 4:01:38 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I was quite surprised to hear my colleague speak about the Liberals' greenhouse gas emissions. He sounded like he was complaining, even though we know that our Conservative friends are seen as an oil lobby across Canada. I was pleased to hear his comments. The Liberals' efforts to fight climate change have been pathetic. Since coming to power, they have invested an average of $14 billion a year in direct and indirect aid to the oil sector, they have built a pipeline, and greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase. I am curious to know if my colleague could speak about the Conservative plan to fight greenhouse gas emissions.

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Hon. Michael Chong

Feb/1/22 4:02:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in the last election campaign, we presented a climate change plan that was supported by experts. Our plan adopted the government's plan for putting a price on carbon for industry, and we presented a plan for the consumer sector. We truly believe in the challenge of climate change. We understand that it is a global challenge and that Canada has to do its part.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate), Lib.)

Feb/1/22 4:03:18 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have a lot of respect for the member for Wellington—Halton Hills, and I truly believe that he believes in climate change and that we need to do something about it. However, I would suggest to him to be careful about using the term “we” when he refers to the belief in climate change, because a lot of Conservatives unfortunately do not believe that the climate is changing. I take issue with his suggestion that the Conservatives came up with a credible plan to address climate change. Basically, they created an Air Miles version of carbon credits in which someone can purchase certain products, if they are wealthy enough to spend a lot of money, to build up a bank of points and buy stuff with those points. The member must be able to provide some context as to how we can credibly do our part to drive down global emissions. I would encourage him to share some other thoughts perhaps outside of the jurisdiction of that Air Miles plan the Conservatives developed.

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Hon. Michael Chong

Feb/1/22 4:04:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that plan was not for all consumers in all 10 provinces. It was restricted to provinces that had refused to allow the federal government to put in place its own plan. Obviously with the Supreme Court's ruling, it is clear that the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, where this was the case, will certainly be putting in their own plans at some future date to comply with the federal government's price on carbon. In brief, the central point of the matter is this: The government came to office promising to do better on climate change. The fact is that emissions have risen every year that the government has been in office, and despite that the government's lofty promises keep getting more grandiose. The Liberals came to office promising to reduce emissions by 30% from 2005 levels by 2030. Just in the last year, they promised to reduce emissions by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030. It is an even more ambitious promise that flies in the face of the facts.

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Ms. Laurel Collins (Victoria, NDP)

Feb/1/22 4:05:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for his speech and for bringing up the need for real climate action. Despite the government's promises, it has failed to take meaningful action on the climate crisis. The government promised to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, but they actually increase those subsidies each year. The environment commissioner, in a scathing report, described the government's policy incoherence. An example of this is the emissions reduction fund, which handed out money to oil and gas companies that admitted they were expanding production and increasing emissions. Does the member agree that we need to stop handing out money to profitable oil and gas companies and invest that money in climate solutions instead?

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Hon. Michael Chong

Feb/1/22 4:06:25 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I believe that the best way to achieve climate emission reductions is to ensure that there is a price on carbon that is equitable across all regions of the country, and equitable across all economic sectors of our economy. Reductions should be achieved through that mechanism. I also believe that an essential part of getting the job done is being honest with ourselves about our record on climate change, which is one of the worst in the industrialized world.

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Mr. Gerald Soroka (Yellowhead, CPC)

