44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 21, 2023 10:00AM
- Nov/21/23 6:09:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues in the House. After reading this important fall economic statement, like many of my opposition colleagues, the member for Elmwood—Transcona in particular, I am disappointed. We have an opportunity to do important, urgent things, but it is being ignored, overlooked. Why? I do not understand it. As the other members have already said, we have the ability to do this. Our fiscal position would make it viable, but it is being ignored.
We are disappointed that there is not more in this fall economic statement on the urgent crises facing Canadians on health care, housing, affordability, and especially on the multiple ways in which the climate crisis is costing us. It is referenced in the fall economic statement that one reason food prices have gone up is from multiple climate events, which have caused crop failures, and that caused prices to go up. Putin's invasion of Ukraine has obviously caused energy prices to go up.
However, one key reason food prices have gone up is that climate events around the world are causing breadbaskets to produce less. Places that produced a lot of food are now producing less. There are ways we could have used this moment of fiscal restraint to improve our climate record.
This may be the last chance I have to speak at any length about the climate situation before I am no longer able to speak in this place. That is not because of a health issue, but we do not allow Zoom from foreign countries, and I cannot participate virtually from COP28, which will take place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12. It usually runs late so perhaps December 13.
This is a moment when the Government of Canada should really be looking in the mirror. I mean, usually we would stop with the G7, because Canada has the worst climate record of any country in the G7. However, the United Nations just released a report on the eve of COP28, which assessed the climate records and performances of every country on earth and the gap between rhetoric and action. Out of every country on earth, not just the G7, Canada is maintaining the horrific record of being the worst. On the gap in the United Nations' “Emissions Gap Report 2023”, Canada has a 27% gap between promises and reality. The next worst is the United States with a 19% gap, then South Korea with an 18% gap and the U.K. with an 11% gap. All the countries of the developing world, known in UN parlance as the G20, have a 4% gap.
What do these gaps amount to? The Paris commitments that we took in 2015, which are legally binding commitments, were not to any particular target of x% reductions against x year, because the incoming Liberals in 2015 kept in place the Harper target from May 2015. It was a weak target, but it was not replaced until 2022, so there were seven years of the same weak target. The Liberals are not close to hitting the previous Conservative government's weak target.
We often say in this place that Canada has never hit a single target it has put forward on climate, but I will be more specific: We have never gotten the direction right. When we say we missed the target, it is like we were on a dartboard with the typical bull's eye effort and, “Oh darn, we were close”. If we were firing darts, the bartender had better duck, because we have never gotten the direction right. When we promise that our emissions will go down, they go up.
What we are shooting for in the Paris Agreement is hanging on to global civilization. There was an opportunity in the eighties and nineties, which my colleague from Elmwood—Transcona talked about, when his dad was in this place, the very Hon. Bill Blaikie, who was the environment critic for the NDP in the eighties when I first knew him. He talked about global warming and what we had to do to avoid losing our glaciers and avoid warming temperatures around the world. We had a chance to avoid all those things. We no longer have the chance to say that we can avoid the climate crisis.
Our addiction to fossil fuels and our greed are driving those in big oil, who say they know science but do not want to talk about it because all they care about is delivering profit to shareholders. That is not good law. In Canada, the law requires that corporations think of other things and that directors of corporations consider all stakeholders. By the way, future generations should count for something, but we have, in the last number of decades, lost the opportunities we once had to avoid climate change and global warming altogether because of greed, the addiction to fossil fuels and a commitment to developing them and continuing to shovel money to the wealthiest in the world. The billionaire class has a priority that we do not understand when compared to our own children and grandchildren.
Right now we had an opportunity to pay attention to this report from the United Nations on the eve of COP28 and reflect any of its urgency in this economic statement. We lost that chance too. I am always torn between anger and grief. How do I talk to my kids about this anymore? How many of our kids do not want to have kids because of what they see in this world? The opportunity was there for the Minister of Finance to cut costs.
We need to take a “green scissors” approach. We need to cut costs and save the billions of dollars that are currently shared among fossil fuel companies and no one else.
This fall economic statement talks about responsible fiscal management, yet, at the same time, the government continues to pour billions of dollars into fossil fuels through funding and subsidies. Why not stop the $31‑billion Trans Mountain pipeline project, which flies in the face of indigenous rights and impacts the future of our children and our own grandchildren?
We could cut costs and have more money for the things the government says it cares about: affordable housing, reducing costs for Canadians and cutting the costs of forest fires from one side of the country to the other. I noted a reference in the fall economic statement at page 6, which looks at what has happened to global economic activity and the contracting of the Canadian economy. It says, “part of this decline was tied to temporary factors, including a record-breaking wildfire season”. I do not think that is so temporary.
