SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 314 - May/21/24

Mr. Michael Kram (Regina—Wascana, CPC)

May/21/24 10:26:55 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity tonight to speak to the budget. A big part of what politicians do is decide which problems in society need to be solved by governments and which problems are best left to individuals and to families and to the private sector. The Liberal government, with its NDP coalition partners, spends a great deal of time, effort, energy and taxpayers' money trying to solve all sorts of problems, while unfortunately accomplishing very little and more often than not being counterproductive. I remember when the finance minister presented her budget last month. She received one partial standing ovation from the official opposition when she said: There are those who claim that the only good thing government can do when it comes to economic growth is to get out of the way. The finance minister went on to cite the example of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project as an example of her government's success when it comes to government intervention in the economy. It was not too long ago that resource companies and international investors were excited about all of the potential pipeline projects in this country, such as northern gateway, Keystone XL and energy east, just to name a few. Building pipelines such as these is something that private sector companies are able to do in most countries, but sadly not in Canada. All of the blueprints for all of these pipeline projects have been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for years because the Liberal government has made it practically impossible for the private sector to get projects like this built through its anti-development legislation, such as Bill C-69, the “no more pipelines” bill, and Bill C-48, the “west coast oil tanker ban”. It is sad that the finance minister would cite, as a success story, the one lonely, solitary pipeline expansion project that the government decided to take over while all the others were being chased away. It is also worth noting that this was not a new pipeline being built. It was simply the twinning of an existing pipeline, with a new pipe being laid right alongside the old one. This raises the question: How long did it take to build the new pipeline and how long did it take to build the old one? The proposal for the original Trans Mountain pipeline was submitted for approval in 1951. Construction was finished in 1952. Compare that to the decade that it has taken for the expansion to be completed. That makes this project hardly anything for the Liberal government to brag about. One also cannot help but be concerned about the cost overruns that have happened under the Liberal government's watch. The Trans Mountain expansion was originally estimated to cost $7 billion. The final price came in at $34 billion. When a fivefold increase in total cost is touted as a success story, that should give all Canadians pause the next time the Liberal government sets out on one of its interventions into the economy. The finance minister went on to talk about her government's new school lunch program. It seems that the Liberals have just recently discovered what Conservatives and food banks have been saying for years, namely that food bank use has skyrocketed under the Liberal government. According to a report by Food Banks Canada, nearly two million Canadians had to use food banks in March of last year. That is a 32% increase from the year before. Furthermore, one third of food bank users are children. I did not hear the finance minister mention under whose watch food bank use skyrocketed. I did not hear anything in her speech about the Liberals increasing their carbon tax again this year on the farmers who grow the food, the truckers who truck the food and the grocers who refrigerate the food, and about all of those costs being passed on to consumers at the grocery store. I also did not hear anything from the finance minister about passing Bill C-234 in its original form to exempt grain drying and barn heating from the carbon tax so that those costs are not passed on to consumers in the form of higher grocery prices. I did not hear anything about the Liberals' $40-billion deficit driving up interest rates or the $60 billion in debt servicing charges making it more difficult for Canadians to make ends meet and causing Canadians to have to choose between putting a roof over their heads or putting food onto the dinner tables. Instead of focusing on the root cause of the cost of living crisis, the Liberals have decided to bring in yet another government program. This time, it is a nationwide school lunch program. While school lunch programs are certainly a reasonable and beneficial public policy, anyone who bothers to take a brief skim of section 91 and section 92 of our Constitution will tell us this is clearly the jurisdiction of provincial governments and best left to provincial ministries of education and social services. What I find so frustrating about the Liberal government is not only that it is bad at capitalism, but also that it is just as bad at socialism. Take, for example, the new Canada disability benefit. This program resulted from the passage of Bill C-22, a bill the Liberals introduced almost two years ago. The stated objective of this bill was actually very reasonable; it was to provide a social safety net for Canadians living with disabilities so that no one has to live in poverty due to a disability. Personally, I have always felt programs such as this are best left to provincial governments. In my home province of Saskatchewan, we have a program called the Saskatchewan assured income for disability, SAID, program. I also believe very strongly in an inclusive society for persons with disabilities, so if the federal government wanted to join in, I certainly was not going to stand in the way. It seems that everyone else in this chamber felt the same way since Bill C-22 passed unanimously last year. When the details of the Canada disability benefit were announced in the budget, they were certainly a disappointment for disability advocates everywhere, with the maximum benefit being only $200 per month and not one thin dime being paid out until July of next year. Two hundred dollars per month is not enough for anyone in this country to live off, even before inflation and the cost of living skyrocketed under the government. After nine years of the Liberal government, and with the introduction of this budget, the size of the federal government and the cost of the federal government have now doubled under the Liberals' watch. After nine years, the government has come to the point where literally all of the revenue from the GST goes toward merely paying the interest on the federal debt. The Liberals are adding another $40 billion to the federal debt this year, which now stands at well over $1 trillion and rising. I come back to the finance minister's statement, when she said that the only good thing the government can do when it comes to economic growth is to get out of the way. A more accurate statement would be that the only good thing that the current government can do is to get out of the way. It is time for a new Conservative government to replace the Liberals and their NDP coalition partners and to fix the budget as well as the many other problems they have created. Therefore, Conservatives will vote against this budget and we will vote non-confidence in the government.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)

