44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 4, 2022 11:00AM
Madam Speaker, my colleague from Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne went into great detail about potentially contaminated firefighter equipment.
Quebec's Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, the organization responsible for labour standards, pay equity and occupational health and safety, has addressed this issue. Quebec has procedures, such as properly cleaning equipment by pressure washing it before sealing it.
Does that not suggest these issues are provincial matters? The provinces are already implementing policies to address these concerns.
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Madam Speaker, the practices used in Quebec are not necessarily in place in all provinces, which is why Bill C-224 is needed.
This is not only about best practices for prevention, but also about recognizing the various cancers that firefighters may develop as a result of their duties. Quebec, my home province, recognizes only nine such cancers, whereas Manitoba recognizes 19.
We therefore need to work together to recognize the cancers that exist and the research that confirms the 19 cancers that should be recognized and subjected to cancer prevention practices.
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- Apr/4/22 12:03:13 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Madam Speaker, while the housing crisis is national in scope, regional spikes like the one in Ontario are the reason so many are actually calling Saskatchewan home now. I know of many retirees who cannot afford to remain in Ontario.
One couple, for example, planned a short visit to Saskatchewan but ended up staying permanently. Then they invited their children to bring their families to Saskatchewan. They had six months to live with their parents while they found employment and a new home. Others have also come to Yorkton—Melville from British Columbia and Quebec. Nonetheless, prairie affordability is being threatened by growing inflation, incredible debt and a punitive carbon tax that is definitely costing rural Canadians far more than they are getting back.
Although I love my province and the amazing people who live in it, I do not desire to see other areas of the country suffer from the poor choices of the national government. I want to see Canadians, regardless of financial ability, free to settle anywhere in this beautiful country, but let us face reality: Canadians now have a new majority government in Ottawa.
The survival of the old Liberal government, which initially tabled Bill C-8, now officially relies on the support of a party that has even more reckless intentions to run up debt and does not care how much money it has to print to do so. Unless this political love affair falls by the wayside, Canadians are stuck with this new reality for the next three and a half years.
Despite indifference on the other side of the House, Conservatives will be present ever day to offer solutions to this affordability crisis. For example, Bill C-8 proposes a 1% annual tax on the value of vacant or underused residential properties that are directly or indirectly owned by non-resident non-Canadians. In Calgary, I personally know of a family that rented in a subdivision that is completely owned by a Chinese investor who has never set foot in Canada. Conservatives would have banned foreign investors who are not living in or moving to Canada from buying homes for two years. We also proposed encouraging foreign investment in purpose-built rental housing that is affordable for Canadians. We will also continue to push the government to remove the gatekeepers to development and get shovels in the ground.
Canada's housing crisis is fuelled in large part by the choices of the federal government. It can choose to let the builders build or it can continue to stand in their way. It can choose to rein in spending and lower taxes or continue to allow inflation to spiral out of control.
The government is letting down young Canadians. The new generation of first-time buyers is not looking for flashy slogans, hashtags or photo ops; it wants concrete action from this new NDP-Liberal majority government to address the crisis. The first logical step would be to withdraw this irresponsible bill, which would only put the Canadian dream of ownership further out of reach for young Canadians.
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- Apr/4/22 12:07:32 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Madam Speaker, like the Bloc Québécois, the Conservatives often champion Quebec's and the provinces' jurisdiction and generally oppose federal interference in areas under their control.
Bill C‑8 would see the federal government claim a piece of the property tax pie, which is under municipal jurisdiction. That kind of interference is new. What are my colleagues' thoughts on the Liberals' interference in areas under municipal jurisdiction?
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- Apr/4/22 12:38:05 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Madam Speaker, my colleague was extremely critical of the carbon tax, which does not apply in Quebec, I must point out. The question I have for my colleague is therefore out of a genuine interest in understanding the Conservatives' position.
I have heard several Conservatives talking about abolishing the carbon tax, calling it unnecessary and even harmful. Then again, I have also heard one prominent Conservative, Jean Charest, say it should not be abolished, but rather capped and not increased immediately.
I am really trying to understand what the Conservatives' position is. Do they want to abolish the tax or cap it?
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- Apr/4/22 1:22:49 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Madam Speaker, I am not familiar specifically with the issue that he raises with respect to the impact of property taxes and Quebec's desire to have a say in that area.
Our party certainly supports some provincial autonomy and the ability for provinces to make decisions on issues that impact them, rather than the “federal government knows best” policy. I certainly do not support any measure whereby the federal government imposes some of their measures on the responsibilities of the provincial governments.
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- Apr/4/22 2:25:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all health care professionals are now calling for a public summit on health care funding, which would bring together the federal government, the premiers of Quebec, the provinces and territories, and all parties concerned.
The entire health care community is tired of the shortfall in federal funding, which is negotiated piecemeal and, especially, by playing hardball behind closed doors. The entire sector wants a permanent and unconditional increase in health transfers.
Health experts are the ones who actually provide care to people. Will the government convene a summit to hear them out?
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- Apr/4/22 2:25:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to join the member in thanking and congratulating all health care workers in Quebec, who have worked so hard over the past two years to protect us against COVID-19.
Thanks to the extraordinary co-operation of all levels of government, we collectively saved tens of thousands of lives and tens of billions of dollars in revenue for families and small businesses. We are very proud of this result. We will continue to work hard together to continue moving forward.
