44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 15, 2024 11:00AM
- Apr/15/24 1:46:46 p.m.
- Watch
I would ask members to hold off and write their comments down so they do not forget them.
The hon. member for Timmins—James Bay.
26 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, when I was 17, I was playing in biker bars, so getting tackled by a Conservative from Alberta is not something that I lose much sleep over. Hopefully, they will not start throwing bottles.
Right now, I am going back to the issue that disinformation, rage politics and relentless falsehoods are being promoted by climate deniers in the midst of a climate catastrophe. The question for me is the issue of climate denial, not only by bots, but also by a government in its belief that, if it just does a little bit here and a little bit there, everything will be fine. That is another form of climate denialism. It is not good enough, not at this time in our history.
The belief on the government's side is that corporations must do their part and that it has Pathways Alliance, with a 2050 plan for net zero. We have seen that Pathways Alliance has met none of its objectives. It has spent millions on disinformation campaigns, but Canada is the only G7 country where emissions continue to rise. If it continues on this path, our emissions will be much higher.
There is a great peer-reviewed study on Pathways Alliance. I encourage everyone to read it, because it shows the greenwashing, disinformation and fundamental lack of honesty that are evident. In the review, it said there was no credible proof of Pathways Alliance's carbon capture claims making any difference, yet it wants us to give them billions in carbon capture. What it is doing with carbon capture is not lowering emissions; it is using carbon capture to pump out more oil and gas and to burn more, while telling us that we have to pay for it.
This shows how they all worked together on this disinformation campaign. This is a peer-reviewed study. I am not just making this up. I read peer-review studies once in a while. It reads, “the degree of strategic coordination shown by the main producers of the oil sands sector reflects a troubling concentration of corporate power for the purposes of political and public influence.” I see my colleagues over there and my colleagues here. It continues by saying that “regulators...should actively consider how to equip themselves to detect and address sector-scale greenwashing.” They say this becomes a really important issue “as liability claims mount regarding the role of fossil fuels organizations in their ‘failure to warn’ of impeding harms due to their products.”
This issue of a “failure to warn” leads us to where this is going to go: to lawsuits. Those are the decisions where we will see some action. We know that Shell has recently been found guilty by a Dutch court of failing to mitigate against climate disaster and constant disinformation. Shell has been ordered to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030. That is what courts are doing. The European Court of Human Rights has just moved against big oil.
We have groundbreaking lawsuits. I really like the one in Colorado. I encourage people to check it out, because it names the Canadian giant Suncor and Exxon.
Since 2017, five states, the District of Columbia and 20 municipalities in the U.S. have taken major climate polluters to court for knowingly spreading disinformation. I certainly encourage people to read the California statement. This is the big tobacco moment. This is where the people are able to get back, and there is some great stuff in it. It talks about how Exxon and Shell purposely directed tortuous conduct toward California by distributing, marketing, advertising, promoting and supplying fossil fuels with the knowledge that the intended use of those products for combustion has caused and will continue to cause climate change-related harms, including to the state's industries. It is a campaign of deception and denial of climate change.
That right there is the entire platform of the Conservative opposition, which does everything on bumper stickers. I think we could put its entire environmental strategy, denialism of what the crisis is, on a bumper sticker. It would even fit on a little Austin Mini.
I want to go through some of these issues here, because it is really important that people understand what they knew and the importance of having stuff in place to take them on. Since at least 1988, the American Petroleum Institute participated and led several coalitions to promote disinformation. It has had front groups including the Global Climate Coalition; the Partnership for a Better Energy Future; the Coalition for American Jobs; and I love this one, the Alliance for Climate Strategies. They knew in the late 1960s that they were in a situation where the ice caps would actually start to melt by the year 2000. They knew that in 1968, so they lied. That was the American Petroleum Institute.
In 1980, Esso, a good Canadian company, told its managers of the danger of C02 buildup in the atmosphere and that it could have catastrophic effects. Then they said that there were measures to lower emissions. In 1980, they could have lowered emissions, but it would have cost money. What did Esso do? Esso spent the money on disinformation, on greenwashing and on bogus studies.
In 1982, Exxon had much better science than anyone, and it is right here in the State of California versus the big oil giants. Exxon was warning, from their scientific studies, that climate catastrophe would become evident by the year 2000. That was when we would first start to notice its effects. However, by then it might be too late. All through the nineties, they knew, but what did they do? They decided to pay for bogus studies and disinformation, the kind of stuff that is still being spouted from the front benches of the Conservative Party today. They knew that the results would be catastrophic for the planet.
