44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2023 10:00AM
- Dec/7/23 10:07:22 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B), 2023-24: Votes 1b, 5b and 10b under Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food”.
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- Dec/7/23 10:12:32 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the community around Enterprise Public School in Kingston.
The petitioners call on the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to prioritize funding for a national school food program through budget 2024, for implementation in schools in the fall of 2024.
The petitioners bring to the government's attention the new Statistics Canada data from 2022 that indicates one in four children in Canada lives in a food insecure household. They remind us that Canada is the only G7 country without a national school food program and that school food programs are recognized around the world as essential to the health, well-being and education of students, with over 388 million children in at least 161 countries receiving food or subsidized school meals at their school.
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- Dec/7/23 10:46:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, through you, I would like to point out to my colleague that Quebec's agriculture sector is not regulated by federal carbon pricing or the Quebec carbon market.
If the Conservatives are so concerned about farmers, what is their game plan for fighting climate change, which is having a major impact on our agriculture industry?
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- Dec/7/23 10:46:58 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the people at the forefront of developing technology innovation are those working in agriculture. They have always been ahead of the curve with respect to using the best technology and best practices, because it helps them continue their operation; it helps them become sustainable. Those who are working the land in the agriculture sector need to have the best practices in order to keep their operation going.
We want to continue to make it feasible for young people to get into the farming sector, but when the government is making it harder and harder for the people growing our food to make a living, we have a bit of a problem. This is the whole argument about the price of food. It is getting too expensive. Farmers are having a harder time making a living, and when they cannot make a living, it is tough to get people into agriculture.
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- Dec/7/23 3:49:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner.
I am very grateful to have an opportunity to speak to today's opposition day motion, because it is an issue that has been affecting the constituents in Souris—Moose Mountain significantly since the Liberal government came into power. Time and time again, the Prime Minister has made it clear that he does not support Canadian agriculture producers or care about their livelihoods. Nothing has made this more obvious than his refusal to remove the carbon tax from farmers.
Since the Liberals do not seem to have any understanding whatsoever of the importance of agriculture, not just for Saskatchewan but for all of Canada, I would like to paint a little picture for them. Saskatchewan farms account for the biggest share of Canada's total farm area, at 39.2%, to be precise. It is among the world's largest exporters of various field crops, such as canola, and it leads the country in the cultivation of cereal grains, oilseeds and pulses.
This means that, in many instances, when people put food on the table for themselves and their families, they can thank a farmer from Saskatchewan for producing it. In fact, I was speaking with the French ambassador to Canada on Tuesday. He told me that France, which happens to be a world leader in mustard, is extremely dependent on Saskatchewan's mustard seed crop, especially when we have droughts and the crop is poor.
With 66.9% of Saskatchewan's total farm area being made up of cropland, which is more than two-fifths of Canada's total cropland, it is commonly called the breadbasket of Canada. Even the Statistics Canada website uses this phrase, so the federal government must be aware of what our farmers do to feed Canada and the world, as well as the benefits they bring to our country's economy. Why the government chooses to punish the very same farmers who work tirelessly, day in and day out, to bring the highest-quality produce from the farm to the table, I personally cannot understand.
Farming is not an easy lifestyle. The days are long, with farmers getting up before sunrise and finishing their workday in the dark. They are at the mercy of nature, and as we all know in the House, the weather in Canada does not always co-operate with our wants and needs. Still, our farmers persevere, because they are dedicated to their work; they are willing to make sacrifices in order to get the job done. The least we can do is support them, yet the Liberals choose instead to tax them at every turn and make their lives harder by quadrupling the carbon tax on their input costs. This will only increase the cost of food for Canadians.
Food insecurity is a real issue in Canada right now, and it is something that I have been concerned about for a number of years under the mismanagement of the Liberal government. According to Food Banks Canada, there were nearly two million visits to food banks in one month back in March 2023, an increase of 79% from 2019. This is an alarming statistic, especially when we factor in the Liberals' inability to control inflation and the cost of living crisis that so many Canadians are currently facing.
From 2021 to 2022, the number of families who were food insecure increased by more than 12%, yet the Liberals are still forcing these very same families to pay a carbon tax on just about everything they buy. In fact, a new report that came out today shows that a family of four will pay $700 more next year on groceries; that is on top of the $1,065 extra that they paid this year. For many families, that amount of money is the difference between being able to pay the rent or keep the heat on for the winter and not being able to do so.
Projections show that, in 2024, there will be a 2.5% to 4.5% increase in food prices, with meat, vegetables and bakery items rising from 5% to 7%. Because of these rapidly rising prices, Canadians across the country are reducing their expenditures on groceries, either by reducing the quantity or quality of food they are buying or by substituting less-expensive alternatives. We are now seeing the highest level of food bank usage in Canada on record, and the Prime Minister must answer for this.
I would like to read a portion of the Food Banks Canada policy recommendations from its website. It states the following:
Unfortunately, the story of 2023 is one of government inaction across the country. Our warning has largely gone unheeded—and the repercussions are clear, with nearly 2 million food bank visits in one month alone. The state of poverty and food insecurity in Canada has reached alarming heights.
