Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to speak to Bill S-5, the strengthening environmental protection for a healthier Canada act. It proposes amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act of 1999, also known as CEPA. As members know, our government introduced Bill S-5 in the Senate on February 9, 2022. Over the past year, Bill S-5 has moved steadily through the parliament…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's statement and question. The sentiment she expressed at the committee meeting was one of disgust and disappointment. I did look Chief Adam in the eye. Everyone around that table was very incredulous at how something like this could happen and how notification was not given. That is why the minister has established a working group. He has extended his hand to t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I was not aware of the particular issue the member has raised today. I will certainly take it back and see where things lie in terms of safer alternatives. One of the major thrusts of CEPA is looking for those safer alternatives. We will be looking to the innovation and ingenuity of our scientists, researchers and universities to find alternatives so we can replace substances that a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Victoria for her work on this very important bill and the collaboration that we enjoyed. We worked closely on this bill for a number of months. I disagree with her characterization of the ultimate result. From what I have heard from environmental groups, industry representatives and health professionals, the feedback coming to me is that this is a good b…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I believe when I was referring to the EU, I was referring to cosmetic testing. The whole basis of CEPA is to have risk-based analysis versus the hazard-based management system of the European Union. I believe our system is much more superior for protecting human health and the environment. It has served our country well, and we have made major improvements to CEPA that would make it…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the hon. member on the environment committee, for all her work on this bill, her very important work. I have a question for the hon. member on the issue of air quality standards that our NDP colleague had raised. I know the Bloc is very sensitive to jurisdictional issues. One of the reasons we defeated the NDP amendment was that this is an area of joint…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, there is good news for Canadians. Starting April 14, those cheques began arriving in people's mailboxes. In Alberta, they will receive $1,500 per year, and that is over $350 a quarter. It will be $1,000 in Manitoba. Eight out of 10 families will be better off. Those cheques, as I mentioned, will arrive quarterly. That is going to help with cash flow. That is going to help with affor…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, as much as the Conservatives would like to deny it, climate change is real. What else is real? Those cheques that are arriving in people's mailboxes beginning April 14. In my home province of Manitoba, people will receive $250 a quarter, over $1,000 a month. What is not real? Some of the conspiracy theories that are purported by the other side and cryptocurrency. I would not invest …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, along the hallway that leads to the House of Commons, visitors will find the Room of Remembrance. This small room is home to the eight Books of Remembrance, books that contain the names of Canadians who gave their lives in military service. Every day at 11 a.m., the pages of the books are turned so that each name may be read at least once every year. This practice has gone uninterrupt…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives just do not seem to get it. The climate rebate puts more money in people's pockets. Eight out of 10 families will be better off. The member can look at page 5 of the original PBO report. What will not leave families better off is investing in cryptocurrency. That was reckless advice by the Leader of the Opposition. I have invited him to stand in this House and apolog…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I have good news. On April 14, climate rebate cheques started to arrive in people's mailboxes. A family of four in my home province of Manitoba will receive $1,000. That is $250 quarterly. That is going to help with cash flow. That is going to help with affordability. The Conservatives do not seem to be interested in either.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, good news is coming to Atlantic Canadians. On July 1, the climate action rebate will be coming to all of the Atlantic provinces. That will mean $1,000 or more to a family of four. Even the premier of New Brunswick likes it. At least one Conservative likes it. He said, “We need to make a choice that is in the best interest of New Brunswickers, and what this does now is provide relief f…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, all members of this House know that we are working very hard to reduce emissions from the oil and gas sector. We are going to be capping oil and gas emissions. We will be implementing a clean fuel standard and a clean electricity standard. We are going to be investing in carbon capture and storage. Very importantly, we are going to be eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, and we are go…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the hon. member is from my home province of Manitoba and will know that Manitobans will receive $1,000 in climate rebate cheques over the next year. They will receive those cheques quarterly. The hon. member will also know that there is a cost to climate change. We in Manitoba have had two one-in-300-year floods, costing $1 billion each. Agriculture has been dramatically impacted. W…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, as much as the bench opposite would like to deny it, climate change is real. Do members know what else is real? The cheques that will arrive in people's mailboxes over the next few weeks are real. This will mean $1,000 to residents in Manitoba. Those