The other one that is very telling in the California indictment is that, in 1988, Shell did a study of scientific reports that said that, again, the crisis in climate would be noticeable to the public beginning in around the year 2000, which I think most of us agree is when most of began to wonder and worry, and by then, it would possibly be too late. What did Shell do? Shell raised their oil drilling platforms in the ocean by six feet, so that, as the ice caps collapsed, coastal cities were wiped out and South Pacific islands were destroyed, it would be to hell with them; Shell was going to make money.
That is what they did. That is in the indictment. This is like Philip Morris telling kids, “Not only is smoking good, but you have to smoke if you're going to grow up and be healthy.” They knew they were burning the planet.
How does this relate back to Bill C-50? It relates back to this constant pattern of the Conservatives to promote disinformation, bogus claims and hysterical talk about the hundreds of thousands of jobs that are going to somehow be destroyed if we do anything to support—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
1208 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 1:54:40 p.m.
- Watch
Order. I am not sure whether members remember that they should be respectful while they are in the House of Commons. It is not time for questions and comments yet. I would ask members to please hold off. If they are just coming in and preparing for question period, again, I would ask members to please be respectful and keep their voices down.
The hon. member for Timmins—James Bay has two and a half minutes left.
78 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I appreciate that you talked about being respectful. We are dealing with the back bench. Sometimes I feel like they are trying to stone me to death with spitballs. Meanwhile, we are talking about a climate catastrophe, and they laugh, snicker and giggle.
That member from Calgary, I have never seen him stand up once to talk about the climate drought facing Albertans. They do not care. The Conservatives do not care that Alberta is on fire right now. They did not care when Alberta was on fire last year. They never spoke about it once. They want to get people revved up on the bogus, “We are going to get the carbon tax axed.” They are going to go into these communities, as they are burning and residents have to escape. As Kelowna was facing a catastrophic explosion of fire, the member for Kelowna—Lake Country was saying, “Do not worry. We are going to make burning fuel free. We are going to take the tax off.”
The Conservative leader was asked about the industrial carbon tax. By the way, Suncor and those companies that made $78 billion last year paid one-fourteenth in comparison to what an ordinary person would pay. When the leader who lives in Stornoway was asked about the industrial carbon tax, he claimed it did not exist.
Not only are the Conservatives promoting disinformation and bogus conspiracies, but either he does not know his facts or he is just being mendacious. I know he has never had a job, but this is deeply concerning from a man claiming he is going to be leader of a country facing an unprecedented climate crisis.
Where are we right now? We are finally moving forward with the most minor, simple bill to put in place steps to have voices heard. That is all we are doing, yet we see the total rage machine of the Conservatives cranked up to an 11, with all cylinders firing on gong show idiocy to try to derail basic steps to involve workers, like the energy workers from Unifor and the workers from the construction unions, who are a part and want to be part of a new energy economy.
What they have done, while working for Danielle Smith, is that they have chased $33 billion out of Alberta for clean energy, because they do not want clean energy projects. They want to have our workers dependent on an industry that the International Energy Agency has said very clearly is now having to change. We either change with it, or we get left behind and the planet burns.
The New Democrats will be supporting Bill C-50. We have stood up. We will stand up again. We will always stand up for workers, for jobs—
471 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 1:57:41 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands has a very brief time for one question and an answer.
19 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 1:57:54 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I heard the member for Timmins—James Bay say that the Leader of the Opposition has never had a job. Can the member explain to us what he meant by that exactly?
35 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 1:58:08 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, when I was a teenager, I worked in a milk store. There is nothing wrong with starting out in a milk store. I delivered products door-to-door when I was a teenager. I was even a pretty lousy babysitter, but I do not put that on my resumé, because I went on to be a carpenter. I was a broadcaster. I was a professional musician, and I ran a small business.
However, for the poor member who lives in Stornoway, his resumé is, wow, talk about skint. It is also vague. Either he did work for a summer at Dairy Queen or he did not. We have not been able to get an answer. Either he did have a paper route or he did not. I knew friends who had paper routes, but none of them puts that on their resumé; I mean, come on. This man has never had a job. He has been a political attack dog since he was a kid.
Again, I do not want anyone who works at Dairy Queen to feel we are disrespecting them, because at least they show up for work and know how to put the nuts on the banana split. We know that the member who lives in Stornoway never bothered to do any of that.
222 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 1:59:39 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, every three months, Canadians receive the carbon rebate. Today is one of those days. In Winnipeg North alone, a family of four is looking at $1,200 a year. That is four payments, with one every three months.
I look at how Conservatives like to spread misinformation and mislead Canadians. I want to let every Conservative member know I am going to ensure the people of Winnipeg North and in the province of Manitoba are very much aware they cannot trust the Conservative Party members because they consistently mislead.
By axing the tax, they would be taking disposable income out of the pockets of Canadians, and in particular, over 80% of the residents of Winnipeg North. Shame on the Conservatives for thinking Canadians can be fooled.
