44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2023 10:00AM
- Dec/7/23 10:29:03 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I feel like I am in a kind of parallel universe this morning as I listen to the Conservatives talk about the carbon tax yet again. I have no idea what universe the Leader of the Opposition is living in.
I toured Quebec in recent months and met with over 400 housing organizations, including the Réseau québécois des OSBL d'habitation, the Réseau Solidarité Itinérance du Québec, and technical resource groups that work with homeless persons and women who are victims of domestic violence or that build social housing. No one ever talked to me about the carbon tax. What these people want is for governments to invest. They want the failed national housing strategy to be reviewed. They want the government to send Quebec a cheque so it can build real housing that people can live in. That is what people want. No one ever brought up the carbon tax to me.
What universe are the Conservatives living in?
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- Dec/7/23 10:30:03 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I live in a universe where people need their trucks to go to work. That is the reality in Saguenay and throughout the regions of Quebec. The Bloc Québécois has forgotten the regions of Quebec because the Bloc is obsessed with Plateau-Mont-Royal, where the lefties are completely obsessed with taxes and the concentration of government powers.
I find it ironic that the Bloc wants to radically increase taxes on Quebeckers in the regions, only to put all the money in the hands of the federal government. That means more power for the federal government and less power for Quebeckers. That is the Bloc's real agenda. The Bloc is out of touch with Quebeckers. It is costly to vote for the Bloc Québécois, very costly indeed.
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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 11:09:13 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Government of Canada, through a procurement process, awarded Boeing hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts, and that Boeing contract is going to provide hundreds of jobs for people in Winnipeg. Substantial government dollars were used to support Boeing and our having military aircraft.
I have no problem with the Government of Canada supporting industries that are going to provide good, sound jobs, either directly or indirectly, whether they are directly focused in the province of Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba or any other region of the country. It is an issue of fairness, and this government has been fair with respect to this particular project. Whether it is with Volkswagen or Stellantis, unlike the Conservative Party, we see these as investments that are going to ultimately build a stronger, healthier industry and provide good, solid middle-class jobs well into the future.
The difference is that we think of the future jobs for Canadians. We are not stuck in the past, and we are open to having a healthier environment.
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- Dec/7/23 11:10:29 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have been listening to the debate since this morning, and, as a Quebecker, I feel completely left out. Yet again, the House is debating the carbon tax, which does not apply in Quebec and has nothing to do with Quebec. Furthermore, I am wondering how the Quebec Conservative members feel about this. Every time their party moves motions, they exclude Quebec. I am wondering why they do not fight for their party to move motions about things that affect Quebeckers. On the other hand, every time the Liberals rise to speak about climate change, they make it seem like everything is hunky-dory, like it is all a bed of roses.
Canada is one the worst countries at fighting climate change. It is the only G7 country whose emissions have not dropped since 1990. According to a study by the International Monetary Fund, which can hardly be described as a far left environmental group, in 2022, Canada directly or indirectly invested $50 billion in the oil industry. I would like to ask my colleague how many social housing units he thinks $50 billion could have built.
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- Dec/7/23 11:36:53 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I find it interesting that the Bloc, a party only from Quebec that has never formed government and will never form government, seems to take issue with the fact that Conservatives are calling for very clear and simple answers for why senators, including Senator Petitclerc from Quebec, voted to shut down debate and voted to gut a common-sense Conservative bill, Bill C-234.
I would ask the same question of Senator Paula Simons from Alberta. She voted to gut and attack it as the deputy chair of the ag committee. She is the deputy chair of the ag committee in the Senate and she voted to punish farmers.
I encourage Canadians to reach out, respectfully of course, and share their opinions with these lawmakers in our country. It is essential that they hear from affected Canadians, whether it is a person who is being forced because of the Liberal Prime Minister's policies to visit a food bank or—
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- Dec/7/23 11:41:54 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Jonquière for his speech and his calm and reasonable tone.
After today's big disappointment regarding the cap on emissions for the oil and gas sectors, we see that the big difference between the Liberals and the Conservatives is that the Conservatives do not even bother to pretend to take the climate crisis seriously. They want to abolish a tax that does not even apply in Quebec. I do not understand why the 10 Conservative members from Quebec continue to argue about that.
What is more, we have learned from Statistics Canada that doing away with the carbon tax in the provinces where it does apply would benefit households that earn more than $250,000 a year. I would like to hear my colleague from Jonquière's comments on that.
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- Dec/7/23 11:44:45 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I hope the member is at least willing to admit that Quebeckers are disproportionately impacted by the carbon tax. The carbon tax is applied on the trains that go to Quebec, the carbon tax is applied on trucks and semis that transport goods into Quebec and that gets passed on to consumers in Quebec. They are, in fact, paying the carbon tax.
I am wondering if the member opposite would acknowledge, at the very least, that Quebeckers are getting a bad deal by this federally imposed carbon tax. Even though it is not imposed in Quebec, Quebeckers still have to pay for the damages without the rebate from the government.
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- Dec/7/23 11:45:31 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, there is no serious analyst who would support what my colleague says. There is no economist in Quebec who would support it. There is no serious public policy analyst who would be ready to support it.
However, serious analysts would confirm that inaction will cost us dearly. The climate catastrophes we are seeing, that are causing insurance premiums to skyrocket and forcing us to pay two or three times more for infrastructure, will cost us very dearly. My colleagues should be worried about that.
