44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 6, 2023 10:00AM
- Oct/6/23 11:11:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the government still has no solution for inflation. Worse yet, it wants to saddle Canadians with a second carbon tax.
The government keeps saying that the carbon tax will not affect Quebec, but that is not true. The first carbon tax affects Quebeckers indirectly and the second tax affects them directly.
Quebec is not self-sufficient. We rely on a wide range of goods from across the country. When the carbon tax is applied to those provinces, the cost of the goods goes up. If the government taxes farmers, processors and transporters, then obviously the goods become more expensive.
Food banks in my riding are struggling to meet demand. The kicker is that the Bloc Québécois is supporting these measures that are making matters worse.
It is costly to vote for the Bloc Québécois. It has proven that by voting in favour of the carbon tax twice now, once on June 5 and again on Wednesday. Even more alarming, the Bloc wants to radically increase the tax, leaving Canadians even worse off.
Enough is enough. It is time for the common-sense Conservatives to fix what the Bloc-Liberal coalition has broken.
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- Oct/6/23 11:39:24 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think many Canadians are wondering why the Conservative Party of Canada is supporting Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who has put a moratorium on renewable energy projects in Alberta.
That decision is putting $30 billion at risk, while the Conservatives say they are in favour of clean technologies and the free market. Will they do the same in Quebec? Will the Conservative Party oppose renewable energy development in Quebec, Nova Scotia and Ontario?
I think Canadians want to know.
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- Oct/6/23 11:40:02 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' inflationary taxes, supported by the Bloc Québécois, are having a very serious impact.
According to a recent poll, 46% of consumers are buying lower quality food because it costs less, and 63% are concerned that those choices are having a negative impact on their health.
Contrary to what the Bloc Québécois would have people believe, the second carbon tax does apply in Quebec and it will drive up the price of all consumer products.
The question is very simple. Will this government show some empathy and cancel the two carbon taxes?
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- Oct/6/23 11:40:38 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what I cannot understand is how, in 2023, a party aspiring to form government can have no climate change plan and nothing to say to the tens of thousands of Quebeckers who have been affected by the flooding and wildfires this summer and to the people across the country, particularly in Quebec, who have been displaced.
The Conservative Party is saying that what it is going to do is make pollution free and let oil companies pollute our water, air and the health of our communities even more. That is the Conservative Party of Canada's environmental plan.
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- Oct/6/23 11:42:27 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in case it was not clear enough, I am talking about the Canada emergency business account.
All the parties in the Quebec National Assembly are saying the same thing. We are headed towards 250,000 small and medium-sized businesses going bankrupt unless Ottawa assesses each case and offers deferrals, as needed.
If Ottawa thinks it will get its money back faster with 250,000 bankruptcies, it is mistaken. If Ottawa thinks it makes financial sense to put the employees of 250,000 SMEs out of work, it is mistaken.
When will this government finally listen to reason?
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- Oct/6/23 11:57:38 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at a time when groceries are more expensive than ever, I want to take us back to the last election campaign. The Liberals promised Quebec and the provinces $1 billion over five years to fund school meal programs. We have heard nothing about it ever since. With inflation squeezing families, it is high time the Liberals kept that promise.
When will the government give Quebec and the provinces the $1 billion promised for school meal programs?
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- Oct/6/23 11:58:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we all know that life for Canadians is a little tough right now. We will continue to work together to improve the situation. We will continue to work with all the provinces and Quebec to help on various fronts, particularly on the issue of food for children. We will continue to work together to do just that.
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- Oct/6/23 11:58:51 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last year there were already 1.8 million children living with food insecurity and the price of food has only continued to rise. It is high time we helped these children.
In Quebec, we already have quality organizations that are just waiting for the funding the Liberals had promised. Needless to say, Quebeckers are siding with the organizations. Some 84% of people want the Liberals to keep their promise.
When will they give Quebec and the provinces the billion dollars they promised for children's lunches?
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- Oct/6/23 12:02:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to understand how it is common sense to impose a moratorium on renewable energy projects that will create tens of thousands of jobs and generate tens of billions of dollars. That is what the Conservative Party of Canada supports. That is what the Premier of Alberta is doing.
My question for the Conservatives is this. Will they block renewable energy projects in Quebec? Will they block renewable energy projects in Ontario? Will they block renewable energy projects in the Atlantic provinces? That is my question for them.