May/21/24 10:35:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, if I understand this correctly, Conservatives are saying it is this government's fault people have to use food banks, but when this government puts forward a solution to that, this member says it is not in the jurisdiction of the federal government, one should read our Constitution and the federal government should have nothing to do with this. The member spoke as though he was very complimentary and understood and encouraged school food programs. He must know Canada is the only G7 country without a national school food program, but yet he not only will vote against this budget that puts money into it, but also voted against the national school food program policy that came before the House about three months ago. We are expected to believe this is all because the Constitution says we should not do anything about it.

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Food

Mr. Michael Kram

May/21/24 10:36:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, good heavens. Where do I begin? Yes, the Liberal government has caused a lot of problems in this country. Most notably is the increased use of food banks, especially among children, over the last nine years of the government. I would also really encourage the member to read this country's Constitution. I do not know what it is like in his home province of Ontario, but in Saskatchewan every school can be designated as a community school if it is in a neighbourhood with a low enough income and a low enough poverty level, and those schools are given school food programs on the basis of the individual need. I do not understand why we need a national school food program when provincial governments are already doing exactly that.

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Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)

May/21/24 10:37:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague from Regina—Wascana mentioned the northern gateway pipeline. What he did not mention was that the northern gateway pipeline and the plan by Enbridge to bring crude oil supertankers to the north coast of B.C. was wholly rejected by municipalities, first nations, anglers, commercial fishermen and the majority of the people of the District of Kitimat, who held a specific referendum on that issue. The culmination of that effort led to Bill C-48, the north coast Oil Tanker Moratorium Act. I say this with no animus to my colleague personally, but his leader is going around the country saying that a Conservative government would tear up that oil tanker moratorium as one of its first acts in office. Can my friend down the way confirm if that is true? Can he say it loud enough for the people all the way on the west coast of Canada, on Haida Gwaii, in Prince Rupert and Klemtu, and all of the—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

May/21/24 10:38:46 p.m.
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We get the gist of it. The hon. member for Regina—Wascana.

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Mr. Michael Kram

May/21/24 10:38:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have said literally hundreds of times on the campaign trail that yes, Conservatives are opposed to Bill C-48, the west coast oil tanker ban. That is because Canada's oil and gas do not do anyone any good when they just sit there in the ground doing nothing. Other countries around the world buy their oil and gas from Saudi Arabia and Russia. That is so counterproductive to building a productive Canadian society and a better place for our allies all around the world. Yes, we will certainly get oil and gas flowing to our allies and around the world.

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Mrs. Laila Goodridge (Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, CPC)

May/21/24 10:39:33 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Regina—Wascana for his wonderful speech. He and I share a passion when it comes to supporting Canada's world-class energy industry. Can he share some of what he hears from people in Regina on the impact the anti-energy government has had on the people and the jobs in Regina—Wascana?

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Mr. Michael Kram

May/21/24 10:40:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for all of her advocacy for Canada's oil and gas sector. In my riding of Regina—Wascana, it is not just the oil and gas workers who benefit from the natural resource sector. It is not just the steelworkers at EVRAZ north of Regina who make the pipelines who benefit from the oil and gas sector. In any given year, between 10% and 15% of the provincial government's revenue comes from natural resource royalties. That is how the provincial government can afford to build schools and hospitals, and make our society a better place.

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Mr. Marty Morantz

May/21/24 10:40:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Constitution Act requires that there be quorum in this place for it to operate. I respectfully call for—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

May/21/24 10:40:52 p.m.
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The hon. member knows very well that there are no quorum calls at this point in debate. Resuming debate, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services.

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Mrs. Jenica Atwin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services, Lib.)

