44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 13, 2023 02:00PM
- Dec/13/23 2:57:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Charlottetown for his advocacy and leadership on the veterans affairs committee.
One of the very first things we did when we formed government was reverse the damaging Conservative cuts to veterans services. Veterans remember when that party cut programs, fired 1,000 veteran support staff and closed nine veterans offices, all in an attempt to nickel-and-dime veterans to balance the budget for an election.
We saw last week that nothing has changed when the Conservatives voted to cut funding for our armed forces, and even worse, they voted last week to cut support for homeless veterans. Canadian veterans know they cannot trust the Conservative leader.
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- Dec/13/23 2:57:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is the Prime Minister who said veterans were asking for more than he could give. He sued them in court after he said he never would. He has caused the homelessness that he just talked about, and he spends the money on more bureaucracy instead of on our veterans.
He asked how much Carleton Mushroom Farms is spending on gas. He said it is spending too much. I have its bill records here. In November alone, it was $11,866, pro-rated to about $100,000 a year, which he wants to quadruple to $400,000 a year.
Once again, should the farm raise prices on consumers or cut production so polluting foreign farms get the business?
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- Dec/13/23 2:58:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the average farm in Canada pays far less, around 1%, than what that very successful farm is paying. The reality is that 97% of farm fuel emissions are already exempt from the price on pollution. That is why we are continuing to move forward with programs and supports to encourage farms across the country, particularly very successful farms, to look at ways to reduce their emissions as they move forward into a net-zero future.
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- Dec/13/23 2:59:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is his attitude now. Do we remember when he called small businesses wealthy tax cheats? Now he accuses Carleton Mushroom Farms of being too successful, and therefore it needs to pay higher taxes.
He clearly has no idea about our food supply chain, because, of course, grains have to be dried and the fuels for drying are now taxed. Barns have to be heated. Heating those barns is now taxed. There is a common-sense Conservative bill to axe the tax on those farmers to lower the price of food.
If he does not believe that this tax costs farmers, will he sit down with the Medeiros' Carleton Mushroom Farms and inspect its bill personally?
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- Dec/13/23 3:00:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government reached out and will continue to reach out to a range of farmers across the country who want to reduce their emissions, who are concerned about climate change, who want to preserve our land for future generations and who understand, unlike the MAGA Conservatives, that there is no choice anymore between protecting the environment and growing the economy.
While the Conservatives want to take us back to the Stone Age, we are going to continue to invest in supporting farms, supporting businesses and supporting Canadians, while we reduce our pollution, reduce our emissions and build a stronger future for everyone.
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- Dec/13/23 3:00:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, he has missed all his targets, except for the one year when Canadians were locked down. His own environment commissioner says he will come nowhere near meeting his 2030 targets, and now Canada ranks 58 out of 64 on the climate change performance index.
His tax is not working, nor does he seem to understand how food arrives. Food does not come from the grocery store. The average farmer in Canada has to spend $150,000 on his carbon tax for barns and drying, and that all has to go to consumers.
Will he pass our common-sense bill to axe the tax on food?
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- Dec/13/23 3:01:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when we took office eight years ago, Canada had no plan to reach even the Harper government's very modest environmental targets. We not only have surpassed the Harper targets but have put in place new ambitious targets that we are very much on track to meeting.
We have decreased our emissions over the past two years faster than any other G7 country, and we will continue to lead the way on demonstrating that we cannot have a plan for the future of the economy if we do not have a plan to fight climate change. That is what we are doing. That is what they are not.
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- Dec/13/23 3:02:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is wrong on the facts. Under the previous Conservative government, we actually reduced emissions while growing the economy. We did it through technology and not taxes.
By the way, I said earlier that Canada ranked 58th out of 64. There is a new publication of the ranking and Canada is now 62nd out of 67. In fact, we have fallen. The higher the tax, the worse the ranking.
Will the Prime Minister finally get rid of his tax plan and come up with an environment plan?
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- Dec/13/23 3:02:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are on track to surpass the Harper government's 2030 target and the latest emissions projections show Canada is on track to achieving our government's new, ambitious and achievable 2030 climate goal.
Our plan is working. We are seeing companies around the world invest in Canada. We were the third-largest country in terms of foreign direct investment in the world earlier this year because people are noticing Canada's leadership on fighting against climate change, but that party continues to vote against measures to support our farmers, measures to invest in a cleaner economy and measures to protect Canadians and their economy from the challenges of the future.
We will be there for Canadians.
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- Dec/13/23 3:03:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are two solitudes in our approach to asylum seekers.
On one side, Quebec is taking in half of Canada's asylum seekers. We do not hesitate to do so. We first deliver services at our own expense and then we ask the federal government to reimburse the $460‑million bill. We take care of the people first and then we deal with the money.