128 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 2:00:48 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps saying that nothing is more important than the relationship with first nations. After eight years, nothing could be further from the truth, to say the least.
Here we have another example involving Wendake, that I have the honour of representing in the House of Commons. Parks Canada is preparing to transfer to Gatineau Wendat artefacts that are currently on the traditional territory. The decision was made without properly consulting the first nation. As Grand Chief Vincent told the Journal de Québec, “if the government does not follow consultation protocols, then we will see what action we will take. ...To us, what is happening right now is unacceptable.”
This is nothing new. Seven years ago I sounded the alarm, but the Liberal government did nothing. It is an unacceptable situation, especially considering that Wendake runs a magnificent hotel-museum that preserves and exhibits the artefacts. The hotel-museum was built and inaugurated in March 2008 with the Conservative government.
It is time for the government to stop saying one thing and doing the opposite and start respecting the will of the Wendat people.
192 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 2:01:54 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, when I knocked on doors this past summer, there were many days that saw smoke-filled air that prevented kids from going outside, far above normal temperatures that posed life-threatening conditions for vulnerable seniors, droughts that caused cracks in home foundations and anxiety about the future as the realities of climate change confront us in new and undeniable ways.
Canadians want to do their part to fight climate change, but they also need to take care of their families' needs. That is the advantage of our climate plan. It lets them do both, by providing rebates that offset added costs for eight out of 10 Canadians while at the same time being proven to effectively reduce pollution.
The Canadian Climate Institute released a study recently that detailed that all of the government’s current policies will prevent the equivalent of Quebec and Ontario’s emissions combined by 2030.
The world is moving away from heavily polluting fuels. If Canada does not do its part, we will be on the outside looking in, with international trading partners and allies shutting us out of deals and taxing our imports. We are going to continue to advocate for environmental policies that protect our future.
206 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 2:03:01 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, they are there. We see them everywhere, but we do not take enough notice of them.
They are in our hospitals, schools, hockey rinks, libraries, parks, community kitchens and everywhere. They are there helping young people, seniors, people with disabilities and newcomers with everything that they need. I am talking about volunteers. They are there to run errands for a senior living at home alone, to teach French to a new immigrant who is discovering Quebec, to help a child with their homework and to serve a hot meal to people in need. We see them everywhere, but we do not take enough notice of them. However, God knows that they are remarkable people. Their outstanding contribution makes Quebec a great place to live.
I want to wish all volunteers a happy National Volunteer Week. This is a great opportunity to thank them for their time, their generosity and especially their kind hearts.
155 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Mr. Speaker, for the first time ever, we are on track to meet our 2026 climate target.
Most importantly, Ontario families, including those in Ottawa—Vanier, will receive $1,120 this year through the Canada carbon rebate, starting today. That means an extra $255 in their pockets. If the Conservatives stop their delay tactics, rural Ontario families can expect an extra 20% with the passage of Bill C‑59.
In 2015, Canada was clearly off track when it came to greenhouse gas emissions. The Conservatives had no plan, polluting was free and emissions kept rising. Today, thanks to the efforts of Canadians and our government, Canada's emissions have dropped by 8%.
The Conservatives refuse to fight climate. They prefer to chant slogans rather than help Canadians. On this side of the House, we are reducing emissions while making life better for eight out of 10 Canadians.
149 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 2:05:08 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Canada is powered by tourism. That is the theme of this year's National Tourism Week. In my riding, the communities of Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie are definitely powered by tourism.
Niagara Falls alone is Canada's top leisure tourism destination, and the overall visitor experience is enhanced by the beautiful vineyards and wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake and the rich cultural history, shopping experiences and trail systems found throughout all three communities.
However, Canadian tourism has not fully recovered. Tourism workers and operators can blame the Liberal government's high taxes and out-of-control spending for driving up inflation and the cost of travelling throughout Canada. As a result, recovery is slow and uneven, and Canada is losing its competitive edge.
Canada is powered by tourism, but tourism can be further powered by axing the tax so our tourism workers can once again bring home powerful paycheques and our tourism operators can once again thrive by welcoming the world to our magnificent destinations. Let us bring it home.
178 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canada was on the wrong track. The Canadian government at the time had no climate plan. It was free to pollute and emissions kept going up. Now, because of work done in Nova Scotia and across the country, our emissions have declined by 8%.
For the first time ever, we are on track to meet our 2026 climate target, thanks in no small part to pollution pricing and the Canada carbon rebate.
Starting today, a Nova Scotia family of four will receive the first instalment of their $824 rebate. For the average family in my province, that is $157 more than they will pay out over the year. For rural families, they will get more when Conservatives finally stop blocking the 20% top-up in Bill C-59.
