Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question that was brought forward by my friend from Kitchener Centre. If we are going to be talking about things like the greener homes grant, I think that, first of all, we should give a shout-out to how successful it has been and how wonderful it is that we have seen so many Canadians who are interested in this program. It has been a tremendous success, so it is g…
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Madam Speaker, we have already supported hundreds of thousands of Canadians across our country in their retrofits, through the greener home grants. It is supporting affordability. It is supporting these retrofits. As with all government programs, there is an allotted investment to support Canadians. There has been significant interest in the program, which is amazing. I want to also highlight, as …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague from Jonquière to talk a little more about what happened last night in committee. In his opinion, did it lead to any breakthroughs in terms of helping workers in our country, environmental issues and the fight against climate change? What I saw yesterday were attacks on individuals in committee. There were no discussions about what we are going to do…
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Mr. Speaker, I wonder what my colleague might say in response to a recent study by an economist from the University of Calgary that found, if the carbon pricing were to be cancelled today, those who would stand to lose the most would be people with lower incomes and that high-income households stood the most to gain if the tax were axed tomorrow. In fact, the report found that 94% of people who ea…
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Mr. Speaker, affordability is clearly a key concern. Keeping that in mind and having heard what the member opposite had to say, I wonder how he can fix everything that he has said and square that with the following fact: According to University of Calgary economists, if the carbon tax were axed tomorrow, the people who would actually benefit the most are people who earn $250,000 or more. More to t…
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Madam Speaker, throughout the time we have been in committee, and we are, in fact, still on the same meeting that began on October 30, we have heard all sorts of conversations about strawberry milkshakes being drunk through straws and about muscle cars, but we have not had an opportunity to hear from workers about what their perspectives are on the sustainable jobs act. I was wondering if perhaps …
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Madam Speaker, I rise today in my capacity as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. In this capacity I hold a responsibility to ensure the advancement of our legislative agenda in vital areas of public policy, including the future of our energy system. I stand here today to provide an update on the status of Parliament's review of two very important bills, Bill C…
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Madam Speaker, I am saying that I want to hear from them in committee as we work on this important bill. It is the Conservatives who are refusing to allow us to have witnesses come to study the bill. Instead, they have chosen, during the past month and more, to talk about sipping milkshakes, about muscle cars and about whatever else has come to their minds, including literally hundreds of points o…
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Madam Speaker, I am really glad the member asked that question, because sustainable jobs are really important for our economy. With this bill, we want to support workers so we can create those sustainable jobs of tomorrow. This bill has everything we need to make sure that workers have a seat at the table as we discuss how we are going to participate in a changing global economy. With this bill, w…
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Madam Speaker, the question is so important because what it touches upon is the fact that we have not had the opportunity to hear from the very workers who have such an important place in the Canadian economy. It has been incredibly frustrating. The president of the Canadian Labour Congress said, “To not pass this legislation is to basically tell workers to take a back seat, and that is not good e…
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Madam Speaker, I am focused on making sure we listen to workers and to Canadians as we move forward. It has been very clear: If the Conservatives cared about making sure these different perspectives are being heard when we consider the legislation, they would have allowed for voting on the scheduling motion. They have not allowed us to vote on a scheduling motion, so we are stuck in that scary pre…
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Madam Speaker, I do not know what the official opposition is thinking. I have no clue. I do not know why the Conservatives consider it more important to talk about the cars they bought way back when, cars that were not even built here in Canada. They do not want to talk about how we can make plans to attract more investment so that we can build cars and all their parts too. Why do they not want to…
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Madam Speaker, once again, I will listen to the workers who are talking about the bill. The president of the Alberta Federation of Labour said, “what the Conservatives are saying in those committees hearings and what they're saying on social media is that this bill...is a blueprint for phasing out oil and gas...but nothing could be further from the truth.” He represents the workers on the ground.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, transitioning the way people heat their homes is not only important for the environment but makes life more affordable. That is why it is so important that our government created the oil and heat pump program, which is helping people right across our country who rely on oil to transition to heat pump heating. That is going to reduce their bills going forward. More than that, the green…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, too many children across Canada go to school without having a proper meal in their bellies. I am presenting a petition that has been signed by many people across Canada to call upon the Government of Canada to invest, in budget 2024, in a fund negotiated with provinces, territories and indigenous leaders that would help children by developing the food and nutrition habits they need to…
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Mr. Speaker, this is such important legislation for sustainable jobs. It is about building our economic future as a country. I was wondering if the Minister of Labour could talk to us a little about the importance of making sure that workers are at the centre of the work that we are doing, and how we have made sure, through this bill and the work that we have been doing generally with labour, that…
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Mr. Speaker, it is just shameful to be drawing out that type of conspiracy theory when we are talking about such sensitive issues. Let us talk about how we are supporting our allies, because the facts are important. We are working with all of our allies in providing green hydrogen and providing nuclear technologies. We are there to support our allies when they come looking to us for support, and I…
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Mr. Speaker, I noted in my comments that humanitarian support in the corridors is essential. I think everyone needs to know that innocent individuals are protected and that we are ensuring, wherever we can, that they have the support they need, and that stands. We can always help by protecting one another more.
