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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 299

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 15, 2024 11:00AM
Mr. Speaker, on April 1, the Prime Minister hiked the carbon tax by 23%. Every single week, I hear from dozens of constituents in my area who tell me they are struggling to be able just to buy food, groceries and other necessities. Use of a food bank in my area has more than doubled in recent months. After eight years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, he is just not worth the cost; that is clear to Canadians. Conservatives have put forward a common-sense solution called Bill C-234. The government decided to gut it by bullying senators. Will the Prime Minister choose to rescind, and allow the bill to go forward in order to save Canadians a whole lot of money by scrapping the tax on farmers?
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  • Apr/15/24 2:54:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at the risk of putting holes in what the Conservatives think is a good Tory story, let us look at some of the facts; 97% of farm liquids are exempt from price on pollution. At committee, Tyler McCann from The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute indicated there is no data to support carbon pricing's relationship to any increase on the price of food in Canada, full stop. Our Canada carbon rebate gives money back to more than eight out of 10 Canadians. If the Conservatives want the bill back, bring it back to the House; they can do it. An hon. member: Oh, oh!
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  • Apr/15/24 2:54:49 p.m.
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I will ask the hon. member for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie to please wait his turn. He is a very experienced member of the House. The hon. member for Lethbridge.
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Mr. Speaker, no matter what the government does to try to distract, the facts remain the same. Canadians are struggling. They cannot make ends meet. Of course, it starts with groceries, fuel at the pumps and being able to heat their homes. After eight years, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister just is not worth the cost, certainly not the cost of the punitive carbon tax. Conservatives put forward a very common-sense bill, Bill C-234, which would axe the tax from farmers and save Canadians a whole lot of money. The Prime Minister and the environment minister put pressure on senators, bullying them into gutting the bill. Will the Prime Minister agree today to allow the bill to go forward in its unamended, original form?
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member may have missed my earlier answer, but I could repeat it if she would like. The bill in question, Bill C-234, is a bill the Conservatives could call anytime and we could deal with and debate in the House. While I am on my feet, once again I would like to add, and perhaps correct something I said a little earlier to the other hon. member: This member could help a lot of Albertans out if she would just get out of the way of the fall economic statement legislation, which doubles the top-up on the rural rebate, 20% instead of 10%, making it the— Mr. Chris Warkentin: Let's do it right now. We are calling it right now. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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  • Apr/15/24 2:56:22 p.m.
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For the last time, I would like to remind the very experienced members, including the member for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie, that they should take the floor only when they are recognized by the Speaker. The hon. member for Beauce.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, this Liberal-Bloc Prime Minister is not worth the cost of the carbon tax. Quebec farmers are in revolt against the Prime Minister because they are facing mountains of paperwork, a blatant lack of financial support and the carbon tax, which is crushing the agricultural industry across Canada. Axing this tax on farmers is the fastest way to make food more affordable and to keep our farmers in business. However, the Bloc Québécois wants to drastically increase the carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister commit to passing Bill C-234 in its original, unamended form in tomorrow's budget?
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  • Apr/15/24 2:57:18 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, first of all, if the Conservatives had even the slightest bit of intellectual integrity, then they would admit to Canadians that 97% of the fuels used on farms in backstop provinces are not taxed by the federal government. Second, do members know what I have been doing over the past few weeks? I have been meeting with farmers from Quebec, Nova Scotia and Alberta and with cattle and grain farmers. They are not talking to me about the carbon tax. They are talking to me about how the impacts of climate change are costing the agricultural industry hundreds of millions of dollars across the country.
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  • Apr/15/24 2:57:55 p.m.
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Once again, it pains me to have to remind very experienced members, like the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, to wait their turn before speaking in the House. The hon. member for Beauce.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to suggest to my colleague that he visit Beauce on Friday. Farmers will be protesting. After eight years, this Liberal-Bloc Prime Minister is not worth the cost of the carbon tax. The next generation dreams of getting started in business, but it is suffocating under all the paperwork that keeps piling up, not to mention the skyrocketing interest rates and risk management programs that no longer meet today's challenges. The Bloc-Liberal coalition is blocking the passage of Bill C‑234, proving that these people are out of touch. I will repeat my earlier question: Will the Prime Minister commit to passing Bill C‑234 in its original, unamended form in tomorrow's budget?
