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Jun/20/22 11:56:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I now have to ask the parliamentary secretary, who is an old friend, if he has read the IPCC report, because his answer reflects the usual complacency we hear. The government is doing things. There is no denying there are many programs, but the totality of those programs does not ensure that we can hold to 1.5°C or 2°C. In fact, they do the opposite. Net zero by 2050, by itself, is not science: It is a marketing slogan. What we have to look at is that last year, 619 people in British Columbia died in four days. There were wildfires across the province and floods in November. All that has happened to Canada right now at a 1.1°C global average temperature increase. We are on track for three times more. It is not survivable. Nothing matters if we do not get this right.

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Mr. Terry Duguid

Jun/20/22 11:57:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her passion and advocacy, which I share. I can assure the member that we will continue to work with other levels of government, indigenous peoples, experts, industry, stakeholders and interested Canadians to build on our collective action to drive further reductions and put Canada on that path to net zero.

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The Deputy Speaker

Jun/20/22 11:57:54 p.m.
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Re: Bill S-6

I have the honour to inform the House that a message has been received from the Senate informing this House that the Senate has passed the following bill, in which the concurrence of the House is desired: Bill S-6, an act respecting regulatory modernization.

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Mr. Jeremy Patzer (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, CPC)

Jun/20/22 11:58:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask members to imagine a runner. He takes his place and is about to run the biggest race of his lifetime, but before the whistle blows, he leans down and ties his shoelaces together so that one shoe is securely fastened to the other shoe. Then the runner deliberately turns around so that his back faces the finish line and sits down. Meanwhile, all his opponents stand at the ready. Their shoes are fastened properly and they face forward. These runners are prepared to race. That is a good way for us to picture the different position the Prime Minister is putting Canada in when there is a looming global food shortage that we are not prepared for. Other countries around the world are ready. They are not punishing producers and they have a plan to tackle the looming crisis. Agriculture is our superpower. It is this hidden economic driver that can not only solve world hunger but could also bring a great deal of prosperity to this nation. However, our producers cannot do this alone. They need the government to work alongside them, not against them, but the Prime Minister fails to recognize this. Not only that, but he has belittled and disrespected this industry by tying its hands behind its back and kicking it aside, all the while expecting it to solve our problems. It started with applying the carbon tax to on-farm fuels, followed by poor trade deals and then a threat of a 30% reduction in fertilizer usage. Now our producers are dealing with sky-high input costs and the new threat of front-of-pack labelling for single-ingredient ground beef. At the very least, all our producers are asking for from the government is clarity. Unlike everyone else, our farmers only get one shot at success every year, and they cannot go into this blindly. In my question, I asked the minister for clarity around the retroactive tariff on Russian fertilizer purchased before March 2. In her answer, she refused to give specifics. Now we are here on June 20, and our farmers are still somewhat in the dark. Fertilizer prices have more than doubled over the winter, and when these are coupled with sky-high input costs, our producers simply cannot afford an extra tariff that was applied on a product purchased before the war even started. Despite what the minister thinks, fertilizer is not some optional add-on; rather, it is a critical tool that is used to boost crop yields and maximize output. Farmers really have no choice but to use it in order to meet the global demand and to make a profit on the crops that they grow. As we look at what is happening across the globe with the war in Ukraine, India placing a ban on the export of wheat and poor yields as a result of the drought in western Canada, it is safe to say that we are on the brink of a global food crisis. If we want to solve this problem with a made-in-Canada solution, the government should work to make inputs less expensive so we can increase crop yields. The minister can do this today by cancelling the tariff on Russian fertilizer. Tonight I will ask again: Will the government do the right thing and remove the retroactive tariff on fertilizer purchased before March 2?

