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Context: House Hansard - 333 - Jun/17/24

Jun/18/24 4:14:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, given the importance of the subject that my colleague just raised, I would like to reassure the House. Conservative members are ready to meet this summer at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to study this issue, to advance the study already under way on foreign interference and to consider today's question of privilege more specifically. I advise the House that we prefer to reserve comment for the time being. We will return to this later.

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Context: House Hansard - 333 - Jun/17/24

Jun/17/24 2:37:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, does everyone know what the minister did? He desperately tried to hide the fact that Quebeckers are paying dearly for the federal carbon tax, which is supported by the Bloc Québécois. Despite his claims that Quebeckers do not pay the carbon tax, his own figures, which he would not reveal until the Conservatives forced him to, tell a different story. The report that he was so anxious to conceal shows that the economic cost of the carbon tax for Quebeckers is $5 billion. Are these not five billion reasons for the minister to resign?

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Jun/17/24 2:36:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the radical environment minister must either resign or be fired, full stop. First he misled Canadians by falsely claiming that the carbon tax would financially benefit them, and then he hid from Canadians a study from his own department that said the opposite. When the Parliamentary Budget Officer found out about it, the minister put a gag on him, preventing him from disclosing or referencing the study. Next, he tried to ruin the PBO's reputation. His report clearly shows that the economic damage from the carbon tax will cost every Canadian family $2,000 a year. When will the minister be fired for his economic extremism?

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Jun/14/24 11:20:57 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, after nine years, the Liberals decided to wipe out of the middle class. Again this week, the Prime Minister refused to include in the bill on the job-killing tax a provision guaranteeing that 99.27% of Canadians would be spared from the Liberal Bloc tax hikes. We asked that carpenters, plumbers, small businesses, seniors all be excluded. They said no to all of that. We now have the proof. When will the Liberal Bloc stop picking the pockets of the middle class to pay for the centralizing wasteful spending of the massive federal Liberal government?

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Jun/14/24 11:19:32 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, this minister may not be lost in space, but he is definitely way out in left field. There is a reason he kept trying to cover up the secret report. It is because the report reveals the true cost of the carbon tax for Quebeckers. According to that report, Quebeckers will pay $5 billion a year in economic damage because of his carbon tax. The worst part is that the Liberal Bloc wants to go even further and radically increase the tax on gas and diesel. The minister hid the truth. Quebeckers are paying the price. When will he resign?

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Jun/14/24 11:18:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, an employee responsible for causing $30,000 in economic vandalism to his or her company would be fired on the spot. In this case, it is even worse. The radical Minister of Environment knew that the carbon tax would cause $30.5 billion in economic damage to Canada. That is nearly $2,000 per family. He covered up the report. He ridiculed the Parliamentary Budget Officer and tried to muzzle him. Basically, he was trying to hide the truth from Canadians. When will he be fired?

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Jun/14/24 11:08:41 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, late at night on July 6, 2013, at 1:14 a.m., a runaway train derailed in the middle of the small town of Lac‑Mégantic. Forty-seven people were killed and 2,000 others were forced from their homes. We will never forget this tragedy. I was mayor of a nearby municipality when the tragedy occurred. I remember the pain expressed by the victims' families. I remember the outpouring of solidarity that followed this tragic accident. Today, I feel compelled to remind the House of all of this because the community of Lac‑Mégantic is still waiting for the solution put forward by the governments, specifically the construction of a rail bypass. Canadians might not know this, but 11 years after the tragedy and just over six years after the Premier of Quebec and the Prime Minister of Canada jointly announced that the rail bypass would be complete in 2022, the work has not even started. I am pleading with the Liberal government, Transport Canada, the Canadian Transportation Agency, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and all decision-makers to remember July 6, 2013, and the 47 people who lost their lives. The people of Lac‑Mégantic, Nantes and Frontenac want answers and they want action. The time for talk is past.

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Mr. Luc Berthold

Jun/13/24 10:58:46 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I request a recorded division.

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Mr. Luc Berthold

Jun/13/24 10:45:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I request a recorded division.

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Jun/13/24 8:03:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, hallelujah, the Bloc Québécois has seen the light. Its members have realized that it is important to read the supply documents. Does my Bloc Québécois colleague regret not voting against the previous budget allocations?

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Jun/13/24 4:32:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, given the political games that the government has been playing today, I believe that this amendment is entirely relevant and advisable. I therefore agree to my colleague's moving the amendment.

