Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that Canada's work was applauded at COP27 by organizations such as Climate Action Network Canada, which said that we were among the first wealthy countries to move forward on the issue of loss and damages. The executive director of the International Energy Agency recognized Canada as a world leader in the fight against methane pollution. If I h…
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Bloc Québécois should send my hon. colleague next time, since she could have heard me tell journalists from all over the world that we supported Great Britain's proposal to draft a text that effectively eliminates the use of non-sequestered fossil fuels by 2050. That is already Canada's plan, and we have already made that commitment and communicated it to our partners at C…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague should know that the organization that authorized exploratory drilling operates independently of the federal government. It seems to me that the Bloc Québécois should have a good understanding of the word “independence”. It was that agency, not the federal government, that proposed this exploratory drilling.
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Mr. Speaker, maybe the member opposite should listen to the Leader of the Opposition, who recognized earlier that this would not take effect before July of next year. I do not know about him, but in July, I do not intend to heat my home very much. The Conservatives would like Canadians to continue to be dependant—
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Mr. Speaker, as the Leader of the Opposition said earlier during this question period, this will not take effect before July of next year. In the meantime, we are helping tens of thousands of Canadians get rid of their home heating oil, which is more expensive, more polluting and less efficient. The Conservatives would like to condemn those Canadians to continue being dependant on systems that wil…
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Mr. Speaker, I would quote the words of the Canadian climate action network, which said that, on the issue of loss and damage, which was one of the victories of the COP27 conference, Canada was the “first mover among rich countries to make this thing happen.” We fought for this. We fought for stronger language in the text on eliminating the use of coal all around the world, including in Canada. We…
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Mr. Speaker, this is not the first false statement on climate change coming from the Conservatives in the House. Yesterday we heard them say that not one country had accepted the global carbon pricing challenge. Let me set the record straight. Chile, the European Commission, Indonesia, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea—I nearly forgot Germany and the United Kingdom, the w…
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Mr. Speaker, these are more alternative facts on climate change in the House today. Emissions have gone down in 2019 and in 2020. Let me talk about the rebate payments that we announced this morning. A family of four in Nova Scotia will get, four times a year, $248. In Prince Edward Island, a family of four will get $240, and in Newfoundland and Labrador, a family of four will get $328. They will …
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Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is developing clean electricity regulations, or CER, to help drive progress towards a net-zero electricity grid by 2035. The proposed regulations have yet to be finalized. They are being designed to ensure the decarbonization of Canada’s already low-carbon grid while ensuring continued energy reliability and affordability. The decarbonization of our electricit…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote from an article that the new director of communications for the Conservative Party of Canada wrote. He stated, “But opposition to a policy is not a policy in and of itself.” He added, “Conservatives are refusing to contribute anything to the [climate change] discussion other than throwing temper tantrums and scoring political points.” I agree with the new directo…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question, although I find it somewhat perplexing. Radio-Canada recently published an article under the headline “Woodland caribou: [the Bloc leader] draws the ire of biologists”. It said that the Bloc leader had expressed doubts about the science behind the decline of the caribou. On this side of the House, we believe in the science of climate change.…
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Mr. Speaker, the cost of climate change for Canadians is in the tens of billions of dollars, and it seems like the Conservative Party of Canada does not understand that we are all paying for this. There is no escaping it. We have to address the issue of climate change as we address issues of affordability, which is why two weeks ago, thanks to the climate action incentive payments, a family of fou…
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Mr. Speaker, when the leader of the Bloc Québécois was the Quebec environment minister, he bypassed the environmental assessment for the McInnis Cement project in the Gaspé. He also bypassed the environmental assessment and the public consultations on Enbridge's Line 9B reversal and the environmental assessment, his own law, on drilling in Anticosti. I do not think the Bloc Québécois has any lesso…
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Mr. Speaker, I find it a bit rich to hear the member opposite talk about foreign oil imports. There were twice as many foreign oil imports under their leadership than there are today. When they say they have the back of energy workers, the question is which energy workers. Is it Saudi Arabian energy workers, Russian energy workers or Canadian energy workers? Under our leadership, oil imports have …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to read an extract from an article that the new director of communications for the Conservative Party of Canada said. He said, “Instead of scoring cheap political points on Trudeau's carbon tax, Conservatives need to get serious and offer their own alternative”. I agree with the new director of communications for the Conservative Party of Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, it was none other than the Conservative Party of Canada's director of communications, Ben Woodfinden. He also said, “Instead of scoring cheap political points...Conservatives need to get serious and offer their own alternative.” Where is this alternative? Why does the Leader of the Opposition not listen to his own director of communications, get serious and step up for climate action …
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Mr. Speaker, more than 600 lives were lost in British Columbia due to the heat waves and forest fires, which is something we have never seen in the history of this country. It was the costliest natural catastrophe in the history of our country. Who do the official opposition members think is paying for the tens of billions of dollars that climate change is costing British Columbians and Canadians …
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Mr. Speaker, just last week, the Insurance Bureau of Canada unveiled that storm Fiona caused more than $600 million of insured losses. These are not total damages. That makes it the most expensive storm in Atlantic Canada. On this side of the House, we are fighting climate change and supporting Canadians. Just two weeks ago, we sent $186 to families in Ontario, $208 to families in Manitoba, $275 t…
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Mr. Speaker, we waited 416 days for the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle's climate pamphlet when he was leader. The member for Carleton has now been leader of the Conservative Party for 47 days, and Conservatives still do not have a climate plan. Maybe his new director of communications can help his climate-denying boss to get with the program.