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Mr. Speaker, tonight I am going to take more of a personal approach to this debate. I am going to be speaking as a Jewish woman and a Jewish mother here in Canada about what the past week and few days have been like. On the day of the mass murder and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel, like many people, I tuned to the television. I felt horror and fear. Me and my daughters were watching TV on a consta…
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Mr. Speaker, as the member noted, I was not really focusing in my speech today on the fundamentals of international policy and foreign policy. When I was in Mel Lastman Square last week, I saw many Iranian people who were feeling vulnerable about the things happening back in their home country. We have certainly been there to support “Women, life, freedom”, as we say, to support women in Iran. I d…
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate that question. That is exactly what I was trying to say. I think that sometimes we try too hard to come up with answers right away. From time to time, there are things that we really need to think about. We need to be aware of what impact the things we are saying may be having on others around us. I therefore appreciate that question because sometimes we need to ta…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that part of it is also showing and evidencing civility, thoughtfulness and caring among ourselves as parliamentarians. I think that this can go a long way toward setting an example back home in our communities, listening and being there for each other. Sometimes it is about the different programs and sometimes it is also just about making sure that we can be there for one ano…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to highlight that our government is the one that put UNDRIP into law. That was after the Conservatives refused to even recognize UNDRIP as something that was worth support. We have also recently, in the past year, put in the UNDRIP action plan. We are continuing on that work. As for the decision the member opposite is referring to, I want to emphasize that it was made by an ind…
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Mr. Speaker, we take the fight against climate change very seriously. In fact, it is our government that will ensure that we are net zero by 2050. If the Bloc Québécois is so interested in the oil issue, I would like to know why the leader of the Bloc Québécois, when he was Quebec's environment minister, said without hesitation that the Government of Quebec planned to go ahead with the development…
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Madam Speaker, we know that natural resources are at the centre of our future economy, and Canada is blessed with so many resources that the world is looking for. That is why we are actually reaching agreements with other countries, like Germany with our memorandum on hydrogen, and our recent agreement with Romania when it comes to nuclear power. We know that Canada has the expertise, and we have …
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Madam Speaker, as I said in my speech, sustainable jobs are part of what we are doing to address climate change. Canada is transitioning to a net-zero economy. That is important because it attracts the interest of industries that want to do their manufacturing here in Canada. We just saw an example of that yesterday in Quebec with Northvolt, a company that is going to manufacture batteries in Sain…
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Madam Speaker, the health and safety of Canadians, reconciliation, and protecting the environment are our top priorities when it comes to nuclear energy. The project proposal is currently being reviewed by the commission, and a hearing just wrapped up. All radioactive waste in Canada is managed safely in accordance with international standards at licensed facilities overseen by our world-class reg…
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Madam Speaker, I could agree more with the member opposite that we have to make sure we steer our economy to where the world is looking. We are in a global shift, and fighting climate change has to be at the top of our agenda. We have seen it with the wildfires, hurricanes, floods and droughts. It is terrible when we see things like yesterday, when the Conservatives brought a motion specifically b…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for that question because it is so important that we recognize that fighting climate change not only helps us to avert the natural disasters we are seeing in our country, but also that, more than that, it is economic policy. It is so important we make sure our economy is a net-zero economy. When we talk to people in industry, and I have talked with different peo…
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Madam Speaker, this bill applies to work that is done under federal jurisdiction. We consulted the provinces and territories during the drafting of this bill. We know that is very important. We will work with the provinces and territories because they too want to ensure that we are ready for net-zero and to support workers in their province and territory. We are working with them to be sure of tha…
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Madam Speaker, we know that how we heat our homes and power our vehicles is such an important part of what we are doing to reach net zero. I would like to make sure that the member opposite lets all of his constituents know about the greener homes loans and grants. These are a chance for an auditor to make an assessment as to what is most needed. It might be insulation. It might be a heat pump. Th…
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Madam Speaker, what I really appreciated was the focus the member placed on the well-paying jobs that are going to be available to workers as we move toward a net-zero economy and building out the clean electrical grid. In that speech, one of the points he raised was the need for certainty: We need to make sure there is certainty and transparency as to how things are happening and what the plan is…
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Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague. After yesterday, when we heard all the Conservatives stand up and say they were against fighting climate change, would she not agree that it is important to continue the fight on the federal side? That is exactly what my bill aims to do, specifically take action on the federal side. Is it not important to think about workers and ensure sustainab…
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to stand today to start our debate on Bill C-50, an act respecting federal accountability, transparency and engagement to support the creation of sustainable jobs for workers and economic growth in a net-zero economy. By introducing legislation for sustainable jobs, the Government of Canada is providing strong leadership through good governance, strong accountability…