Feb/1/22 4:07:01 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House as the member of Parliament for Yellowhead to speak at report stage on the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne. Before I comment, I want to remind everyone of what transpired leading up to the throne speech. On August 18, 2020, the Prime Minister asked then Governor General Julie Payette to prorogue Parliament until September 23, amid the WE Charity scandal. She agreed. The previous federal election was on October 21, 2019, and the 43rd Parliament lasted from December 5 to August 15, 2021. Is it not the intent of prorogation to signal the completion of the government's agenda, or was Parliament prorogued to cover up the Liberal scandal that was being brought to light? On September 20, 2021, during the pandemic, Canadians were asked to go back to the polls. On November 23, Governor General Mary Simon presented the throne speech laying out the government's new priorities, but in my view, the speech did not do that. Instead, it repeated the Liberals' electoral promises. It was more of the same, with more deficits leading to higher taxes at a time when Canadians were, and still are, barely making ends meet. In fact, inflation is now impacting families across Canada. Food is getting more expensive. Gas and home heating are costing more. The housing crisis continues to reach record high levels, yet there was no plan to fight inflation in the throne speech except to say the Liberals' solution to inflation was housing and child care. In the throne speech it says: Inflation is a challenge that countries around the world are facing.... [While] Canada's economic performance is better than many of our partners, we must keep tackling the rising cost of living. If our economy is better than our partners', why are other countries launching ambitious plans focused on innovation, lowering taxes and cutting red tape to get their economies rolling again? We know that to build a better economic future we have to have objectives, such as removing interprovincial trade barriers, revamping the tax system, creating more jobs and much more. There was no mention of what measures would be taken to address the cost of living, especially in my riding of Yellowhead, where people are struggling to make ends meet. Our seniors and those on fixed incomes are worried. Further, the speech touched on warning that the earth is in danger, but it did not come up with any major adjustments to make the climate plan functional. In fact, the Liberals made it worse by ignoring the plight of workers in the energy, auto and skilled industries. There was no mention about helping Alberta. Instead, the document continued the Liberals' assault on energy workers. The only reference to energy workers was a promise to limit Canada's oil and gas emissions. As we all know, businesses are suffering, impacting our economy and our country. The throne speech did not mention the potential to create a plan for workers so that they could return to work. Tourism is a very important industry in my riding, as are oil, gas and forestry. There was no mention of tourism and how it has been affected by the pandemic. Towns in my riding like Drayton Valley, Edson, Hinton and Rocky Mountain House are challenged to fill positions in local and small businesses. These small businesses are major contributors to our local employment, and they are hurting. Some businesses have even closed. Millions of Canadians will continue to be left behind by the Liberal government. The throne speech only recycled many of the lofty promises we heard six years ago. The document only outlined the initiatives that began in the last Parliament, saying the Liberals would continue to enact what they promised in their election platform. It was the same old, same old. Again I ask, why did the Liberals prorogue Parliament and call for an election only to reiterate the same initiatives and promises in their throne speech? After all, the purpose of a throne speech is to introduce the government's direction and goals and to outline how it will work to achieve them. It should not repeat previous promises. It is ironic that even though the throne speech is entitled “Building a resilient economy” and the word “economy” was repeated 11 times, nowhere in the document were the words “productivity”, “investment” and “growth”. Was the word “economy” only a reminder for the Liberals not to forget to add it to their to-do list? If that was the reason, then the word “economy” was only meant to mean unfinished business, not a new economic idea. British Columbia and Alberta are two of the largest exporting provinces of softwood lumber and northern bleached softwood. Softwood lumber tariffs only damage our economy by affecting many Canadians looking for employment. Our partnership with the United States is also not helping. There was no mention of a plan to deal with lumber tariffs to protect Canadian jobs. The softwood lumber industry is a significant contributor to the Canadian economy, especially in my riding, where a number of mills are located. The lumber industry provides thousands of jobs in communities across the country, and generates numerous positive overflows to industry and services in every community. The price of softwood lumber skyrocketed following the start of the pandemic, and the pandemic-induced lumber shortage is driving up the cost of homes, making it difficult for Canadians to buy and build their homes. The price of housing under the Liberal government has been skyrocketing, and Canadians need a government that can help them afford their first home. There was also no mention in this throne speech of making our communities safe. Rural crime continues to be at crisis levels in many parts of the country. The government has failed to take any meaningful action to help. Instead, it has actually made matters worse by reducing penalties for crime, making the revolving door of the justice system spin even more quickly. There was no mention of how the government will deal with threats from China, nor as to why Canada designated lithium as a critical mineral and then allowed China to buy one of our lithium mines. The Liberals even went one step further and chose not to conduct a national security review following the announced takeover of Canadian lithium mining company Neo Lithium. Under the provisions of the Investment Canada Act, the foreign takeover was not immediately subject to a review and proper due diligence. Critical minerals such as lithium are essential to the future prosperity of Canada's economy and our strategic interests. These minerals are used in the production of products like electric vehicles and could play a major role in meeting our climate challenges. It is imperative that Canada takes seriously the issue of critical minerals and the domestic supply chains of these minerals. Priorities announced by the Liberal government do nothing for Canadians who are worried about the economy, the cost of living, the increasing cost of everyday essentials, crippling businesses from supply-chain constraints, labour shortages, investment, national unity, tourism, oil and gas, forestry, housing, safety in rural communities, workers whose wages are stagnating, the inflation that is steadily increasing and much more. What the government should have done was outline a game plan and a glimmer of hope for how the government would kick-start and strengthen our recovery from the pandemic. Unfortunately, that was obviously too much to ask. I look forward to questions.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate), Lib.)

