44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 14, 2023 10:00AM
- Dec/14/23 2:27:12 p.m.
- Watch
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!
118 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:28:00 p.m.
- Watch
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?
107 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:28:45 p.m.
- Watch
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.
59 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:29:23 p.m.
- Watch
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?
104 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:30:06 p.m.
- Watch
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.
53 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:30:35 p.m.
- Watch
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?
80 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:31:10 p.m.
- Watch
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.
125 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:32:04 p.m.
- Watch
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?
104 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:32:38 p.m.
- Watch
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.
123 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:33:14 p.m.
- Watch
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?
120 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:33:48 p.m.
- Watch
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.
60 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:34:20 p.m.
- Watch
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?
137 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:34:59 p.m.
- Watch
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.
95 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:35:43 p.m.
- Watch
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?
93 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:36:29 p.m.
- Watch
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.
67 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:36:57 p.m.
- Watch
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?
109 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:37:43 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I am a farmer and I talk to farmers across the country. They cannot understand why the opposition party would vote against so many programs that assist agriculture across the country.
Also, farmers find it very disappointing and cannot believe that one would vote against support for Ukraine and for democracy. They were ashamed.
56 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:38:14 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, unlike that minister, I actually spoke to farmers from Dufferin today. One farmer, from Burnett Farms, is going to pay $40,000 in carbon taxes this year alone. After this incompetent Liberal-NDP government quadruples the tax, it will be $160,000.
They do not need another government program. They need the carbon tax cut.
How is this farmer supposed to pay for it? Should farmers cut production or will they have to import food from polluting foreign farms?
81 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:38:54 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, what many Canadians are puzzled by is the fact that, in the age of climate change, where the impacts of climate change are costing our farmers hundreds of millions of dollar every year, the Conservatives have nothing to say to them, no plans to support them in the transition that will be necessary in the 21st century, to continue being a provider of food for Canada and the world.
The Conservatives have no plan to help our farmers, no plan to fight climate change and no plan to support the future of our kids and grandkids.
98 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/14/23 2:39:30 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, with that statement, this radical carbon tax-loving environment minister has basically proven the point. His carbon tax has not stopped any of the effects on farms. Instead, farmers are left paying this punishing carbon tax.
A chicken farm pays $15,000 for one barn this year in carbon tax. After this ideologically obsessed minister quadruples the carbon tax, it will be $60,000 for one chicken barn.
What is this farmer supposed to do to pay it, raise prices or force Canadians to import their food from polluting foreign farms?
93 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