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that in Quebec, we use a carbon pricing system that is different than the federal system. In an effort to collaborate with the provinces, we have allowed those who wanted to keep their own system to do so. In Quebec, the federal carbon pricing system does not apply; the cap-and-trade system does. I would be pleased to explain to my colleague the difference …
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Well, you said so to Canadians. Mr. Speaker, they told Canadians they were going to put a price on carbon. Were they lying to Canadians then, or are they lying now? That is the question I have for them.
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Mr. Speaker, in the lead-up to the last election campaign, every single member opposite was in favour—
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Mr. Speaker, right now in British Columbia, parts of the province have been without water for more than 100 days. In Port aux Basques, more than 100 families will not be able to go back to their homes, and that is just the beginning. In fact, some people are saying they do not want to go back because it has become too dangerous. What does the Conservative Party have to say about what it would do t…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote the member for Durham, who said, “We recognize that the most efficient way to reduce our emissions is to use pricing mechanisms.” We agree, and I will also quote the member for New Brunswick Southwest, who said, “The backstop will kick in, the feds will take it over, and...cheques will begin to roll out to New Brunswick”. That is exactly what we are doing. We are…
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Mr. Speaker, the only way to eliminate energy poverty is to reduce household costs in energy by fighting climate change. With the volatility of oil prices and the record profits of oil companies, the Conservatives are proposing that Canadians be chained to the oil and gas markets and be completely vulnerable to foreign wars and cartels. Our plan is to give Canadians autonomy and sovereignty in the…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question. I would point out that the president of the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec himself stated in an interview for that article that federal public servants are not supposed to use their office equipment to disclose information that is supposed to remain internal to the government. Of course, we are working to advance the…
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Madam Speaker, Canada is one of the most transparent countries on the planet. Just look at the annual reports of Transparency International. We are one of the countries that gives journalists the most freedom. We have very important procedures when it comes to disclosing information, and we are extremely proud of that. We will continue to work on being one of the best in the world.
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to tell my colleague that the very important international magazine National Geographic named the Prime Minister of Canada man of the year for the work Canada is doing to protect nature. It is no coincidence that the United Nations turned to us to organize the next international UN conference on biodiversity. When this conference could not be held in China, the UN turne…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that, in the last year alone, we invested $15 billion in the electric battery and electric vehicle sector. That money went to 10 different projects, including several in Quebec. The German chancellor came to Canada to announce a project to produce green hydrogen from offshore wind power. When my colleague talks about what we are doing in Canada, t…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to reassure my colleague. The federal price on pollution does not apply to Quebec, because Quebec has kept its own cap-and-trade system, which operates in a completely different way from the carbon pricing system. In Quebec's case, emissions are reduced through the cap component of their system, not a price increase. That is how it works. There will be no increase in Qu…
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Madam Speaker, in the last three years, we have had the most costly forest fires in the history of Canada, the most costly floods in the history of Canada and now the most costly tropical storm in the history of Canada. Climate change is costing Canadians billions of dollars, and this is just the beginning unless we act. Unfortunately, the Conservative Party has no plan whatsoever. In fact, it wan…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote from the Parliamentary Budget Officer's last report on pricing, not what the Conservative Party is saying about it, but what the Parliamentary Budget Officer actually said. He said, “we project most households will see a net gain, receiving more in rebates from federal carbon pricing...than the total amount they pay in federal fuel charges”.
