44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 28, 2023 10:00AM
- Nov/28/23 2:32:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know to what extent strong unions and collective bargaining are essential to the prosperity of the middle class in this country. That is why, from 2015 onward, the government has been a friend to organized labour and has worked with it to overturn the anti-union legislation that the Stephen Harper government brought in, including the Leader of the Opposition as a minister in that government.
We have continued to stand with workers. We are very pleased that the NDP is supporting our replacement workers bill. We really hope the Conservatives will understand that supporting workers means supporting unions. We hope the Conservatives will stand up and support our anti-scab legislation.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to dodge the question about the tax he plans to quadruple on Canadian farmers. One farm alone in my riding is spending $150,000 a year on carbon taxes, and the Prime Minister wants to quadruple that number, for up to $600,000. That might put the farm out of business, which would mean we would have to buy more foreign, expensive food from more polluting countries.
The Prime Minister is blocking a common-sense Conservative bill, Bill C-234, in the Senate that would take the tax off our farmers. Will he commit here and now to another carbon tax flip-flop and carve it out for our farmers, so our people can afford to eat?
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- Nov/28/23 2:34:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is only one party in the House that is flip-flopping, and it is the Conservative Party with regard to its support for Ukraine. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has expressed its disappointment with the Conservatives for voting against the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement. In fact, it is calling on the Conservatives to change their position, to vote for the bill and to support Ukraine.
It is hard to trust what the Leader of the Opposition says, because he keeps changing his position. He says he supports Ukraine, but he did not in his actions. He could direct his caucus to support this legislation and to support Ukraine.
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Mr. Speaker, we are against the carbon tax deal that the Liberals put before the House, and we are against quadrupling the carbon tax on Canadian farmers. The Prime Minister cannot defend his position, nor does he have the courage to just admit, as he did on home heating oil, that he was wrong. He plans to quadruple the tax on our farmers, who feed our people; this will send millions more people to the food bank.
Will the Prime Minister rise today and show the courage to admit he was wrong and back Conservative Bill C-234 to take the tax off our farmers, so our people can afford to eat? He should get up and answer.
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- Nov/28/23 2:35:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is ironic to hear from the leader of the official opposition about courage to admit he was wrong. In fact, on Thursday, when he was called out by the media for falsely alleging that there was a terrorist attack, instead of taking ownership as any Canadian would be expected to do, he blamed the media and doubled down.
The Leader of the Opposition has a real challenge with taking responsibility for his actions and his decisions. Quite frankly, Canadians deserve better, and they deserve to know the truth behind his decisions and his actions.
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Mr. Speaker, farmers from across Canada are calling on Liberal-appointed senators to support a common-sense Conservative bill, Bill C-234, which would lower costs on farming and make food more affordable, but the Liberals' environment minister has threatened to resign if there are any carbon tax carve-outs. This is amazing when we have a record-shattering two million Canadians relying on food banks.
The environment minister's dedication to making life unaffordable is unwavering. Will the Prime Minister ask his environment minister to stop threatening so-called independent senators and allow the passage of Bill C-234, so Canadians can afford to feed themselves?
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- Nov/28/23 2:37:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to read an extract from a news article titled “Canadian Senator Flees Home Amid Safety Concerns Following ‘Wanted Poster’ Incident”. It reads:
In a disturbing turn of events, Canadian Senator Bernadette Clement was reportedly forced to leave her home due to fears for her safety. The incident came about after a provocative post, akin to a ‘wanted poster,’ was shared online by [a member of the Conservative Party of Canada].
Who is bullying whom in this House and in the Senate? It is certainly not us. We are not telling senators how to vote; the Conservative Party is.
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- Nov/28/23 2:37:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here are the facts that the environment minister refuses to recognize. An Alberta poultry farmer paid $180,000 a year in carbon taxes just to heat and cool his barn. When the Prime Minister quadruples his carbon tax, he will be paying $480,000 a year. That farmer said he cannot afford those tax hikes. His options are to pass on those costs to consumers or just call it quits. Does the environment minister want to bankrupt Canadian farmers and force Canadians to food banks just to save his job?
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- Nov/28/23 2:38:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here is what an independent senator said about what the Conservative Party is doing in the House and in the Senate.
