44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 25, 2022 11:00AM
- Apr/25/22 3:00:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian farmers are drowning as costs on feed, fuel and fertilizer skyrocket, but instead of resolving the problems that its own bad policies actually caused, the Liberal government is doubling down. It has increased the carbon tax, it is telling farmers that it will not process their income tax returns and it has hiked fertilizer prices. For weeks we have been asking the Liberals if they will exempt the 35% tariff on fertilizer purchased from Russia before March 2. There is no answer.
In a time of a global food crisis, helping Canadian farmers seems like the right decision. Why will the Liberals not make it?
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- Apr/25/22 3:01:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I can assure my colleague that we are working closely with the industry. We want to make sure that farmers can access all the inputs they need to have a good season because we know we have a responsibility to contribute to food security not only in Canada, but around the world, and we will do so. We are here to support our farmers and we have improved the advance payment program to do so.
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- Apr/25/22 3:01:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, farmers need the certainty of knowing what the government is doing, especially since they have started their spring seeding. First, the Liberals hinted at restricting fertilizer use. Now they are implementing a 35% retroactive tariff on fertilizer imports from Russia. We are living in a disrupted world for food supply and trade, and there is no plan offering Canadian farmers stability.
We are close to a global food crisis and the minister is forcing farmers to grow less and taxing them out of existence. Will the minister remove the tariff on fertilizer purchased before March 2?
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- Apr/25/22 3:02:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I would like to assure my colleague that we are working very closely with all sectors of the agriculture industry and that we are here to support them. We just enhanced the advance payment program to ensure that farmers have the cash they need to have a good season.
If my colleague wants to help us ensure that our farmers get their pollution credits, he should vote in favour of Bill C-8 as soon as possible.
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- Apr/25/22 3:02:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, in response to my question about the 35% tariffs on fertilizer from Russia, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food assured me that she and her government would continue to allow foreign ships to arrive in Canada.
She also noted that she had made changes to the advance payments program, which only adds to farmers' debt levels because of these tariffs. My real question remains: Will the minister suspend the 35% tariffs on orders placed before March 2?
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- Apr/25/22 3:03:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I want to assure my colleague that we are working very closely with the industry and the various agricultural sectors to ensure that they have the resources they need to have a good season here in Canada, but also to contribute to global food security.
We have improved the advance payments program. I hope that my colleagues across the way will vote to pass Bill C‑8 very quickly so that our farmers can get their tax refunds.
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- Apr/25/22 3:04:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I also have questions about farmers.
Planting season starts soon, but unfortunately, this is a financially stressful time for many farmers, because they have to pay for most of their inputs, such as seed, fertilizer and fuel, before the year begins. We know that high inflation has had an impact on the cost of inputs this year.
Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food tell the House what initiatives are being taken to assure—
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- Apr/25/22 3:04:44 p.m.
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Order. The hon. minister.
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- Apr/25/22 3:04:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pontiac for her commitment to farmers. As she said so well, planting season is an important time for farmers, and they are facing a lot of financial pressures right now.
That is why we have made improvements to the advance payments program. Farmers will have access to additional cash flow to purchase their inputs, ensuring a successful growing season and contributing to global food security.
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- Apr/25/22 3:05:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been 500 days since our Conservative motion to bring 988 to Canada unanimously passed in the House. In those 500 days, an estimated 5,500 Canadians have died by suicide. A further 137,000 have attempted suicide. The Minister of Mental Health and Addictions does not know the existing national suicide prevention hotline number, but she knows 988. She knows that 988 will save lives.
For 500 days, the minister has had the will of the House, the support of municipalities and the support of telecoms and mental health organizations. She has had the power to bring 988 to Canada, yet she has failed to do so. Why?
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- Apr/25/22 3:06:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his ongoing advocacy. Our hearts are with the families of all those people we have lost to suicide.