Feb/1/22 4:16:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, we definitely hear a lot from the Conservatives about the problem that the world is facing with inflation right now. However, what we do not tend to hear a lot about are solutions. The member brought up the fact that housing prices are going up and there is a housing shortage, but he has not suggested any solutions. Time and again, we never hear from the Conservatives what those solutions might be. What does the member propose as a solution? Even in the last electoral campaign, there were no ideas coming forward from the Conservatives, so I would like to hear from the member what one of those solutions might be.

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Mr. Gerald Soroka

Feb/1/22 4:17:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, to be honest, I am not surprised the member from across the way is asking for help, because the Liberals truly have no plan for how they are going to deal with the high cost of housing. One of the biggest problems we have is foreign investment in our housing market. It is driving these prices up. There is no way the Liberals ever looked at trying to stifle that. Illegal people are using illegal money to launder money in Canada, and it is shameful that the Liberals have not taken a proper step in trying to address that. To answer the member's question, absolutely we should chat afterward, and I will give him a proper plan on how to deal with the housing crisis.

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Mr. René Villemure (Trois-Rivières, BQ)

Feb/1/22 4:18:32 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague talked a lot about things that were missing from the throne speech and things that were included in it. However, I want to ask him about the topics he avoided. Will Canada be able to restore its international reputation on foreign policy? Canada has been known as a peacemaker and a deal broker. Now, it is irrelevant. Could my colleague explain how he would restore Canada's reputation without turning the country into a virtual arms dealer?

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Mr. Gerald Soroka

Feb/1/22 4:19:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is very true. The easy solution is that we need to get rid of the Liberals and elect the Conservatives. When Stephen Harper was the prime minister of Canada, we had a great reputation right across the world, but unfortunately, since then it has been on a steady decline. Many countries now take advantage of Canada. They have already started looking at why we should not be a part of the Five Eyes anymore. The G7 and G20 are already questioning whether Canada should be a part of them too. The member is absolutely right. We are in trouble around the world. They are not looking at us seriously. The Liberals are not trying to make sure that Canada is a voice on the world stage.

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Ms. Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam, NDP)

Feb/1/22 4:20:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have some nice memories from when I worked in the private sector. I called on Edson and Hinton regularly and have been in a lot of their small businesses in my time. I want to talk about salaries. Salaries must increase in Canada. I also want to talk about the importance of the care economy that has been highlighted during this pandemic, and the value of care work, which needs to be elevated and respected as much as society respects the resource economy. I want to talk specifically about employment right now for people living with a disability. The employment rate for persons with a disability fell from 24.8% all the way down to 13% at one point during this pandemic. We need to protect the income of the most vulnerable workers. Would the Conservatives support a guaranteed livable basic income for Canadians, starting with people with disabilities?

