Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it has been very clear that we are putting a cap on oil and gas emissions, but let us also talk about what we are doing to reduce combustion right across our entire economy. Just last year, we tabled an emissions reduction plan. It covers all sectors, and we are doing that work. We are moving to a sales target on zero-emissions vehicles. We are helping Canadians to transition the fuel…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, when we took office, only 1% of our lands and waters were conserved and protected. Now we are at 14%, and we will reach 30% by 2030. We will keep doing this great work. We are continuing to invest in renewable energy. That is what we did with Bill C‑49. It will provide a lot of renewable energy opportunities in the Atlantic provinces.
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Mr. Speaker, we have already talked about this, and I want to repeat that those are only exploration licences and not production licences. It is very important to know that. A production project has never been proposed in a marine refuge. It is quite possible that such a project would be rejected. Furthermore, I would like to speak about the work we are currently doing with Bill C-49. It will make…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise once more to reiterate that the Canadian Rangers have been a vital part of the Canadian Armed Forces for the last 75 years and to express our sincere gratitude for the critical work they do. We know that efforts are under way within the Canadian Army to improve the reimbursement process for Canadian Rangers who file an appropriate claim for lost or damaged gear. We know that th…
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Mr. Speaker, during this time of increasing strategic competition and uncertainty in the global security environment, we in this House and Canadians across the country can take heart in the important work of the Canadian Rangers. Canadian Rangers contribute to the sovereignty and defence of Canada. They work in some of the most difficult-to-reach regions of our country. They help safeguard our nor…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite and I can agree public transit is very important, and it is important for all the reasons he listed, including the fact that it helps people to get around. It is better for emissions. It is better for clean air in our communities and frankly it allows for a certain amount of freedom, particularly for young people who are too young to even have a driver's licence. I…
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Mr. Speaker, public transit is dear to my heart. In fact, I do not own a car myself. I actually think an important part of public transit is including active transportation infrastructure, which is why I am so proud our government created the first national active transportation fund. Support for transit means greater quality of life for Canadians, and our government has made the largest investmen…
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I cannot imagine.
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Mr. Speaker, first I will say that these are exploration permits and not production permits. That is important. In the case of a production permit, there is an environmental assessment process that oil companies must go through. Second, we continue to protect our waters and our land. When we formed government, 1% were protected; we are now at 14% and we are aiming for 30% by 2030.
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Mr. Speaker, when we first took office, only 1% of our waters and lands were protected. Now our goal is to protect 30% by 2030, and we are already at 14%. We are doing some good work. We could also talk about what we did last week with the Atlantic accords. We presented a framework for wind power projects in Newfoundland. This is going to be very important for the economy and for the environment.
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Mr. Speaker, we are getting good projects done. I would like to highlight that, just earlier this year, we approved two mines. James Bay lithium and Marathon palladium were both approved under the government. More than that, if we are looking at LNG projects, let us look at Cedar LNG. It is a first nation-owned business, and it is something that has been pointed out by that first nation as being e…
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Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to reiterate that this was an independent business decision made by Equinor; it was not a cancellation. The decision was largely due to market forces. Let us also talk about the fact that, right now, we have introduced legislation to diversify Newfoundland and Labrador's economy. We have introduced Bill C-49, and it provides huge opportunities for offshore projects…
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Mr. Speaker, again, I want to reiterate that this was an independent business decision that was based largely on market forces. Let us talk about the fact that Newfoundland and Labrador's opportunities go well beyond one project and that is where we are with them, to support them. In fact, we have, just this past week, tabled a bill with the accord acts, to make sure they are able to take advantag…
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Madam Speaker, it seems there is conflation of a lot of issues, when I hear the member opposite speak. I was looking at a study from U of T about safe consumption sites, and it says that there was a city-wide overdose mortality reduction of 42% between the time when we started, before we had safe consumption sites, and now. Not only that, but in neighbourhoods that are 500 metres around a safe con…
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Madam Speaker, I will agree with the member opposite that there is much more beyond prescribed harm reduction to resolve the issues we are facing with the opioid crisis. Where I disagree is that the British Columbia coroners office specifically stated, “There is no indication that prescribed safe supply is contributing to illicit drug deaths.” It is British Columbia's coroner who said that. How do…
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Madam Speaker, one of thing I have been having trouble with in the debate today is that there are certain elements of an entire spectrum of care required for the opioid crisis, but one is being pulled out as if it is the only one being proposed by the government, which is not true. Also, the experience in my community seems to be very different from what I hear from the members opposite. In 2022 i…
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Mr. Speaker, during question period, the member for Calgary Forest Lawn referred to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in a derogatory way. Calling someone names like that is unparliamentary. I would ask that the member opposite withdraw that comment and apologize.