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Jun/13/24 2:38:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, he is absolutely right. I would never hide the $5-billion cost of a carbon tax from Quebeckers. That is exactly what the Minister of the Environment did in his own documents. According to row 17, column AN, the carbon tax is costing Quebeckers $5 billion a year. The Bloc Québécois supports that tax. After trying to ridicule and muzzle the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who was telling the truth, as we now know, will the Minister of the Environment resign?

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Context: House Hansard - 329 - Jun/11/24

Jun/13/24 2:37:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Bloc tax is costing our economy $30.5 billion a year. That adds up to nearly $2,000 per family in costs that the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tried to conceal. The Minister of the Environment knew it, yet he deliberately hid the numbers from the Canadian public. After deliberately hiding the facts, will the Minister of the Environment have the courage to stand up in front of all Canadians and resign for not telling them the whole story?

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Context: House Hansard - 329 - Jun/11/24

Jun/11/24 2:49:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Prime Minister, Quebec farmers are crying out for help. Canadian farmers have been clear. They are saying that, by increasing the capital gains inclusion rate to two-thirds, the government is jeopardizing the success of real intergenerational farm transfers to young farmers across Canada. The Prime Minister wants to tax farmers in the midst of a food-pricing crisis. The Prime Minister wants to jeopardize the future of farming in the regions. How is that fair for future generations of farmers?

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Jun/11/24 2:48:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Prime Minister, more than 2.3 million people in Quebec do not have a family doctor. According to the Journal de Montréal, a retiree named Serge Gagné was told, “You don't belong here. You don't have a family doctor.” The Canadian Medical Association made it clear that, given the ongoing doctor shortage, “These changes could jeopardize ongoing efforts across Canada to recruit and retain a high-quality health workforce.” How many families, mothers and seniors will this Prime Minister force to go without a doctor because doctors choose to practise elsewhere? How is that fair to Mr. Gagné?

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Jun/10/24 3:45:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government has had to be dragged kicking and screaming every step of the way to get answers on foreign interference. That is the truth. The Prime Minister knows that. He knows the names. He has consistently refused to act. No Liberal MP has suffered any consequences, even though he knows the names. Well, hiding behind classified information to avoid taking action to protect Canada's interests is no longer an excuse. Since he refuses to be transparent with Canadians, will he accept the common‑sense Conservative proposal to share the names and facts about the MPs who are colluding with foreign states and being hostile toward Commissioner Hogue?

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Jun/10/24 3:43:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the truth is that this Prime Minister has a long and troubled history when it comes to foreign interference, whether it involves political financing, his admiration for the basic dictatorship of the Communist regime in Beijing, or his talent for turning a blind eye to reports from the intelligence community. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians courageously exposed the fact that the Prime Minister has known for a long time that members have been wittingly co-operating with hostile foreign states. After nine years of hiding, will the Prime Minister finally be transparent and tell Canadians who they are?

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Jun/10/24 11:34:25 a.m.
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Re: Bill C-234