Despite the poverty rates being relatively low in historical terms, we are seeing signs that people in Canada are struggling profoundly. Food insecurity rates have skyrocketed, with nearly one in five Canadians finding it difficult to bring food to the table each day. The current financial challenges have resulted in growing mental health problems and stress related to finances. There is a palpable anxiety, with many people across the country growing increasingly concerned about how to meet their fundamental financial responsibilities, like paying their rent, filling up their car to get to work, and paying for necessary prescriptions.
The lack of government action has only exacerbated the problems we were seeing a year ago, and in some cases, for decades prior.
What I just read did not come from a partisan Conservative source, as the Liberals would probably like everyone to believe. It came from a reputable and well-established organization with the goal of seeing a Canada where no one goes hungry. What is a simple and straightforward way of doing this? It is to stop taxing the very farmers who produce the food, so the costs do not get passed on to the consumer. If we tax the farmer who grows the food and the trucker who ships the food, it is ultimately the consumer who pays that tax. The Liberals either do not understand this or do not care, and hard-working, average Canadians are paying the price for their apathy.
Since the inception of the Liberal carbon tax, my office has been inundated with emails and letters from constituents who call on the government to axe the tax so they can make ends meet. People are so upset and frustrated that they are actually sending me copies of their power bills, something that has never happened before in my eight years as an MP. They want me to see just how much the Prime Minister is hurting them, especially those who live on a fixed income, such as seniors.
I am going to share a few quotes from these letters, with the hope they resonate with members across the floor the same way they did with me. One email that was sent to the Liberal House leader and copied to my office says, “You can't be serious with your comment that the carbon tax is minimal in your interview with CTV. The prices of everything we are paying for have been affected! We, as Canadians, are suffering directly from the carbon tax! I'm asking you to please stop with the carbon tax if you really care about the citizens of Canada.”
Another email, one that was accompanied by a copy of a power bill, reads:
“I'd like to bring to the attention of the Prime Minister what it is like to live in rural Canada. We are so tired of hearing how easy it should be to use public transportation and not rely on natural gas. All those things that are available to large city dwellers. We do live in a town of 1500 people. My husband needed cancer surgery in July and we had to drive 3 hours one way to the hospital. In rural areas, there is no public transportation like taxis or buses that would take us to these appointments, let alone directly from our home to the hospital door.
“Our vehicle gas bill is quite hefty.... Gas in our area runs around $1.40 per litre. We drive an SUV, but it still costs $500.00 approximately for the three trips needed every two weeks for my husband's medical condition.”
I do not know how much clearer we can possibly be that the carbon tax is hurting Canadians and disproportionately hurting those who are already struggling to afford the necessities of life. To add insult to injury, the Prime Minister has chosen to provide an unfair carbon tax carve-out to those living on the east coast, while those living in the prairie provinces are given no relief whatsoever.
According to the Liberal Minister for Rural Economic Development, if the Prairies want to be adequately represented in the House of Commons, they should have elected more Liberals. Apparently, the people of southeast Saskatchewan are not important enough in the Liberals' electoral math to get the same deal as those in Atlantic Canada. Furthermore, this came from the minister who is meant to represent all rural Canadians, not just those who vote Liberal. This kind of divisive statement continues to cement the fact that the government cares only about those who might be valuable to them when the next election rolls around. The Prime Minister has created two classes of Canadians: those who pay the carbon tax and those who do not.
Canadians deserve a government that does the work for the people who do the work in this country, and that includes our farmers, their families and all those who pay taxes and contribute to our economy. Canadians do not want gimmicks or temporary measures.
With that said, it is time for a change. It is time to stop taking money out of Canadians' pockets in the midst of an unprecedented cost of living crisis. It is time for a new Conservative government to bring it home for all Canadians.
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- Dec/7/23 4:30:57 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I will answer him in English because his question is very specific.
I want to make sure I give my hon. colleague the best response I can. At the end of the day, I would have encouraged the Senate, as I did in letters I wrote publicly, including to the vice-chair of the agriculture committee, the member for Foothills, to maintain the bill as it was. A majority of members of the House, representing all parties, voted in favour of bringing that forward.
As to the question around barn heating and cooling, are there other methods to turn to? I think, yes, more so than grain and vegetable drying, which is either natural gas or propane. There are other alternatives for barn heating and cooling, but the committee weighed that and felt that, at this time, the affordability costs and the ability to make the transition were difficult, so it should also be included. The bill has come back to the House, and we will have that debate. At least the grain and vegetable drying portion should absolutely become law, and I would support a more expansive piece on barn heating and cooling.
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- Dec/7/23 11:18:25 p.m.
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moved:
That Vote 1b, in the amount of $16,108,492, under Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food — Operating expenditures, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, be concurred in.
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- Dec/7/23 11:31:59 p.m.
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moved:
That Vote 5b, in the amount of $11,383,559, under Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food — Capital expenditures, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, be concurred in.
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- Dec/7/23 11:44:44 p.m.
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moved:
That Vote 10b, in the amount of $34,211,000, under Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food — Grants and contributions, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, be concurred in.
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