cheques will arrive quarterly. This is going to help with affordability. This is going to help with cash flow. The Conservatives are d…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, as I said yesterday, something is not sinking in. The climate rebate will make eight out of 10 families better off. That is in a PBO report. What will not leave people better off is investing in cryptocurrency. I gave the Leader of the Opposition two or three times to apologize for his very reckless advice to Canadians, but it really underlines that the opposition has no plan for th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, it is really puzzling. Every single person on that side of the aisle campaigned in 2021 on putting a price on pollution. Stephen Harper was in favour of a carbon tax before he was against it. The member for Wellington—Halton Hills made it the centrepiece of his leadership campaign in 2017. The MP for Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, as a member of the B.C. government, actually introduced t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, something is not sinking in. The climate rebate will put more money in people's pockets. The member should look at page 5 of the original PBO report that says eight out of 10 families will be better off. What will not make families better off is investing in cryptocurrency. That is reckless economic advice by the Leader of the Opposition. Will he stand in his place and apologize to Ca…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives never talk about the costs of climate change, and the Parliamentary Budget Officer has talked about those costs, predicted to be $25 billion by 2025, a $9-billion impact to the B.C. economy from floods, fires and drought. The town of Lytton burned to the ground, and 600 people lost their lives in the heat dome. When are the Conservatives going to stop the denial and …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, indeed, good news is coming to Atlantic Canada on July 1. The climate rebate will be coming to Atlantic Canada. That would mean up to $1,000 for a family of four in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, and $1,300 in Newfoundland and Labrador. Eight out of 10 families would be better off. If the member does not believe me, perhaps he would believe Conservative Premier B…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, every time we put forward an affordability measure, the Conservatives vote against it. However, good news is coming to the Prairies, where the member and I live. As of April 1, a family of four will receive a climate rebate of up to $1,500 in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and $1,000 in Manitoba. This is going to help families. It is going to help families because the cheques are going to …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, every time we put forward an affordability measure for dental, rental or supporting children, the Conservatives vote against it. I will just emphasize, for the 29th time, that the climate rebate puts more money in people's pockets. It makes families better off. What will not make families better off is investing in cryptocurrency. The hon. Leader of the Opposition had a chance to stan…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, indeed it is a pleasure to participate in tonight's debate and talk about budget 2023, a made-in-Canada plan for a strong middle class, an affordable economy and a healthy future. I am going to respond to a few of the promises the government made that are referenced in the member's original question. One of those was regarding funding for a Canada water agency. We know how essential…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, budget 2023 will make targeted and responsible investments to build a stronger and greener economic future for all Canadians. In the end, these will make Canada a better place to live, work and thrive for everyone. I am proud of the fact that budget 2023 will mean better public health care, progress toward truth and reconciliation, new opportunities for Canadian workers and, as I th…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I always appreciate the hon. member's questions and enjoy working with her on the environment committee of Parliament. To start, the Government of Canada is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector. We are not giving it a free pass, as is implied in the question. We have committed to cap and cut oil and gas emissions at a pace and scale necessary …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I agree with the hon. member on a couple of things. One is that the energy sector is making record profits. I also agree with her that emissions must come down, and we have very aggressive targets for 2030 and 2050. This is why we have invested $9.1 billion in our emissions reduction plan. It is time that the oil and gas sector puts the shoulder to the wheel and works with us to cre…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's concern for Canadians dealing with the rising cost of living. It is true that throughout the world, people are living in times of economic uncertainty. Inflation is driving up the price of necessities like groceries and rent and Canadians have been feeling it greatly. I certainly agree with the hon. member. Canada Post was there for us as the needs o…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, this government will continue to support the middle class and people who need support when they need it most. Canada Post has been keeping us connected during the pandemic and this government will continue to work with the corporation to ensure that it remains self-sustaining while serving every address in Canada. Although there is economic uncertainty around the world, the Governme…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we are working on many fronts to reduce fossil fuel emissions. We will be capping emissions from the oil and gas sector. We will be investing, yes, in carbon capture and storage. We will be implementing a clean fuel standard and, very importantly, we will be eliminating fossil fuel subsidies. We have eliminated eight and the rest will be eliminated by the end of the year.
