SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 162 - Feb/16/23

Feb/16/23 6:17:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the safety of Canadians is currently at risk. People are being intimidated. One need only flip open any recent paper to see that people are intimidated, people are being stalked and people are reporting it. What is with the pussyfooting around this issue when it comes to the government? Why is it such a doormat? What was the point of establishing the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force? Are the Liberals just waxing poetic about it? Where is the action? I call upon the government, yet again, to name names and come forward with evidence of foreign interference in the 2021 federal election.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Feb/16/23 6:18:26 p.m.
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What is most important, Mr. Speaker, is for the government, with the agencies that we have, to act on behalf of Canadians to ensure that we are dealing with these matters in a way that is in line with the legislation and in a way that is in line with the mandates given to those authorities. I am sorry if we cannot satisfy the member's curiosity by providing him with the specifics that he wants, but it is very clear that we cannot discuss certain issues. However, he should know that if anybody he comes into contact with or anybody he is aware of is experiencing this, they need to report it and then that will be dealt with by the proper authority within their jurisdiction.

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Mr. Martin Shields (Bow River, CPC)

Feb/16/23 6:19:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am dealing with a topic that is really important to agriculture in parts of our country. It has to do with dichlorvos and leafcutter bees. People are familiar with honey bees, but there is a very small subset of bees called leafcutter bees. These are the ones that are used to pollinate alfalfa seed and canola seed. There was a decision made in 2020 about this chemical. When they looked at this chemical, they said it is something we do not want to have used in homes. Some people might remember those old fly strips. It was connected with people, but they did not address outside use. Under the labelling, it did not say it was used outside. However, it is used outside for the parasites that attack the leafcutter bee. The leafcutter bee pollinates alfalfa seed and canola seed. Those people who grow hay, those people who grow canola need this seed. This is critical. There is no more of this supply in Canada at the end of this year. They have used up all of the inventory that is there. This is critical. The producers are saying we need an extension on what was put in to stop it from being used domestically, but this is agriculture. We need this change now. We are talking about the canola crops in this country. We are talking about alfalfa that is grown. These are the seed producers, and a by-product of these small seed groups is that they export it to the United States for about $16 million a year. We need to look at this issue. As the 2023 season ends, we will be in trouble with our seed producers in alfalfa and in canola, the very seed producers who produce it for farmers so they can grow alfalfa and canola in this country. We need to address this issue. Speaking of another particular area in our economy, most of these farmers grow this seed in an agricultural area that is irrigated. In my riding, we have a huge percentage of the irrigation that is done. When we are talking about 2050 and 10 billion people on our planet, we will need 70% more food produced. Where is that going to happen? The intensification will happen in irrigated areas. We have the water. We have the land. We grow 60 different varieties of plants and products that are exported and used in food security. The problem with the government is that it believes that carbon tax is a good thing. For our food security, it is not. It is not good, because this is an industry that uses a lot of electricity. People will find that I will get the same reply I have before, that the farmers get a rebate, but they get a rebate that is about 10% of 1% back to their operation. This does not solve the electricity. I have ag people out there paying $10,000 a month on their irrigation, on the carbon tax. This is about food security. This is where we are going to grow more food, so we need to get the carbon tax off the irrigated farms in this country.

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Mr. Terry Beech (Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)