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Mr. Gerald Soroka

Feb/1/22 4:21:06 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is a very good question, and I would love to chat with my colleague later and talk about my riding and her work there as well. I think the biggest problem we are dealing with is the social system and how we help our people. The biggest problem I have seen over the years is that governments have always governed for four years and then planned for a total of eight. They govern for four, plan for four and operate for eight. Unfortunately, with our social program network, it takes at least 20 to 25 years before we actually see any outcomes, so short-term planning has always hurt everybody. I think under the Liberal government we are no longer at four and four. I believe we are probably more at a year to two years, tops. One of the things we need to start looking at is our social issues and how we deal with them. I am sure Conservative people have always been concerned about that, and we will definitely take care of the Canadian public as best we can.

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Mr. Francesco Sorbara (Vaughan—Woodbridge, Lib.)

Feb/1/22 4:22:18 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I note that I will be splitting my time with my colleague from Hamilton Mountain. It is nice to be back in the House in this new year, and I wish my colleagues from all sides a belated happy new year and the best to them and their families this year. It is a pleasure to rise in the House this afternoon to speak again on behalf of the wonderful residents of my riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge. These are residents who constantly engage me with their passionate and informed opinions, and for that I will always ensure that I continue to be their strong voice in this chamber and with our government. I wish to send a quick hello back home to my family, especially to our little one of four months, Leia, who has brought so much joy to our family. She has truly captured our hearts and her smile brings light to my world at all times. I am very close to 50 years of age, and I never thought or dreamed that I would be blessed with a third child and now with three daughters. This divine intervention, as I refer to it with my friends, has humbled me and reminded me of the significance of the word “gratitude” and how much we are blessed with. Coming back to our House of democracy here is always a privilege for all 338 parliamentarians. I will try not to repeat what many of my colleagues have commented regarding the protest we see outside, and I will say that the right to peaceful assembly and protest is sacred. However, what we saw and heard this weekend only makes me believe that we as parliamentarians, all 338, and 38 million Canadians must all redouble our efforts to pursue policies that ensure Canada is truly an inclusive country. We will always stand up for diversity and inclusion, and we will always condemn and push back on racism, hatred and discrimination in all its forms. That is who we are as a people. We are hard working, we sacrifice and we are passionate. We do what is right for our collective good. I fervently applaud all Canadians who have received their vaccination. I wish to thank the residents of the region of York, 90% of whom are now double-vaccinated. We are all tired of the pandemic, but things are getting better. Kids are in school. Thankfully, two of my kids are in school, and I am pretty sure my wife is happy too. Sports activities will recommence in Ontario this weekend. Our economy has rebounded and is getting stronger, and vaccines are fuelling that. They are working, and with that we must be optimistic. I truly believe that brighter days are ahead for all Canadians. COVID has tested our mettle, but Canadians have risen to this challenge. We are resilient and, yes, we will exit stronger. The Speech from the Throne provides the pathway, and it is a moment in our nation's history that we must not lose sight of. I do have some great news on the economy, and for those who know me after the six years I have been in the House, being elected three times, I am about the economy, I am about jobs and I am about creating better futures for young people and families from coast to coast to coast. It has been two years since our economy and the lives of all Canadians have been impacted by COVID-19. I am happy to report, via Statistics Canada this morning, on the Canadian economy as measured by employment levels, or jobs, and by output, or “gross domestic product”, the term used by economists. They are now both above their pre-pandemic levels. That speaks to the hard work, perseverance and grit, a word I love to use, of all our citizens. It also speaks to our government's unrelenting focus on having the backs of Canadian businesses, workers, families, seniors, students and all Canadians during the pandemic. Our economy rebounded faster than many experts had predicted, and it did not happen by chance, coincidence or accident. Leadership was required, and the Prime Minister brought that leadership to Canadians, whether it was with the wage subsidy to ensure millions of workers remained attached to employers; the CEBA, which helped hundreds of thousands of businesses in every riding, all 338; the CERB; the benefits in place currently; or, of course, the procurement of vaccines that have saved lives and are allowing us to exit the pandemic. We were there for Canadians during the pandemic as they were there for their neighbours, friends and families. I view the Speech from the Throne as continuing the work we began in the fall of 2015. With now three strong mandates from Canadians, we continue to build a strong middle class and support those working hard to join it. With an economy