We have not hit a new normal. Some people are attempting to use that language. We are experiencing precursors of what will only get worse. As I started to talk about, our commitment in the Paris Agreement for all countries all over the earth was to avoid going above a 2°C global average temperature increase and try to hold to 1.5°C. This latest report from the United Nations says we are on track to over 3°C.
These are not political commitments. These are moral commitments based on the science that says if we do not act now, the window closes on our kids having a livable world. Many colleagues in this place talk about their fear of what the Conservatives would do after the next election. I have certainly heard from people a lot about that. It is so extreme that people are prepared to ignore the fact that those who are responsible for condemning our kids to an unlivable world are sitting on this side of the House in the Liberal caucus. We cannot ignore the reality that it has been on their watch, with the people who claim to be climate leaders. The Liberals should thank the Conservatives for the only thing that makes the Liberals look good, for every time that the Conservatives have stood up to say that they do not want any carbon pricing.
A better argument could be made. We could do things other than carbon pricing to reduce emissions. As I said, we could start cancelling billions of dollars to fossil fuel companies. We could put in place what the hon. member for Kitchener Centre has put forward in Motion No. 92, an excess profits tax on the obscene profits and war profiteering of big oil. We could do that, but we cannot continue to ignore it.
I know there are many Conservative members of Parliament who care about the climate crisis and their own kids. They want to be able to stand up and talk about that, but it is not the current brand. I know there are many NDP members who would also want to cancel the TMX pipeline, but then they would get in trouble with Rachel Notley. This is an insanity that we are in right now.
I want to say that there are some things in the fall economic statement that are good, and it is about time. I am grateful that, at least, they are finally cracking down on Airbnb and the profiteering on short-term rentals that takes affordable housing out of our markets. I am glad to finally see that it takes the GST and HST off of mental health services, particularly for therapists and for going to talk to a psychotherapist or to a counsellor. I cannot believe it has taken so long. Astonishingly, that is it for measures for public health in this fall economic statement.
Again, the Green Party has consistently, in every platform over many elections, called for a national pharmacare plan, not filling in the gaps for people who do not have access to drugs. We are the only country in the world with universal health care in which coverage of pharmaceutical drugs is not automatically included. If we did that, as we know from the Hoskins study or the report that came out of a number of major universities called “Pharmacare 2020”, it would save us billions of dollars each year in the health care system. That is not mentioned either.
When we look at what is here, there are many good words about caring about affordable housing and co-operatives, as well as co-op housing as a way of going forward. However, we have tent cities springing up all over the place in this country. Greens believe that it takes the kind of concerted effort that takes place after a major disaster, when people are living rough. What does one do? What did we do as a country? Can we remember? It was a long time ago when the Halifax explosion occurred. I know the hon. member will remember the stories of that time. Obviously, he was not there then, but within months of that explosion, the Government of Canada and the Government of Nova Scotia built housing for thousands of people because it was an emergency.
Now is an emergency, and I hope that we will see better. The Minister of Finance ended her speech by saying that “better is always possible.” Better is possible but not very likely, unless we raise holy hell about the crises we face.
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- Nov/21/23 6:24:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is the first time I get the chance to say, “Welcome back to the House” to my friend and colleague. It is good to see her happy and healthy and standing in the House of Commons. The House of Commons is so much better with the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands here; I have to say that. It is great to be in a conversation where we talk about how we fight climate change and not whether we fight climate change, and I know we can always count on the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for that insight, perspective and strong advocacy.
I am glad the member spoke about co-op housing. I am never shy about the fact I am a proud co-op kid. My family grew up at the Chautauqua co-op, and my mom still lives there. My mom also runs co-ops and has been building co-ops, and she texted me today after some remarks yesterday in the House of Commons, to say to keep talking about co-ops because we need to keep investing in them. I was so thrilled to see an additional $309 million for co-operative housing. This is a non-market solution to a market-based problem, and it is so critical that we invest where we can and that we build long-term affordability into the housing system. I am thrilled there is additional money in there. With respect to affordability, we know that climate change presents an existential threat not just to our species but also to affordability. The number one reason food costs are up is climate change.
I am glad to see the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands back and healthy in this place. I thank her for her advocacy. If she wants to share any insights on co-ops in Saanich—Gulf Islands or anywhere in Victoria, I am happy to listen.
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- Nov/21/23 6:26:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the kind words of my colleague from Milton. At the time that I had a stroke, a number of members of this place sent me nice notes and prayed, and I appreciate that a lot.