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Mr. Terry Duguid (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Jun/21/22 12:01:17 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands for raising this important question. I understand the decision to withdraw WTO benefits for Russia and Belarus was taken in the context of pre-existing challenges for the agricultural sector in Canada this spring season. However, I would like to remind the hon. member that the government adopted this trade measure as part of a broad and comprehensive set of sanctions in concert with like-minded global partners to ensure that countries that seriously threaten and breach the rules-based international order cannot benefit from it. Russia's actions, facilitated by Belarus, blatantly violate international law and pose a dire threat to international peace and security. Canada will continue to hold the Russian regime accountable for its attack on the democracy and independence of Ukraine as we stand together with its people. As members know, we announced on March 3 that Russia and Belarus's entitlement to WTO tariff treatment had been removed under the Customs Tariff, resulting in a 35% tariff right applicable to virtually all imports from these countries. However, the order also ensured that goods that were already in transit to Canada on or before March 2 could still benefit from WTO tariff treatment. I would also like to remind the hon. member that customs duties and taxes are paid by importers based on the time of importation of goods and not the date when they are purchased, so it is also important to understand that the 35% tariff for Russian fertilizer is not imposed on farmers, but is paid by importers. In this instance, some importers maintained their purchases from Russia, even after the measure was implemented, while others decided to make other sourcing arrangements. As a result, providing relief from the tariff to importers who maintained their purchases from Russia would be inequitable to those importers who changed their sourcing away from Russia, often incurring greater costs. It would also not translate into reduced costs for many farmers. I can also confirm that in order to preserve the integrity of Canada's Ukraine response measures, the government will not be granting tariff relief for any Russian goods affected by the withdrawal of WTO tariff preferences, including fertilizers. Government officials have already communicated this information to industry stakeholders so that Canadian businesses can take steps to diversify their supply chains away from Russia in the near term. Also, I would like to note that in recognition of the challenges facing the sector, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has amended its advance payments program with a federal loan program guarantee that provides agricultural producers with easy access to low-interest cash advances. Instead of receiving advances in two instalments, producers are now eligible to receive their full 2022 advance immediately when they apply.

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Mr. Jeremy Patzer

Jun/21/22 12:04:55 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, it is backwards hearing it from the parliamentary secretary when he thinks that just because it is paid by importers, somehow farmers are not going to have to pay for it. We all know the importers are going to pass that cost on to the farmer, but the farmer has no means of passing that cost on to anybody else. If the government truly wanted to support farmers, it would scrap the tariff for farmers. Canada is also an outlier on this issue. The G7 countries do not have this kind of tariff because they truly know what it means to support farmers. Supporting farmers and going tough on Russia for its illegal occupation of Ukraine are not exclusive to each other. I call on the minister once again. Let us harness our superpower and use it to address the looming global food crisis. After seven years of working against our farmers, the government has an opportunity to change course. Instead of working against them by making their lives more expensive, let us work alongside our producers. Standing up and saying they are working with the industry is not enough. Our farmers deserve actions and results. Once again, will the government do the right thing, support our farmers and drop the tariff on Russian fertilizer purchased before March 2?

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Mr. Terry Duguid

Jun/21/22 12:06:04 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we understand that Canadian farmers are going through a difficult time due to the unprecedented supply chain disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe commodity disruptions arising from Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. However, as I just explained, removing the tariff on fertilizer would not really help farmers as the tariff is not imposed on them, but rather on importers. That is why, in order to really support our farmers, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has amended its advance payments program so that farmers can have access to cash advances faster this year.

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Ms. Laurel Collins (Victoria, NDP)

Jun/21/22 12:06:46 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to start by quickly acknowledging the work of an incredible organization in my riding. I am very pleased to highlight the incredible work of the Société francophone de Victoria, which serves more than 5,000 people who speak French in Victoria. In addition to promoting, representing and protecting the French language and culture, this organization has created spaces that foster inclusion and celebrate expression. From June 21 to August 18, it will hold Rendez-vous Victoria, a community event with music activities and performances, all in French. To support its objective of creating an inclusive francophone community space in the downtown area, the Société francophone de Victoria has applied for federal funding to help buy the building it currently occupies and make it more accessible. I am very grateful to this organization for its passion and dedication, and I am asking the government to support its work. Now I will get to a critical issue. Last week, we found out that internal documents from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Natural Resources Canada showed that the Liberal government’s climate plan and targets are not feasible. Sadly, it is not surprising. Canada has never met a single climate target it set. Under the Liberals, Canada has the worst record in the G7, and Canada has the worst track record in the G20 when it comes to handing out public money to oil and gas companies. It has now been three years since the Liberals declared a climate emergency, but they are still not taking action at the scale or speed required. Their claim that they could reduce oil and gas emissions while increasing oil and gas production never made any sense. It is clear that we will not meet our targets by relying on costly, unproven carbon capture technology, technology that those same internal documents called “high risk”. The Liberals’ emissions reduction plan only aims to meet the low end of their target to reduce emissions by 40% to 45%, which is not adequate. It does not leave any room for error, yet they are relying on “high risk” carbon capture technology. The IPCC is clear that the world urgently needs to move away from fossil fuels and make significant investments in renewable energy if we have any hope of securing a livable future. They have also warned against relying too heavily on carbon capture. They point out that it is one of the most costly and least effective options. Renewable energy technology is ready and available, and over the past decade the costs have decreased significantly. The International Energy Agency reports that wind and solar are the cheapest sources of new electricity generation in history, and their cost continues to drop. If we are going to meet our climate targets and avoid the most catastrophic consequences of the climate crisis, Canada needs to dramatically boost investments in renewable energy. These investments, along with strengthening grids and electrifying infrastructure, not only help us fight the climate crisis, but also create good, long-term jobs for Canadians. Instead of investing in renewables and in a just transition for workers, Canada continues to hand out billions in public financing to profitable oil and gas companies. Will the government commit to ending all fossil fuel subsidies, stop funnelling billions of dollars to profitable oil and gas companies through a carbon capture tax credit and instead invest in real climate solutions?

