44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 18, 2023 10:00AM
- May/18/23 2:41:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, how infuriating, especially since the government has spent all week acting like it has something to teach Quebeckers. Meanwhile, people look at what the government is doing, and I guarantee they are struggling mightily to be polite.
This government is breaking the rules, and its only excuse is that these students are from Africa. That is truly appalling. When we prove that its decisions make no sense, even when the government itself admits that biases inform its senseless decisions, years go by and the injustices never end.
When will this government put as much energy into treating people fairly as it does into its fancy speeches?
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- May/18/23 2:42:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said, international students make an important contribution to Canada. We have heard that loud and clear.
That is why we started extending expired and expiring post-graduate work permits. As a result, nearly 100,000 international graduates have been able to continue working across the country. We also scrapped the 20-hour work week cap, and nearly 500,000 international students have been able to work off campus while studying.
Canada is, and always will be, a destination of choice.
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- May/18/23 2:42:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would to encourage the Minister of Environment to go talk to a farmer, because I have not spoken to a single one who supports the first carbon tax, let alone carbon tax number two.
The agriculture minister admitted yesterday that she has no idea what impact carbon tax 2.0 will have on farmers or the cost of food. Here is what we do know: When the Liberals triple their first carbon tax, fuel goes up 41¢ a litre, diesel goes up 15¢ a litre, and the cost of food goes up 34%. When they implement carbon tax number two, the cost on fuel goes up 61¢ a litre and diesel 25¢ a litre.
Could the Minister of Agriculture confirm that coloured farm fuel would be exempt from carbon tax 2.0?
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- May/18/23 2:43:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, it is important to understand that farmers are the first to feel the impacts of the climate crisis. They have always done a great deal to make agriculture as sustainable as possible.
We are there to help them improve their practices, to be able to acquire new equipment and to conduct research and innovation in that vein. We are there to support our farmers.
While the Conservatives take farmers for granted, we have a vision for their future.
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- May/18/23 2:44:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here is the problem: The minister has no idea what impact carbon tax 2.0 is going to have on the cost of food: the cost to farmers, the cost to transport that food, or the cost for Canadians to actually buy that food.
The first carbon tax is already sending Canadians to the food banks in shocking numbers. The number of trips to the food bank is up 60% from 2003. That is eight million Canadians going to the food bank every single month.
How much will Canadians have to pay to put food on the table when the Liberals implement carbon tax 2.0?
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- May/18/23 2:44:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, just a few weeks ago, I announced an additional $10 million for the local food infrastructure fund. I invite all non-profit organizations, such as food banks, community gardens and greenhouses, to apply because this will help them acquire new equipment to strengthen our local food systems.
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- May/18/23 2:45:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Liberal inflation has made it so that Canadians' paycheques are no longer stretching far enough to make ends meet. The Liberals already have a carbon tax that has raised the cost of gas by 41¢ a litre. Now we find out that they are going to add another tax on top of the first. The two taxes combined will add up to an extra 61¢ per litre of gas, driving up the cost of food and transportation even higher.
When will the Liberals get rid of the two carbon taxes so that Canadians can take a breather? Right now, they feel like they are being strangled.
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- May/18/23 2:45:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that Quebec has its own carbon pricing system, a cap-and-trade system. This type of system is completely different than the federal system, which puts a price on pollution. If the member would like a technical briefing from my department on how the Quebec system works, I would be happy to offer him one.
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- May/18/23 2:46:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the average rent in Coquitlam is now $2,800, the third-highest in the country. Seniors, single mothers and people with disabilities are being evicted, as their long-time rental homes are being replaced with luxury condos. I met a single mom whose rent went up 50%, just so she could stay in her community after she was displaced by a for-profit developer. This is unacceptable.
What the Liberals are doing now is not working. What are they going to do to keep rents affordable?
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- May/18/23 2:47:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. members knows, or should know, that rent control is under provincial jurisdiction. However, we on this side of the House believe that the federal government has a role and should play a role in helping renters. That is why we introduced the Canada housing benefit. That is why we partnered with political parties on this side of the House to make sure that we top up the Canada housing benefit, which is going to every vulnerable renter across Canada who needs it. It is a cost-share program, and we are proud of that record.
