44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 22, 2022 10:00AM
- Nov/22/22 2:19:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this past Halloween we challenged the youth of York Centre not just to trick or treat, but also to trick or eat and collect non-perishable food for local food banks. It is my pleasure to share that the Stanley Greene neighbourhood in my riding of York Centre answered the call and collected an amazing 120 pounds of food in one night. Its collective kindness will allow the North York Harvest Food Bank to provide over 100 meals to members of our community who are in need of support.
It takes a village to look out for one another and make sure that no one gets left behind, and I know of no better one than the residents of the Stanley Greene neighbourhood in York Centre. I want to thank Kim Thompson for organizing the food drive and everyone in Stanley Greene who generously came together for the annual pumpkin night walk and to donate non-perishable food items. I look forward to our community surpassing that goal next year.
I also want to thank the staff at the North York Harvest Food Bank who provide such an important service to those facing food insecurity in our communities with integrity and compassion each and every day.
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- Nov/22/22 2:20:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this government told Canadians that interest rates would stay low for a long time. As a result, one-third of the mortgages currently taken out by Canadians are variable rate. This means that when interest rates rise, Canadians either pay more or the term of their mortgage increases.
According to the Bank of Canada, this is going to cause financial hardship for many families. The government is driving up interest rates with its inflationary deficits.
When will the government reverse its inflationary policies, which risk bankrupting families who cannot pay their bills?
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- Nov/22/22 2:21:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, people all over the world are going through tough economic times, and Canada is no exception. People are struggling to make ends meet.
That is why we have a plan that will help people pay for their first home and will reduce interest on student loans. We are also going to double the GST credit.
In less than an hour, the Conservatives will have the opportunity to vote with this government to support Canadians. I hope the Conservatives will do the right thing and vote for Canadians.
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- Nov/22/22 2:22:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, “Happy Canada Day. Gas bills, heating bills and grocery bills have just gone up,” is the message from Liberals to three Atlantic Canadian provinces that will be hit with a carbon tax increase on July 1. These same Atlantic Canadian provinces have 40% of their citizens already living in energy poverty, yet the Liberals want to triple the carbon tax as we are going into a winter in which heating bills are already expected to double.
Will the government give relief to Atlantic Canadians and all Canadians, on Canada Day and every day, by cancelling the carbon tax?
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- Nov/22/22 2:22:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member will find the answer to the question in the question itself. There will be no increase in carbon pricing in Atlantic Canada before July 1, and not before the winter. In fact, people will start getting the climate incentive payment before the increase in the carbon tax on July 1. There will be no increased cost to Canadians this winter.
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- Nov/22/22 2:23:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first, the carbon tax has not worked. The Liberals have not hit a single, solitary emissions reduction target in the seven provinces in which the tax is already imposed. Now they want to impose it on three more provinces. Second, Canada ranks 58th out of 63 countries for climate action performance. Third, these so-called “rebates” do not pay for the full cost of the carbon tax, and 60% of Canadians who pay this tax pay more than they get back in rebates, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
Instead of stating and restating these falsehoods, why will they not give Canadians a break on their heating, eating and housing bills so that Canadians can afford to live?
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- Nov/22/22 2:24:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, eight out of 10 Canadians will get more from the climate incentive payment than what it costs them. That is a fact. Conservatives can debate it and they can go into their alternative views of the world, but eight out of 10 Canadians will get more.
I am interested to know when they will have a plan to fight climate change. When will they help tackle this issue, which is costing Canadians billions of dollars year after year? That is my question for them.
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- Nov/22/22 2:24:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the real question is when the Liberals will have an environment plan, because they have not hit a single target they have set for themselves. That is not our opinion; that is the finding of their own departmental reports, and it was the Parliamentary Budget Officer, whom the Prime Minister appointed, who came to the conclusion that the vast majority of Canadians pay more in the carbon tax than they hope to receive in any rebate. Now, a report shows that Canada has come in 58th out of 63 when it comes to climate action, falling behind China and Indonesia.
When will the Liberals finally accept the science and admit they have a tax plan, not an environment plan?
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- Nov/22/22 2:25:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, “Accept the science, minister,” is coming from the Conservative Party of Canada. Their minister of science did not even believe in the theory of evolution, and they would like us to say they believe in science. That is very rich. I have a news flash for the Conservative Party of Canada: Emissions have gone down in 2019 and 2020. That is a fact.
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- Nov/22/22 2:25:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, their entire premise is based on falsehoods.
