44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 21, 2023 10:00AM
- Apr/21/23 11:30:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government has been very successful in bringing investments to Canada that are creating jobs and growing economic activity across the country.
That Volkswagen has chosen Canada for its very first battery factory in North America is proof of that success, and we are very proud of it. Volkswagen's historic investment of $7 billion is a major vote of confidence in our workers and in our growing battery ecosystem, and it shows that Canada's work to become the world's green supplier of choice is working.
I welcome the member to get on board.
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- Apr/21/23 11:36:37 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is no question that there are Canadians across this country who have been having a hard time with the cost of living, but we should put this into perspective. Over the course of the economic recovery from COVID-19, we have now seen more than 850,000 people with a job today who did not have one before the pandemic. However, to help those people who are still struggling, we are making investments to offset the cost of groceries with a new grocery rebate. We are making investments on the issues Canadians raised with us as being important, to make sure they have access to a family doctor. We are making investments so that they can continue to have access to good jobs.
When it comes to putting a price on pollution, we have found a way to put more money in the pockets of households. The Conservatives want to take it from them so that they can make it free to pollute.
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- Apr/21/23 11:48:37 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, the Investment Canada Act provides for the review of the most significant investments by non-Canadians to ensure the net benefit to the Canadian economy. All investments, no matter their value, are subject to a national security review under the ICA. Therefore, the acquisition of a Canadian company by a foreign company would be subject to review. As the member knows, due to the confidentiality provisions under the act, we cannot comment further.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois wants to make sure that Quebec gets its fair share. When Ottawa decided to save the auto industry with $10 billion in 2008, we noted that Quebec did not receive the equivalent. When Ottawa decided to save Muskrat Falls with $10 billion, we noted that Quebec did not get the equivalent. When the Liberals chose to buy the pipeline in western Canada for tens of billions of dollars, we noted that Quebec did not get its share. We want to make sure that Quebec gets its share.
Quebec specializes in green energy and the green economy, that is, the economy of the future. Quebec had all the expertise it needed to have a successful battery plant, but that was not how it played out. To add insult to injury, it was the minister from Shawinigan who made this announcement with great fanfare in Montreal to say that the plant would not be in Montreal or the surrounding region, but in St. Thomas, Ontario. Good for them.
Could Quebec get some of these structural investments to develop its economy? The proof remains to be seen, unfortunately.
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Mr. Speaker, the member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay has had a very strong voice in the House of Commons, speaking up for good jobs in the community. Whether he is talking about the South Okanagan, the West Kootenay or anywhere in Canada, he has been one of the foremost advocates of actually ensuring that government investments are put to work to ensure that people have good jobs. The member is right to point out that we have learned the lesson from other jurisdictions where subsidies to green energy had tended to be soaked up by CEOs. We certainly continue to see this with the oil and gas sector, where billions of dollars go and are largely taken by CEOs and do not go to actually providing benefits to workers.
This is the same principle we have brought in when it comes to the issue of the just transition to ensure we can put in place all the elements for clean energy to make sure that Canada is keeping up with the developments in the rest of the world. Those investments have to go to people who have good union jobs. That makes a difference in the community. It means more money stays in the community and it helps to create indirect jobs as well.
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