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Mr. Speaker, maybe it is time for the Conservative Party of Canada to come clean with the House and Canadians and admit to all that the fuel charge that will come into effect in 2023 will not come into effect before April, at the very earliest. This is April of 2023, so it will have no impact whatsoever on the cost of heating our homes over the winter.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to enlighten my colleague on the other side about the difference between federal carbon pricing and the Quebec government's cap and trade system. The Quebec government has no planned increases because the Quebec system works on a cap and trade basis, and the cap is the part that goes down. It is not related to the price. I would be pleased to explain the difference betwee…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. Climate change is a very pressing issue, which is why our government is working hand in hand with colleagues, provinces, territories, indigenous leadership and municipalities to build the first-ever national adaptation plan so Canadians are better prepared to fight climate change. Yes, we are in the process of meeting our commitment to elimi…
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Mr. Speaker, in the 1970s, people thought that fighting climate change was the environment minister's responsibility. For our government, it is the responsibility of all ministers and all members on this side of the House. Everyone must fight climate change, whether it is the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Transport, the Department of Justice or the Department of the Environmen…
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Mr. Speaker, we are, in fact, working to create an independent water agency for Canada. We need more information on water and better water management in Canada, because water, despite the fact that we have a lot of it in Canada, is also under threat because of climate change. We are working on this and we will have good news to announce to this House in the coming weeks.
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Mr. Speaker, the commission that made this recommendation is an independent commission. Independence is a term that the Bloc Québécois should understand well. It is not the federal government or the Newfoundland government, it is an independent commission. This energy development project will be subject to our rigorous environmental assessment process and public consultations.
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Mr. Speaker, the only way to eliminate energy poverty and reduce household energy costs in Canada is by fighting climate change. With the volatility of oil prices and the record profits of oil companies, Conservatives are proposing Canadians be chained to the oil and gas markets and completely vulnerable to foreign wars and cartels. Our plan would give Canadians autonomy and sovereignty in their e…
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Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that those members would talk about energy poverty, because when they were in power, the first thing they did was cut energy efficiency projects for the lowest-income Canadians. Hundreds of people were laid off. That is the first thing they did when they came into power in 2006. Then what did the Conservatives do? They eliminated subsidies to help Canadians buy elect…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question and remind him that we have one of the most rigorous environmental assessment processes. It is a process, by the way, that the Conservatives opposed with Bill C-69. We are also committed to supplying clean, renewable energy to European countries. That is why the German chancellor came to Canada to sign an agreement on hydrogen that w…
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Mr. Speaker, 10 prime ministers ago, in 1970, a program was created to help Canadians face the impacts of natural catastrophes in this country. Since 1970, $8.5 billion has been paid, but a third of that was paid in the last six years. The cost of natural catastrophes is increasing in Canada. We just need to talk to people in Atlantic Canada. If the Conservatives do not care about finances, then m…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question. First, I would like to remind her that the board is at arm's length from the federal government. Second, any new energy production project will be subject to our environmental assessment process, have a greenhouse gas emission cap, and be governed by the strictest regulations on methane emissions reduction, not in North America, not among G7…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for caring so much about my image. What matters to us is setting the record straight. I think my colleague is confusing me, the Minister of the Environment, with the leader of the Bloc Québécois, who allowed drilling on Anticosti Island without an environmental assessment and without any public consultation with the local population or indigenous peoples. That is …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that we are putting the pedal to the metal on renewable energy projects, clean tech projects like the one in Newfoundland to produce green hydrogen from offshore wind power. It will be one of the greenest projects on the planet. In fact, that is why the German chancellor spent a week in Canada. Canada is going to be a partner of choice for the green…
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Mr. Speaker, in fact, we are helping households transition away from dirty and expensive home heating oil to more affordable and greener heating sources. We are doing that, and have committed to doing that, with our partners in Atlantic Canada. We are working with every single province in Atlantic Canada to support programs that they have put in place, with $250 million to help tens of thousands o…
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Mr. Speaker, just last Friday, thanks to the climate action incentive payments, a family of four received $208 in Manitoba, $275 in Saskatchewan, $269 in Alberta and $186 in the member opposite's province. This will happen four times a year. We can fight climate change and support Canadians, and that is exactly what we are doing. The Conservatives have no plan to fight climate change and no plan t…
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Mr. Speaker, $7 billion was the cost to Canadians of the forest fire in Fort McMurray. Nine billion dollars was the cost to Canadians of the floods in B.C. last year. The cost of Fiona will likely be above anything we have seen in Canada. The cost of climate impacts in this country have gone up 400% in the last decade. Canadians are paying the cost of that. What is the answer from the Conservative…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Chateauguay—Lacolle for her question and her dedication to the issue of climate change and the environment. I am pleased to announce that we will be welcoming the first members of this youth council tomorrow and Thursday in Ottawa. This council will provide the Government of Canada with the opportunity to hear from young Canadians who are passionate about urgent…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. Sadly, he does not understand carbon pricing in Canada and Quebec. Quebec does not have carbon pricing, but rather a cap-and-trade system. It is a little complicated, I know. I will be happy to explain the difference to him. My office could organize a briefing if my hon. colleague so wishes.
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