44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 1, 2023 10:00AM
- Jun/1/23 10:56:26 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague. He said that, in the last budget, the government invested a lot of money in carbon capture, which is an extremely controversial technology. It is of absolutely no use in the fight against climate change. That carbon does not go away; it just gets buried in the ground.
In the latest budget, the government is giving billions of dollars in tax credits to oil companies, which, I would remind the House, netted over $200 billion in 2022.
Two weeks ago, I asked the Minister of Housing a question in committee of the whole. I am going to ask him that question again. Could that money—those tax credits and the billions of dollars the government is still giving oil companies—have been used to help with housing, seniors and health care?
There are huge mental health issues across the country. Does my colleague think that money could have been used for better things than a technology that actually does absolutely nothing?
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- Jun/1/23 11:10:58 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer admits that the clean fuel regulations could have a minor impact on some households, especially the most disadvantaged.
I would like my colleague to tell us his thoughts on the official languages action plan launched a month ago, which announces $700 million in funding over five years for Quebec's anglophone community. That is staggering.
Does my colleague truly think that Quebec's anglophone community needs this money? Could this amount not be better spent on helping offset the possible impact of this tax, for example?
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- Jun/1/23 12:55:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have a question for my colleague, who seems awfully pleased with her government's program to help the least fortunate. Yesterday, along with other members of the House, I sponsored a Food Banks Canada event. The people in that organization do not think things are going very well at all.
Let us look at some of the numbers. Requests for food assistance have gone up by 20% since 2021 to 2.2 million per month. In Quebec, 671,000 people used the food bank network every month in 2022, a 9% increase. There has been a 43% increase in food hamper services since 2019, and 60% of requests for food hamper services come from households whose main source of income is social assistance, old age security or employment insurance. There has been a 25% increase in requests for food hampers from households whose main source of income is an old age pension.
Does my colleague think there are some pretty serious poverty issues we need to get to work on right now?
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- Jun/1/23 1:11:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jun/1/23 1:11:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I find the current debate a little pathetic. I hope that everyone in Quebec is watching the debate we have been having since 10 o'clock this morning. Quebec is strongly committed to the fight against climate change. Quebeckers know that this is a serious, major threat, and they want to take action to address it.
This is a pathetic spectacle. On one side, we have a government that is absolutely incapable of taking action. Since the Liberals came to power, Canada has been one of the worst performers in the world when it comes to tackling climate change. Our greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise since the Liberals came to power. That is the Liberal record.
On the other side, we have the Conservatives, who are saying this morning that we need to do even less. They are proposing that we do less about the biggest challenge of our time. It is a bit pathetic.
Then they wonder why there are 32 Bloc Québécois MPs. It is because Quebeckers are strongly committed and want governments to act—
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- Jun/1/23 1:38:34 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there is a lot of chit-chat happening around me. I would ask the gentlemen to let me speak.
Regarding my colleague's speech, we have heard a few times this morning that the Conservatives' plan is to rely on technology—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jun/1/23 1:38:57 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for allowing me to speak. It is so very kind of them.
I heard many Conservative members talk about relying on technology. The Liberals have had a plan for seven years, but as many people have pointed out this morning, it is not working. Some of my Conservative friends are saying they are going to rely on technology, but what technology are we talking about?
In the budget, the Liberals introduced tax credits to help the five biggest oil companies, which made $220 billion in combined profits in 2022, to engage in greenwashing and carbon capture. However, carbon capture does not work.
What technologies are my Conservative colleagues talking about when they say they are going to invest in technology?
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