44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 18, 2023 10:00AM
- 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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- May/18/23 2:53:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister in 58th place seems to have a rather short memory. He quoted Equiterre. Let us remember that he founded Equiterre 30 years ago.
What did Equiterre do on May 6, 2022? It filed a lawsuit against the Minister of the Environment stating, and I quote, “those promises are more talk than action”. It is not me that is saying that. It is Equiterre, the group that the minister himself founded.
Beyond that rhetoric, the reality is troubling for Quebec families. They will be paying $436 more.
How can the member from Quebec support an additional charge for all Quebeckers?
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- May/18/23 2:54:40 p.m.
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I am sorry, but I want to make a brief comment.
I want to remind members of the House that we must refer to other members by their title or their riding name, not by a made-up title. I know that sometimes members can get really creative, but those are the rules.
The hon. Minister of Environment.
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- May/18/23 2:55:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will share some quotes with my colleague.
“We welcome the additional investments that were announced [in this plan], which will double the amounts available in the climate solutions fund”, said Alice-Anne Simard, of Nature Québec.
“The 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan offers greater detail and transparency than any Canadian climate plan to date”, said Caroline Brouillette of Climate Action Network Canada.
Bruno Marchand, the mayor of Quebec City said, “The City of Quebec welcomes this major announcement. The fight against climate change is key to the future of our cities and the well-being of future generations. Municipal governments also have a hand in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
These are all allies of the federal government. Unfortunately, they are not allies of the Conservative Party.
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- May/18/23 2:55:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is an illegal dump in Kanesatake that for years has been contaminating the drinking water source of one million people. Obviously it is a complex problem, but it is a serious and urgent one that needs to be addressed.
It is unacceptable to watch the federal government in the media abdicate its responsibilities and offload them to the Sûreté du Québec. The government has been playing hot potato long enough. We are talking about drinking water for one million people and the federal government cannot continue to let the situation deteriorate.
What meaningful action is the Minister of Environment and Climate Change taking on this urgent matter?
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- May/18/23 2:56:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. I have had several conversations with him and with the minister responsible for first nations and Inuit relations in Quebec, as well as my colleague, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and the Minister of Indigenous Services.
It is a complex problem to which we cannot apply simple or simplistic solutions. Everyone has a role to play. The band council has a role to play. The Government of Quebec, through the Sûreté du Québec, has a role to play. The federal government certainly also has a role to play. We are in talks with the band council and the Government of Quebec to find a lasting solution to this problem.
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- May/18/23 2:57:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government needs to stop playing hot potato and show some leadership.
In an interview with Radio-Canada, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations made these regrettable comments, and I quote: We must let go of this idea that every time there are two or three indigenous people involved in an issue, it is a federal problem.
The community of Kanesatake is asking for help, and that is an unacceptable response. Oka is asking for help, the entire region is asking for help. The federal government can clean up this mess. Yes, it is very much the federal government's problem.
When will Ottawa bring the communities together in order to come up with a quick, concrete solution?
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- May/18/23 2:57:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the only party playing hot potato with this issue is the Bloc Québécois.
I myself acknowledged yesterday in an interview with La Presse that the federal government has a role to play and that it will do just that. Just yesterday, the Minister of Indigenous Services spoke with the community's chief. We are committed to finding a solution.
While the Bloc plays hot potato, we on this side of the House will be working to find a solution.
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