The Liberals said the carbon tax would reduce emissions. They have gone up. The Liberals said it would be revenue neutral. Canadians pay more in carbon tax than they get back. The Liberals said the carbon tax would never go up. They plan to triple it.
Now, just in time for Canada Day, on a day when Canadians are supposed to come together and celebrate all that we have in common, the Liberals are going to make the carbon tax apply in three new Atlantic Canadian provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia. Is that a part of some bizarre national unity strategy, to bring Canadians together by making sure Canadians in every region hate the carbon tax?
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- Nov/22/22 2:26:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservative Party of Canada, Canadians believe that we need to do our fair share when it comes to fighting climate change. They believe climate change is real, and they believe we need to be doing something about it.
For 10 years, Conservatives did not do anything about it, and now they are blaming us because of their inaction. That is a bit rich. We are playing catch-up, because for 10 years nothing was done when it comes fighting climate change in Canada. We now have one of the best plans in the world, and our emissions have started going down.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Nov/22/22 2:27:17 p.m.
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It is almost like a wave. It starts at this end with the hon. member for Regina—Lewvan, and it moves over. He does have a beautiful voice, but it is very loud. I am going to ask him to tone it down.
The hon. member for La Prairie.
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- Nov/22/22 2:27:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, according to Global News, China meddled in the 2019 federal election by funding at least 11 candidates. This is very concerning. However, anytime the opposition parties ask the Prime Minister questions, he responds with bluster. This morning, at a press briefing, he compared the opposition parties to Donald Trump, of all people.
My question is simple. If it is not important that China interfered in the election, if it is not important that China tried to finance candidates, if there is no reason to worry, why did he take the time to go and talk to Xi Jinping about it at the G20?
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- Nov/22/22 2:28:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, protecting Canadian democracy is something this government takes seriously. It is a responsibility, and we will always act to ensure that our Canadian democracy is protected.
That is why we are taking real action on this. It includes our national security agencies, which conduct investigations and use all the tools available to them. We as a government will always ensure those agencies have the resources they need, and we will pursue all options available to protect Canadian democracy.
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- Nov/22/22 2:29:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague should go talk to the Prime Minister, because that is not what he said earlier.
No one is questioning the integrity of the elections. That is not the issue. The issue is that there is a foreign power trying to interfere in our democracy, and the Prime Minister is not telling the truth. He cannot help it: He is incapable of being transparent. Who cares if the candidates targeted by China are Liberals, Conservatives, Bloc or NDP? We just want to know who they are and how China approaches them, so we can prevent it from interfering in our democracy in the future.
What does the Prime Minister not understand about that?
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- Nov/22/22 2:29:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's comments that this is an issue that impacts all members of this House, not just the Liberal Party but all members of this House.
That is why we established an independent panel, which confirmed that the 2019 election was free and fair. We have our eyes wide open. We passed laws to modernize the Elections Act and to close the gaps on foreign funding. The intelligence community and law enforcement investigate all allegations.
We will always take action to protect Canadian democracy.
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- Nov/22/22 2:30:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it never ends. Big grocery chains, such as Metro and Loblaw, are raking in the profits on the backs of families. They are still using a crisis as a pretext for making obscene amounts of money. Loblaw's profits alone are up 29%. Meanwhile, people are skipping meals to save money, and food banks cannot keep up with demand. The Liberals are refusing to make big grocery chains change their rapacious ways.
When will the Liberals make these fat-cat companies pay their fair share to help Canadians?
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- Nov/22/22 2:31:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is not the only country struggling with the high cost of food. Weather conditions around the world have had an impact on food products.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry has asked our commissioner of competition to make sure that major grocery stores' price increases are justified. We are taking this issue very seriously and will monitor it closely. We need a food system that works well for Canadians.
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- Nov/22/22 2:31:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is worse than that. Five hundred workers who need to feed their families in Alberta are being laid off, all while their employer, Loblaws, rakes in excess profits to the tune of $1 million a day. These layoffs are intimidation tactics designed to scare workers. It is clear the Liberals are standing with big corporations like Loblaws, while New Democrats stand with workers.
When will the government stop covering for Loblaws and start protecting workers' paycheques?
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- Nov/22/22 2:32:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know Canadians are concerned about how much they are paying for gas and groceries. Earlier this year, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry contacted the Competition Bureau to make sure it was using all of its tools to detect and deter unlawful behaviours in the food sector. Following up to prevent businesses from taking advantage of high prices and profiting off Canadians, we asked the bureau to immediately look into these matters. We will continue working to make life more affordable for Canadians.
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