44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 20, 2023 11:00AM
- Mar/20/23 2:48:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear that David Johnston was appointed by Stephen Harper as governor general. The Conservatives had confidence in him to be the governor general of this country. He is the individual who is charged, as an eminent Canadian, to oversee this entire process. The Conservatives are now calling that individual into question.
However, the idea that Mr. Johnston would not be committed to Canadian democracy and not look at every corner of this issue with the interest of Canadian democracy at heart is offensive.
In addition, the opposition knows through NSICOP that its members have the opportunity to see any and all information in committee. Unfortunately, they voted against creating that process.
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- Mar/20/23 2:49:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, three times, the Liberals and their NDP coalition partner blocked the Prime Minister's chief of staff from testifying about Beijing's election interference. Now, at the direction of the Prime Minister, Liberal MPs have been filibustering my straightforward motion for Telford to appear for nearly 24 hours.
Why have the Liberals gone to such lengths to shield Telford? What does she know that the Prime Minister wants hidden from Canadians?
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- Mar/20/23 2:50:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, individuals who received briefings and would have had knowledge of the 2019 and 2021 campaigns as national campaign directors have offered to testify at committee. The ministers who were responsible have testified before committees. Other witnesses and experts are testifying before committee.
Why is the Conservative Party so solely and singularly focused on Katie Telford? I will tell the House why. It is a partisan interest, and it is deeply disturbing. The interest of Conservative members here is to wedge, divide and create a partisan advantage.
I would suggest that, when we are dealing with something as serious as foreign interference, our focus should be on protecting our democracy, not partisan advantage.
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- Mar/20/23 2:51:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's chief of staff is a critical witness to get to the heart of the scandal in terms of what the Prime Minister knows, when he knew about it and why he failed to respond to Beijing's election interference.
If, instead of doing the bidding of the corrupt Prime Minister, the NDP do an about-face to finally stand up for democracy, and the motion passes, will the Prime Minister respect the will of the House or double down on his obstruction and his cover-up?
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- Mar/20/23 2:51:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I noticed that you did not get on your feet, but I will. Calling a member of this House “corrupt” is despicable. Calling a member of this Parliament “corrupt” is something I find absolutely reprehensible—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Mar/20/23 2:51:52 p.m.
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Order.
I will let the hon. government House leader start from the top, please.
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- Mar/20/23 2:52:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I heard some yelling across the way. I am flawed. I have made many errors in my life, as I am sure many members of this House have. In all my time in opposition or government, I have never called another person in this place “corrupt”. I have never stood in my place and levelled an allegation without information; the members opposite do not have that information.
They take rumour and conjecture and try to trump it up for partisan advantage, and they overreach with terms like “corrupt” about an individual and a Prime Minister who has dedicated his life to public service and making this country better. This place deserves better than that kind of debate.
We are dealing with the serious issue of foreign interference. It deserves serious responses.
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- Mar/20/23 2:52:39 p.m.
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I would remind the hon. members to use their words judiciously in the House and use parliamentary language, which is language that does not offend someone personally.
The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona.
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- Mar/20/23 2:53:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in Alberta, toxic water with poisonous levels of arsenic, dissolved metals and hydrocarbons leaked from tailings ponds into Treaty No. 8 land and water for nine months. Neither the provincial nor the federal government bothered to inform the people who live there. The Liberal government says it cares about the environment and indigenous people, but it blocked tailings ponds' oversight in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
Like all Albertans, I am horrified and outraged. How can Canadians trust the government to protect our water and prevent this from ever happening again?
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- Mar/20/23 2:53:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that neither indigenous nations nor the federal government were told about the seepage or leak before February. For nine months, the federal government did not know about this. We have since sent out enforcement officers to do monitoring.
Many of my colleagues and I are working with the communities to provide them with what they need. This includes having drinkable water sent to them if they wish as testing of the water in their communities is still ongoing.
We are working on this. We will continue to work on it with the indigenous nations and the Alberta government.
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- Mar/20/23 2:54:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Joe Biden is coming to town. It is going to be a great opportunity for him to school the Prime Minister on how he can move from saying nice words on the climate crisis to actually getting something done. Biden has put out an unprecedented $370 billion to ensure the United States is a leader in the clean energy economy.