May/21/24 10:41:09 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am certainly happy to engage in our final moments here in this chamber tonight, addressing the very important Bill C-69, which is our budget implementation bill. As I prepared what I was going to share this evening, I thought a lot about our wonderful staff members here in the House of Commons who have been supporting us tonight. I thought about our lobby teams who do so much for us, and I also thought about my own team, both in the riding of Fredericton and right here on the Hill. I would just like to take this moment to congratulate them and to thank them for all that they do on behalf of constituents across the country. This got me thinking. I have a wonderful intern in my office right now. She is actually visiting us from Michigan, studying our Westminster parliamentary system and comparing it to the American system that she is used to. She interviewed me today. She asked me a bunch of questions about my personal journey into this place, and about various policies and the process that I undertake. She also asked me a very interesting question. It gave me a minute of pause. She asked me what the biggest issue would be for Canadians 10 years from now. It made me pause for a second because I thought it very much depends on perception, absolutely. It depends on what kind of Canada we want, what kind of efforts we are going to be putting into what this future looks like. It certainly also depends on the policies and investments of today that could create that future of tomorrow. The Canada I want to see is one that is inclusive and diverse, one that focuses on equity and justice for all, one that has Canada leading in the green economy, one that respects environmental sustainability, one that has affordable and accessible housing as a human right, and one that ensures safety and security for all. I think it is safe to say that we can all dream about this kind of Canada, but it is about what we do in this place right now as members of Parliament that sets up this future for the next generation. I think about my two children at home and what kind of world I want to bring them up in. I refuse to paint a picture of Canada that is devoid of the hope and the energy that is truly reflective of Canadian ambition, of our tradition of hard work and resiliency. Conservatives may chastise me by suggesting I take off my rose-coloured glasses and hop on the nation-bashing bandwagon, but I will not do that. No one is saying that Canadians have never had it so good. We know there are challenges right across this country. We know that the climate change impacts, geopolitical events, supply chain pressures, a cost-of-living crisis and general everyday struggles have only compounded post pandemic. We know that the word “unprecedented” has, unfortunately, been used an unprecedented amount of times in the last couple of years. This does not mean that we turtle. It does not mean that we bury our heads in the sand or worse, that we retreat to the angry corners of the Internet to point fingers and to scapegoat our fears against the most vulnerable in society. Unfortunately, this is the direction that Conservatives have chosen. The Leader of the Opposition smiles while our country burns so that he can claim to be the great saviour, like Dances with Wolves, swooping in to rescue poor Canadians from the boogeyman. Canadians do not need a saviour. They do not need to be talked down to or to be patronized. They do not need to be misled. They need solutions. They need evidence-based policy. They need investments. They need support. Most of all, I think that they need each other. The Canada that I envision in 10 years would also see co-operation, unity, an atmosphere of civil dialogue where we can set aside our perceived differences to find a common ground that truly binds us. I hear none of this from the Leader of the Opposition. I hear a lot of “me”, I hear a lot of “I” and a lot of what he thinks is best or supposedly what is “common sense”, even when it makes no sense at all. Bill C-69 is about setting the stage for a bright future for Canadians. It is about fairness. It is about strategic initiatives that respond to the difficult realities faced by Canadians. It is about transforming, for example, our housing system, empowering renters and homeowners, building stock, incentivizing development, and using the creativity and innovation that we know is what defines Canadians across this country. Fredericton has benefited from these really important policies around housing, for example, the rapid housing initiative, the housing accelerator fund, and green and inclusive infrastructure programs. We are also home to the now famous 12 Neighbours tiny home project by entrepreneur and philanthropist extraordinaire Marcel LeBrun, who has built 99 new homes for those in need, with the help of the federal government. These are good news stories that make a real difference in people's lives, but Conservatives do not want to talk about that. This budget bill is also about economic growth and productivity. The IMF and the OECD project that Canada will have the strongest economic growth in the G7 on average by 2025. This is good news again. Bill C-69 looks to invest in the technologies, incentives and supports critical to increasing innovation, attracting more private investment and backing up our workforce. We are doing this by improving access to training and reskilling programs, increased funding for youth employment and skills strategy programs. This is what investing in the future looks like. It brings me hope. We do not have to be pessimistic in this place. I think it is incumbent upon all of us to be optimistic, to lay that path forward for Canadians to come along with us, together, not to divide us, not to draw those lines in the sand I am seeing far too often in this place, but in working together. That, to me, is what Bill C-69 is all about, and I am very proud to support it.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)

May/21/24 10:47:01 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member is right. A lot of what we are hearing is language that is aimed at dividing Canadians and using those anxieties against Canadians. The reality is that what Canadians have been going through in the last year and a half or two years, since coming out of the pandemic, has been tough on a lot of people. Her message of hope and trying to work together certainly is something that is going to get us somewhere as opposed to trying to find people's anxieties and exploit those. I wonder if she can further share how she sees this impacting Canadians, generally speaking, and the way that people are treating each other.

