44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 19, 2023 11:00AM
- Jun/19/23 2:28:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Prime Minister, the cost of housing has doubled. The cost of a down payment for the average house has doubled. Monthly mortgage payments have doubled. The average cost of rent has doubled.
Now the Minister of Finance is introducing another $60 billion in inflationary deficits. That is $4,200 per Canadian family.
When will the minister balance the budget to reduce inflation and lower interest rates?
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- Jun/19/23 2:29:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our economic plan struck a balance between fiscal responsibility and compassion.
That is why, in July, we will be providing a grocery rebate to 11 million Canadian families in need. That is why we are also providing dental care to Canadian families in need. That is why we are going to invest more than $100 billion in our green transition.
We are doing all that while maintaining the lowest deficit in the G7.
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- Jun/19/23 2:30:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the only thing the minister and the Prime Minister are doing for the cost of groceries is raising taxes on food. They are promising a new, second carbon tax that will apply in Quebec, despite the fact that Quebec is the greenest province and perhaps even the greenest place in the world.
Now the Liberals, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, want to impose a tax of 20¢ per litre on farmers and consumers, which will increase the cost of food.
Will they axe the tax so Quebeckers can afford to eat?
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- Jun/19/23 2:30:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think a lot of people watching at home might be thinking about the record floods in recent months, the record tropical storms and now the record forest fires we have been having, and they might be wondering why the Conservative Party of Canada continues to be so stubbornly silent on climate change. The Conservatives have not said a word in the House about climate change and the tens of thousands of people who have been displaced.
Where is the Conservative plan to fight climate change? Where is the Conservative plan to help Canadians adapt to the impacts of climate change? It is nowhere to be found.
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- Jun/19/23 2:31:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is nowhere is the Liberals' environmental plan. They do not have an environmental plan. After eight years of raising taxes on consumers, they still cannot hit their targets. They seem to suggest that if Canadians were just forced to pay more for gas, groceries and heat that forest fires would stop. That is ridiculous. All that has happened is a 40-year high in food price inflation, one in five Canadians skipping meals because they cannot afford food and 1.5 million going to food banks.
Now the Liberals want a 61¢-a-litre carbon tax. Will they axe the tax so Canadians can afford to eat?
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- Jun/19/23 2:32:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the members of the Conservative Party of Canada say that if they were in power, they would work, through technology, to reduce pollution—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jun/19/23 2:32:26 p.m.
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The hon. minister has about 20 seconds left.
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- Jun/19/23 2:32:50 p.m.
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Interestingly enough, Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives had 10 years to do that when they were in power. My friend and colleague, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, does more for clean technologies on an average day before his first coffee than they did in 10 years.
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- Jun/19/23 2:33:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what we did in 10 years was reduce emissions while the economy grew, which proves the following quote, “I take great exception to the federal minister always forcing this into a dichotomous issue ‘either you believe in exactly what we say or you don’t believe in climate change.’ That’s completely illogical, it’s a false dichotomy, it’s a false dilemma, and it’s as insulting... as it is simplistic.” Who said that? The Liberal premier of Newfoundland. He says that the carbon tax will bring inflationary pressures to his people.
Why will the Liberals not listen to the Liberal premier and axe the tax?
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- Jun/19/23 2:33:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we sit in the House and we listen every day, but I would like to give another history lesson, if you would let me.
The previous government had a secretariat for rural economic development, which it axed, by the way. It was this government that put in place the stand-alone department of rural economic development, whose number one issue and mandate is to connect the country from coast to coast to coast with high-speed, affordable Internet, because that is the equalizer.
By the way, I was in the member opposite's riding last week and made a $71-million announcement of partnership with the Government of Ontario to connect the riding of Carleton.
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- Jun/19/23 2:34:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it shows how out of touch the Liberals are. They think that what rural Canadians want is another big government bureaucracy in Ottawa. What they actually want is more money in their own pockets.
However, the plan of that member is to raise taxes on Newfoundland customers, to bring in a 61¢-a-litre carbon tax on Newfoundlanders, Labradorians and all Canadians that will drive up the cost of heat, gas and groceries. Even the Liberal premier of Newfoundland says that it will not help the environment, that it will cause inflation.
Why will the Liberals not axe the tax?
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- Jun/19/23 2:35:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, two years ago, Atlantic premiers asked us to delay by two years the implementation of our clean fuel regulations, which was something the Conservative Party campaigned on during the last campaign. We did exactly that. We listened to the Atlantic premiers. We delayed the implementation of that important piece of regulation to ensure that Canadians would have access to cleaner fuels all across the country. It is already generating billions of dollars of investment throughout the country.
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- Jun/19/23 2:35:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the House will be wrapping up for the summer on Friday. There are four sleeps left for the government to announce a commission of inquiry into Chinese interference.
I say this because, with all due respect, the government is sleeping on the job. It needs to wake up and establish an official commission of inquiry. The name of the person who will lead it needs to be submitted to the House for approval. This needs to be announced by Friday if we want this commission to be able to publish its findings before the next election.
The government needs to get to work. Will it immediately announce a public and independent commission of inquiry?
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- Jun/19/23 2:36:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my colleague and all members of the House that the work is already under way with new powers for CSIS, with new transparency mechanisms and, now, with constructive discussions led by my colleague, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, to find the best way to get Canadians involved in protecting our democratic institutions in a strong and transparent manner.
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- Jun/19/23 2:36:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what has the government achieved so far this session? It wasted four months fighting against a commission of inquiry into Chinese interference. That is what people will remember unless the government takes action by Friday.
People are anxious for a commission to finally get to work, and so is the opposition, as I can confirm on good authority. I am also certain that no one is as anxious as this government to move on to the next step.
Why not do so immediately by announcing a public inquiry?
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- Jun/19/23 2:37:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what my colleague, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, is discussing with the Bloc Québécois, the NDP and, I hope, the Conservative Party.
I want to reassure everyone. We have already taken many steps, with new powers, to protect not only democratic institutions, but also Canadians. Budget 2023 will invest in new resources for the RCMP. That is what we have achieved so far. We will keep going.
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- Jun/19/23 2:38:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, wildfires are ravaging our regions. People are fleeing their homes. Children are breathing in smoke when they go to school in the morning. What has this government done? Nothing.
This Prime Minister promised billions of dollars to fight climate change, but we have learned that that money is still sitting in the government coffers while our forests are burning.
What will it take for the government to release those funds so that we have a chance, just a slim chance, of fighting climate change?
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- Jun/19/23 2:38:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our thoughts are certainly with the tens of thousands of people who have been displaced as a result of the wildfires. We are deeply grateful to all of the workers and other individuals who are on the ground to assist them.
I would like to remind my hon. colleague that Canada's last greenhouse gas inventory showed that our country's greenhouse gas emissions dropped by over 50 million tonnes. We had the best record of all the G7 countries from 2019 to 2021. I would remind my hon. colleague that COVID-19 was a worldwide pandemic. In spite of that, we still managed to have the best record in the G7.
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- Jun/19/23 2:39:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the interpretation, but I did not detect even a hint of an answer to my colleague's excellent question. Simply promising to invest in the fight against climate change means nothing if those dollars do not make it out the door, and time is of the essence. Our country is burning, and the next generation is looking on in horror. How—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jun/19/23 2:39:53 p.m.
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I am going to interrupt. I am having a hard time hearing the question, and it is just people talking to each other more than anything else. I am going to ask everyone to take a deep breath and if members are going to have a conversation, please take it into the lobby.
The hon. member can start from the top so we can hear the question, please.
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