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Mr. Speaker, to begin, I want to make it clear that we are talking about exploration, not production. Before our government took office, less than 1% of our oceans were protected. Today, over 14% of our oceans are protected and we will get to 30% by 2030. If members want to talk about this subject, then we can talk about the fact that, when the leader of the Bloc Québécois was serving as the Quebe…
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Mr. Speaker, we thank the commissioner for his report. When he presented his report, he acknowledged that we are taking this seriously. Between the time that he carried out his study and when he presented the report, we had negotiated or were in the process of negotiating six agreements for planting more than 260 million trees. In Vaudreuil, Quebec, the Minister of Environment announced just last …
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Mr. Speaker, one thing I have a hard time with in these questions is that carbon pricing is in fact a market mechanism. It encourages industry to be more efficient and to reduce their emissions. That actually makes them more competitive in a world where that is exactly what people are looking for. I would expect the members opposite to be supportive of anything we could do to help our industries b…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), and consistent with the current policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “International Tropical Timber Agreement, 2006”, done at Geneva on January 27, 2006.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. We know that nature is one of our best allies in fighting climate change. On Wednesday, at the Montreal Climate Summit, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced a $40-million investment in three projects under the federal two billion trees program, which will allow for 275,000 trees to be planted in Montreal and Vaudreuil-Dorion. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for that question, because it gives me an opportunity to talk a bit about how carbon pricing works. To be clear, the way carbon pricing works is that every bit of money that comes through the carbon price is returned to the province; it goes to the families in the province, as well as to the hospitals, schools and cities in the province of Ontario. Every pe…
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Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we can be proud of in this place is that we put in a national urban park, Rouge National Urban Park, which is an amazing jewel for our city. It is something that we have worked on and that we protect. It has species that are very important and endangered, and that we protect within that space. We have started a study, through the Impact Assessment Agency, to mak…
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Mr. Speaker, I take pollution incidents and threats to the environment very seriously, and I am deeply disappointed by this situation, as the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has also said. Our priority remains the health and the well-being of the people of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the Mikisew Cree First Nation and the Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, as well as other communitie…
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Mr. Speaker, Environment and Climate Change officials carried out inspections at the site after they became aware of the incident on February 7. In addition to the investigation, officers will continue to monitor the mitigation measures taken by Imperial Oil to prevent impacts to fish-bearing water, as required by the Fisheries Act direction issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcem…
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Mr. Speaker, I am really happy that the member opposite has asked me a question about the work we are doing on the environment, because it allows me the opportunity to share some goods news, which is that our national inventory report on emissions, which we put out last week to the UN, shows that we are bending the curve on emissions. In fact, our emissions are below prepandemic levels. They are b…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight that pricing carbon pollution works. I mentioned earlier that we are seeing our emissions go down. At the very same time as we are bringing down emissions, which is a market mechanism, by the way, which is something I would think the Conservatives would support, but beyond that matter, I would also point out that individual Canadians in the federal backstop p…
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Mr. Speaker, beyond the fact that carbon pricing absolutely works to reduce emissions, which I mentioned earlier, let us talk about why that is important. If we do not take action against climate change, every single Canadian will pay the cost of the natural disasters that come as part of it, including in provinces like the member opposite's province. We are making sure that we support Canadians. …
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Mr. Speaker, this week, we kicked off the planting season by announcing an agreement with British Columbia to plant over 37 million trees. The effect is like taking almost 470,000 cars off the road. It is going to turn burnt areas into healthy forests and restore wildlife habitat and ecosystems. I would like to wish everyone who is working in the planting fields, such as the scientists, planners, …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for that question. She is giving me the opportunity to say, first, that we thank the commissioner for his reports and all his recommendations, which we are taking seriously. This is also an opportunity for me to say that the results of our national inventory report of greenhouse gas emissions show progress in our fight against climate change. In 2021, ther…
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Mr. Speaker, I will begin by thanking the commissioner again for his reports. Many of the recommendations in his report about the two billion trees have been implemented or are currently being implemented. In fact, he said himself that he has seen progress, and he sees the work that has been done as a result of those recommendations. Thanks to this program, we have signed or are in the process of …
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Madam Speaker, I am really happy to be able to stand today and talk about how this new budget we tabled is a building block on everything that we have been doing since 2015. It is in response to so many of the issues that I have been hearing about from people in my community. I would particularly like to focus on the work that we have been doing to support young families and people with low income…
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Madam Speaker, what I am saying, and what I would be very strong in saying, is that I know there have been difficult times for many people in my community and my home city. I would experience that much more than someone who is from outside the community, as far as having those conversations with people and seeing it. What I do think is most important is to be providing income supports like the Can…
