SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 171 - Mar/22/23

Mar/22/23 10:18:08 p.m.
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I do not know if that was any better, but there you go. While I recognize the late hour and the energy that everybody seems to be experiencing, I want to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to speak and be heard when they have that opportunity. Right now, the floor is to the hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader with eight minutes and 57 seconds left.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Mar/22/23 10:18:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to get into the reality of the Conservative opposition motion that they are talking about today. We have to put it in proper perspective. Over the last number of months, there has been a great deal of canvassing. The Prime Minister often says that Ottawa is a great place to be, and one has to bring the issues and the concerns of the constituents in one's ridings to Ottawa. I can assure those who are following the debate that we bring a wide variety of different types of issues from out in our communities to Ottawa. We do this to ensure that we reflect what Canadians want to see. The Conservatives are really focused on things like character assassination. In contrast, we are concerned about making sure that we have the backs of Canadians. I say that because today they want to talk about beer and wine tax. There is no doubt that beer, alcohol, is a very important issue. I do not question that. However, when I do the math, I think it works out to about 15¢ or 16¢ on a case of 24 beers. That is what they want to talk about. That is an opposition day. They get a few every year. I would suggest that if we were to listen to someone like me, who likes to respond to what my constituents are talking about, they talk about a wide variety of issues of great concern, whether it is inflation, health care or the environment. The list goes on. By the way, I will be splitting my time with the member for Edmonton Strathcona. I can assure everyone that there is a great number of issues. However, the Conservatives want to talk about taxes. They are being selective. One of the very first things we did in government, back in 2015 when Canadians kicked out Stephen Harper, was to reduce the tax for the middle class. How did the Conservatives respond to that reduction, that legislation that reduced the tax for Canada's middle class? They ran. They voted against it. We also increased the tax for Canada's wealthiest 1% of people. Once again, how did we see the Conservative Party vote? It voted against that too. Let us fast-forward, right from the beginning to where we are today. It was not that long ago, three or four months, maybe five, that the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, said we want to provide additional tax relief for Canadians. We brought in legislation to say that we are going to double the GST rebate temporarily for the next six months. Originally, the Conservatives actually opposed that tax initiative. In fairness, it took a little bit of shaming, quite a while, but at the end of the day, they actually flip-flopped. I say it somewhat candidly, but I compliment them on their change of heart. I am glad, because that tax break that we provided, if we relate it to this one, would buy hundreds of bottles of beer, that one break. At the end of the day, we understand the benefits and the drawbacks of what is happening in our communities from a taxation perspective. They are talking specifically about alcohol and beer. We are all concerned about that issue. We have a budget coming up awfully soon. I know that I am getting anxious about it; maybe there might even be the odd Conservative who is getting anxious about it. We anticipate that there is going to be a wide spectrum of issues dealt with in that budget. For years, I have been a very strong advocate, for example, on the health care file. Health care, I have argued in the past, is part of our Canadian core identity. I would suggest that it might have been more advantageous to talk about the health care issue based on what the Conservative Party has been talking about for the last few days, something Canadians are genuinely concerned about: the recognition of credentials and how we get more health care workers, whether doctors, nurses or support workers, into the system. Conservatives might not fully understand jurisdictional responsibilities and things of that nature. They might be trying to intentionally mislead people in terms of what they could be capable of doing, especially if we look at the history of the Conservative Party. It is not very good when it comes to health care; I can assure everyone of that. At the end of the day—

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/22/23 10:24:47 p.m.
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There is a point of order by the hon. member for Pickering—Uxbridge.

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Ms. Jennifer O'Connell

Mar/22/23 10:24:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are heckling. I would encourage them, if they have questions or concerns, to ask them. The opportunity is there. I would welcome them asking questions instead of running out.

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/22/23 10:25:09 p.m.
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That is not really a point of order, but the hon. member will have questions and comments after he finishes his speech in two minutes and 53 seconds. I would ask everyone to come to order. The hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader has the floor.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Mar/22/23 10:25:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad we are talking about budget priorities. I believe that at the end of the day, we will see things in the budget that will be there in a very real and tangible way for Canadians. I say to my Conservative friends across the way that we all know there is a great deal of consultation that takes place, whether it is the individual member of Parliament, the work members do within their constituencies and talking to constituents or meetings and discussions within caucuses. There are discussions held virtually throughout the year, but in particular, there are the pre-budget debates. At the end of the day, I believe we will see a budget that reflects the interests of Canadians. As I indicated—

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Hon. Andrew Scheer

Mar/22/23 10:25:25 p.m.
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I'm here to ask you a question.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Mar/22/23 10:25:55 p.m.
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And I'll stay here for your question. Mr. Speaker, I can say that I am going to be looking in areas that really concern the constituents of Winnipeg North. I know my colleagues will be doing likewise for the ridings they represent. We have been advocating to the appropriate ministers, including the Minister of Finance, in different ways. These areas may be the bigger issues of our health care system, what is taking place in our environment or the importance of many of those infrastructure programs at the local level. We will continue to advocate where we believe the government should be establishing its priorities in terms of budgetary and legislative measures. For those following the debate, as I mentioned at the beginning, we take the ways we can use our taxation policies to ensure we have a healthier economy and society very seriously. We can see this in the tax breaks for the middle class, the tax hike on Canada's wealthiest 1%, the GST rebate and the enhancement to the Canada workers benefit. We can also invest in the CRA to ensure, for example, that they stop the people who are trying to avoid paying their fair share.

