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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 246

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 3, 2023 10:00AM
  • Nov/3/23 11:37:12 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, this government is panicking. The Prime Minister announced that he was pausing the carbon tax for the Atlantic provinces. That is not enough. We are asking him to be fair to all Canadians, including Quebeckers, because unlike what the Bloc Québécois is saying, the second carbon tax does apply in Quebec. Voting for the Bloc Québécois is costly because they want to drastically increase the carbon tax. We like to remind people of that. Will the Prime Minister ignore the Bloc Québécois's requests and vote for our motion, which helps Quebeckers?
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  • Nov/3/23 11:37:46 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague clearly did not understand my answer. When she was part of the government in the Quebec National Assembly, she supported carbon pricing in Quebec, which is now a leader in that area. I do not understand how this member can rise in the House today and say that a price on pollution is not one of the best ways to fight climate change. I strongly encourage her and the other Conservative members to talk to their leader to make sure that he understands that carbon pricing is important. It is important for Quebeckers and for Canadians across the country.
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  • Nov/3/23 11:38:28 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, a full-blown atomic bomb has dropped on the world of Quebec television. TVA—
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  • Nov/3/23 11:38:33 a.m.
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Order. Some members are not being respectful in the House when it is not their turn to speak. I would remind them once again that, if they want to speak, it would be better if they did so elsewhere. The hon. member for Drummond may begin his question again.
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Madam Speaker, a full-blown atomic bomb has dropped on the world of Quebec television. TVA, the most-watched television network in Quebec, will be laying off 547 people, a third of its workforce. We are losing extraordinary artisans of our culture. It is catastrophic. It is catastrophic, but not surprising, unfortunately. If this is happening to TVA, all of our media are at risk. We have to rethink everything, if we want to save our media. A massive undertaking is needed. Does the Minister of Canadian Heritage seriously think that Bills C-11 and C-18 are enough to save Quebec media?
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  • Nov/3/23 11:39:32 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, this situation is another sad example of what the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act are meant to address. We understand that it is not easy to reform the media landscape to make it fair, competitive and respectful of all Canadian voices, but we have worked to ensure that markets across Canada, including the francophone market, are supported. Our culture and our democracy depend on the measures that we are taking to support the information system that Canadians are looking for. That is what we are doing, and that is what the Conservatives have opposed every step of the way.
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  • Nov/3/23 11:40:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the hundreds of job losses at TVA will inevitably impact news in the regions. There will be fewer journalists, fewer editors, fewer studios, less airtime, and smaller teams with fewer resources. Add to that the fact that print and local media are in crisis, and we have the perfect recipe for our regions to fall off the radar. Meanwhile, it is clear that the Online News Act is about to hit a wall. What will the Minister of Canadian Heritage do to protect television, radio and newspaper news outside major urban centres?
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  • Nov/3/23 11:40:56 a.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-11 
Madam Speaker, once again, our thoughts are with the workers and their families, particularly as the holiday season approaches. This situation could have been avoided and all of those workers would still have jobs if the Conservatives had not spent the past few years opposing Bill C-11. Yes, Bill C‑11 is enough. Yes, we are here with a bill that is in place to help save media jobs. We managed to get Bill C‑11 passed, and it will provide solutions to protect thousands of well-paying jobs.
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  • Nov/3/23 11:41:35 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the single mom in Calgary who might lose her home next month woke up to news that one part of the country gets relief from the NDP-Liberal carbon tax. She does not. After eight years, the Prime Minister finally admits he is not worth the cost. When will he realize that heating a home is not a luxury and end this carbon tax chaos for all Canadians?
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  • Nov/3/23 11:42:03 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, with respect to the colleague, we set up a national program. We have heat pumps that will be available to all provinces. Right now, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador have signed up. Yesterday, the minister was talking with B.C. and Manitoba. Therefore, I encourage our Conservative members to talk to the Conservative premiers, to call us and to get involved, so that we can make sure that we provide free heat pumps to all Canadians and make sure we get off oil energy as quickly as possible. It is dirty, and it is expensive.
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  • Nov/3/23 11:42:42 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, in Calgary, temperatures can drop to -40°C in the winter. A heat pump is not the solution for people in my community who are already struggling. On Monday, the Liberal member for Calgary Skyview has a choice. Will he vote for the Prime Minister's carbon tax, or, after eight years of sitting as an NDP Liberal, will he vote for our Conservative plan to axe the tax and keep the heat on?