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  • Apr/15/24 2:59:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is a shame that my colleagues from Quebec still do not understand that the price on pollution does not apply the same way in Quebec. Quebec has had a carbon exchange since 2013, so it is not affected. At the federal level, our approach is to offer incentives to improve practices, to develop and acquire more energy-efficient equipment. We are there to support the farmers.
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  • Apr/15/24 2:59:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, instead of acting like the sorcerer's apprentice in Quebec's jurisdictions with the budget, the federal government should look after the asylum seekers it is responsible for, the people who are not allowed to work because it takes two years to get a work permit from this government, the people lining up at food banks, the growing number of people experiencing homelessness, the people being exploited in the underground economy and in human trafficking, and so on. Will the minister finally convince his buddies to issue those work permits, do their jobs and mind their own business?
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  • Apr/15/24 3:00:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are indeed in the process of expediting the permits that will be granted to asylum seekers. I have a question for the member for Lac-Saint-Jean. Does he agree with his party leader, in other words, the leader of the Parti Québécois, who wants to freeze immigration? Does he realize what that means in rural ridings like Lac-Saint-Jean? It means no more fishing, no more Quebec agriculture, nothing, not even wind turbines. It takes responsible people in power. We need to have a responsible discussion about reducing the number of immigrants temporarily, but let us do it responsibly.
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  • Apr/15/24 3:00:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I just told him to stick to his jurisdictions. He really does not get it. He must ensure that work permits are granted. The federal government is facing a humanitarian crisis. It must do its duty. That also means distributing the intake of people who come to Canada among the provinces. It is not right that there are homeless asylum seekers in Quebec and Ontario, that these people cannot even eat at food banks as a last resort, when other provinces are doing absolutely nothing. Will the government finally have the compassion to distribute the intake of asylum seekers among the provinces that are still able to provide services?
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  • Apr/15/24 3:01:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we should not even try to understand. One minute he wants interference, the next he does not. The member did not answer my question. I wonder if he stands with his party leader, the Bloc Québécois leader, who is irresponsibly calling for a freeze on temporary immigration to Quebec. That is totally irresponsible. They should talk to the farmers and those who work in the fisheries in their own rural ridings. They will see what is really going on. They will hear what people really think, and they do not want a freeze on immigration to Quebec.
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  • Apr/15/24 3:01:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, life has gotten worse for Canadians, with higher taxes and higher mortgage payments. The Liberals' wasteful deficit spending left interest rates at 5%, hurting families with mortgages coming up for renewal, and banks are putting more money away for possible mortgage defaults. Now, this means people losing their homes— Some hon members: Oh, oh!
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  • Apr/15/24 3:02:16 p.m.
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I will ask the hon. member to start again. I ask all members to please take their conversations outside the room. The hon. member for Kelowna—Lake Country can ask her question.
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  • Apr/15/24 3:02:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, life has gotten worse for Canadians, with higher taxes and higher mortgage payments. The Liberals' wasteful deficit spending left interest rates at 5%, hurting families with mortgages coming up for renewal. The banks are putting more money away for possible mortgage defaults, and this means more people losing their homes. We are hearing of people no longer meeting mortgage stress tests and having to sell their home, forcing them to rent and to pay rent that is more than their actual mortgage payments. Will the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister reverse his eight years of deficit spending and implement a one-for-one rule so that people can keep their homes?
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  • Apr/15/24 3:03:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it would be more prudent for the members on the other side of the aisle to actually vote in favour of supports for Canadians if they truly cared about their well-being. They voted against the Canada child benefit. They voted against dental care. They voted against $10-a-day child care. They also did not focus on poverty when they were in power. We have brought poverty down to 7.4%, while under the Conservatives it was 14.5%. On this side of the House, we will always support the most vulnerable in our country.
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  • Apr/15/24 3:03:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, through eight years of NDP-Liberal deficit spending, the Liberals caused the higher interest rates, which are causing people's mortgages to go up. Families are slashing their budgets just to be able to afford their mortgages in order to hang on to their homes. This year, Canada will spend $54 billion servicing Liberal debt. This is more money than the government sends to the provinces for health care. A dollar-for-dollar rule would fix the budget and bring down interest rates. The NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is just not worth the cost. Will the Prime Minister reverse eight years of deficit spending and implement a dollar-for-dollar rule?
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