that works for all Canadians through inclusive growth we have lifted hundreds of thousands of Canadians and hundreds of thousands of children all across this country out of poverty, created millions of jobs for Canadians and brought optimism to hard-working Canadian families that the future of our country is bright and remains bright. It is a throne speech that believes in and commits to a just and fair Canada, with not only a strong economy that attracts newcomers from all over the world, which we see on a daily basis, but one that strives to allow every single Canadian the opportunity to succeed. My measure of success for our government is very simple. It is how we take care of our most vulnerable in our society, how we ensure they have an optimistic future for them and their families. We have an obligation as a blessed people, as God has truly blessed this country, and our government will remain centred on this obligation. It is a throne speech that charts a path together on reconciliation and a solemn responsibility to respond to the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Only a whole-of-government approach and breaking down barriers will allow us to do the work that is necessary. We are making progress in this journey with first nations, and we know that it will be a long journey. I have read the throne speech several times and these words of the Governor General struck me as being very poignant and probably the most important in the throne speech itself. She said, “There is hope in the every day. Reconciliation is not a single act, nor does it have an end date. It is a lifelong journey of healing, respect and understanding.” This journey will continue unabated. As one of the 338 MPs elected to serve, the responsibility given to us is a special one, a unique one and one that carries for me a deep sense of responsibility. We are not surgeons. We are not carpenters. We are not labourers. My father was a roofer. I do not know how to build a roof, but I tried to help him sometimes. My mother was a fish filleter. My brother is a first responder, but we are parliamentarians. The responsibility we have is that each of us is a community leader. Each of us has been sent here by our communities to lead, debate the issues and ensure that the laws that we make for our country strive to make our country a more just, more inclusive and more equitable place. We are Canadians and we need to ensure we leave a clean environment and a strong economy for all our children. We must confront the challenges that face not only our country but the world with optimism and a sense of purpose, much like the waves of newcomers who have come to Canada for generations and who helped build this country. On climate change, the transition to a low-carbon economy and the opportunities economically will be and currently are enormous. Canada is there. We were there placing a price on pollution. We were there in bringing forth and passing the first-ever Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, and we were there globally, whether at COP25 or COP26, with our partners. Our ongoing investments in a green economy are creating jobs, wealth for Canadians and ensuring a clean and healthy environment for all Canadians. We are there investing in public transit. A $3-billion fund will be in place annually for public transit for all municipalities, so that Canadians can get to work faster and get back home to see their kids after school. Why? It is because it is the right thing to do and that is how we build a truly inclusive country. We will ensure that we cap and reduce oil and gas sector emissions through innovation and working together with industry. As an economist and someone who grew up on the west coast before I moved to Ontario, I truly know there are hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers connected to the energy industry and we must work with them. We must work with industry. It is a fact that we are prosperous because of the resources that have been in this country for hundreds of years, that we have utilized and that we continue to utilize, and we must continue to work with industry to transition. I visited the Alberta industrial heartland a few years ago in my first term. I was there by myself touring some of the plants. I covered much of the sector during my private sector years, and I see the tens of billions of dollars of new investments that have been announced for Alberta, all net zero, all not producing GHGs. That is transition. That is innovation. We must continue down that path. It was also great to see, in the last 24 hours, in the city of Vaughan, in Canada, that for the first time Volkswagen exported some of its new SUVs.

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Mr. Damien Kurek (Battle River—Crowfoot, CPC)

Feb/1/22 4:32:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would just simply have this comment for the hon. member. There are many folks I have chatted with, some constituents who have travelled a long way to come to Ottawa. Some of them have never been to Ottawa and some have never been involved in a protest before. They are desperate to be heard. My simple request would be to listen to some of those who have, across the country, shared their frustrations with current government policies. I believe it is incumbent upon all of us to be willing to listen at a time when Canadians are very divided. My question is specific to the energy sector. I know this member is, I think, quite aware of the realities that exist within our energy sector and the opportunity that is there. How can he reconcile that support with his government's and his Prime Minister's statements about how they plan to phase out the oil sands and phase out Canada's most prosperous industry?

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