44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 14, 2023 10:00AM
- Dec/14/23 2:24:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is more high-flying, high-cost, high-tax hypocrisy from the minister of carbon taxes.
We learned that he spent $150,000 on one weekend of travel and charged it to taxpayers. Is it not interesting that it is exactly how much the government is charging the Carleton Mushroom Farms in carbon taxes for a year?
Can the minister please tell us this: The Carleton Mushroom Farms is going to spend this year, now, about $150,000 on carbon taxes; will that just pay for one of his junkets?
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- Dec/14/23 2:25:27 p.m.
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I remind members to use the proper names of ministers.
The hon. minister has the floor.
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- Dec/14/23 2:25:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with regard to hypocrisy, I refer back to Neville Chamberlain when he referred to Czechoslovakia's invasion by Nazi Germany. He referred to Czechoslovakia as a “faraway” land. In reply to that, Sir Winston Churchill gave one of his greatest speeches, a speech of impunity that Roy Jenkins said was one of his greatest, in which he called Chamberlain an absolute coward, a capitulator. We should learn from such great men, not just about hypocrisy but also about keeping our solemn oaths to freedom and democracy in this world.
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- Dec/14/23 2:26:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for the Prime Minister to pass himself off as Winston Churchill after he gave detonators for mines to the Russian military so it could use them against Ukrainians, and after he allowed the Iranian-linked IRGC to operate legally in Canada, 700 of its agents, by the way, who are also linked to Russia, operating in our country and terrorizing our people, is not Churchillian.
This is hypocritical, political grandstanding by a Prime Minister trying to distract from his failed carbon tax.
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- Dec/14/23 2:27:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is another great Englishman who would say to the Leader of the Opposition, “Thou dost protest too much, I believe.” I would ask whether any of the Conservative members have the courage of their conviction to stand up to the bullying the Leader of the Opposition is imposing on them.
In fact, there is one. The member for Lethbridge is the only Conservative MP who voted in favour of the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement on Tuesday. I would ask whether there any other Conservative members who have the courage of their conviction to stand up for freedom and democracy, and against the bullying of the Conservative—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/14/23 2:28:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec has made its stance on dental insurance very clear.
Quebec's minister responsible for Canadian relations said, “Quebec is prepared to negotiate an agreement with the federal government to improve the plan in a way that respects jurisdictional considerations”.
In other words, Ottawa can transfer the money, and Quebec will use it pay for its dental care priorities. Unfortunately, Ottawa would rather give the money to a private company than to Quebec's public health care plan, the RAMQ, which has the expertise.
Why choose Sun Life over Quebec? Why go private in health care at the expense of the public system?
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- Dec/14/23 2:28:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our choice is clear. Our choice is to provide dental care for everyone everywhere in Canada, in every province and in every territory.
We have nine million people without access to dental care. Our dental care system will give every person in every part of our country access to dental care. That is the important thing here.
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- Dec/14/23 2:29:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we expect this government to improve employment insurance, yet it twiddles its thumbs. We expect it to fix the Phoenix fiasco once and for all, but once again, paying or insuring its own workers is asking too much. We expect this government to foot the bill for asylum seekers, but no, they will not budge.
However, when it comes to interfering in Quebec's jurisdictions, it is always first in line.
Instead of creating a private dental care plan, is the government going to reach an agreement with Quebec and transfer the funds that Quebec needs to enhance its own public plan?
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- Dec/14/23 2:30:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course we are going to work with Quebec. We are going to work with each province and territory to ensure that everyone gets the dental care they need to stay healthy. That is our goal, and we are going to work with every province across the country to achieve it.
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- Dec/14/23 2:30:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, families are having to take turkey off their Christmas dinner menu because of sky-high food costs. What are the Liberals doing? They are letting their grocery CEO friends off the hook, while the corporate Conservatives just want to block a national school food program to feed our kids. Both have lost the holiday spirit.
What does the minister have to say to Canadians who are cutting back this Christmas because he will not stand up to CEOs?
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- Dec/14/23 2:31:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wish the member had been in the meeting. She would have said that we were the first government in history to stand up to the CEOs of the grocery sector in this country.
For the first time in history—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
Hon. François-Philippe Champagne: Mr. Speaker, they can yell as much as they want.