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  • Nov/3/23 11:43:11 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, there are Canadians in every province and territory who use home heating oil to heat their homes. It is the most expensive way to heat one's home, and it is the dirtiest way to heat one's home. It is the most emissions-intensive way to heat a home, and it is also the least healthy way to heat a home. Our Canada-wide program will get Canadians off home heating oil and using a heat pump. This is a program that is for every province and territory in the country. It is all about lowering our emissions. Former Liberal governments phased out coal. We are going to continue to phase out coal, and we are going to continue to work toward an emissions-free Canada.
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  • Nov/3/23 11:43:52 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, after eight years with the Prime Minister pretending that his way was the only way to reduce emissions, he announced a pause on the carbon tax on home heating, but only for some Canadians, only in some regions and not for all Canadians. Calgarians are already struggling to meet everyday expenses and keep warm during cold winter nights. On Monday, the member for Calgary Skyview has a choice to make. Will he continue to support the Prime Minister's plan to divide Canadians by taxing regions differently, or will he be allowed to support our common-sense Conservative plan to take the tax off and keep the heat on for all Canadians?
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  • Nov/3/23 11:44:34 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will accept that the member for Calgary Centre probably has zero constituents who use home heating oil. That is not true across the whole province. There are Albertans who use home heating oil and are not on propane or natural gas. The difference between propane and natural gas and home heating oil is that home heating oil is way more expensive, way more emissions-intensive and less healthy. We need to get Canadians off that product and using a heat pump. We already know that the Conservative Party of Canada is here for the oil and gas sector. Let us see if the Conservatives are here to fight climate change and help Canadians get to using a heat pump.
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  • Nov/3/23 11:45:13 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is the first time I have heard somebody differentiate the warmth going into people's homes in the wintertime to keep them from freezing, but thanks. The NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost, and Canadians can see it. Canadians are struggling to make ends meet with the inflation compounded by the Prime Minister's policies. We have put forward a common-sense Conservative motion to take the carbon tax off, so all Canadians can keep the heat on. Residents of Calgary Skyview want to know if they will be left out in the cold by their Liberal member. Will the government allow the backbenchers to vote for tax fairness for all Canadians?
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  • Nov/3/23 11:45:56 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, pricing carbon is a market-based solution. I know the member for Calgary Centre is an economist, and he is a smart guy. We have spent some time in the House debating such issues, but a market-based instrument is not a controversial one. We are talking about the most expensive, the dirtiest and the most emissions-intensive way to heat a home. We need to get Canadians off that product and using an efficient heat pump to heat their homes, lower our emissions and make sure we are driving toward a net-zero future for Canada.
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  • Nov/3/23 11:46:30 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, small businesses need a real extension to repay the CEBA loans that they used to survive the pandemic. The Liberals' solution is an 18-day extension. That is a cruel insult to businesses in my riding, which are facing a perfect storm of postpandemic recovery, high inflation and, now, impacts from wildfires. The Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce is calling for action. Will the minister listen and give small businesses the one-year extension to the CEBA loan deadline that they need to survive?
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  • Nov/3/23 11:47:09 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for that question. That is why we are offering additional flexibilities for small businesses to repay their CEBA loans. This includes a full one-year extension on the term loan repayment deadline, more flexibility on refinancing and more time to access loan forgiveness, which is both balanced and fiscally responsible. We know times are tough, which is why our government is also cutting taxes for growing small businesses and lowering their credit card fees by up to a quarter. We will continue to listen to small businesses, and we will be there for all Canadians.
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  • Nov/3/23 11:47:48 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the long and painful legacy of Canada's neglected Métis people has and continues to have horrific impacts on Métis children. Métis families in British Columbia deserve a child welfare system that centres them, their culture and their future. Today, it fails to do that. Métis children deserve to know that, when their families need support, they will get that support from those who understand the most: their families. When will the government meet honourably with Métis Nation British Columbia to ensure that Métis children in the province do not continue to fall through the cracks?
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  • Nov/3/23 11:48:26 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his passion in regard to advancing Métis interests across Canada. Our government is committed to working with Métis people. Our government is continuing to advocate and make sure that all indigenous children in Canada have the proper supports. We are going to continue to work with first nations. We are going to continue to work with Inuit people. We are going to continue to work with Métis people. We will get it right. We are going to have to meet with the stakeholders to make sure we do so, but we are committed to doing so.
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