Now we know the Conservatives do not believe in clean energy, but when I have been meeting with Alberta workers, they have asked about what the government is going to do. I have a simple question: How much money is the Prime Minister going to put in this budget for clean energy to make sure that Canadian workers are not left behind?
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- Mar/20/23 2:55:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we welcome President Biden's visit to Canada in the coming days to talk about these important issues, about the clean economy, about fighting climate change. I would like, however, to remind my hon. colleague that we are already investing in Canada, $120 billion, not coming but happening now, which is, per capita, three times more than what the U.S. is doing.
We have a price on pollution in Canada. Unfortunately, our U.S. friends cannot have a price on pollution. We are doing a number of things in Canada that the Americans are telling us they only wish they could be doing. We will be happy to work with President Biden and the U.S. on these.
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- Mar/20/23 2:55:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that there have been significant roadblocks to building housing supply at the municipal level. The system simply is not working. That is why I was pleased to join with the Prime Minister and Minister of Housing to announce further federal leadership to help get more homes approved and built through the new housing accelerator fund.
Could the minister please tell the House about the details of this new program and what it means for Canadians?
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- Mar/20/23 2:56:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on Friday, I was pleased to join the hon. member, together with the Prime Minister, to announce the launch of the housing accelerator fund, a $4-billion initiative that is meant to eradicate the roadblocks and get more housing built faster for Canadians. This will create 100,000 new units, as well as create a permanent systems change that will ensure municipalities approve more housing for Canadians.
This is just one part of our government's national housing strategy, and we will not rest until every Canadian has access to a safe and affordable place to call home.
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- Mar/20/23 2:56:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Prime Minister's high-spending government, it has little choice left but to raise taxes on hard-working Canadians. That is right. If Canadians want to numb the pain of higher inflation and a slowing economy with their favourite beer, spirit or wine, they have to dig deeper into their pockets. The excise tax on alcohol is going up over 6.3%, costing consumers and businesses over $125 million next year.
Will the Liberal government stop hosing Canadians and stop its automatic increases to the escalator tax on alcohol this year?
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- Mar/20/23 2:57:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first, let me begin by thanking all members of the House and Canadians for sending in their condolences and support to Edmontonians and to people as we grieve the loss of Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan, constables with the Edmonton Police Service. Our community is grieving and Canadians are with us. We will remember them.
On the substantive issue that my colleague raises, we have an escalator tax in place on beer. We have lowered low-alcohol beer. What he is saying is not entirely accurate. The increase this year will be one cent per can of beer. We understand that. We are going to continue to monitor the situation.
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- Mar/20/23 2:58:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, he is now imposing the biggest tax increase ever on April 1 on beer, wine, cider and spirits, a crushing 6.3% tax increase. These cost increases will trickle down to restaurants, retailers and, ultimately, Canadian consumers. In itself, it will continue to perpetuate increasing inflation.
Will the Prime Minister cancel this April 1 tax increase on Canadians?
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- Mar/20/23 2:58:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I was clear in my previous answer, but let us go a step further. It is disingenuous for the Conservative members to stand up and talk about giving breaks to small business when every single member on that side voted against tax breaks for small businesses. It is rank hypocrisy.
It is one cent per beer. We are watching the inflation escalator for beer. We understand what wine, beer and spirits do for our economy, but the Conservatives cannot have their cake and eat it too.
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- Mar/20/23 2:59:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have four microbreweries, a distillery and a number of bars and restaurants in my riding. Each of them has condemned the excise tax increase on their products.
Since the government came into power eight years ago, life has never been so hard for people across the country. Now the government is doubling down to yet again fill its coffers on the backs of Canadians and Quebeckers.
Despite his thirst for inflation, will the Prime Minister do the right thing and cut the excise tax increase from his next budget?
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- Mar/20/23 2:59:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Tourism, I understand full well the important contribution of spirits, alcohol and wine to our community.
With inflation and the excise tax, a can of beer will cost one cent more. This will ensure our tax system is equitable and responsible for all Canadians. We will do the right thing, and we will continue to help Canadians with affordability.
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