SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 114 - Oct/20/22

Oct/20/22 12:13:58 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have two answers. First off, why would the Conservatives say no to an amendment that would take the GST off home heating? Why did they do that? They just did that in front of the entire country as witnesses. They said no to taking GST off home heating. I have no idea where the Conservatives are on this at all. I do know that the member for Carleton is rapidly become the Liz Truss of Canada. What we have seen over the course of the last few weeks since he became leader are the despicable ties to— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Mr. Warren Steinley

Oct/20/22 12:14:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, this is a point of order. It is not debate. The member constantly said that there was no motion put forward by the opposition that involved the GST. I will read from the March 22 Hansard when the opposition motion was, “(i) Canadians are facing severe hardship due to the dramatic escalation in gas prices, (ii) the 5% collected under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), and the Quebec Sales Tax (QST) creates increased revenue for the federal government”. This is not debate, Madam Speaker. This is the actual information. The member from wherever he is from is—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/20/22 12:15:15 p.m.
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This is entering into debate. The hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Oct/20/22 12:15:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on the same point of order, the member from “wherever he is from” is actually from Burnaby South, just so my Conservative colleague knows. A point of order references the order of procedure. It is to call to the attention of the Chair that the order of procedure did not happen. Clearly the member is debating. He is not bringing forward a point of order.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/20/22 12:15:40 p.m.
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We are entering into debate. The hon. member for Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies.

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Mr. Bob Zimmer

Oct/20/22 12:15:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thought it was unbecoming of the member across the way to correct a Conservative member and incorrectly refer to the member for New Westminster—Burnaby as the member for Burnaby South, so I hope he gets—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/20/22 12:15:59 p.m.
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This is definitely entering into debate. I will allow the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby to finish his answer.

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Mr. Peter Julian

Oct/20/22 12:16:06 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, for the record, I am very proud to be the member of Parliament for New Westminster—Burnaby and to represent both of our communities proudly. As I was saying before I was interrupted, the member for Carleton is the Liz Truss of Canadian politics. We saw that with the despicable tagging of misogynistic groups on his website. We have seen this with the inexplicable call by Conservatives to stop providing the supports to provide payments around EI and pensions. To cut back on those kinds of supports is unbelievable. Then we saw the disgraceful promotion of Bitcoin. At a time when Canadians were struggling, to say they should invest in something like Bitcoin, and now we know the value has collapsed, was simply irresponsible. I do not know where Conservatives come from. I think they need to come clean. They could have—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/20/22 12:17:08 p.m.
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Order. We must move on to another question. The hon. member for Berthier—Maskinongé.

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Mr. Yves Perron (Berthier—Maskinongé, BQ)

Oct/20/22 12:17:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, this morning, I once again find myself in some kind of bad theatrical production where people keep repeating the same lines. They are the only ones who do not realize that this is getting really ridiculous. Everyone is talking, but at the end of the day, they are not talking about the real issue and how to help people deal with inflation right now. The Bloc Québécois has proposed very simple solutions, which include increasing old age security at age 65. We have been saying this for months, but we have yet to hear a response from the government. Can the member explain the government's inaction? Can he explain why the government is turning a blind eye to the fact that, because of inflation, seniors are having a hard time paying for groceries, heating and everything else?

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Mr. Peter Julian

Oct/20/22 12:18:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is why the NDP pushed for the dental care program. It is important. This is going to help seniors starting next year. We know that seniors everywhere, in Quebec, in British Columbia, need access to dental care. The NDP did the work so they could have access to it next year. Then there is the help for renters. In Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, people need more support. The NDP also got that help for seniors who are renters. Also for seniors in Quebec and elsewhere, the GST rebate has been doubled, thanks to the efforts of the member for Burnaby South. This will go a long way toward helping people throughout Quebec and Canada. The reality is that the NDP gets results. That is why next time, the people of Quebec should vote for the NDP instead of the Bloc Québécois.

