SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 282 - Feb/14/24

Feb/14/24 7:43:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, maintaining international peace and security are priority objectives of Canada's foreign policy. Civilians must be protected, and international law must be respected. Canada has one of the most rigorous export control systems in the world, and it is harmonized with those of our allies and partners. When we look at permits for Israel in particular, let us be clear. In recent years, our government has not received and, therefore, not approved any export permits for weapons. The permits issued since October 7 and, in fact, all permits that are currently open are for non-lethal weapons. I will repeat our calls for a sustainable ceasefire, for more aid to get into Gaza and for all hostages to be released. We remain committed to a two-state solution, with a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel. We firmly stand with the Israeli and Palestinian people in their right to live in peace, security, dignity and without fear.

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Mr. Dan Mazier (Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, CPC)

Feb/14/24 7:44:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the environment minister stated that the Liberal government does not measure the annual emissions directly reduced by the carbon tax. Then the minister said that the government does measure this. It cannot be both. How many emissions were directly reduced by the carbon tax in 2023? That is, not the projection, not the estimate, but just the result.

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Ms. Pam Damoff (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs), Lib.)

Feb/14/24 7:44:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that climate change is an urgent threat that requires significant, decisive action. In recent years, climate change has had unprecedented effects on Canadians and people globally. Impacts from climate change are wide-ranging, affecting our homes, cost of living, infrastructure, health and safety, and economic activity in communities across Canada and around the world. The federal approach to carbon pricing is designed with affordability in mind. We know it is not enough to create a cleaner economy; we have to make sure Canadians can afford it. Where federal fuel charge proceeds are returned directly to households, eight out of 10 families actually get more back through the Canada carbon rebate than they pay, meaning that this system is helping with the cost of living for a majority of Canadian families. Let us not be nearsighted. Climate change is a global challenge, and the costs of inaction are high. As the IPCC made clear last year, climate change is an urgent threat that requires significant, decisive actions. Canadians want climate action, and the government owes it to them to be responsible and use policies that we know are the most efficient and cost-effective. Our approach ensures that Canadians are well placed to benefit from the opportunities created by the global transition under way.

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Mr. Dan Mazier

Feb/14/24 7:46:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government did not answer my question. I am not asking about projections. I did not mention anything about percentages. I am not asking about estimates. The parliamentary secretary totally did not even answer my question. I am asking about results. My question is very simple: How many emissions were reduced directly from the carbon tax in 2023?

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Ms. Pam Damoff

Feb/14/24 7:46:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, carbon pricing is an effective and essential part of any serious response to the global challenge of climate change. Carbon pricing works by putting a cost on the thing we do not want, which is greenhouse gas emissions, and adding value to the things we do want: clean air; reliable, affordable, clean energy; and sustainable jobs. The federal approach to pricing carbon pollution is designed with a focus on affordability. Its goal is to reduce pollution, not raise revenues. Our approach puts money back in the pockets of Canadians. In fact, eight out of 10 households get back more in the Canada carbon rebate payments than they pay as a result of the federal carbon pricing system. This has been confirmed repeatedly in independent studies, including by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Evidence confirms that putting a price on carbon works. It spurs clean growth, supports jobs and cuts the pollution causing climate change.

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Mr. Damien Kurek (Battle River—Crowfoot, CPC)

Feb/14/24 7:47:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when I asked the question of the Prime Minister in November, it was very specific to the impact the carbon tax is having on the price of food. The parliamentary secretary just let something slip that runs completely contrary to the narrative the Liberals propagate on a daily basis and even the announcement they made today with their so-called carbon tax rebrand, which is this: She said that it is a feature of the carbon tax to raise prices on the things the government does not want. What does that translate to? It translates to higher costs for Canadians to be able to afford such things as groceries and other essentials at the grocery store. This relates to higher costs on the transportation of the goods we need, which are essential to our economy. It translates to higher costs for farmers and producers. The problem with the Liberal narrative on the carbon tax is that it is doing what it was designed to do, which is to raise prices; however, it does not lower emissions. That has been proven very clearly. Earlier today, I referred to a tragic example I had heard of a food bank in Flagstaff County. Lynn sent me an email. I know Lynn, and I appreciate her community volunteerism and activism. She talked about how food bank clients are lying about where they live and how many people are in their home. Why would this happen? One would think that lying is a bad thing, but they are lying out of desperation, because they are hungry. In this small-town food bank in a rural county in Alberta, because of the price of food, there are Canadians who are forced into a position where they are lying. They know that it could mean that they would be banned from the very food bank they need. It is a tragic consequence of the policies of the member, the ministers and the Prime Minister. Of course, we should not leave out of the conversation the lackeys in the NDP who are propping up the corruption, the high prices, the inflation and the carbon tax. There is a part of this conversation in addition to higher prices being a feature, not a flaw, of the carbon tax: the fact that emissions are not a part of the conversation, even though they claim, time and time again, it is, when their own numbers say that it is not. It is this: How high is it going to go? In 2015, the Liberals, the Prime Minister and many of those who were elected, ran on a platform promising that the price of the carbon tax would never be more than $50 a tonne. They said that was the maximum; it would never be any higher, and we could take that to the bank. That ended up to be the furthest thing from the truth. It was revealed not four years later that their actual plan was $170 a tonne, and they covered it up. They were not honest with Canadians. Here is the very clear question I would ask in a follow-up to the cost of living crisis that so many Canadians are facing. For more than half of Canadians, the indirect and direct costs of the carbon tax are leaving them with less money in their pockets, because the government is taking it away from them. I hope the parliamentary secretary listens and responds directly: Will the government follow the direction of certain international entities and activists that are calling on it to raise the carbon tax even higher? We hear that it could be as high as $1,000 a tonne. Do the Liberals plan for that carbon tax to go higher, which will raise the cost on everything? I would like a clear answer, please.

