44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 15, 2023 10:00AM
Mr. Speaker, 1,300 people learned yesterday that they would be losing their jobs at Bell Media. Six radio stations are going to stop broadcasting. When even a giant like Bell can no longer protect its media and newsrooms, the situation is dire. The entire news industry and the people who work in it are all under threat.
The Bloc Québécois is proud to have contributed to Bill C‑11 and Bill C‑18, two very important bills. However, I think the minister is beginning to realize, as I have, that this will probably not be enough.
In light of these new job losses, does the minister have anything to suggest in order to better protect the diversity of information?
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Mr. Speaker, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their jobs, and with their families. It is always worrisome when radio stations shut down and journalists lose their jobs. That is why we have been there from the start. We worked with the Bloc Québécois and the NDP to study Bill C‑11 and Bill C‑18, but the Conservatives did everything they could to delay the passage of those bills.
Do they finally understand that their actions have consequences?
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Mr. Speaker, layoffs at Bell Media are a sign of growing pessimism even among the telecom giants. We can only imagine how the smaller industry players feel.
Will current federal programs and the compensation flowing from Bill C‑18 really be enough to ensure the survival of the news?
The Bloc Québécois is proposing the creation of a dedicated fund, separate from existing programs, wholly dedicated to protecting news media and newsrooms. I think we are at that point.
What does the minister think? Is he prepared to work with us to develop a fund like that?
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Mr. Speaker, our government will always be open to new solutions. We will always look at what more we can do and what we can do better.
However, when we introduced the Canadian journalism labour tax credit, the Conservatives were against it. When we created the Canada Media Fund for the regions, the Conservatives were against it. When we introduced Bill C‑11, the Conservatives were against it. When we introduced Bill C‑18, the Conservatives, again, were against it.
Do they understand that their actions have real consequences?
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- Jun/15/23 3:03:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as a way to show the world his admiration for the basic dictatorship of the regime in Beijing, the Prime Minister wanted to personally contribute to its expansion in 2016 by proudly announcing an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. We warned the Prime Minister. The Conservatives saw the trap many times. We know from one of its executives that the AIIB was in fact run by the Chinese Communist Party. Canadians should not have to pay a quarter of a billion dollars to expand the Beijing regime.
When will the Prime Minister get our money back?
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- Jun/15/23 3:04:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Deputy Prime Minister said yesterday in answer to this question, the Government of Canada will immediately halt all government-led activity at the AIIB. Furthermore, she has instructed the Department of Finance to lead a review of the allegations regarding Canada's involvement in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The Canadian government will also be discussing this issue with its allies. The review announced yesterday is to be undertaken expeditiously. No outcome is being ruled out following its completion.
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- Jun/15/23 3:04:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal-appointed board member on the Asian infrastructure bank just resigned, calling it a cesspool and saying that it was controlled by “the Chinese Communist Party crowd who operate like a secret police.”
Who could have seen this coming? Who could have predicted that a bank structured to give Beijing effective control would use the bank to expand the power and influence of the Communist regime in Beijing? Who could have possibly seen that coming? The Conservatives, that is who.
We warned the Liberals not to put tax dollars into this scam of a bank. When are they getting our money back?
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- Jun/15/23 3:05:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Deputy Prime Minister and I said in the House yesterday on this matter, the Government of Canada will immediately halt all government-led activity at the bank. She has instructed the Department of Finance to lead an immediate review of the allegations raised and of Canada's involvement in the AIIB.
The Canadian government will also be discussing this issue with our allies and partners who are members of the bank.
The review is to be undertaken expeditiously, and no outcome is being ruled out following this investigation.
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- Jun/15/23 3:06:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, nobody likes an “I told you so”, except for everyone who told them so.
It was not only Conservatives, but also our major security partners, such as Japan and the United States, and foreign affairs experts, who said the same thing, that the Communist regime would use the bank to bully developing countries and expand its power and influence.
This bank built railways and ports with taxpayer dollars while Canadians here at home are struggling just to pay the bills. Now that the con has been exposed, will the government do the right thing and get Canadians their tax dollars back?
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- Jun/15/23 3:06:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to the same question, we say the same answer as we gave yesterday in the House.