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- Oct/6/23 12:03:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our Liberal government is a proud defender of Canada's supply management system. The dairy sector is an important pillar in communities across Quebec and a key economic driver. We know that the government is committed to fully and fairly compensating producers and processors who have lost market share as a result of recent trade agreements.
How is the government helping the dairy industry in Quebec and across the country?
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- Oct/6/23 12:04:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, promise made, promise kept.
Last week, the minister and I announced $333 million for dairy processors in response to the issue of the non-fat solids structures. This is good news for our dairy producers. It is good news for our dairy processors. It is good news for Quebec, and it is good news for Canada.
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- Oct/6/23 1:11:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are back to debating the carbon tax. I would just like to remind everyone that it does not apply in Quebec.
In fact, the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis was a minister in Jean Charest's Quebec government when the carbon exchange was created. She knows full well that it does not apply in Quebec.
I guess the member does not have enough influence in her caucus.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to see you in the chair today.
I appreciate having the chance to stand in the House today to speak to Bill C-49. I would like to mention that as I deliver my comments I do so on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe peoples.
I would like to begin by acknowledging the fact that the other side likes to downplay and ignore climate change. As a member of Parliament from British Columbia, I can tell members that my constituents have faced some of the worst impacts of fires and floods, which have been exacerbated by climate change. From winter storms taking down power lines in Quebec to storms battering our coasts, the fact is that the climate crisis is a serious issue that requires serious responses. Today, we are here to talk about a plan to help expand job-creating climate action in Atlantic Canada, which is certainly a region that has seen no shortage of climate impacts.
Let us take Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia’s workers and their families have been through not one, not two, but three climate disasters in the last 13 months: hurricane Fiona, the wildfires in the Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne County, and the flash flooding that tragically led to the deaths of four Nova Scotians, including three children. It is time to stand behind the people of Nova Scotia and all of Atlantic Canada as we move forward with opportunities that will support the fight against climate change and benefit the region’s long-term economic future.
Developing the offshore renewable energy industry should be a priority for all members of Parliament, which is precisely why I am here today as a member of Parliament from British Columbia. Enabling the offshore renewables industry to move forward will not only help the people who live and work in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, but also help Canada as a whole in the effort to do the following: help reduce emissions and meet emissions targets; create a clean, reliable and affordable grid; create good-paying sustainable jobs; enhance Canada's ability to compete in the global low-carbon economy across all sectors; and, further grow our economy today.
It is clear that Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador’s workforces are ready to move forward with these offshore opportunities. The citizens of these provinces have the skills we need, and they bring generations of experience in a range of marine industries to the table. Like British Columbians, our east coast colleagues are talented in other areas that are expected to benefit the offshore renewable energy industry, including shipbuilding, aquaculture, defence, research and ocean technology.
My Atlantic colleagues have been clear when they have spoken in this chamber. These provinces, and the livelihoods of all who call them home, have been shaped by the sea, providing rich maritime heritage and a passion for the environment, both of which make offshore wind and other renewable energy projects a natural fit for Nova Scotians and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Of course, they also benefit from the geography and energy context that makes these projects so attractive. Nova Scotia’s current energy mix means that affordable and reliable offshore wind power will support lowering prices for ratepayers, and as Newfoundland and Labrador uses its hydro capacity to support the electrification of buildings, industry and transportation, more and more power will be needed in the future. This is true across the country, yet the offshore potential of Atlantic Canada is one of the greatest on earth. Unlocking this potential is a critical part of achieving our commitments to the global fight against climate change.
Members on the other side like to bury their heads in the sand and ignore the climate crisis, as we see time and again in this place. Our side knows that ambitious action provides us with an opportunity to show the world that Canada is a reliable partner and leader in solving the great challenge of our era in a manner that supports the creation of sustainable jobs. To ensure we honour our commitments to Canadians and the world, and to ensure our economy does not surrender opportunity to our competitors as the rest of the world races towards net zero, we need to move quickly. That urgency brings us to the business before us today, and our provincial counterparts agree that we must move quickly.
Nova Scotia, for instance, has stated that coal-fired power plants are going to become a thing of the past by 2030, and that 80% of the province’s power will, by then, come from clean energy. That is only six years away. Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative government and citizens are asking for this House to get this bill passed so they can start building the renewable energy they need.
Atlantic Canadians, in particular, are calling on the Conservative Party to end its campaign of climate action obstruction and join us in passing this bill. Everyone is asking the Conservative Party to stop blocking jobs, investments and the renewable energy that will power their homes and businesses. The question is whether or not the leader of the Conservative Party will take his head out of the sand and heed this call.