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Mrs. Jenica Atwin

May/21/24 10:47:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I often remind the House that my background is in education and that I came here as a teacher, so I am very much reminded of my teacher voice or teacher process oftentimes in this place. One cannot go into a classroom, paint this doom and gloom picture for youth and expect them to want to work hard, want to achieve and want to set these goals and ambitions; one has to give them the tools, the knowledge and the evidence that shows them what they can do with their best efforts to create that future for themselves. That is really what this is about for Canadians. It is giving them those tools, providing them with that stage and that hope, so they can then get themselves out of the situations they are facing with us there to support them. This top-down “Ottawa knows best” idea we are very much seeing from the Leader of the Opposition is not going to work for Canadians. We have to roll up our sleeves, link our arms and get through this together.

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Mr. Corey Tochor (Saskatoon—University, CPC)

May/21/24 10:48:53 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am sure my hon. colleague has been out knocking on doors and talking to regular Canadians. We have been busy doing that, and the portrait she paints of this country is a lot different from what I am hearing from normal Canadians about the cost of living crisis and about how the government is not only doing nothing to help, but also causing hurt because as Ottawa spends more money, inflationary pressures get worse, interest rates go up and more pain is being felt. What would she say to the millions of Canadians right now who have lost hope because of the senseless wacko policies of the government?

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Mrs. Jenica Atwin

May/21/24 10:49:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for that question because it very much illustrates the point I was trying to make; continuing to tear down Canada is not serving anyone. It is not serving the House either. I am sure he did not listen to my speech because I certainly did not paint this perfect picture of Canada. What we are doing with the budget implementation act is building what we want to see for the future. It is setting up that green economy. It is setting up affordable housing for all. This is what the budget is about, making those plans and implementing them. I will say that when I have conversations with community members in my riding, they are very much focused on the climate crisis and actually support the initiatives we have put in place as far as the price on pollution, driving down our emissions and ensuring they are given those rebates to address the affordability challenges as well. That is just one example.

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Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)

May/21/24 10:50:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Fredericton for her remarks. I very much appreciate her work and the approach she brings to this work. I am going to ask my colleague about an issue I raised several weeks ago. In British Columbia, the First Nations Health Authority has stopped funding counselling for non-status survivors of residential schools. This is affecting people in the riding I represent and across the province. It is due to federal underfunding of the First Nations Health Authority. Obviously, this is something she would share my concern about. I wonder if, in her role as parliamentary secretary, she has looked into this. What is her government's plan to ensure that non-status individuals who survived residential schools and are in need of counselling can get these vital services?

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Mrs. Jenica Atwin

May/21/24 10:51:21 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am always grateful to NDP members for bringing up indigenous issues because it seems to be a priority for them and not so much for the other parties in the House. I have absolutely looked into that issue. There is very much a conversation happening with provincial authorities as well. In my role as Parliamentary Secretary, I have really leaned into wanting to create equity across that system, looking at what non-status looks like, looking at ensuring that those who are disenfranchised are then brought into the system and looking at the second generation cut-off, which is another piece of this. It is incumbent upon us to look across the entire system and to make sure, especially for those in British Columbia who are dealing with this immediate challenge, that their needs are also met. I will continue to work with this member off-line and with our department as well because I know it is really important.

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Mr. Corey Tochor (Saskatoon—University, CPC)

May/21/24 10:52:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to join in the debate. We had some questions to the other members across the way about what Canadians are feeling about the disastrous Liberal government, and I would like to read into the record a couple of emails I have received. I am sure everyone here has received emails on the pain and suffering after nine long years of this failed regime. I just want to get this on the record from some of the people I represent, because as much as we are all here, the people who are really the masters of this country are the voters, the citizens of this country, who elected all 338 of us to come here to debate. I feel that we would be a better democracy and a better country if the people who are sent here would actually listen to what Canadians are feeling and would listen to how we can make a change in their lives. The budget comes out, and a flood of emails comes in. I would like to read just a sampling of those, to digest them a little and to explain a little of my feelings towards those emails and hopefully have some questions from others. Robert, who emailed after this budget was released, said that he just wants his voice added to everyone else's in Canada who are appalled by the $1 billion a month interest we are paying on this debt; more than we spend on health care. He wants us to please do everything and anything we can to turn this around. He also asks that we let the Prime Minister know that it is over. No matter how much money he squanders, trying to get ahead in the polls, he is yesterday's man. That was from Robert in my constituency. I thank Robert for writing in. I read every email that comes into my office. David wrote that the Liberal woke policies have put Canadians at—

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Emails
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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

May/21/24 10:54:06 p.m.
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That is all the time we have. It being 10:54 p.m., pursuant to an order made earlier today, it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the second reading stage of the bill now before the House. The question is on the amendment. If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

May/21/24 10:55:43 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, we request a recorded vote, please.

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