The Deputy Prime Minister has been very clear. We have ceased all government-led activities with the AIIB. We have asked the Department of Finance to conduct an immediate investigation into the activities of the bank. This investigation is to be undertaken expeditiously, and no outcome will be ruled out.
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- Jun/15/23 3:07:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, countries around the world are racing to seize the extraordinary economic opportunities that come with building a low-carbon economy, investing in clean energy, and scaling new technologies. We must ensure that Canadian workers are equipped with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time.
Can the Minister of Natural Resources please share how this government is helping workers capitalize on this opportunity and ensure Canada is a leader in all things energy?
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- Jun/15/23 3:08:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for the question, and for his advocacy on these important issues.
The global race to build a low-carbon economy is the greatest job-creation opportunity of our time. We can either work to seize this opportunity or put our heads in the sand and let it pass us by.
An hon. member: Oh, oh!
Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson: Mr. Speaker, having a serious plan to address climate change is required to have a serious plan for Canada's economic future.
Today, with the tabling of the sustainable jobs act, our government is choosing to seize the moment. This act will create and maintain jobs in communities across Canada by helping workers gain the necessary skills and training to fill the jobs of a low-carbon world. We are building an economy where Canadian workers and businesses will thrive.
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- Jun/15/23 3:08:52 p.m.
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Before going to the next question, I would like to remind the hon. member for Calgary Midnapore that it is not polite to scream over the voice of someone else.
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- Jun/15/23 3:09:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the cost of the Prime Minister's Liberal government is driving up the cost of living. The more he spends, the more things cost.
According to the latest National Rent Report, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in King—Vaughan is $2,650, the fifth-highest in the GTA.
Canadians are sick and tired of the government trying to convince them they have never had it so good. When will the Liberal Prime Minister show some compassion and stop the out-of-control inflationary spending so Canadians can stay in their homes?
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians are sick and tired of is the Conservatives' hypocrisy that they care about affordability for Canadians. Right now in the House they are holding up BillC-35, an act respecting early learning and child care. There are only 19 minutes left in debate to get this bill passed through the House to go to the Senate.
Conservatives keep saying they care about affordable child care, but all they have done is play partisan games to hold it up. When will they finally be honest with Canadians and tell them they do not care about it, instead of playing silly games?
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- Jun/15/23 3:10:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, fuel companies throughout Atlantic Canada have sent letters to their customers telling them that on July 1 propane is going up 12¢ a litre. Gasoline is going up 17¢ a litre, and home heating and diesel are going up 20¢ a litre.
Folks in Kentville, Antigonish, Sydney, Saint John, Fredericton, Edmundston, Corner Brook, Clarenville, Conception Bay South, Labrador City, and all over P.E.I. have sent me a copy of that letter. Will the evil genius who invented carbon tax 2 please stand up to tell us why he is persecuting Atlantic Canadians?
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- Jun/15/23 3:11:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the hon. member that the Conservative Party of Canada campaigned on a platform to implement a clean fuel standard, except that party is all words while we are all action. We have worked with companies across the country to ensure we can have lower carbon-emitting fuels in Canada. We are creating investments across the country in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Newfoundland of more than $2 billion in the last year alone in clean fuel.
We will continue ensuring that we can create good jobs, have a good economy and tackle climate change.
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- Jun/15/23 3:11:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what a pile of baloney. Canadians know that all they have done is destroy jobs in Canada. The Prime Minister's childhood friend, who believes the same thing, Premier Furey said that when he asked the federal minister what impact the carbon tax 2 would have. He admitted that it will not be zero. No, it will not be zero, it will be $850 a year per household in Atlantic Canada.
Will these Liberals finally admit that the carbon tax is not working, stop persecuting the people who elected them and end the carbon tax?
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- Jun/15/23 3:12:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I really find it quite rich when I am listening to our colleagues on the other side of the House. I would like to give them a little history of lesson, especially from my part of the country.
The first thing we did was reopen the veterans affairs office that the previous government had closed. The other thing we did, as a coastal community, was to build and open a new facility after they had closed down the Coast Guard search and rescue. Then we raised taxes on the wealthiest, lowered them for the middle class and lowered taxes for small businesses twice.
We have been there to help people through the pandemic. We are there now helping with dental care, with child care benefits and with people turning off—
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- Jun/15/23 3:13:04 p.m.
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The hon. member for St. John's East.
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