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Ms. Pam Damoff (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs), Lib.)

Feb/14/24 7:51:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the hon. member does not understand how a price on pollution works or why it is necessary. Canadians expect their elected representatives to pursue tangible solutions to address issues like affordability and climate change. In the past year alone, Canadians have endured severe climate-related events, including wildfires, droughts, heavy snowfall, torrential rain and tornadoes, marking some of the worst in our nation's history. These severe climate events are having a direct impact on food prices. Climate action is an economic necessity, and the government has a plan. We know that a price on pollution is the most effective and least costly way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while putting money back into the pockets of most Canadians. In provinces where the federal fuel charge applies, the proceeds generated from the price on pollution are returned to Canadians. In fact, eight out of 10 households in these provinces receive more money back through quarterly carbon rebates than they pay. For example, a family of four residing in Alberta can receive up to $1,800. Canadians are understandably worried as elevated global inflation and high interest rates continue to squeeze their finances. The economic environment has driven up the cost of far too many necessities, everything from housing to groceries. While Conservatives would have us think that carbon pricing is the main culprit, research from the University of Calgary reveals that the price on pollution adds less than a penny for every dollar spent on major expenses by Canadians. The government is actively tackling affordability issues by introducing new measures to alleviate the financial strain on Canadians. In the fall economic statement, we unveiled a comprehensive plan to bolster affordability and support Canadian households facing financial strain. The government has made significant amendments to the Competition Act, aimed at fostering greater competition within the grocery sector to lower costs and expand choices for Canadian consumers. The government is also cracking down on junk fees like international roaming charges and overdraft charges from banks that are costing Canadians. We are protecting homeowners with new mortgage relief measures. The government is moving forward with meaningful actions to make life more affordable in this country, all while fighting climate change.

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Mr. Damien Kurek

Feb/14/24 7:54:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that I gave the member the opportunity to deny, very clearly, that their plan was to raise the carbon tax to $1,000 a tonne. She refused to do so. The Minister of the Environment, the criminal socialist activist who serves as environment minister of this country, has made it very clear that it is—

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The Deputy Speaker

Feb/14/24 7:54:40 p.m.
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I will remind the hon. member that we cannot call someone a criminal; let us back that rhetoric up just a little bit.

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Mr. Damien Kurek

Feb/14/24 7:54:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the formerly convicted activist, who faced criminal charges, has said, even the other day, that the government had decided not to build any more roads and that Canadians should simply take a walk. Here is my suggestion: I would hope that the member would support the many Canadians who have reached out to me from across the country, from coast to coast to coast, saying that the environment minister, the Prime Minister and the leader of the NDP are the ones who need to take a walk. Maybe instead of rebranding the carbon tax that is driving up the price of everything, let us rebrand the prime minister of the country and elect the member for Carleton as prime minister, to bring common sense and to bring home a government that actually works for Canadians.

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Ms. Pam Damoff

Feb/14/24 7:55:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I was saying to someone just today that the ability to have respectful dialogue with each other and to disagree in an agreeable way is disappearing. I am really disappointed with the way the hon. member conducted himself during that rebuttal. It does not add to productive dialogue on issues, and it is unfortunate we cannot have conversations in a meaningful way. It is really unfortunate that the Leader of the Opposition and his party do not have a plan to tackle climate change, and nor do they have any desire to have a respectful conversation on this issue or any other issue.

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The Deputy Speaker

Feb/14/24 7:56:29 p.m.
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The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1). (The House adjourned at 7:56 p.m.)

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