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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 241

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 27, 2023 10:00AM
  • Oct/27/23 11:26:16 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is odd. Yesterday, when the Bloc Québécois said that we needed to review immigration levels, the Liberals accused the Bloc of being against immigration, but when the Liberals are the ones reviewing those levels, like they are currently doing, then that absolutely does not mean they are against immigration. When they do it, then it is okay, but when someone else does it, it is bad. On Tuesday, on the Bloc Québécois's initiative, we will discuss immigration targets. I wonder if we will be able to have an intelligent debate without the Liberals suggesting that everyone except them is intolerant.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:26:53 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is asking us to be there for immigrants in Quebec. We are very pleased to be part of the solution. Quebec has the exclusive power to select the majority of immigrants who arrive in the province. As set out in the Canada-Quebec accord, Quebec also receives financial compensation from the federal government for its assistance. We respect Quebec's jurisdiction on immigration. We are working very well with the Government of Quebec. The Government of Quebec is a good partner.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:27:34 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are seeing a housing crisis across the country, and Halifax is seeing one of the worst in Canada. People are forced to live in parks and in their cars. Women fleeing violence have nowhere to go when they stay at a shelter, and students cannot find a home they can afford. Liberals and Conservatives point fingers, but between them, those two parties have lost over a million affordable homes over the last 17 years. When will the Liberals finally build the homes people desperately need so no one has to sleep on the streets in Halifax?
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  • Oct/27/23 11:28:11 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are 70,000 new units for individuals who have experienced homelessness, and 122,000 people who were close to being homeless are not homeless because of the national housing strategy. That applies to what I just said before on homelessness. The member rightly brings up the plight and position of women who experience homelessness. Over 400 units of shelter were either renovated or constructed through the government's investments. We have more to do. It is not an acceptable situation, but we will get it done.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:28:46 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say they are not making things worse, but they are certainly not making things better. Here is the reality of yet another Canadian: Stephanie Finlayson, of Woodstock, Ontario, has been struggling to make ends meet. Big corporations that make record profits are gouging people such as Stephanie at the grocery store, at the pumps, with bank fees and with their cellphone bills. After working full time and paying her monthly bills, she only has nine dollars left for food. Under the Liberal government, people are going under, and Conservatives have no interest in cracking down on corporate greed. When is the government going to put something in place to protect Stephanie from this ongoing corporate gouging?
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  • Oct/27/23 11:29:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is stepping up to fight inflation and alleviate the pressures in our economy to address Canadians' affordability challenges. Meanwhile, we see the Conservatives shudder at even the thought of standing up to corporations. We brought them to the table. They have produced action plans. We are updating our competition laws. I wish all members of this House would get on side and vote in support of our affordability act.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:30:02 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a year ago, the Liberal MP for St. John's South—Mount Pearl, in a show of great compassion to Atlantic Canadians, said he was “sick and tired” of hearing from people complaining about the cost of heating. Then he and his fellow Liberals voted against removing the carbon tax from home heating. After eight years, NDP-Liberals now admit the carbon tax is hurting people and it is not worth the cost. Will the Prime Minister admit the pain he has caused and axe the entire carbon tax?
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  • Oct/27/23 11:30:40 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that climate change is real, and Nova Scotians know that climate change is real. Over the past two years, we have had fires, floods and hurricanes. We have also heard that Nova Scotians need help and time. That is why I am proud our government has incentivized heat pumps and created incentives for medium- and low-income families to ensure they can make the transition to clean and affordable energy. Our government is committed to addressing climate change, and we will be there to help all Canadians make that change.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:31:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the announcement he referenced is from a panicking, plummeting Prime Minister. After eight years, even the Prime Minister now admits his carbon tax is not working. However, the NDP-Liberal government continues to punish Canadians with a carbon tax on everything. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. Last night in Nova Scotia, 1,000 people demanded the Liberals axe the tax. When will the Prime Minister do his job and axe the entire carbon tax?
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  • Oct/27/23 11:32:02 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we want to save people money and fight climate change at the same time. We know that a price on pollution reduces emissions and puts more money in the pockets of middle-class families. We also know that many families who use home heating oil in Atlantic Canada are having trouble making the switch to a cleaner and cheaper source of heat, particularly in rural communities. It is a switch they want to make. That is why we are pausing the price on pollution on home heating oil for three years, doubling the rural rebate and creating a new program to deliver cleaner, more affordable heat pumps to families in the region while we save them thousands of dollars every year.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:32:37 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been eight long, miserable years with the NDP-Liberal government. A year ago, its members voted to keep the carbon tax on home heating, and now they are in full panic mode. With polling numbers in free fall, their new re-election slogan is “elect them and they will only quadruple the carbon tax right after the next election”. There is no relief either for the second carbon tax the Prime Minister has piled on. My constituents know the Prime Minister is not worth the cost. When will the NDP-Liberal government admit its carbon tax is punishing Albertans and axe the entire carbon tax?