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Madam Speaker, today is a really important day because, if there is anything I can say after reading the text of the motion, is that it lays bare something that we have seen throughout the debates of the House, which is that the Conservatives do not care about climate action. They do not take climate action seriously, and that is deeply troubling after the summer we have seen in this country, with…
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Madam Speaker, it is very interesting to hear the member opposite, but I feel it is very important that we correct some of the things he put forward, because they are patently untrue. Let us start with oil imports. Today, the rate of oil imports coming into our country is lower than it has been in decades. In fact, it is lower than it was at the time of the Conservative government of which the Lea…
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Madam Speaker, I am trying to make sure I properly understand what the member opposite is saying. A family of four in Alberta will receive a cheque for $386 in the next couple of weeks. Is the motion today suggesting that he would like to scrap that and not have people in his community receive that payment? Does he not trust the people in his community to make the best economic decisions as to how…
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Madam Speaker, I always appreciate the comments of this Bloc Québécois member. I can tell that we are both passionate about the environment, something I consider very important. What are we doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? We are doing a number of things. By 2035, for example, all new vehicles sold will be zero-emission vehicles. We are also helping Canadians change how they heat their ho…
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Madam Speaker, I really appreciate that question, because I did not have enough time to go into that part, which is that climate change costs us. The example of the firefighting costs in B.C. is a wonderful example of that, and when I say “wonderful”, I mean a terrible example. The Canadian Climate Institute looked at it and said that the cost to GDP for every Canadian, or per person, would be $63…
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Madam Speaker, I thought I outlined in quite a bit of detail why carbon pricing works as a system. We recognize people have been struggling with the high costs of inflation, but the carbon price is not the reason. In fact, the Bank of Canada said that the contribution of the carbon price to inflation was 0.15%. That is not even half a per cent; it is not even a quarter per cent. It is 0.15%. Absol…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I think we can all agree that what happened here on Friday was deeply hurtful. My point of order is actually that, as a Jewish Canadian, I have been very much hurt by what I have been hearing and seeing. When the government House leader was mentioning that she was the descendent of Holocaust survivors, the member for Haldimand—Norfolk said that the chickens…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I would like everyone to listen up as I share the wisdom of Nodin Outten-Joseph, a graduate from Kapapamahchakwew Wandering Spirit School in my community. Nodin is a national winner of the Your Voice is Power competition for his work on coding to make music. He stated that his work “Represents the need for the voices of Black and Indigenous Peoples to be listened to by those in positi…
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Mr. Speaker, we take climate change and the work we need to do very seriously. Regarding the World Petroleum Congress, it is true that the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources is there. He is there to tell everyone how important it is that we do everything we can to decarbonize our energy systems. We need clean energy. We know that, and we are working hard to get it.
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Mr. Speaker, again, if the member opposite wants to talk about clean fuel regulations, let us do that. I thought the party opposite was really interested in technological solutions to climate change. Let us talk about how clean fuel regulations help to drive clean technologies. That means better biofuels, developing through hydrogen, all of which support our economy of the future. It is very impor…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to say that when we took stock of our greenhouse gas emissions, we saw that they were starting to decrease, which means that the work we are doing is reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, if we want to talk about clean fuel, that is something that is going to help the economy as well, so we are doing two things at once. There are regulations, b…
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Mr. Speaker, if the member from across would really like to talk about the clean fuel regulations, let us talk about that. It is kind of interesting, because Alberta itself has clean fuel regulations. What does that do? It actually incents cleaner fuels, but it also works to support emerging industries, like biofuels, which I think are quite popular in his part of the country as well. What we are …
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Mr. Speaker, we have a commitment to end the export of thermal coal, and we are working across all sectors of our economy to make sure that we are reducing emissions. We put in place a robust impact assessment system that is there to make sure that there are regional assessments and impact assessments to take into account environmental concerns. We have a very objective system. I am sure that the …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am going to say it again because maybe the member opposite did not hear me. Not taking action on climate change costs us. It costs us in increased food costs when there are droughts and floods impacting our farms. It impacts us when communities have to evacuate or have their homes destroyed by wildfires, as we are seeing in our communities. It costs us when we have to have firefight…
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Mr. Speaker, I find it infuriating, in light of the week that we have had, to hear the member opposite, who ran on carbon pricing when he ran to be elected as a member of Parliament in downtown Toronto, say that he thinks it is appropriate to be in this place and arguing against a price on carbon pollution, which is one of the most effective mechanisms for fighting climate change. What we do know …
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