If their goal is to make life easier for families and farmers, I ask them to fight global warming, because it will have disastrous impacts on people's wealth in the coming years.
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- Dec/7/23 12:49:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first, I want to say to my colleague that we need to stop the disinformation.
I also want to make a couple of very important reminders. First, the carbon tax does not apply in Quebec. Second, households outside Quebec that pay this carbon tax receive financial compensation that is in no way related to their profession or marital status. It is based on their income.
Third, the Conservatives' proposal excludes many households for no good reason. How do they define family? What about single people or the elderly?
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- Dec/7/23 12:50:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is all about fairness. Quebec does not directly pay the cost of carbon tax 1, but it pays carbon tax 2.
I will give an example from my province. We are going to grow some mustard. For that mustard, all the inputs that go into putting seed in the ground, harvesting and shipping that grain to a processing plant is all taxed with the carbon tax. Then it gets to the plant and it is processed into mustard. Before we put that mustard on a hotdog, we pay a carbon tax for the production of the seed, the production of the mustard and the transportation into Quebec. Yes, people are going to be paying more carbon tax if they elect the Liberals.
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- Dec/7/23 1:31:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will ask my colleague the same question I asked the leader of the official opposition earlier.
There were all sorts of food drives over the weekend. I met with organizations in my riding, very dedicated people, food banks, families, people involved in housing as well, who build social housing. They talked to me and what they want are massive investments to build social housing for families, for women who are victims of domestic abuse and for single mothers.
Again, no one talked to me about the carbon tax and the related rising costs in Quebec. What they need is housing. No one talked to me about the carbon tax. The carbon tax does not apply in Quebec.
What is it going to take for Conservatives to understand that this does not apply in Quebec? What would my colleague say to the woman who says we need investments in social housing?
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- Dec/7/23 1:32:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if he does not think that the carbon tax impacts him in Quebec, then he has not been listening to my colleagues in the Conservative Party or many of the people in his home province. Obviously, attacks placed anywhere in Canada affect the food prices in our whole nation. That is a big part of the problem that the Bloc has not recognized.
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- Dec/7/23 1:55:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member is operating under good instruction from his whip's desk to keep calling out points of order on me. Congratulations to him.
However, in the document, “The True North Strong and Free”, Stephen Harper's plan for Canadians, there is actually reference to pricing pollution in here through the cap-and-trade model that Ontario, Quebec and a number of states in the United States adopted. That member ran in 2021 on Erin O'Toole's plan to price pollution—
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- Dec/7/23 2:04:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as a sure sign that the holiday season is fast approaching, today is the day that people can donate on street corners for the 23rd annual media food drive.
Across Quebec, our media personalities are braving the bitter cold to help food banks and all Quebeckers in need. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I invite those who can afford it in these difficult times to give generously. Let us not forget that the campaign runs until December 31 and that people can also donate online if they do not get a chance today to contribute to the buckets of our courageous fundraisers.
In closing, I would like to point out that if the Liberals want to contribute to the media food drive, we remind them that, during the election campaign, they promised $1 billion for food aid for schools. What a great opportunity for them to keep their election promise.
I would like to thank all the participants and wish everyone a happy media food drive.
Let us give generously.
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- Dec/7/23 2:26:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers take in 48% of all the people who seek asylum in Canada. It is costing us $460 million. Quebeckers deserve to be reimbursed, not insulted.
However, not only is the Minister of Immigration refusing to reimburse them, but, in committee on Tuesday, he reiterated his plan to send Quebec another bill. We provide 100% of the services and foot 100% of the bill, yet he thinks Quebeckers owe even more money. I cannot make this stuff up.
The Minister of Immigration is meeting with his Quebec counterpart tomorrow. Will he check his arrogance at the door and bring his chequebook instead?
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- Dec/7/23 2:26:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is arrogant is to think that a relationship is a one-way street.
We have a great partnership with Quebec. I hope to meet with Quebec's representative tomorrow. Hopefully everything will be settled in the House of Commons in terms of our marathon votes. That is not related, but the fact is that we are going to meet with my counterpart from Quebec. We will have a good discussion. Hopefully, afterwards, we will have a discussion with our respective finance ministers.
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- Dec/7/23 2:40:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we obviously share the concerns of all Canadians with respect to the integrity of our borders.
My colleague is suggesting that we are going to cut RCMP staff in “C” Division in Quebec to fight organized crime and secure our borders, but that is not quite true.
Since the closure of Roxham Road and the changes to the safe third country agreement, the RCMP has reallocated its resources to priorities like organized crime and border security.
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- Dec/7/23 2:41:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois talks a lot about the importance of respecting provincial jurisdictions and fighting climate change. Today, we did just that. Today, Quebec's minister of the environment, the fight against climate change, wildlife and parks, Benoit Charette, said that he welcomed the announcement of a cap and trade system for the oil industry, and that it was a good day for the environment and the economy.
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- Dec/7/23 2:57:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, CEO Catherine Tait announced that CBC/Radio-Canada is laying off 600 employees. This is a catastrophe. It is a catastrophe for news and regional information. It is a catastrophe for Quebec culture and democracy, and of course it is a catastrophe for Radio-Canada creatives.
Catherine Tait's chosen approach is like water torture: Waves of layoffs stretching out over months, leaving everyone feeling like they could get the boot at any second. It is disgusting, yet the executives have the gall to give themselves holiday bonuses. Shame on them.
Does the Minister of Canadian Heritage still have confidence in Catherine Tait?
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