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my friend and hon. colleague for her compliments on the success of COP15, and I will certainly pass those on to the minister. This was a success for Canada and, indeed, the world. I think the hon. member will agree that the hard work begins now in implementing that framework. As was correctly noted, China retained the presidency of COP15, while Canada provided the ho…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, our government has prioritized housing affordability throughout our mandate. It is why we launched the historic national housing strategy and why, in subsequent legislation, we enshrined housing as a human right. We continue to make housing a priority. We have enacted programs to help people from across the spectrum of housing need, always prioritizing those who are most vulnerable.…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, once again, I find myself in violent agreement with the hon. member, which is often unusual in the chamber. I will just re-emphasize that the Government of Canada signalled commitment and resolve in the lead-up to COP15 through a series of statements and announcements centred around our progress toward conserving 30% of our land and waters by 2030, the protection and recovery of spe…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the question by my colleague from Vancouver East shows that we share a concern that people across this country still face challenges when it comes to housing affordability and homelessness. Our government always welcomes input from across the way, across the housing sector and across the country on how to solve this complex problem. I would say it can only be solved through deep col…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, like the hon. member, our government is deeply concerned by the reports about the Kearl mine tailings ponds. Our first thoughts are for the health and well-being of the families in the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the ACFN, and other affected indigenous communities. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change has reached out directly to the ACFN, the Mikisew Cree and the Alb…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I agree with the hon. member that we need to go further and faster on emissions reductions. That is why we are capping emissions from the oil and gas sector, implementing a clean fuel standard, and investing in carbon capture and storage. We will be exporting that technology around the world, and we are also phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. We have phased out eight, an…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am rising on behalf of my friend and our late colleague, Jim Carr, to table a petition from the residents and staff of Shaftesbury Park retirement home in Winnipeg South Centre. The petitioners wish to bring to the attention of the House the 94 calls to action recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The petitioners are urging the government to accelerate their impl…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, the U16 Bonivital Angels ringette team from South Winnipeg travelled to Ottawa to participate in the Gloucester Cumberland national ringette tournament. Before the tournament began, I was pleased to welcome these remarkable young women to Parliament Hill. During their tour, I got the opportunity to better explain my role as their member of Parliament and answer the…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. friend from Manitoba for the question. He will know that there is actually good news for families in the Prairies. As of April 1, a family of four will receive up to $1,000 in Manitoba from the climate action rebate. Referring to the Governor of the Bank of Canada, he estimated that perhaps 0.1% will be related to the price on pollution in terms of inflation. T…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as usual, the Conservatives are distorting the facts. Our emissions are going down. We are on track to meet our targets, which are in 2030. What did the Conservatives do when they were in power? Absolutely nothing. For 10 long years, they did nothing on climate change, they abandoned the Kyoto accord, they cut $350 million from the environment and climate change budget and they gutted…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the lack of safe, quality housing across the north is unacceptable. This is why our government, in collaboration with partners, is making historic investments. Our government has been clear that we will not impose solutions on northerners. Instead, we will work with them to support their priorities. Through Northern Affairs alone, we are investing $200 million to support housing and r…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, listening to the Conservatives, day in and day out, the words “climate change” just never come out of their mouths. That is not surprising, because for 10 long years, they did absolutely nothing on climate change. They are stuck in the past. We are looking to the future. We are looking to make life more affordable for Canadians, and the Conservatives keep voting against us. We are g…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the Conservatives talk a pretty good line on affordability, but when it comes time to deliver, they are just not present. They voted against every one of our affordability measures, but there is good news on the horizon. As of April 1, a family of four will receive a climate rebate up to $1,500 in the member's home province of Alberta and $1,000 in my home province of Manitoba. Eigh…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the hon. member is from my home province of Manitoba, and Manitobans will receive $1,000 in their climate action rebate this year. Again, the hon. member will know what has been happening with climate change on the Prairies: two $1-billion floods, two one-in-300-years floods, and the worst drought in 50 or 60 years that has paralyzed our farm community. The hon. member and his party…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we believe climate change is real. Those costs are going up, as the hon. member mentioned, and we are feeling the impacts from coast to coast to coast: floods, fires and droughts costing billions. That is why we launched, just a short time ago, our national adaptation strategy. We have invested $1.6 billion, and there are 84 very specific measures. We are …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it is really disappointing to hear from the other side, because months after the worst climate disaster in Atlantic history, the Conservatives want to take away a measure that will actually fight pollution and put more money in people's pockets. The hon. member was even mocking some of the measures we want to introduce to help Atlantic Canadians transition away from dirty foreign oil …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, every time we put forward an affordability measure, such as rental supports, dental supports, the Canada child benefit or the middle-class tax cut, the Conservatives vote against it. Something is not sinking in. The climate action rebate puts more money in people's pockets than they pay at the pump, and eight out of 10 families will be better off. Do members know what will not make fa…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his passion on this particular topic, but he does not have a lot of facts. I wonder if the hon. member knows that last year's price on pollution went up by 2.2¢. Does the member know that 95% of the increase in the cost of gas was because of inflation caused by international events and various margins in the various provinces, and that eight out of 10 fam…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I enjoy working with the hon. member on the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. The hon. member mentioned the UN, and he will recall the UN Kyoto climate accord, which the Conservatives cancelled. They not only did not meet their targets; they cancelled their targets. They cut $350 million from the environment and climate change budget. There was not an en…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy and for her friendship. We are turning the Queen Mary, as they say. The Conservative government of Stephen Harper did nothing on climate change for 10 long years. We are reversing that trend. We are investing billions of dollars in climate action and into the new economy. We have eliminated six fossil fuel subsidies and are on our way to elim…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, indeed it is a privilege to rise today to participate in this important debate on carbon pricing. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time and carbon pricing is the backbone of our government's climate plan, as the minister has just said. In recent years, climate change has had unprecedented effects on Canadians. Impacts from climate change are wide-ranging, aff…
Read full speech →