While the other side tries to ruin the rebate, hurting lower-income Canadians, we will continue our work to help Canadians leave a healthier planet for our grandkids.
160 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Mr. Speaker, today New Brunswickers can look forward to receiving a Canada carbon rebate payment in their bank account.
For example, this year, a family of four in New Brunswick will receive $760 through the Canada carbon rebate. That is $183 more than they received last year. If the Conservatives stop obstructing Bill C‑59, families in rural communities will receive an additional 20% of the amounts I just mentioned.
Our plan is making Canadians better off. Our carbon pricing system is putting more money back in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians through the Canada carbon rebates, while building a better future for our children and grandchildren.
The future of our planet and coming generations is more important than the official opposition's slogans.
129 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 2:08:50 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, after eight long years of the Prime Minister, residents in my community are struggling. I have received countless emails, phone calls and letters from residents, and the message I am receiving is clear and consistent, life is unaffordable.
Under the Liberal government, people are losing their homes, they are struggling to feed their families and they cannot afford to heat their homes or drive their vehicles. While life has gotten worse for Canadians, the Liberals are spending more than ever. This year, Canada will spend over $52 billion to service the Prime Minister's debt. This is more money than the government is sending the provinces for health care.
In response to the Liberal-made affordability crisis, my common-sense Conservative colleagues and I have three simple demands for this year's budget: number one is to axe the tax; number two is to build the homes; and number three is to fix the budget. The Conservatives will not support tomorrow's budget unless it provides relief to struggling Canadians.
Will the Prime Minister commit today to axe the tax in tomorrow's budget?
186 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 2:09:57 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, today, Canadians who filed their taxes electronically on March 15 or before will receive the new Canada carbon rebate amounts. In the provinces where it applies, the Canada carbon rebate will put even more money back into the pockets of most Canadians than they pay into fighting climate change.
Affordability is front and centre in everything we do as a government and in this system, we are literally putting money into the hands of Canadian families. Families are counting on these cheques. They work them into their monthly budgets, and that is especially the case for low to middle-income Canadians who benefit the most from fighting climate change.
Unfortunately, the Conservatives want to cut these rebates that Canadians rely on, but we will not let them ruin the rebates. Canadian families need them more than ever.
139 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 2:10:59 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, it is as if the Prime Minister has forgotten that he has been in power for almost nine years and that he and his policies, all of them, are the direct cause of the housing and mortgage crisis Canadians are facing.
The way he has been parading around the country, blaming everyone else but him for the housing hell reminds me of that old Shaggy song, It Wasn't Me. Well, it was him who was caught red-handed promising to lower the price of housing, rents and mortgages in Canada that have doubled in nine years, pushing middle-class Canadians to live in tent cities in nearly every city.
Last week, CMHC confirmed that it has been him causing less affordable housing and higher rents because fewer homes are being built than we did in the 1970s. Worst of all, it is him who has dealt a devastating blow to young Canadians hoping to enter the housing market, young people who feel like they have been lied to and let down by the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister has a chance to axe the tax in tomorrow's budget to make life more affordable for Canadians. The question is: Will he, or will he continue to blame others for the problems he has caused and say, “It wasn't me”, because Canadians know it is the Prime Minister?
233 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are going hungry.
Feed Nova Scotia reports that food bank usage is up 26%, with increased visits as high as 50% in Cape Breton. In Sydney, food banks are experiencing record-breaking increases in the number of new clients, with new visits up 80%. The Souls Harbour Rescue Mission kitchen is up 280%.
Instead of providing relief to Canadians, the government has hiked its costly carbon tax on Nova Scotians by 23%. The Liberals do not understand that if we tax the farmer who grows the food, the trucker who trucks the food and the retailer who sells the food, we tax all those who buy the food. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost.
The Conservatives have a solution, and that is to axe the tax on farmers and food by immediately passing Bill C-234 in its original form. To be clear, the Conservatives want the entire carbon tax axed, but in the meantime let us at least provide some relief to Canadians by immediately passing Bill C-234.
183 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/15/24 2:13:19 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canada was obviously on the wrong track with respect to carbon emissions. The Conservatives did not have a climate plan, pollution was free and emissions continued to rise.
Today, thanks to the work accomplished across the country, including the north, Canada's emissions have dropped by 8%. For the very first time, we are on the right track to meet our 2026 climate target.
My constituents in Yukon expect commitment on climate action. The price on pollution encourages us to find greener alternatives in our day-to-day lives while we benefit from the rebate, and the plan is working. A family of four in Whitehorse will receive over $1,200 through the Yukon carbon rebate this year, while a family of four living in rural Yukon gets $1,488 in automatic quarterly payments.
If there is one thing going up, it is the temperature. On this side of the House, we are reducing emissions while making life better for Canadians.
165 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