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Madam Speaker, I mentioned seniors because I am very happy to see affordable housing being built in my community in Toronto. It is more than just affordable housing. It is housing for the most vulnerable seniors and for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It is housing to help seniors who need it most. However, that is not all. I also talked about dental care and support through th…
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Madam Speaker, I agree not only that it is urgent and important, but also that it must addressed. I will point out I talked about rapid housing and the rapid housing initiative in my own community because it can be different with people who are indigenous who are living in urban areas and what the needs may be. I am glad to see some of the rapid housing funding has gone to build housing specifical…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, what is over 27,000 kilometres, connects us from coast to coast to coast, and travels through urban, rural, wild lands and waterways? It is the Trans Canada Trail. It is a beautiful pathway that connects us all. It is something where we can all go out, no matter what our ability, and explore the world around us. Last year, we made the largest single investment in the Trans Canada Trai…
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Madam Speaker, I am very happy that the member opposite asked that question, because this budget that we tabled this week shows exactly our commitment to a strong, sustainable electrical grid. We know that union workers and good-paying jobs are part of that work that we need to get done. We are supporting strong, sustainable jobs right across this country, and we know that our union workers are th…
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Mr. Speaker, listening to the member opposite, I wonder if she sees any value in Canadians having maybe a button on one of their streaming services or a special carousel dedicated to Canadian shows like Heartland or Corner Gas, which employ many Canadians and tell our great Canadian stories. Is there no value in making sure that when Canadians use these streaming services, we can find them easily?
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Mr. Speaker, I want to assure everyone in the House and all Canadians that all radioactive waste in Canada is currently being safely managed according to international standards at facilities that are licensed and monitored by a world-class regulator: the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The CNSC is an independent regulator that makes science-based objective decisions and regularly undergoes pe…
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Mr. Speaker, after a decade of complete inaction by the opposition when it was in government, we are showing that leadership. The IPCC is right: Climate change is real. Climate change is urgent, and we are taking action. That is why we need to continue doing what we are doing. We put a price on carbon pollution. We have an emissions reduction plan that speaks to how we are going to reduce emission…
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Madam Speaker, I agree fully that climate change is a matter of tremendous urgency right now. That is why, in fact, we are taking action. I really liked hearing some of the ideas that the member opposite had because we are working on many of those. I will talk a little about that. The member opposite mentioned the price on carbon pollution as one of the actions we have taken, and I do not think th…
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Madam Speaker, we have unequivocally stated that we will end fossil fuel subsidies. We are working on that, as the member knows. Beyond that, we need to focus not only on investments being made but also on legislated targets, like a sales target that we have put in place to have zero-emission vehicles by 2035, for all new vehicles sold. We are taking positive actions moving forward. I would hope t…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are good at saying sorry, but sorry, not sorry, because we are kicking bleep with our Canadian talent on the world stage. We are highlighting this week the Made Nous campaign. It is celebrating Canadian film and television right around the world. As people are popping out the popcorn and snacks to watch the Oscar's this weekend, we will have an opportunity to celebrate some …
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Mr. Speaker, do you have a neighbour who sits on the porch? Maybe you notice them and remember them every day. Well, that was Michael Finlay. He was a member of The Pocket neighbourhood, and people remember him for being on the porch reading and for the interesting music he listened to. More Canadians will remember him for his important contributions to journalism. He was with the CBC for over 30 …
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Madam Speaker, I listened with interest to the member about what further things we need to be considering and thinking about. Could he elaborate a bit more on what he thinks are the most important factors that we need to be thinking about in this place as we consider this legislation?
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Madam Speaker, if the member opposite was talking to his constituents, he might have also been told that, in January, they received either a direct-deposit payment or a cheque as a climate action incentive. It has been shown that eight out of 10 Canadians will receive more through that backstop than was paid through the climate pricing. In fact, we are working very hard to make life more affordabl…
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Madam Speaker, we are working on real climate solutions right across our economy. Whether it be putting on a target on sales of electric vehicles to reduce combustion, or whether it be retrofitting buildings right across our country to reduce combustion, we are taking action. Carbon capture and storage is one of the tools in the tool box. It is not the only one. Here on this side, we know we are g…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by pointing out to the member opposite, and he is well aware, that Newfoundland does not actually have the federal backstop that applies. I also want to point out that we are helping Canadians make home heating more affordable. We have the “oil to heat pump” program, the greener homes grant, and more than that, today we announced the deep retrofit accelerator ini…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight the importance of the contributions made by someone in my community, Theodoros Trakas. We lost him in December, just shy of his 100th birthday, but boy did he do so much in those 100 years. He moved to Canada from Greece. He had served in the Greek military. In fact, when we celebrated the Oxi Day parade along the Danforth, he was there showing his proud cont…
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