Make no mistake. We will advance this legislation and deliver for Atlantic Canada either way. Doing so makes sense from both an environmental and economic perspective.
The potential for job creation and environmental benefits in renewable energy is so strong in Nova Scotia that the provincial government has already made several significant moves toward making offshore renewable energy projects a reality in preparation for this bill’s passing. Nova Scotia has joined the federal government in carrying out the regional assessment on offshore wind that is currently under way. Right now, the regional assessment committee is hosting public open houses to provide information on the process itself and get feedback on potential project locations.
Nova Scotia also released the first module of their offshore wind road map in June, which clearly delineates its vision for offshore wind energy and the regulatory pathway and timelines for project development. The road map provides certainty for businesses looking to invest, as well as giving a line of sight on what is coming for stakeholders, indigenous groups and other interested parties. The road map also outlines the seabed leasing opportunities, noting that access to seabed rights that are solely under the province’s jurisdiction could be available for commercial projects as early as next year.
For this to happen, Bill C-49 needs to pass quickly through this chamber. I again encourage my Conservative colleagues to listen to the people of Atlantic Canada, as well as both the Liberal Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Progressive Conservative Premier of Nova Scotia. I encourage them to reverse their thoughtless and ideological position and vote in favour of this common-sense bill. Bill C-49 affords the House the opportunity to deliver good sustainable jobs, good renewable energy projects and major economic opportunities for all while combatting climate change.
The two boards, the C-NLOPB and the CNSOPB, which has held the provinces’ offshore energy industry accountable for many years, are the natural choice to take on an expanded mandate for the regulation of the provinces’ offshore energy projects. It is a perfect fit. The offshore board already ensures that licensed project operators adhere to offshore regulations. It engages and consults with stakeholders, indigenous groups and the public to get feedback on potential and existing projects. It has years of experience in offshore safety and environmental protection and holds operators to account through the boards’ comprehensive compliance and enforcement activities.
The boards are also an excellent collaborator. They have put several agreements and memoranda of understanding in place with other organizations and agencies to make it easier for them to share information, expertise and resources with each other and coordinate their initiatives. This includes agreements with the Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canada Energy Regulator, Natural Resources Canada, the Transportation Safety Board and more. With these many agreements already in place, the offshore boards are a clear and logical choice for overseeing the development of offshore wind projects, as well as other renewable energy projects off the shores of Nova Scotia.
Economically, this bill makes good financial sense. We have heard that it is expected that as much as $1 trillion will be invested in offshore wind globally by 2040. That investment is already starting to flow to offshore markets around the world. This is why it is so urgent that the Conservatives end their opposition to these jobs and investments so that all members of Parliament can come together to get Bill C-49 passed.
We need to seize this massive economic opportunity, not just for Atlantic Canada but for all of Canada. This bill is key to ensuring that our country is a leader in the global race to net-zero. All members of all parties of all regions should not delay this bill any further, or else we will throw away the opportunity to attract investment, the opportunity to build a world-class offshore wind industry and the opportunity to create the thousands and thousands of jobs associated with it.
Bill C-49 makes sense for Atlantic Canada’s workforce, and Canada more broadly. When Canada builds major new industries, Canadians from across the country contribute and benefit. The benefits of this economic activity help to spur waves of labour development, and that is critical to the economic well-being of Canada as a whole, along with the restoration of many coastal communities in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.
The world needs Canadian clean energy and technologies in order to advance the fight against climate change and access long-term energy security. When Chancellor Scholz came to Newfoundland and Labrador last summer, he made it clear that Germany is looking to buy clean Canadian hydrogen made from offshore wind.
I am happy to take questions about Bill C-49, a very important piece of legislation.
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- Oct/6/23 1:48:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it was a pleasure to welcome my colleague from Richmond Centre at the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology and to go over this type of bill that allows us, as consumers, to be better protected. That is essential.
Let us come back to the issue of repair. In the remote region where I am from, Abitibi‑Témiscamingue, we do not all have access to big cities. However, this bill addresses the fundamental issue of consumer protection.
The National Assembly of Quebec recently adopted Bill 29 to fight against planned obsolescence and to avoid people purchasing “lemons”, for example.
Does my colleague think that the bill adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec makes sense and does he think it will complement his bill? Are we making progress today when it comes to consumer rights?
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