SoVote

Jun/9/23 12:08:21 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here we go again. Someone is with the Liberals if they care about the environment, but if they do not, they are a right-wing nut, right? Hunger kills people too. Long-term issues are important, but in the immediate term, there are people who are going hungry. There are people who cannot afford a home. It pains me. Frankly, I do not understand the lack of compassion and empathy. Like me, she is a Toronto MP. In our communities, where housing costs are in the millions of dollars, that inflation is the equivalent of, on average, $310 a month more that Torontonians have to pay. I ask my colleague to please have some compassion for people who are struggling. I am not asking for it to be eliminated. I am asking for it to be temporarily reduced to provide relief for people who are struggling to make ends meet.

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Ms. Julie Dabrusin

Jun/9/23 12:09:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to say it again because maybe the member opposite did not hear me. Not taking action on climate change costs us. It costs us in increased food costs when there are droughts and floods impacting our farms. It impacts us when communities have to evacuate or have their homes destroyed by wildfires, as we are seeing in our communities. It costs us when we have to have firefighting resources directed to try to save those communities. Climate change costs us and we must all in this place take every action that we can to fight climate change. Carbon pricing is the most cost-effective way to do that.

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Mr. Mike Morrice (Kitchener Centre, GP)

Jun/9/23 12:10:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, tonight, climate-fuelled wildfires continue across the country, almost 15 times the 10-year average for this time of year. Upward of 126,000 people across the country have been evacuated because of these fires. We know parents who are keeping their kids home from the playground because the air quality is so bad. Earlier this afternoon, I was pressing for an end to fossil fuel subsidies. I am glad to be back in the House, now after midnight, to keep pressing for solutions, real climate solutions, such as public transit, for example. For us in Ontario, transportation is the largest source of emissions, at 32%. While electric vehicles may be part of the solution, they also have many drawbacks, including contributing to more sprawl and poor land use planning decisions, the embodied carbon of manufacturing EVs, the rare metals needed to manufacture them, and the fact that owning a car remains out of reach for many in my community. Canadian transit riders, by comparison, are disproportionately low-income workers. They are women and people from racialized communities. Many cannot afford to drive, and 64% have no access to a car, among those who take transit. It is why, prior to this year’s budget, I was pressing for the governing party to invest more in public transit, specifically recognizing that municipalities like mine are being forced to raise fares while, in some cases, simultaneously cutting services due to a lack of sufficient investment from higher orders of government, not that there is none, but that it is insufficient. Specifically, groups across the country such as Environmental Defence and the Canadian Urban Transit Association were sounding the alarm at the time, warning that transit systems are at risk of falling into a death spiral without critical operational support that had run out since the worst of the pandemic. Sadly, the budget missed the mark, with no new transit funds committed. This is what Nate Wallace, program manager for clean transportation at Environmental Defence had to say: “It is very disappointing to see that this budget does not include much-needed funds to support transit systems now.” Truthfully, to me, it is a shame that we are even talking about this. If we were responding to the climate crisis at the scale required, we would not just be talking about emergency operating funds. We need to be talking about going a step further, and I believe that the parliamentary secretary may agree with me on this, that we need federal funds so we can scale successful efforts to reduce fares altogether. One example was started by a friend of mine, Dan Hendry, co-founder and director of Get on the Bus, who piloted a program in Kingston, Ontario, that provided on-bus training and free transit passes to high school students specifically. What was the impact? High school ridership increased from 28,000 rides in 2012 to close to 600,000 rides annually, which is exponential growth in ridership among high school students, by providing training and free bus passes. Municipal leaders in my community are now looking at this model, and I would love for them to do it. I want young people in the Waterloo region to have better options. However, municipal leaders are having to discuss this without the benefit of federal funds to subsidize it. My question is this: Will the governing party step up for these emergency funds and go further, recognizing the crisis we are in?

