44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 12, 2023 10:00AM
- May/12/23 11:48:35 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this past month, a constituent's bill for natural gas was $168.50. The federal carbon tax was $30.78. This is more than the individual charges for delivery, transportation costs and HST were. Under the government, it is evident that life costs more for Canadians, with the rising costs of gas, heat and food. How are regular Canadians supposed to keep up?
When will the Prime Minister get rid of the carbon tax and prioritize the financial needs of Canadians?
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- May/12/23 11:49:09 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for that question, because it gives me an opportunity to talk a bit about how carbon pricing works.
To be clear, the way carbon pricing works is that every bit of money that comes through the carbon price is returned to the province; it goes to the families in the province, as well as to the hospitals, schools and cities in the province of Ontario. Every penny goes back to support people in the member's community.
In addition, as a government, we are providing supports to Canadians, be it through the dental benefit, be it through child care or be it through the Canada child benefit. We are there to support Canadians.
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- May/12/23 11:49:56 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the cost of government is driving up the cost of living, and now the Liberals plan a 41¢-a-litre tax on gas, groceries and home heating. Liberal deficits are driving up inflation. This means that interest rates are higher, making mortgages more expensive and harder to qualify for. Prices have doubled, down payments have doubled, rents have doubled and new housing construction is falling because of high interest rates and red tape.
When will the government stop increasing taxes, stop its inflationary deficit and let the builders build?
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- May/12/23 11:50:28 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a little hard to take Conservatives seriously as they talk about affordability, when we have several affordability measures that are in front of the finance committee right now and instead of talking about those measures, they have turned them away. They have been filibustering for 23 hours. Food banks were scheduled to visit us. We wanted to hear from them. The Bloc and the NDP wanted to hear from them. The Cons wanted to talk to themselves.
Stop the filibuster and let us get to work.
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- May/12/23 11:50:59 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's tax-and-spend policies are driving up the cost of everything, and now he has plans to push the tax on gas to 41¢ a litre. What happened to his promises to help the middle class? Brandon from Langley wrote to me recently and said, “I am one of many middle-class citizens getting pushed down to the lower class”.
My question for the Prime Minister is this: Will he reverse course, stop the never-ending tax increases and finally stand up for the middle class?
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- May/12/23 11:51:36 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one thing we know for certain is this: When it comes to Canadians, Conservatives will always hold them back. They voted against the CCB, they voted against dental care and they voted against rental supports; they voted against everything, including child care at a certain point. They tore up the agreements from the previous government when we were in power.
What we know about Conservatives is that, during their time, there were 2.7 million more Canadians in poverty than there are today. We have 450,000 more children out of poverty today than when they were in power. They keep holding Canadians back. We are lifting them up.
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- May/12/23 11:52:14 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot take it anymore. We have said it over and over in many different ways. They are fed up. What is this Prime Minister doing? He is planning to increase the carbon tax again. Contrary to what he says, it will have an impact across Canada, including in Quebec. Quebec is not separate from the rest of the country, it is part of it. Everyone will inevitably be affected.
This confirms that costs for farmers and truckers will increase again. What will happen in the meantime? Ultimately, everyone ends up paying.
Will the Prime Minister wake up and abandon these disastrous policies?
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- May/12/23 11:52:55 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I can reassure my colleague opposite by saying that the government will continue to work tirelessly to help Canadians. In budget 2023, we have already put measures in place to tax the wealthiest Canadians. We are proposing a 2% tax on repurchases of equity, and we will tax share dividends received by banks.
We are ready to do all that, but the Conservatives always block our measures, obfuscate and filibuster. I urge them to get to work.
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- May/12/23 11:54:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are 85 empty judges' seats in federal courts, and this is resulting in “stays of proceedings” against criminals. That is the warning of Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner in a letter obtained by CBC.
Liberal ministers must answer for those delays, because they always interfered in the appointment process. They filter candidates based on data from Elections Canada to find good Liberal donors. They consult other Liberals to find out who is part of the family.
When will they stop wasting their time with partisanship? When will they appoint the missing judges based on their qualifications?