With respect to co-ops, we had a commitment to $1.5 billion in budget 2023, and that money has not started to be spent yet, if I get that right. We do have new money announced in the fall economic statement, but why have we not moved things faster? The model of co-op housing is a perfect model. CMHC used to build a lot of co-op housing. Why are we not building co-op housing as fast as we possibly can? Why are we still allowing real estate investment trusts to keeping housing as a place for speculators to make money? We need to have homes where, as much as possible, we are making sure people are not investing in a speculative way such that homes for people to live in are used as a mechanism for corporations to increase their profits. I do not know where I am going with this, but sometimes I think of how we could just deal with the word “greed” by changing one letter, getting rid of the "d" and adding an “n”. We need to have policies that are designed for people who care about each other more than they care about the expanding wealth of the top 1% or .01%, whose wealth keeps growing while the lowest-income people struggle.
I was so disappointed that the fall economic statement does not provide for school lunch programs or school breakfast programs. The people in low-income communities need to know that if their kid goes to school hungry, somebody will give them something to eat before they start trying to learn.
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- Nov/21/23 6:28:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I too would like to welcome back our colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands. I am pleased to see her back on her feet and looking strong. That is what we want.
This economic statement shows that the Liberal government is moving closer to the centre. It has even introduced certain measures that were proposed by the Conservative Party. Meanwhile, the Liberal Party is forgetting a very important concept: equality for all. More importantly, it is ignoring environmental issues, which affect us all equally. The impact of climate change has been felt everywhere, especially in Quebec with this summer's forest fires. My colleague mentioned a number of issues. If she could have chosen one issue to be included in the economic statement and addressed quickly, what would it have been?
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- Nov/21/23 6:29:15 p.m.
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There are a few issues, Mr. Speaker, but since I have to pick one, I have to say that I am surprised to find no mention in this fall economic statement of the need to allocate more funds to the Canada greener homes grant, which is a program designed to make each home more energy efficient with the help of each homeowner. It is bizarre, because considering the recent announcements on carbon pricing and home heating costs, it is clear that this program is urgently needed, but most of the money has already been spent. The coffers are empty. We need a program that will allow every homeowner to green their home by making it more energy efficient, but no such program can be found in this economic statement.
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- Nov/21/23 6:30:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the story of northern Ontario is that we gave away the gold, the timber and the hydro, but the greatest resource we gave away, year after year, was the talent of our young people. That is why the investment in education was so fundamental.
We saw the destruction of Laurentian University through the exploitation of the CCAA and the destruction of the Franco-Ontarian programs, the indigenous programs and the midwifery program for northern women. New Democrats said we had to deal with it. We called for an emergency debate in the House. New Democrats brought forward legislation to call for the loopholes to be closed and to protect public institutions.
Finally, we are seeing the Liberals recognizing that there is a problem with the exploitation of the CCAA against post-secondary institutions. They have not included in their fall economic statement the need to protect all public institutions so that we do not have Danielle Smith, Premier Moe or Doug Ford putting hospitals and other institutions under CCAA to strip them, destroy them and take them apart.
Is my colleague willing to work with the New Democrats? We are going to fight to ensure that what happened at Laurentian University is never done again to a public university or any kind of public institution. Public investment will remain, and opportunities will remain in this age of privatization and corporate backroom deals.
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- Nov/21/23 6:32:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would be honoured. The Greens commit here and now to work with the NDP to make sure that public institutions, such as Laurentian University, never face the threats of insolvency and bankruptcy, and the scandalously bad management, that left students high and dry. I remember that debate. I remember so well what was done. Finally, we see something in this fall economic statement to end that kind of practice of predatory bankruptcies.
Let us keep working to keep what is public, public. Common sense is a good thing, and it sounds great, but let us return to common decency.
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- Nov/21/23 6:32:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one element of my colleague's speech that I really appreciated was the framing that this is not as simple as what we choose to spend or not. It is also about what we should be cutting, including subsidies to oil and gas, for example, to the tune of $22 billion. What could we invest in if we were not wasting funds there?
I would like to hear more on the calls tonight to ensure we end legislative poverty for people with disabilities. The government has promised this many times over, but has yet to show any commitment in dollars for the Canada disability benefit. Could she share her reflections on that?
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- Nov/21/23 6:33:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to my colleague from Kitchener Centre for his consistent hard work to make the disability benefit real. He has been working tirelessly to get the Liberal government to keep its promise in this area.
We also had a promise from the Liberals, in I cannot remember how many campaigns, but starting in 2015, that they were going to get rid of subsidies to fossil fuels. Instead, they have expanded a number of them. They have promised to deliver this benefit to people who are disproportionately living in poverty or people who are living with disabilities. It is time to get that disability benefit. It is time to see it. I honestly cannot believe that it is not in the fall economic statement. Let us see it ASAP. Let us get it delivered to the people who need it most.
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- Nov/21/23 6:34:33 p.m.
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I would like to thank everyone for their interventions this evening.
It being 6:35 p.m., pursuant to order made on Thursday, November 9, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).
(The House adjourned at 6:35 p.m.)
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