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  • Oct/27/23 11:33:14 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we announced yesterday that we are going to double the rural top-up for Canadians, who benefit from the implementation of carbon pricing. We will also, through a pilot project, make it free for Atlantic Canadians who want to switch to heat pumps, which will enable them to save $2,000 per year. What is it the Conservatives do not like about it? I will tell members what it is: It is making Canadians less dependent on their big-oil friends. They want Canadians to continue paying for inefficient, polluting and pricey systems. That is not what we want to do on this side of the House.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:33:55 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, the members on that side are in panic mode because of falling numbers in the polls, so they are serving up election gimmicks. This week's food bank report says that one in six Canadians is one of the “working hungry”. They are working and going to the food bank. Herman, in my riding, tells me that he has been going to the food bank for almost two years, along with his brother and two friends. Another constituent told me that he is okay, as he is skipping only one meal a day and having cereal for the two other meals. Herman and my constituents know this: The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. When will the NDP-Liberal government treat Albertans fairly and axe the entire tax so they can put food on their dinner table?
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  • Oct/27/23 11:34:38 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is hard to take these champagne Conservatives seriously. They continue to stand up in this House and speak to the hardships that Canadians are feeling, while every step of the way, they oppose the very measures that our government has consistently put forward to help the most vulnerable. These are such measures as the Canada child benefit, offering families hundreds of dollars per month to support their children, and child care, which is saving families hundreds of dollars per month. Instead of weaponizing the hardships of Canadians for political gain, perhaps they could consider supporting real measures that help Canadians, such as the affordability act.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:35:31 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Mark is a local grocery store owner in Dawson City. He has seen his already high shipping costs get slapped with a 94% fuel surcharge because of the current Prime Minister's carbon tax. A dozen eggs is eight dollars, a pound of butter is nine dollars and a kilogram of cheese is $30. Yukoners know they simply cannot afford the Prime Minister any longer. Will the NDP-Liberal government finally stop punishing Yukoners and axe its carbon tax?
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  • Oct/27/23 11:36:11 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Canada Energy Regulator estimates that wind power will provide about 30% of Canada's total supply in 2050, compared with under 6% in 2021. According to a recent study by the Public Policy Forum, “Offshore wind could be for Atlantic Canada what oil was to Texas or hydro power to Quebec.” This is transformational for Atlantic Canada. I think a lot of Canadians wonder why the Conservative Party is opposing the development of clean, renewable energy for Atlantic Canadians and, in fact, for all Canadians.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:36:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, despite the Prime Minister's fancy photo ops yesterday, Yukoners are facing a cold winter. They will have to decide between keeping their kids warm and keeping them fed. The carbon tax is causing transportation costs to double and food prices to skyrocket. Instead of making it better for struggling Yukoners, the NDP-Liberal government is making it worse. After eight years, the Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost. Yukoners want to know this: Will the government end the carbon tax in its entirety and, if so, when?
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  • Oct/27/23 11:37:33 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I respect the hon. member across the way, who is speaking for the people of Yukon. We have a fantastic member of Parliament on this side who actually represents Yukon. I can tell members that, in that territory, we are making transformational investments in our tourism industry and in making sure we have climate resiliency. What the Conservatives have against climate change is the fact that they do not believe in it. They ran on a policy to actually fight climate change. Now that they are under new management, they do not care. We do. We are going to fight climate change for Yukoners and all Canadians.
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  • Oct/27/23 11:38:11 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, this government is standing alone against everyone else, and this is threatening the survival of 250,000 businesses. Everyone is asking the government to defer repayment of the CEBA loans for another year without losing any grants. All the premiers, the premier of Quebec and the premiers of the provinces and territories, as well as the National Assembly, which voted unanimously, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Association Restauration Québec, everyone—except the federal government—is on the same side, that of entrepreneurs. When will the government get on the same page as everyone else and defer repayment, as everyone is calling for?
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  • Oct/27/23 11:38:49 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her continuous advocacy for small businesses across Canada. The CEBA program provided unprecedented support to nearly 900,000 small businesses to help them keep their doors open and keep the lights on. Last year, our government extended the forgiveness qualification deadline by one year, to the end of this year. We know times are still tough for small businesses. That is why we recently announced a full one-year extension on the term loan repayment. We will continue to be there for small businesses throughout Canada.
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