As members know, we have asked the CRTC to be expeditious in getting this work done, including for persons with disabilities. It means we are working to leverage the work that the United States has been doing on this since 2018. This is a complicated issue and we want to make sure that when people call, they are connected to the most appropriate care in the most appropriate manner.
We will get this done together. This morning, we announced $3.7 million for distress centres across this country so that we will have a coordinated way to make sure we prevent the loss of lives.
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- Apr/25/22 3:06:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last year the Liberals gave Medicago $173 million in taxpayers' dollars to build a Canadian vaccine manufacturing plant. Now we have learned that tobacco company Philip Morris owns a major stake in Medicago and that the World Health Organization has denied approval for the emergency use of the Covifenz vaccine outside of Canada.
Can the minister please explain this failure of due diligence, and why he wasted $173 million on a vaccine we cannot even donate?
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- Apr/25/22 3:07:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to recast history a bit. It seems the member has lost the passage of time. When the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March 2020, we made sure, as a government, that we would invest in all the families of vaccines to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Plant protein vaccines work and have been recommended by our experts. The investment we made was to protect the health and safety of Canadians. We will find a solution, and we will continue to work for Canadians across this nation.
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- Apr/25/22 3:08:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is lost in time is any answer from the government.
Recent decisions by the government, which take away fishery licence holders' quotas on the east and west coasts without compensation, are counter to the long-standing policy of “willing buyer, willing seller”. DFO sources tell me the minister was about to expropriate 15% of lobster traps from licence holders, without compensation, to give to first nations. This would be devastating for these fishermen.
Will the minister state in the House, categorically, that the government will not expropriate from lobster fishermen?
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- Apr/25/22 3:09:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we all understand, and fairly so, first nations have a Supreme Court-affirmed treaty right to fish for a moderate livelihood, and our government has never stopped working to implement that right. We are doing so in consultation with any other fish harvesters who may be impacted. We are working very hard to have a “willing buyer, willing seller” process, so that those transactions can be appropriate for everyone. This decision has not been made, and I will continue working on a fair outcome for all.
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- Apr/25/22 3:09:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, high-speed Internet is essential to today's economy and our society. It is a necessity in any household for work, school and entertainment.
Can the minister update the House on the work being done to connect more British Columbian rural households?
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- Apr/25/22 3:10:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since 2015 our government has invested and committed $7.2 billion to connect every Canadian from coast to coast to coast with affordable, reliable high-speed Internet. Just recently, we announced $5 million to connect over 3,300 homes in British Columbia, so that is doing great work for folks in rural B.C., but it is also making us reach our goals of 98% of Canada connected by 2026 and the rest by 2030. We have a plan to connect Canadians, and it is working.
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- Apr/25/22 3:10:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have left people with disabilities behind again. They chose to leave out the long-promised income supports in their budget 2022, and they have yet to act on their commitments from budget 2021. For too long, people with disabilities have felt abandoned. They deserve to live with dignity and to get the help they need. On the disability tax credit, the government must remove all barriers, including the 14 hours per week requirement that prevents people who need it from qualifying.
When will the Liberals modernize the disability tax credit and stop leaving behind people with disabilities?
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- Apr/25/22 3:11:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I can assure my colleague that I am working very hard to reduce poverty levels of working-age Canadians with disabilities. I am very confident we will move forward with the Canada disability legislation, and a key pillar of our disability inclusion action plan is to reform, modernize and dignify the eligibility processes for Government of Canada disability benefits and supports, including the disability tax credit.
We are working on it.
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- Apr/25/22 3:11:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks, over 100 MPs from all parties have shared their support for the immediate reintroduction of the Canada disability benefit. With the backing of MPs from the governing party, this bill would enjoy the support of the House, while 43 senators in the other place have already publicly declared their support as well. Consultations can and should continue after the bill is introduced, so this should not be used as a reason for further delay.
Can the minister share when this much-needed legislation will be reintroduced?
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