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to point out the disrespect shown by the Finance Minister, who could have tabled her notice in the period between two speeches. I think that is the least she could have done. I myself did so in the past, when I asked the member of Winnipeg-North if he would mind if I interrupted him during his speech. He consented. I think what the Finance Minister just did, which is to interrupt a member right in the middle of his remarks, is insulting, especially when every 10 minutes there is an opportunity to speak without interrupting anyone. I just wanted to point this out. I hope ministers will take this into account during future interventions and will refrain from such flagrantly disrespectful behaviour. There is no need whatsoever for this. This government's lack of respect toward Canadians, however, is by no means surprising. We saw it with Bill C‑234, where amendments were brought by the Senate to amend legislation that had been duly voted on and adopted here in the House. We are talking about independent senators who were appointed by the Prime Minister and who do the work of the Prime Minister when he is unable to do things properly in this chamber. That is what happened. At the very start of my speech, I was saying that time is of the essence for producers, because their situation is extremely difficult. After nine years under this Prime Minister, they cannot take it anymore. This Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost of taxes. Canadians do not have to take my word for it. They can read it in an article published in Le journal de Montréal about a survey of the Union des producteurs agricoles, entitled “One in five farms unable to pay their debts: a heartfelt plea from farmers”. The article says that farmers are at the end of their rope. They can no longer deal with the vagaries of weather, the interest rate explosion and the high cost of transportation—because the carbon tax does indeed add a bit to the high cost of transportation—that are preventing them from competing on a level playing field with Mexican vegetables being sold at a lower price in stores. Think about it. It costs less to buy vegetables grown in Mexico, with all the gas and diesel it takes to get them here, than to buy vegetables produced here in Canada. It makes no sense, and the Liberals, and unfortunately the Bloc Québécois, encourage and support it. We do not understand why the Bloc Québécois did a 180 on the important issue of protecting Quebec's agricultural producers. I will quote one agricultural producer. Philippe Leguerrier, a carrot producer in Blainville, said that he has not paid himself a salary since December. That is serious. When the people who produce food and feed Canadians can no longer pay themselves for their work, that is a sign that something is wrong with the system. Because of that, Canadians are having a harder and harder time feeding themselves. We saw that in the food banks, with 30%, 40% or 50% increases in recent years and long lines outside. Some 900,000 Quebeckers visit a food bank every month because they can no longer pay for their groceries, a direct consequence of this Liberal Bloc government's decisions, of its desire and its ideological determination to impose a carbon tax on pretty much everything. Of course, the Bloc Québécois will say that the carbon tax does not apply to Quebec. The government still wants to drastically increase it, and not in Quebec. Everywhere else the carbon tax applies, everywhere else truckers who produce these vegetables have to export them to Quebec, they will have to pay more. Who, in the end, will be footing the bill? Obviously Quebeckers, families and workers who can no longer make ends meet at the end of the month. Clearly, with the sort of coalition it has formed with the Bloc Québécois the Liberal government has simply stopped supporting farmers. As I mentioned, this bill is supported by every stakeholder in the agriculture sector. In committee, my colleague from Beauce had the opportunity to talk to groups from every region of the country and Quebec, and he was forced to admit that most if not all the people he spoke to are against the Senate's amendments to Bill C‑234. In fact, this morning we received a statement from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business begging members to reject the Senate amendments to Bill C‑234. Why? It is because farmers are against the amendments proposed by the Senate. These amendments were imposed by unelected senators against the will of elected members of the House of Commons. A total of 81% of farmers say that they are against the amendments and 80% of them believe that these amendments will make the bill less effective for their business. They believe that this bill is essential to lower costs for farmers. The agricultural industry needs a break on the carbon tax: 88% of farmers said that the carbon tax exemption on natural gas and propane used for drying grain and heating and cooling barns would be useful for their business. That would enable them to do more and to save their farm and their business. We are talking about more than just businesses. We are talking about a way of life. Farming is a way of life in the regions of Quebec. It is a way of life in small towns. It is a way of life in communities in Plessisville, Laurierville, Thetford Mines and Beauce. Entire communities are currently wondering how they will be able to continue their primary activity, which is farming the land to feed Quebeckers and Canadians. That is where things stand right now. Just so people understand, let us recall that this bill was sent to the Senate. It was totally gutted. Building heating was completely removed. The time allocated to the exemption for grain drying was slashed to three years. It was just pushed back. They think we will be able to replace propane and natural gas within the next three years. No expert says this will be possible. I am about to tell the Bloc Québécois and Liberal members something that may be a secret to them. I do not think they know this, but winters in Canada and Quebec are cold—very cold, even. Although energy is needed to heat barns and dry grain, the Bloc Québécois members and the Liberals think it is a good idea to continually hike taxes. Remember, the Bloc Québécois has said repeatedly it wants to radically increase taxes. This applies to farmers too. We do not understand why, on the one hand, the Bloc Québécois claims to defend farmers, but, on the other, acts to undermine them by supporting tax hikes and these Senate amendments. It is unacceptable and incomprehensible. My colleague's committee heard from several farmers and numerous technology specialists who were very clear. There are no viable alternatives to propane and natural gas for drying grain now, and there will not be any within the next three years, period. A comment we too often hear from the Liberals and Bloc Québécois members, as I said, is that the tax does not apply to Quebec. This is false. We import most of our propane from Sarnia, Ontario. If we buy it in Ontario, where the carbon tax applies, we pay the carbon tax when it is imported. It is a fact, that is the math. Already, something is not quite right in the Bloc Québécois's discourse. We also pay the carbon tax indirectly when we pay for imported products delivered to grocery stories. Let me quote again from the article in Le Journal de Montréal to illustrate how, when the government taxes the farmers who produce the food, the truckers who transport it and the grocers who sell it, prices become unaffordable: Today, the price of fuel and rising wages are hurting farmers like Philippe Leguerrier more and more. Without his wife's salary to fall back on, it would be hard to make ends meet. In closing, I will quote my colleague from Beauce: Canadian farmers are stewards of the land. They are very concerned about their animals and the environment. They work so hard to feed our families and support our economy. These farmers need support from members of the House of Commons and they need us to stand against the Senate amendments and pass Bill C‑234 in its original form as quickly as possible.

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