One thing we have done is that we called them to Ottawa and expressed the frustration of millions of Canadians. We asked them to do their part. We talked to the large manufacturers. With the reform of competition, with the grocery code of conduct and with more information for the consumer, we are going to help stabilize prices in this country.
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- Dec/14/23 2:32:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister would have a starring role in Oliver Twist: “Please, sir, I want some more.”
With holidays around the corner, parents are being forced to choose between family dinner and gifts for their kids. Do people know who is not worried? Canada's grocery CEOs, who are gifting themselves Christmas bonuses, are not. The Liberals continue to let corporate greed go unchecked. Meanwhile, the Conservatives play the part of Scrooge, as they just voted against a national school food program.
Will the minister start cracking down on corporate price gouging, or will he let the CEOs continue going unchecked?
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- Dec/14/23 2:32:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for suggesting another career I could pursue.
One thing I will do is always fight for Canadians. It is always a good day to fight for Canadians. That is what I have done with the CEOs. That is what we will continue.
If the member wants to do something to help Canadians, he could help us to apply pressure to have a grocery code of conduct in this country. In talking to the independent grocers in this country, we know that this is one of the best ways to stabilize prices, have more transparency and make sure the small and medium-sized producers would have more equity in the negotiations with the larger grocers.
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- Dec/14/23 2:33:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the media is reporting that requests for food at a Quebec City food bank, La Bouchée généreuse, have doubled in the past two years. After eight years in power, this Liberal government's legacy is going to be a Canada where people go hungry.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois calls himself the adult in the room, but he likes to insult the other party leaders. On top of that, he is calling for a radical tax increase. This adds insult to injury. Will the Prime Minister follow our common-sense plan and eliminate the inflationary taxes and deficits so that Quebeckers can put food on the table?
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- Dec/14/23 2:33:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are well aware that it is our Liberal government that is taking action to support Canadians.
I think Canadians can see right through the Conservatives' empty rhetoric. Just a few days ago, the Conservatives voted against the national food policy. If they really had the interests of Canadians at heart, they would not have voted against them.
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- Dec/14/23 2:34:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians and Quebeckers know is that Christmas is coming next week. They also know that they do not have enough money to buy groceries, so does the government really think that they have enough money to buy their children presents? That is what Canadians and Quebeckers have come to realize after eight years under this Liberal government.
What is more, on the other side of the House, our Bloc Québécois friends are asking the government to drastically increase the tax on groceries. Is there anyone in the House who can see clearly and who understands that there comes a time when enough is enough with the taxes? Will the government commit to cancelling its inflationary taxes so that people can put food on the table and have a good Christmas?
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- Dec/14/23 2:34:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is shocking, coming from that member, who was himself a member of the armed forces, that last week, he and his party voted against military aid to Ukraine and compensation to the Canadian Armed Forces.
On the subject of Ukraine, let me clarify all of the $1 billion in aid that we have provided to Ukraine: Carl-Gustaf anti-tank weapon systems, 155-millimetre ammunition and armoured vehicles, and we have trained over 40,000 members of the Ukrainian armed forces. We will stand on the side of democracy every single time.
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- Dec/14/23 2:35:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quattro Farms near Bow Island grows spearmint, peppermint and dill, then distills those crops into essential oils. The 10-week harvest and distillation process, this fall alone, cost them $107,000 in carbon taxes. That carbon tax will rise to well over $400,000 when this government quadruples it.
How does the Prime Minister suggest Quattro Farms pay this $400,000?
Will it be by raising prices on Canadians or should Quattro Farms cut back on its production so that Canadians are forced to import their food from polluting foreign farms?
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- Dec/14/23 2:36:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when it came to action, my hon. colleague and the Conservative Party of Canada voted against every program that would support agriculture. It is a shame. I have talked to agricultural producers right across the country; they cannot understand why an opposition would vote against the on-farm climate action fund to help farmers adapt to climate change, which adds to the price of groceries.
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- Dec/14/23 2:36:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the reason we voted against them is that we voted non-confidence in this government.
Medicine Hat and the area is home to numerous greenhouse operations like Big Marble Farms, which grows fresh vegetables like cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. This year alone, Big Marble Farms will pay over $500,000 in carbon taxes. That will rise to over $2 million when this government quadruples it.
How does the Prime Minister suggest Big Marble pay this extra $2 million?
Will they raise the prices on Canadians or should Big Marble cut back on their production so that Canadians are forced to import their food from polluting foreign farms?
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