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Ms. Julie Dabrusin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Jun/9/23 12:14:22 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, public transit is dear to my heart. In fact, I do not own a car myself. I actually think an important part of public transit is including active transportation infrastructure, which is why I am so proud our government created the first national active transportation fund. Support for transit means greater quality of life for Canadians, and our government has made the largest investment in public transit in history. Since 2015, we have provided over $20 billion in federal funding to support public transit projects in communities across Canada. To ensure Canadians continue to benefit from transit options, the Government of Canada has introduced the permanent public transit program. I cannot underline the importance of that enough. It is permanent funding. It provides federal funding to support projects that deliver expanded urban transit networks, affordable zero-emission transit options, transit solutions for rural communities and additional active transportation options. The permanent public transit program provides $14.9 billion over eight years, including $3 billion per year ongoing starting 2026-27. This commitment builds on the support already available for transit across the country from existing federal programs, support that has been crucial during the pandemic as ridership has seen significant declines. The investments we are making in public transit will also reduce greenhouse gases through a commitment to support zero-emission transit options. That is why the Government of Canada is investing $2.75 billion through the zero-emission transit fund to help transit and school bus operators fund new vehicles and necessary supporting infrastructure as their transition their fleets. One exciting part is this also helps to create jobs in some of our communities. For example, the City of Toronto has purchased buses that are manufactured in Winnipeg, so there is another piece to this as well. Outside urban areas, we are helping to get Canadians moving through the $250-million rural transit solutions fund, the first federal fund to target the development of locally driven transit solutions for rural, remote and indigenous communities. The Government of Canada's continued investments in transit will help provide options for Canadians. Our investment in public transit is helping to provide an essential service to many Canadians, generate billions of dollars in economic benefits and help Canada meet its climate targets as we approach 2050. Now that public transit ridership in communities across the country is rebounding, the Government of Canada is supporting a strong and sustainable comeback. Through the safe restart agreement announced in 2020, our government committed to an investment of up to $2 billion to support municipalities with COVID-19 operating costs. We also committed to an investment of an additional $2.4 billion in funds to match provincial and territorial funding to support local transit authorities in cities and towns across Canada. This investment is helping our cities and towns to keep their transit systems running so Canadians can get to work and home to their families safely. For example, in British Columbia the safe restart agreement committed an additional $540 million in federal transit funding to support local transit authorities across the province. The transit investments we are making will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide health benefits and better serve disadvantaged groups, including women, seniors, youth and people who have low incomes. Public transit is very important. We are continuing to support it, and we will continue to do so.

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Mr. Mike Morrice

Jun/9/23 12:18:02 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I really appreciate, and I expected it this evening, that I do not need to convince the parliamentary secretary about the importance of transit, as a transit user herself. It means we can have a more adult conversation about what needs to be done in the midst of the crisis we are in. Again, I recognize and appreciate the funds that have been allocated in the past on transit but also want her, and the governing party, to recognize that this is not sufficient. First, it is not sufficient in terms of emergency operating funds that organizations across the country have been calling for and were not delivered. Second, it is not sufficient to ensure we can actually reduce fares to increase ridership at the pace required for young people, for example, to start habits of using transit from a young age and continue doing so in order for us to shift the curve on the climate crisis and address the transit and transportation emissions we know we have. How will she continue to advocate within the governing party to see the investments increase at the pace this crisis requires?

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Ms. Julie Dabrusin

Jun/9/23 12:19:11 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite and I can agree public transit is very important, and it is important for all the reasons he listed, including the fact that it helps people to get around. It is better for emissions. It is better for clean air in our communities and frankly it allows for a certain amount of freedom, particularly for young people who are too young to even have a driver's licence. It is very important we have a strong public transit system. That is why it is really important to recognize all of the investments our government has made to date, including, and I will reiterate this, the permanent public transit program, which was introduced in 2021. It provides $14.9 billion over eight years, including $3 billion per year ongoing starting 2026-27. That is how we are going to continue to support public transit.