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- Apr/4/22 2:26:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today, Quebec's general practitioners, specialists, hematologists, oncologists, nurses and other professionals in the FIQ, professionals and technicians in health and social services, the FTQ, the CSQ, the CSN, the CSD, and the APTS all called for a public summit on health care funding. They have all had enough of the government's disregard for health transfers, and they criticized the government for always providing one-time contributions with conditions.
When will a summit be held?
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- Apr/4/22 2:32:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what I can share with the member opposite is a real plan to grow our economy. In every province and territory across this country, families now have access to reduced child care fees. In fact, if women across Canada choose to enter the workforce at the same rate as women in Quebec did 25 years ago, that is 240,000 workers in this country able to join the economy and able to grow the economy.
We are committed to fiscal responsibility, and we will do just that.
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- Apr/4/22 2:36:43 p.m.
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In Quebec, there is a great expression about governments “having both hands on the wheel”. That is a great political expression in Quebec.
Unfortunately, what are we seeing with the new Liberal-NDP government? There are two people driving the truck.
What is the result? There are two left hands on the wheel to steer left, and there are two right hands to dip into taxpayers' pockets. That is the new NDP-Liberal government.
Could the Minister of Finance be clear and at least tell Canadians that they are going to control spending?
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- Apr/4/22 2:39:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for Ottawa to claim that it knows Quebec's and the provinces' health care needs better than they do is one thing, but how can it claim to know better than medical specialists, general practitioners, haematologists, oncologists, nurses, respiratory therapists, perfusionists, physiotherapists, orthotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and support staff?
I could go on and on and list all health professionals who today are condemning how the federal government funds health care.
Will the government invite them to a public summit to listen to them talk about their needs, rather than telling them what those needs are?
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- Apr/4/22 2:55:21 p.m.
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Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As I was saying, on page 90 of the plan, it says that the oil and gas sector could reduce emissions by 80 million tonnes. That is the most ambitious target of any sector. It would be like cutting all of Quebec's greenhouse gas emissions combined.
Our plan is serious, it is solid, and it will enable us to meet our targets.
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- Apr/4/22 2:56:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague that our plan, which is based on projections from the Canada Energy Regulator, provides for increased production in Canada, but we are addressing greenhouse gas emissions.
Sabaa Khan, director general for Quebec and Atlantic Canada at the David Suzuki Foundation, said, “This plan has a better chance of success than any of Canada's previous climate plans”.
Marc-André Viau from Équiterre said, “We welcome the emissions reduction plan because this is the first time that we have such a detailed strategy”.
Diego Creimer from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Quebec chapter, said, “It was double or nothing, and the minister went for it. Ottawa has just invested heavily in our best ally: nature.”
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- Apr/4/22 3:45:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the third recommendation in the report calls on the government to factor in population aging in the provinces and territories in the formula for calculating the Canada health transfer.
Just this afternoon, Quebec's entire medical community called for a health care summit to be held so that the federal government can consult with stakeholders and the provinces and territories. They are all calling for health transfers to be increased to 35% of total costs.
I expect to see this in the budget. Is that what the member expects as well?
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- Apr/4/22 4:55:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, a lot of things in life are unequal. It is true that income and wealth inequalities are growing. There is also inequality in health outcomes. Hospitals are still having to triage and surgeries are still being delayed. However, the Minister of Health still refuses to send health transfers with no strings attached and is spitting in the face of Quebec's entire health care sector. These are the inequalities we should be talking about today.
The NDP's approach consists in telling the provinces and Quebec what to do, but the governments of Quebec and the provinces are the ones that have the capacity to make reforms. This approach conflicts with the NDP's world view of achieving equality.
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- Apr/4/22 5:11:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my esteemed colleague for his question. Unfortunately, I believe that the government will do what it usually does. Before the next election, it will promise a pittance but will fail to address the fundamental issue, which is that Quebec must decide for itself, particularly when it comes to health care, and that the money, which is ultimately ours, must be returned to Quebec.
It is our money we are sending to the federal government. It is up to us to decide where it goes and how it will be used to improve our health care system.
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- Apr/4/22 5:25:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I believe that Quebec's social safety net is really helping many Quebeckers in the province. However, when we think of the province of Alberta and what is happening there, we see that the protections and powers of jurisdiction the province has enjoyed have actually harmed people. We are seeing public health care wages being cut, so I believe that we should increase the transfer, but it needs strings attached.
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- Apr/4/22 6:08:31 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.
He very eloquently and approvingly mentioned the system of early childhood centres that was created by our leader's mentor, among others.
My colleague's speech made it clear that Quebec was single-handedly able to use its own resources to build a system that is favourable and very helpful to our economy.
By that same logic, Quebec is great at developing programs on its own that are good for its people. Again, let us follow that logic rationally.
Why is the federal government refusing to increase health transfers unconditionally when Quebec is so great at creating programs that are good for its people?
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- Apr/4/22 6:09:28 p.m.
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It is because as we evolve, Madam Speaker, and as regional levels adopt these programs, sometimes we get to the point of saying that maybe it is time for the federal government to take on this program now. Is that not one of the great things of being in this country, that we can look at what others are doing and look to those as examples of what we can do nationally?
I will give another great example. Thirty or 40 years ago, the environment was just a provincial issue. There was very little that the federal government got into in terms of environment. It was not until recently, when we started to realize the wider impacts of the environment, that we saw the need for the federal government to take it on. I would suggest that it is the exact same thing with this.
As we see the need for these programs and the need for them to develop over time, we can see the need for various provinces to want to bring in child care. I do not recall Quebec saying it did not want its portion of that money and turn the federal government down. I am pretty sure Quebec is part of the program that the federal government brought in.
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