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- May/18/23 2:47:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the average rent for a one-bedroom in Victoria is a whopping $2,000, and a two-bedroom is $2,600. Young people, seniors and those on fixed incomes cannot afford these enormous rents. People in my riding are being hit hard. Many are without a home, are in housing that does not meet their needs, are facing renoviction or are unable to save for the future. For every one affordable unit built, we are losing 15 affordable homes.
Why do the Liberals refuse to take on giant housing corporations and why are they failing to increase the supply of affordable rentals?
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- May/18/23 2:48:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know that the NDP loves to bring up provincial jurisdiction issues. However, we do believe that the Government of Canada has a role to support renters. That is why we introduced the Canada housing benefit.
As far as building more rentals is concerned, we are the government that introduced the rental construction financing initiative, which is about building more rental supply in Canada, including affordable rentals. We are now moving forward with the housing accelerator fund, which is about building more supply, including more affordable housing and also more affordable rentals.
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- May/18/23 2:48:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, temperatures in western Canada remain high and so do the fire risks. Thousands remain evacuated in Alberta, and we have seen more evacuation orders in recent days from communities in the Northwest Territories and in my home province of British Columbia. We have seen the government step up when Alberta reached out for help, providing CAF and other federal support, but this is just the start of Canada’s wildfire season.
Can the Minister of Emergency Preparedness update the House on what he and the government are doing to help currently affected communities and ensure all regions have the support they need?
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- May/18/23 2:49:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by acknowledging the incredible work of firefighters, first responders and volunteers who have stepped up and are supporting those who have been displaced.
Here today, we have heard a lot about the cost of fighting climate change, but we have evidence before us this week of the cost of inaction. When we fail to respond, we can see that literally tens of thousands of people are displaced from their homes, over 700,000 hectares of forest are burned, and the cost of assisting those people through recovery is unsustainable. We have to take action and we are.
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- May/18/23 2:50:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the news from the PBO this morning is shocking: a second carbon tax that would add another 17¢ on a litre of gas, increasing it from 41¢ to 61¢. As the adage goes, fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice, shame on you. Canadians are no fools, and the government should be ashamed of its campaign of punitive raids on the bank accounts of Canadians who are bankrolling the government's historic debt.
With the cost of gas, heat and groceries ballooning, does the out-of-touch government really think Canadians can afford this debilitating hit to their finances?
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- May/18/23 2:50:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when the Conservative Party of Canada, in the 2021 election, campaigned on bringing carbon pricing to $170 a tonne or putting in place clean fuel regulations, were they trying to fool Canadians? Is that what we are to understand?
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- May/18/23 2:51:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has been dodging questions about her second carbon tax ever since she came back to work. Now, we finally have the answer, thanks to the PBO. This additional 17¢ a litre is even going to be charged on fuel used by our fishermen. For families in Newfoundland and Labrador, it is going to be an extra $850 a year. Combined with her original carbon tax, it is going to be $2,000 per year for those families.
When is the Liberal government going to stop trampling on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and axe this useless carbon tax?
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- May/18/23 2:51:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first, our plan is working. We have reduced carbon pollution by more than 50 million tonnes. Canada has the best emission reduction profile of all G7 countries in 2020 and 2021. What we are doing for the great people of Newfoundland is helping them land investment of more than $300 million in the last month alone in the new Braya biorefinery.
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- May/18/23 2:52:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister in 58th place just said something that is not entirely accurate. He said his plan is working.
His plan is working so well that the United Nations released a document last fall that ranked Canada 58th out of 63 countries in the fight against climate change. Still, he has the nerve to say that everything is fine. What the minister in 58th place is saying does not hold up.
It gets worse. Today, the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed in a report that the second Liberal carbon tax will cost Quebec families an average of $436. Meanwhile, one in five families in Montreal is struggling to eat.
Does the minister from Montreal understand why Canadians are tired of paying too much?
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- May/18/23 2:53:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I could name a long list of independent organizations that have publicly attested that our plan is working and that greenhouse gas emissions have begun to decline.
I could mention Climate Action Network, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Equiterre, Ecojustice and Environmental Defence, all of which have publicly stated that our climate change plan is beginning to work.
I will be the first to admit that we still have a lot of work to do. However, it is working.
The last thing we need is the Conservatives taking us back 20 years in the fight against climate change or when it comes to investments in clean technology.
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