Feb/16/23 6:22:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be here tonight to address some of the concerns raised by my friend opposite. This is probably a point of order for later, but there was nothing about leafcutter bees in the member's question. If there happened to be something about leafcutter bees in April when he originally asked the question, I am sure the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food would have loved to be here tonight to address it. I have not prepared a detailed statement on leafcutter bees. My apologies to my friend opposite, but I will address the carbon price. I would like to thank my friend from Bow River for the opportunity to speak on that particular topic. To be thorough, I have prepared a record of speeches I have given on the subject of global inflation and carbon pricing in the last five months. It includes 14 speeches in 2022 since September, one two weeks ago and one two days ago. I can make those 16 speeches available to him, and he can follow up with me if he has any further questions on that topic. I think it is important for my friend's constituents to know that even though his Conservative Party refused to pass a resolution acknowledging that climate change is real, he in fact did campaign for a price on pollution in the last election. Unlike our government's plan, which is revenue-neutral, fights climate change, supports farmers and makes life more affordable for eight out of 10 Canadian families, his plan actually costs more, does less and forces all Canadians to adopt a government-controlled bank account allowing his Conservative Party to dictate what someone can or cannot spend their money on. I know that sounds outrageous, but it is very real. I encourage all residents in Bow River to look it up. Inflation is also real, and it is important that we take action to reduce it. My friend probably wants everyone to think that the main cause of inflation is our price on pollution, but that does not really pass the smell test. In British Columbia, we have had a price on pollution since 2008, but there was no record inflation between 2008 and 2021. In fact, if we look at B.C. generally, not only were we the first province to implement a price on pollution, but we had the fastest-growing economy in the country at the same time. Part of that story is the fact that clean tech companies, including in agriculture, are disproportionately located in British Columbia, generating tens of thousands of good, sustainable jobs and generating billions of dollars in annual revenue. A September 2020 report on the economic impact of the agriculture sector in B.C. showed that farm cash receipts from 2015 to 2018 actually increased 4% annually and 12% in 2019. That is more than $3.8 billion per year in revenue for farms. The same report highlighted improved trade agreements made by our government as a significant opportunity to improve profits and grow employment in the agricultural sector. That same report, ironically given the context of tonight's debate, also listed climate change as the number one threat to farmers. The member opposite ignores the fact that we have exempted gas and diesel for farm use from our backstop pollution price, which accounts for nearly 97% of on-farm GHG emissions. We also return the proceeds of the price on pollution to farmers, something the Conservatives actually voted against. That measure has returned more than $120 million to farmers in the last year alone. We have also invested $1.5 billion to support farmers' efforts to reduce GHG emissions, and we have tripled the size of the agricultural clean technology program, with a further investment of $329 million in the last budget. Farmers need a real plan to fight climate change and to grow farm profits, and that is exactly what our government is doing. The problem with ignoring the facts or making improper assumptions is that it usually forces people to make bad policy decision. I suspect that is what is happening within the Conservative caucus, and the official opposition continues to put forward reckless policy as a result.

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The Deputy Speaker

Feb/16/23 6:26:48 p.m.
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The Chair, on November 14, 2022, reminded members of the purpose of Adjournment Proceedings. At the time, the Chair indicated that members would be interrupted when their interventions are off topic. It was good to hear today that they eventually did get on topic. The Chair expects all members participating in the proceedings to address the specific matter for which notice was given. The hon. member for Bow River.

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Mr. Martin Shields

Feb/16/23 6:27:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what I was talking about was very specific. I am talking about the electricity used for irrigation. I welcome the MP to come out to my riding so he can see how irrigation works. Farmers are using electricity. The gasoline that ag producers are using has gone up by 53%, and other things have increased significantly too. The pipe they use for irrigation is up 44% if they can get it. The carbon tax is on electricity, and it is tens of thousands of dollars. We are going to grow our ag security in irrigation. It is very specific. The member is not listening to what I am talking about. I am not talking about policy. I think we need to fix what will provide food for this country and food security. It will be found in irrigation. Production is eight times better there than on dry land anywhere in this country. That is how we are going to get food security. The Liberals are missing the point of what irrigation can do for this country. They are not getting it.

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Mr. Terry Beech

Feb/16/23 6:28:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for that clarification. Supply chain shocks felt after the global pandemic and after Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine have only underlined how important it is to protect Canadian farmers' competitiveness, whether that is in irrigation or otherwise. We have a responsible fiscal plan, as well as the lowest net debt and deficit in the G7 with a AAA credit rating. We have created more than 800,000 jobs since the pandemic started, including in agriculture. Those farmers who have seen crops ruined by extreme weather events understand that we need to combat climate change and are already taking massive strides to do so. While they undertake this necessary action, they can count on our government to continue supporting them with concrete measures that promote innovation and put money back in their pockets.

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The Deputy Speaker

Feb/16/23 6:29:16 p.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 tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1). (The House adjourned at 6:30 p.m.)

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