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Mr. Terry Duguid (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Jun/21/22 12:11:01 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the question. However, it is not the question I was expecting in these adjournment proceedings. The question I have before me is with regard to the report from the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, so I am going to reflect on that and I think I will get at the member's question by talking about it. We have made a lot of progress on climate action in this country. A good example of this is carbon pricing. In 2019, because of the pan-Canadian approach to pricing carbon pollution, we succeeded in having a carbon price in place throughout Canada for the first time. This was a critically important step toward reducing economy-wide emissions. We deliberately established the overall approach within a relatively short period of application, from 2018 to 2022, to allow us to learn lessons and improve the approach for the longer term. As the commissioner identified, the initial experience illustrated the need to strengthen some aspects of the minimum national stringency standards, so in 2021 we published a new, strengthened set of criteria alongside a longer-term, more ambitious carbon pricing trajectory, rising by $15 a year to $170 per tonne by 2030. As the commissioner noted, these new criteria significantly improved the rules for carbon pricing, including for industrial emitters, and I am confident that provinces and territories will strengthen their systems for industrial emitters to ensure they do their part. When we published the new criteria, we also committed to an additional review of carbon pricing by 2026. This will allow us to work with provinces and territories to address the remaining issues raised by the commissioner. The lesson here is that ambitious climate action is achievable and requires continuous improvement. The commissioner also discussed the impact of carbon pricing on indigenous communities, and we have taken real action to address these impacts in the provinces where the federal fuel charge applies and where we return revenue directly, those currently being Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The climate action incentive gives most households more back than they pay in the carbon price, and rural households receive an additional 10%. This addresses the impact on most indigenous households. In 2021, we augmented this approach by tripling the amount of fuel charge proceeds going back to indigenous communities and we are co-developing solutions for returning these funds. Finally, recognizing the need to go further, we have committed to gather more data so that we can make sure any remaining impacts are addressed. In closing, I want to thank the commissioner for his work. Our government is taking ambitious action on climate. I am proud of our record as it is progressing and of the new actions we are undertaking, but there is always more room for improvement, I think the hon. member will agree, and the commissioner's work is vital for identifying where we can do more and do better.

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Ms. Laurel Collins

Jun/21/22 12:14:38 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his answers, for being available to answer questions at this late hour, past midnight, and for his reflections on this scathing report from the environment commissioner. I also want to bring up what the environment commissioner is pointing to, which is that this government has been going from failure to failure. His own department called carbon capture “high risk” and said that with their plan, it was not feasible to meet emissions reduction targets in the oil and gas sector. Experts have learned not to rely on carbon capture to meet our climate targets, yet when big oil asks for yet another subsidy, billions of dollars of more public money, the government gave them the carbon capture tax credit. The government also bought a pipeline, approved Bay du Nord and plans to increase oil and gas production. That is not a climate plan. Why are the Liberals listening to big oil instead of climate experts?

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Mr. Terry Duguid

Jun/21/22 12:15:37 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, just to reiterate, our government is committed to ensuring a just transition, including ensuring that Canada's workers have the skills necessary to take advantage of these opportunities by consulting on just transition legislation and by supporting sustainable jobs in every region of the country. Over the past two years, we have made historic investments in support of economic recovery, climate action, and skills and training that will create sustainable jobs. We are making investments in carbon capture and storage. By way of comments from the IPCC, which the hon. member is fond of quoting, it will be an important part of the mix in getting to our 2030 targets and net zero by 2050 and sharing this technology with the world.

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The Deputy Speaker

Jun/21/22 12:16:38 a.m.
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The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until later this day at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1). (The House adjourned at 12:16 a.m.)

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