According to this article, Senator Saint-Germain said that “Plett ‘violently’ threw his earpiece” and ‘stood before Senator Clement as we sat at our desks, yelling and berating us for proposing this routine motion”. She went on to say that the Conservative senator “‘pointed fingers’ at another ISG member” and “suggested he would block work...on the Senate's human resource subcommittee.”
No matter how much the Conservative Party would like us to believe that this is about taxation, it is not; it is about bullying.
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- Nov/28/23 2:39:10 p.m.
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I would like to once again remind all members not to speak unless it is their turn to do so. That way everyone can hear the question and answer.
The hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is not worth the cost. It is costing all Canadians more and more. The Liberal carbon tax on farmers has a direct impact on food prices. I would like to remind members that people are struggling to put food on the table right now.
We, the Conservatives, have made a common-sense proposal to eliminate the Liberal carbon tax on food production. I am talking about Bill C-234, which is currently before the Senate. It does not happen every day, but the Bloc Québécois, the NDP and even the Green Party agree with us on this. Only the sore losers disagree.
Why is the government now giving unelected senators the power to overturn the will of the House of Commons?
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- Nov/28/23 2:40:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to see the double standard the Conservatives are applying to the Senate, because they are not shy about using the Senate to block bills that they do not like.
I would also like to remind the House that we saw in the news recently how independent senators are being intimidated by Conservative senators at the request of the Conservative Party of Canada in the House. That is not how things work. We do not tell anyone in the Senate how to vote or what to do. We have discussions, but we do not force anyone to do anything, unlike the Conservative Party of Canada.
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- Nov/28/23 2:40:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the reality in my riding, and I am sure it is the same in Montreal, is that food banks are overflowing. They are not overflowing with food. They are overflowing with people who used to donate to food banks but now have to use them. Over two million Canadians cannot afford food, so they go to food banks.
What we are trying to do is bring down the cost of food by helping farmers, but the Liberal government and the Minister of Environment want senators to oppose the will of the House of Commons.
Does the minister think that is democratic?
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- Nov/28/23 2:41:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, how odd that the Conservative Party never mentions the $1.5 billion we give farmers across the country to help them shrink their carbon footprint. How odd that they never talk about the effects of climate change, which cost farmers hundreds of millions of dollars. Those costs are going up.
Speaking of the Senate, according to media reports, some Conservative senators, at the behest of the Conservative Party, engaged in violence against other senators. Some senators even had to leave their homes following the campaign of violence orchestrated by the Conservative Party of Canada.
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- Nov/28/23 2:42:18 p.m.
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Before I give the member for Beloeil—Chambly the floor, I would like to remind all members that it is very important to use parliamentary language even when they do not have the floor. Members must not accuse people of lying deliberately.
The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.
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- Nov/28/23 2:42:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past few days the Minister of Immigration has made disrespectful comments about members of the Bloc Québécois who are asking questions, which is our job, and has even impugned Quebec, which is highly questionable. Can we put all this behind us?
Can the minister show the high-mindedness he is known for, which his office demands, and acknowledge that based on his own government's commitments, he owes Quebec $460 million for refugee intake?
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- Nov/28/23 2:43:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I very clearly said that Canada is not an ATM. We are going to hold discussions with my colleagues from Quebec to sort out all the expenses incurred. We have demands of Quebec too, but we are not going to hash them out on the floor of the House of Commons with the Bloc Québécois. I am going to discuss them with a responsible government, like Quebec.
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- Nov/28/23 2:43:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it seems I am not getting anywhere.
I do not know who he thinks he is, but he owes Quebec $460 million.
If I do not pay my credit card bill, I would not say that I am not an ATM. That is a bit of a smart-alecky answer. It is unworthy of a parliamentarian. It shows a lack of respect for parliamentarians. It shows a lack of respect for Quebec. Why is he not sitting down with Quebec, reaching an agreement and paying his debts?
That would be the bare minimum we should expect from him, especially when the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs has recognized that Quebec is providing more than its share of the effort.
Minister, do your job.
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- Nov/28/23 2:44:25 p.m.
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I remind members that all questions and answers must be addressed through the Chair.
The hon. Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
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- Nov/28/23 2:44:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would simply say that the Bloc Québécois is not Quebec.
I am treating this feigned outrage for what it is. If the Bloc Québécois ever has concrete demands, we can discuss them. I have a duty to speak with my responsible counterparts in the Government of Quebec. That is what I want to do. We will engage in two-way communication. This relationship is not a one-way street.
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