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Mr. Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby, NDP)

Mar/22/23 10:29:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I come from New Westminster—Burnaby, the heart of some of the best breweries and wineries in all of Canada. I will mention the award-winning Steel and Oak Brewing Co.; Another Beer Co., or ABC, which has terrific products; the Dageraad Brewing in Burnaby, which has a lot of innovation in its products; and Pacific Breeze Winery, which provides excellent wines. There is no doubt that the tax increase would have a big impact. The government is aware of this. We have been speaking of this for hours. The simple question is this: Why will the government not stop the price increase? Why will it not just halt it, so that it does not increase on April 1?

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Mar/22/23 10:29:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am not going to speculate about anything in regard to the budget, but what I can say is that I believe it works out to 14¢ or 15¢ for a case of 24 bottles of beer. That is less than a penny per bottle of beer. That is the essence of what we are talking about. Canadians from coast to coast to coast are concerned about a wide spectrum of issues, whether it is health care, the environment, what is happening around the world today and in Ukraine, how we can continue to support Canadians or how we ensure that there is ongoing transparency and accountability. There is a wide spectrum of things that are out there. I do not know to what degree 12¢ or 15¢ for a case of 24 beers rates as the top priority of Canadians. I suspect it does not.

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Hon. Andrew Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle, CPC)

Mar/22/23 10:30:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I heard the hon. member just lamenting the fact that he did not have the opportunity to ask me a question, so I am happy to stand here now and give him the opportunity to at least answer a question, which is something that his leader never does, so maybe he will break that mould. It is a bit ironic after the many, many weeks at committee when Liberal MPs embarrassed themselves and demeaned themselves in their theatrical filibuster to try to prevent senior officials in the Liberal Party from testifying. However, we are talking about an escalator tax, an automatic tax increase, on beer, wine and spirits. I did hear the hon. member say it is a few pennies, but we can add it all up and add up the increase on the carbon tax and add up the increased mortgage payments that people have to make as interest rates go up. If the Liberals say that it is not a big deal and it is just a few cents a bottle, the obvious question is, well, then why raise it? When the Liberals talk about the cost of living and when they talk about all the costs that are falling onto Canadians, why do they believe that Canadians should pay even more, when they come home from work, to enjoy a cold beer after an honest day's work or to bring friends over to celebrate a birthday? Why do they believe that Canadians should pay more for that while the Prime Minister jets around on vacation, billing taxpayers for flights all over the country, sometimes thousands of dollars to avoid driving just an hour? Why do the Liberals believe that Canadians should pay more while they bill taxpayers so much?

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Mar/22/23 10:32:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am still focused on how the member started the question. He was being critical of the Prime Minister because he was saying he was not happy with the answer when he asked a question. At least the Prime Minister hangs around and answers the question. He stays to respond. The very same member, when I attempted to ask a question, evaporated into thin air. I am not going to say where he was, but he totally refused to answer the question. Therefore, I would suggest that he is consistent with the Conservative policy in general. It is very hard to understand because, at the end of the day, someone would say there is nothing to it. There is no—

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/22/23 10:33:13 p.m.
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Let me get in one more question. The hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue.

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Mr. Sébastien Lemire (Abitibi—Témiscamingue, BQ)

Mar/22/23 10:33:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague from Winnipeg North thinks of the lobbying of interest groups that want to limit alcohol consumption to two drinks per week as recommended by their research. This could have consequences for the profitability of many of the regional microbreweries and craft distilleries in our regions. I want to salute Éduc'alcool, which conducted studies and has promoted responsible consumption habits for Quebeckers consisting of two drinks a day for women and three for men, and 10 drinks per week for women and 15 for men. This approach has been adopted in Quebec and keeps our local economy going. Will the government respect the Éduc'alcool guidelines or will it adopt those of the lobbies that essentially encourage prohibition?

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Mar/22/23 10:34:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one of the things I do respect is provincial jurisdiction, where liquor stores and so forth are administered through provincial governments. They do have all sorts of programs out there dealing with drinking responsibilities. I would think the stakeholders, the provinces and Ottawa all play a role in responsible drinking.

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Mr. Chris Warkentin (Grande Prairie—Mackenzie, CPC)

Mar/22/23 10:34:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I move: That the honourable member for Calgary Rocky Ridge be now heard.

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All Topics

The Deputy Speaker

Mar/22/23 10:35:14 p.m.
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The question is on the motion. If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division or wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

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Mr. John Nater

Mar/22/23 10:36:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded division.

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/22/23 10:36:07 p.m.
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Call in the members. During the ringing of the bells:

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The Speaker

Mar/22/23 10:51:09 p.m.
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It being 10:50 p.m., I have no choice but to interrupt the bells. Pursuant to order made on Friday, March 10, and this being the final supply day in the period ending March 26, it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings on the opposition motion and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the business of supply. The question is on the motion. May I dispense? Some hon. members: No. [Chair read text of motion to House]

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