On the other side, the federal government offers no services. When it comes time to pay, it tells us that it is not an ATM. Lucky thing Quebeckers do not take the same approach toward asylum seekers.
Will the Prime Minister contribute his share and reimburse Quebeckers?
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- Dec/13/23 3:04:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every year, we provide hundreds of millions of dollars to Quebec to help with the integration of newcomers. This includes money for francization.
Our immigration program will continue to strengthen the immigration system and extend the benefits of immigration to communities in Quebec and across the country. Immigration is essential for helping businesses, finding the workers they need and continuing to grow the economy.
We will always work closely with the Government of Quebec, whether on immigration, housing or the economy.
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- Dec/13/23 3:05:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, asylum seekers are a federal responsibility.
Instead of repeating that Ottawa is not an ATM, it is time for the federal government to stop treating Quebeckers like a credit card. The entire cost of services for asylum seekers is being foisted on us. Now the bill is due, and the Prime Minister has to pay it. True to form, however, he is running away. He does not like paying his debts. We know him, and he does not like doing that. We will not give up.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for asylum seekers, show some respect and reimburse Quebec?
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- Dec/13/23 3:05:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have been sending hundreds of millions of dollars to Quebec for years to help it take in asylum seekers.
We recognize how generous Quebeckers have been and how much they have been there for asylum seekers. Yes, we will continue to be there to help. Canada is a welcoming country, but also a country that must ensure that everyone is properly protected when people arrive, even asylum seekers.
Yes, we will continue to work with Quebec. We will continue to be there to support asylum seekers because it is the right thing to do.
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- Dec/13/23 3:06:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, this Prime Minister is not worth the cost of housing. According to the Bank of Canada, housing is the least affordable it has been in 41 years. He has doubled the price of rent across the country.
Now, renting a single room in a shared apartment costs more than it did for the entire apartment when the Prime Minister first took office. Evictions in Quebec have increased by 132%. That is the main cause of homelessness.
Will the Prime Minister finally reverse the policies that create bloated bureaucracy and drive up inflation, both of which cause homelessness in Quebec?
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- Dec/13/23 3:07:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader has made his thinking clear by stating that the federal government should get out of the business of building affordable housing. However, we will not follow his irresponsible advice.
Perhaps that is why last week his party voted against funding to build 71,000 new apartments. It also voted against more than 15,000 new homes for our most vulnerable.
As the team showed last week, we will not allow the Conservatives' partisan games to undermine our efforts to provide housing for all.
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- Dec/13/23 3:07:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all those apartments have one thing in common: They do not exist. These are just more promises.
Eight years ago, the Prime Minister promised to spend $87 billion on affordable housing. As a result, rents and mortgage payments doubled. Now, evictions have increased by 132% in Quebec. The main cause of homelessness is evictions after eight years of this Prime Minister.
When will he recognize that creating bloated bureaucracy and driving up inflation do not help with housing?
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- Dec/13/23 3:08:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, the Conservative Party voted against 71,000 new apartments. They voted against 15,000 affordable housing units. Now their excuse is to say that since the housing does not yet exist, they can vote against it. Come on. They clearly do not understand that it is a government's responsibility to invest for a better future, to solve problems.
He just wants to increase anxiety. He does not want to come up with solutions for Canadians. On this side of the House, we will stand up for Canadians despite the Conservatives, who oppose all these measures.
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- Dec/13/23 3:09:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, he is doing the same thing he has done for eight years. He spent $87 billion on housing affordability to double housing costs. We have fewer homes per capita than we did when he took office, the fewest homes of any country in the G7. He doubled the rent, doubled mortgage payments and doubled the needed down payment to the point where the Bank of Canada reports this week that Canada has the worst housing affordability in 41 years, and rentals.ca reveals that it is now more expensive to rent one room in a shared apartment than it was eight years ago to rent the entire apartment for oneself.
When will he realize that ballooning inflation and the bureaucracy does not build homes?
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- Dec/13/23 3:09:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when will the leader of the official opposition understand that voting against the construction of 71,000 new homes through the apartment construction loan program is not going to help anyone and that voting against the construction of 12,000 new affordable homes through the rapid housing initiative will not help Canadians.
He chose to play partisan games last week in trying to shut down this House through a MAGA-inspired approach while we continue to stand up for Canadians and deliver on the things they need. While they play partisan games, we will continue to fight for Canadians.
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- Dec/13/23 3:10:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the tourism industry exists in all regions of the country and is also the second-largest employer in rural areas. Forty per cent of tourism jobs are in rural areas.
Can the Prime Minister tell the House how the government is supporting the millions of workers in the tourism industry?
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