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- May/12/23 11:54:45 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government has appointed more than 600 judges since November 2015. We appoint judges to the bench more efficiently than any other government, yet we know it is still not enough. We are working to fulfill vacancies in various provinces. We spoke with members of the judiciary, as well as the bar, to encourage more people to apply to the bench.
We will continue to make appointments at a steady rate, and the number of vacancies will continue to decline.
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- May/12/23 11:55:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the delays in judicial appointments remind us of that coincidence in 2019. By the end of the process, out of six judges appointed in New Brunswick, five had personal connections to the current Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. There were three of his donors, his brother-in-law's wife and his neighbour.
Obviously it is harder to appoint judges these days. People can no longer count on the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. He has already made his contribution.
My question is this: Would justice not be better served by an impartial, independent process held far from ministers and based strictly on merit?
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- May/12/23 11:56:07 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that the appointments are non-partisan and independent. It is very important because we are a country of rule of law. I think that everyone here agrees on that. It is also a priority of ours for the bench to be representative of the population.
We will work with the justice system. We will also work with the different representatives in society. The current Minister of Justice has appointed more judges than any other justice minister in the history of Canada. It is a priority and will continue to be.
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- May/12/23 11:56:10 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, disturbing reports from the National Post show that the Liberal-NDP approach of safe drug supply is actually subsidizing harm. It states that the government's approach has “caused the street price of hydromorphone (the primary opioid dispensed at safer supply sites) to drop by an estimated 70-95 per cent in cities with safer supply programs”.
This illegal resale market is flooding streets with dangerous drugs. When will the Liberals stop these black markets and end their harmful drug policies?
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- May/12/23 11:56:51 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government obviously takes the diversion of controlled substances very seriously. This is a deeply concerning issue with regard to all prescription medications, not only those prescribed through safer supply programs.
Health professionals, including those who manage safer supply services, have to follow federal rules on the secure handling of controlled substances, including measures designed to prevent diversion.
We will continue to monitor this issue and take appropriate action as necessary.
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- May/12/23 11:57:29 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is disturbing to see the member not take seriously the number of addiction and drug overdose deaths, which is continuing to rise.
It has been reported that patients take their government-supplied drugs off-site, fuelling a new black market that is driving street drug prices down. Physicians are saying that this is even leading to a rise in new addictions, particularly among youth and individuals in recovery.
When will the Liberals stop fuelling addiction and stop their harmful drug policies?
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- May/12/23 11:58:06 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we take an evidence-based approach to solving the addictions epidemic and the poisoned opioid crisis that is having such a devastating impact on our communities.
It has really been alarming over the last couple of weeks to hear the members in the Conservative Party blaming addicts, people who use drugs, for this crisis. We take an evidence-based, science-first approach. The Conservative fact-free approach is absolutely atrocious, and it is going to lead to more harm.
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- May/12/23 11:58:41 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government, the Prime Minister is out of touch, and Canadians are out of money.
Once fully implemented, the Liberal carbon tax would cost Canadians an additional 41¢ for a litre of gas, driving up the cost of groceries even higher and sending even more Canadians to the food bank for their next meal.
When is the Liberal government going to cancel its inflation-causing carbon tax?
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- May/12/23 11:59:13 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one thing I have a hard time with in these questions is that carbon pricing is in fact a market mechanism. It encourages industry to be more efficient and to reduce their emissions. That actually makes them more competitive in a world where that is exactly what people are looking for.
I would expect the members opposite to be supportive of anything we could do to help our industries be at the cutting edge of green technologies, which, by the way, we are.
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- May/12/23 11:59:51 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, forests and trees purify the air that we breathe, improve water quality, promote biodiversity and help cool down our urban centres. Their ability to capture and store carbon is an effective natural way to combat climate change.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Climate Change tell the House what the government is doing to promote and support new tree planting projects?
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- May/12/23 12:00:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.
We know that nature is one of our best allies in fighting climate change.
On Wednesday, at the Montreal Climate Summit, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced a $40-million investment in three projects under the federal two billion trees program, which will allow for 275,000 trees to be planted in Montreal and Vaudreuil-Dorion.
The planting of more than a quarter of a million trees in Montreal will undoubtedly contribute to making the city happier and the planet healthier.
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