44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 20, 2022 10:00AM
- Oct/20/22 10:30:09 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, does the leader of the official opposition have the courage to tackle big oil and gas profits and support our policy to introduce an excess profit tax to fund the GST rebates on home heating costs?
38 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 10:42:24 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, let me start by saying that I truly appreciate my colleague from Calgary Forest Lawn. I really enjoy working with him.
Now I have an idea for today's opposition day. I think I will ask the same question all day, and since I do not think I will ever get an answer, I will make a little video afterwards and post it on social media.
I will therefore ask a very simple question. I have a feeling I will not get an answer, but you never know, I might luck out.
When will the Conservatives speak out against the excess profits being made by oil and gas multinationals?
111 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 11:00:23 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, people are struggling to feed themselves and to house themselves. The CEOs of big businesses are making big profits on their backs. The profits are so obscene that even the CEO of Shell is calling on the government to tax the excess profits of big oil and gas companies. The Liberals want to help people, but they refuse to force CEOs to pay what they owe. Why do the Liberals refuse to force CEOs to pay their dues to fund the GST exemption on home heating costs?
89 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 11:15:05 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I am glad that my colleague asked me this question.
There is something we do not often talk about here: the fact that there is a fee system in place and that energy companies pay fees. They pay them in their province. It is not true that, when they make more profits, they do not pay more fees. They do.
I think that it is also important to note our government's move to impose higher taxes on banks and companies. We are thinking about that, but our attention is always focused on how we can help Canadians. That is what we do every day, in particular with our bills aimed at giving them tax credits and offering dental care support.
123 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 11:31:35 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I have so much respect for my colleague. I work with her on the all-party climate caucus.
One thing the Conservatives do not want to talk about is the record profits of the bank industry, of grocery chains and of oil and gas. To interpret that for the Conservatives, it is called triple, triple, triple greed. That is just to help them understand what I am talking about.
I am going to talk about the motion. I agree with the member that the polluter pay model is absolutely critical for tackling climate change, but maybe we can relieve some pressure on Canadians by removing the GST portion on home heating. Would my colleague agree that this is a good step forward to help people tackle the pressures they are under right now with inflation?
137 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 12:32:45 p.m.
- Watch
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?
92 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 1:04:05 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I do not know if my colleagues remember, but I remember when gas prices dropped to levels I had not seen since 2005. I told my partner that the pendulum would swing back the other way, that the price would soon go back up, and that it would not be good for the public because businesses would make up their profits when the pandemic was over. It seems that is exactly what is happening, with the huge profits we are seeing now.
I would like to hear what my colleague thinks about the possibility of taxing the oil companies' excess profits and taking a long-term view, instead of putting half measures in place.
116 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 1:05:36 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I agree with the question that just came from the Bloc. We know that oil companies have had record profits, $147 billion last year alone. We have seen that with grocery stores. We have seen it with the big banks.
I agree with my colleague that we need to invest in clean energy and support people so they can be energy efficient, and we can lower costs on clean energy. The only way we are truly going to get there is by ensuring that big corporations and CEOs pay their fair share.
My colleague supported an NDP motion just this week to ensure that grocery store CEOs and big companies pay their fair share. Will she support the NDP's call to ensure that oil and gas companies and the big banks pay their fair share? When will the Liberals finally act?
144 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 1:20:30 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, earlier, my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean was lucky enough to get two opportunities to ask my Conservative colleague a very insightful question about the huge profits being made by oil and gas companies.
I myself asked the member for Toronto—Danforth the same question earlier. Like my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean, I would like to know if my colleague from Winnipeg North acknowledges and opposes the obscene profits being made by oil and gas companies. If so, what does his government plan to do to balance them out and rectify the situation?
97 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 1:21:16 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, from day one, the Prime Minister has made it very clear that he expects everyone to pay their fair share of taxes. That is one of the reasons why one of our very first budgetary measures was to increase the tax bracket for Canada's wealthiest 1%. That is something we have taken immediate action on.
With respect to what the member just referred to, in the last budget we heard the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance indicate that we are putting a special tax on banks and insurance companies because of the pandemic profits. We are very open to looking at ways that we can, as the Prime Minister has dictated, ensure we move toward a fairer taxation system.
124 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 1:34:09 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, when I invest in something, usually it is to try to renovate my home, so it lasts longer. I want added value. I want to see a return. In the case of my home, the return is that it lasts longer.
For the last 50 years, we have made massive investments in oil and gas companies and oil and gas development without seeing a percentage of the profits, other than what is received through taxes. This is without any commitment from the companies to clean up.
Now, we have companies making billions of dollars in profit. These are profits like they have never seen before. Would it not be much better for the entire population if the oil companies, which make money on the backs of workers, consumers and the government—which invests heavily in the industry—were taxed on their profits?
146 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 1:35:10 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, just the other day I was speaking to my sons who are in high school and they were learning about climate change in school. Obviously, we want our children to be able to learn everything that is happening in the world and all the issues. What I noticed was not getting relayed was what has driven the Canadian economy for eternity, which is natural resources and the revenue that has come from that.
I do not disagree with my hon. colleague from the Bloc party who thinks that when there are record profits companies should be paying their fair share. I can agree with that statement. However, the New Democrats and the Liberals in this House love companies like Amazon and ArriveCAN. They love to buy new deep freezers for Loblaws when it has had record profits. They love to pay between $12 million and $20 million for new deep freezers for one of the richest companies.
The member's question is a good one. It would have been probably better directed at the NDP or the Liberals, but I will gladly answer it.
186 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 1:36:24 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, that is hogwash. The NDP has actually been wanting Amazon and the big corporations to pay their fair share.
While people cannot afford to pay their home heating costs, which is the debate we are having today, the IMF is saying it is actually runaway corporate greed and CEOs who are making record profits in oil and gas, the banking sector and the grocery stores. To help interpret for my Conservative colleague, it is the triple greed that has taken hold of this country. I am calling on the Conservatives to stop being the gatekeepers for big oil and big corporations. Will they today tackle the triple greed?
110 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 1:47:56 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I have a simple question for my colleague.
We have heard about the record profits made by oil and gas companies several times today. There are different ways of looking at a problem. Would she not agree to implementing a special tax on the huge profits and having the money redistributed to people who need it to deal with inflation? Would she agree, for example, to increasing old age security for people aged 65 and older? I know I am being annoying with this question, but I never get an answer.
93 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 1:50:39 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I take in good faith that today's motion is actually about the affordability of day-to-day life. As others have said in this set of questions, if we are going to be honest about that, we need to look at the record-breaking profits that oil and gas companies are making. If we look at the price of gas, for example, the carbon tax contributes two cents a litre whereas the wholesale margins mean net new profits are 18¢. That is nine times as much. Is this not of concern to the member?
98 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 3:51:00 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, definitely people are worried about upcoming heating bills.
My question for the member is about fair taxation. Does the member believe there is a lot of work to do to close the loopholes here in Canada for the ultrarich and corporations that are making outsized profits during this pandemic?
51 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/20/22 9:49:47 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, I cannot thank my colleague enough for her speech, but also for her work on the ground in the mental health sector and in addictions.
She knows too well that non-profits are literally surviving on breadcrumbs. The government is delaying the transfer and is worried about getting everything right, but there are 67 national organizations that are saying they need resources as they are surviving on breadcrumbs. Would my colleague describe what those resources could do for those organizations on the front lines that are doing the hard work and how quickly they could deploy resources to support people?
102 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