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Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

Oct/20/22 12:19:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to commend my colleague for his tremendous work, particularly around greedflation, which is something the Conservatives are not willing to call out. It is really going on the theme of being disingenuous. Although they are talking about helping people across Canada, every time the NDP puts forward something to help Canadians, such as dental care and doubling the GST credit, they vote against it. The current Conservative Party is not there to help Canadians. I wonder if my colleague agrees with me that one of its biggest failures in this is not being willing to cut the GST on home heating.

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Mr. Peter Julian

Oct/20/22 12:20:21 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for her always relevant and pertinent questions. She does a fabulous job in the House of Commons and has made a real impact on the lives of people in Winnipeg Centre and right across this country, so I thank her for her service and her work. This is what is inexplicable about the leadership of the member for Carleton. The Conservatives recycle a motion they have already brought forward numerous times rather than saying that the reality is that they have not done this. They have not asked, despite the fact they have multiple opposition days, to take the GST off home heating. That is what the NDP is proposing today. We did the work. We did all the background. We presented it to the Conservatives on a silver platter. All they had to do was say yes. We have done all of the work for them, and they said no. As a result of that, their constituents are going to pay more for home heating than they would have if the Conservatives had simply agreed the NDP was right in its approach.

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

Oct/20/22 12:21:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is my first opportunity to rise today to speak on the opposition motion. I want to make it clear that I am agreeing with the official opposition that Canadians are facing some serious energy pricing problems this winter, but I am making clear I will have to vote against the motion because I do not believe it addresses the real problems, nor is it as effective as the amendment just put forward by the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby. I want to ask the hon. member if he would agree with me that we really need to focus on energy poverty as a specific issue and resolve it, not with a one-time only band-aid solution but by getting at the problem. In preparing for this debate today I found an excellent report on energy poverty from the local energy access project, which is within the Canadian urban sustainability program of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The focus should be on those particular homes that have not been properly insulated, not just a one-time band-aid but something that would work for the lifetime of that property, moving more quickly—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/20/22 12:22:39 p.m.
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I have to give the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby 20 seconds to answer. The hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby.

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Mr. Peter Julian

Oct/20/22 12:22:43 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives had a program when they were in government called ecoENERGY and thousands of Canadians wanted to join it and deal with that energy poverty. What did they do in the dismal Harper decade? They had just one program that worked and they cut it. They slashed it. They eliminated it. They put thousands of Canadians out of work. There were hundreds of thousands of Canadians in the waiting line who were unable to deal with that energy poverty and efficiency—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/20/22 12:23:20 p.m.
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We have to resume debate. The hon. member for Beauce.

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Mr. Richard Lehoux (Beauce, CPC)