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Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP)

Jun/9/23 12:22:20 a.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, back in March, I travelled with committee members of the indigenous and northern affairs committee to my riding in Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk and the Northwest Territories in Yellowknife. We met with many of my constituents and with Canadian Rangers in both of my communities. We went to the joint task force north headquarters office in Yellowknife as well. We heard from my constituents, especially Canadian Rangers, who are extremely proud to serve and keep the Arctic secure for Arctic sovereignty. Canadian Rangers wear their uniforms with pride when they do their operations. They outlined some issues with being Canadian Rangers. When I asked my original question back in March, my question related to one of those issues, which included how long it takes for their reimbursements after they have completed operations. That was three months ago. Some have waited as long as six months to be reimbursed for their time and for repairs. One of the images shared during these visits showed that the Canadian Armed Forces must be using horse carriages to get from Yellowknife to Ottawa to submit the paperwork to Ottawa, with Ottawa using that same mode of transportation to send the cheques back to the communities. Part of the response to my question was, “The CAF has recently streamlined the compensation process. This will expedite the process for Rangers to receive their reimbursements.” Can the government please describe exactly in what way the process has been streamlined and by how much time the process has been cut so that Canadian Rangers do not have to wait months for their reimbursements?

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Ms. Julie Dabrusin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Jun/9/23 12:24:47 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, during this time of increasing strategic competition and uncertainty in the global security environment, we in this House and Canadians across the country can take heart in the important work of the Canadian Rangers. Canadian Rangers contribute to the sovereignty and defence of Canada. They work in some of the most difficult-to-reach regions of our country. They help safeguard our northern, coastal and remote communities in the wake of natural disasters, and as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, they delivered groceries and chopped firewood for neighbours in need, among many other crucial tasks. Canadian Rangers are an essential part of our military's operational capability too. They support search and rescue in parts of the country that fellow CAF members cannot access as quickly. They train with their colleagues to maintain a state of readiness. They are approximately 5,100 personnel strong, working in and around approximately 200 communities, and they know the land better than anyone. As part of this government's commitment to supporting them, the Minister of National Defence recently announced up to $3.7 billion over the next 20 years to provide operational clothing and footwear to the Canadian Armed Forces, including Canadian Rangers. This is on top of our $34.4-million investment to equip the Canadian Rangers with more than 6,000 new C-19 rifles manufactured in Kitchener, Ontario, by Colt Canada. We know that Canadian Rangers use some of their own gear on the job, including some snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and small boats, and we know there have been some challenges in reimbursing equipment damaged during approved military activities. I want to reassure this House and all Canadian Rangers that the Canadian Armed Forces have recently amended their compensation policy, and the leadership is looking at other ways to ease administrative challenges. We expect that this will help speed up reimbursing those claims and will ensure that equipment is repaired or replaced as efficiently as possible. We know the process can be further improved, and I am confident that they will get it right.

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Ms. Lori Idlout

Jun/9/23 12:24:51 a.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, I very much appreciate that very informative response. It does give me hope that Canadian Rangers will get their reimbursements sooner. Another issue brought up with the process of reimbursing Canadian Rangers is how difficult it is to get repairs completed. The main reason is that most Nunavut communities do not have access to direct mechanics in their communities. Canadian Rangers must use limited bandwidth to find the right parts to fix their vehicles, describe them to the mechanics in the south and finally order them and have them delivered by airmail. What will the government do to make it easier for Canadian Rangers to get their vehicles repaired so they can continue with their important operations to maintain Arctic sovereignty?

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Ms. Julie Dabrusin

Jun/9/23 12:25:53 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise once more to reiterate that the Canadian Rangers have been a vital part of the Canadian Armed Forces for the last 75 years and to express our sincere gratitude for the critical work they do. We know that efforts are under way within the Canadian Army to improve the reimbursement process for Canadian Rangers who file an appropriate claim for lost or damaged gear. We know that the military is looking at additional ways to streamline this process, for example, by amending the documentation requirements, which will make it easier for members to file a claim. The Canadian Rangers deserve no less. Thanks to the Canadian Rangers, the present and future of Canada's northern, coastal and regional security are in good hands.

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The Deputy Speaker

Jun/9/23 12:26:36 a.m.
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The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until later this day at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1). (The House adjourned at 12:26 a.m.)

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