Oct/20/22 12:23:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame. I rise today to discuss our party's opposition motion introduced by my colleague from Calgary Forest Lawn. Since the Liberal government is so out of touch with reality, our party felt it was essential to present this motion today to give Canadians a break during this very important period, when inflation remains high and interest rates continue to climb. The current government likes to boast about its latest announcements, such as day cares and dental care, but it fails to realize that it will literally leave many Canadians out in the cold this winter. Some of my fellow citizens will need to choose between heating their home this winter and putting food on the table. As we noted in our motion, one in 10 Canadian homes is heated by propane or oil. These Canadians actually do not have the financial means to chose another option, but the government will continue to treat them like second-class citizens, tripling the carbon tax over the winter. What a wonderful Christmas gift from our Prime Minister. The gap between urban and rural areas has only grown under the leadership of this Prime Minister. He does not seem to understand that Canadians in rural areas are not second-class citizens. They want to prosper too, but his government is letting them down every time, whether a lack of cell coverage, defective Internet or this irrational tax that will triple during our country's coldest season. In the regions, there is no choice but to use a vehicle, whether to go to work, do grocery shopping or drive children to various activities. This tax is stifling them even more. When housing prices have never been higher, food prices have not been as high since 1981 with an inflation rate of 11.4%, the government thinks it is the time to increase the carbon tax even more. I suppose these inflationist polices were passed on from generation to generation. Do members know who the prime minister was in 1981? It was Mr. Pierre Elliott Trudeau. I remember it well because my spouse and I were a young couple with three young children. With high interest rates and inflation above 10%, we had to make difficult choices. Luckily, we had our parents to help us make ends meet. They were very difficult times. We can see the cycle repeating itself. We all know that government members will stand up and say that inflation is a global phenomenon, but this made-in-Canada inflation cannot be blamed entirely on Putin and COVID-19. Decisions are being made at the Liberal cabinet table. It is obvious to me that those folks are completely out of touch with reality and what is really going on. I can assure this House that the numbers would be a lot better if a Conservative government were in power. The Conservatives have been proposing solutions all along, but none of our suggestions have been taken seriously, because they do not revolve around taxing Canadians in order to recover funds to pay for the reckless spending and deficits the likes of which we had never seen before the current Prime Minister took office. The costly coalition with the NDP has turned into a nightmare, as the New Democrats continue to prop up the government and try to convince Canadians to support it. A government that stands up for Canadians would never triple a tax in the winter or raise taxes on Canadians' paycheques. Canadians work so hard. Why take away even more purchasing power at a time when they need it so much? In my riding, residents have a hard time making ends meet. In Beauce, like everywhere in Canada, people work hard. They own and operate businesses and help their neighbours. In my riding, the unemployment rate is currently 1.8%. People are exhausted. They are tired of seeing the federal government dig deeper and deeper into their pockets at a time when they need their hard-earned money the most. Surely the government will tell me about its $10-a-day day cares or the dental care they are currently imposing on us. First, I must say that Quebec has had its own day care system for many years now. Second, I can guarantee that a single mother in my riding would prefer to keep the heat on in her home or put food on the table to feed her family than have her children's teeth cleaned right now. All that is part of the agreement of convenience with the NDP. Before the costly coalition was established, I had never heard the Liberal Party talk about dental care. It is all just a scheme to continue undermining democracy with this coalition that no one in Canada asked for. As indicated in the text of our motion, the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador wrote a letter to the Prime Minister asking for this same exemption, and our party has worked to do the same. This government's carbon tax makes no sense, particularly in relation to home heating. No one will turn down the heat in their home in the winter when it is bitter cold to reduce carbon consumption. I think people instead need to heat their homes to survive. Our party tabled under private members' business a bill similar to Bill C‑206, which was not passed due to the needless election call last year. Bill C‑234, which is currently in committee, will help farmers keep their livestock and animals safe and warm during the winter. That bill has the support of all the parties, except one. We can guess that it is the Liberal Party. In closing, I would like to reiterate my opinion: This winter, Canadians should not have to choose between heat and food. The Liberals must open their eyes and see the damage they are causing. Maybe they should listen to several of their colleagues in the House, and our party, because they are about to commit a serious mistake on January 1, 2023. The leader of the Conservative Party and our united caucus will not stop until the Prime Minister has heard us. We are here for Canadians, and even more importantly, I am here to protect Beauce. I hope that the government will both hear and understand my message today.

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Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ)

Oct/20/22 12:32:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I enjoyed my colleague from Beauce's speech. I have been asking the Conservatives a question for three years now, but no one is ever able to answer it. Today, that question is even more important. Do members know what has never been so high? The record profits of oil and gas multinationals. However, I have never heard one Conservative rail against these obscene profits in the House. Does my colleague agree that oil and gas multinationals are making obscene profits and that we need to do something about that?

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Mr. Richard Lehoux

Oct/20/22 12:33:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. We are here today to talk about the effects that inflation is having on the population in general and particularly on people in the regions of Quebec. I think my colleague will agree with me on that. I think that what is important is that we take real action to find an immediate solution to this very serious problem for all citizens.

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