QP: Concern about Atlantic Canada’s incoming federal carbon price

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Though the prime minister was in town, while his deputy was not, neither were present in QP, either in person or virtually. Pierre Poileivre led off in French, and he led off with a complete misquote about what the prime minister said about interest rates, blamed the government for the Bank of Canada’s rate hikes, and demand the government stop its so-called “inflationary policies” that he said were pushing people to bankruptcy. Randy Boissonnault noted that there is an affordability crisis world-wide, which was why the government has a plan, and exhorted the Conservatives to support the budget bill when it was up for a vote after QP. Poilievre switched to English to decry that three Atlantic Canadian provinces will be subject to the federal carbon price backstop on July 1st, insisted that 40 percent of them are already living in energy poverty, and deployed his “triple, triple, triple” ear worm to demand that the government scrap its carbon price. Steven Guilbeault noted that there is no increase in carbon prices before July 1st, not during the winter, and that those three provinces will start receiving their climate rebates before that happened. Poilievre declared that the carbon price hasn’t worked because no province that has imposed it has met their targets (not entirely true), lamented the low ranking of our climate action, falsely claimed that 60 percent of people pay more in carbon prices than they get back, and again demanded the price be scrapped. Guilbeault recited that it was a fact that eight of ten households will get more back than they pay, and demanded the Conservatives release their own climate plan. Andrew Scheer got up to take over, and repeated same list of the falsehoods about the carbon price, demanded the government accept the science, and dropped the “not an environmental plan but a tax plan” point (take a drink!) Guilbeault got up to poke back, citing that the Conservatives don’t believe in science, and offered up the proof that when they were in government, their minister of science didn’t even believe in evolution, and it was a fact that emissions did decline in 2019 and 2020. Scheer stood back up and got breathier as he listed a number of false talking points about the carbon price and the environmental record of the government, and decried that three more provinces would be subjected to the federal price. Guilbeault recited that they have a great climate plan, unlike the Conservatives, because they had to play catch-up after ten years of Conservative inaction.

Alain Therrien led for the Bloc, and he accused the government of being reckless with their response to the news reports about alleged foreign interference in the 2019 election from China. Pam Damoff got up and read that the talking points about this being a serious issue and they ensured the election was free and fair. Therrien insisted that the issue was not the integrity of that election, it was the lack of transparency from the government on this. Damoff read that they established the independent panel and insisted that they have their eyes wide open, which is why they passed laws to close loopholes on foreign funding.

Alexandre Boulerice rose for the NDP, and he recited the party’s angry talking points about grocery chain CEOs. Randy Boissonnault recited that the issue of food price inflation is global but they have tasked the Competition Bureau with ensuring there was no price gouging. Blake Desjarlais took over in English to cite the reports that Loblaws was firing the unionised workers in their Edmonton warehouse—which is not a federal issue—and Andy Fillmore repeated Boissonnault’s talking points in English. 

Round two, and Jasraj Hallan decried that Atlantic Canada would be subject to the federal carbon price, and demanded it be scrapped (Wilkinson: We have a comprehensive plan that helps people with the transition; The centrepiece of your climate plan in the last election was a carbon price, so we can’t believe anything you say), Leslyn Lewis gave some overwrought talking points about the impact of the carbon price (Gould: We have provided a number of supports for people in need), and Dominique Vien worried that people couldn’t visit family over the holidays because of gas prices (Boissonnault: You can vote to support our budget bill with supports for people).

Kristina Michaud chided Guilbeault for fighting a line in the COP27 communiqué about oil and gas (Guilbeault: Our work has been congratulated by groups including the International Energy Agency; The commitment they pushed for was one we already had in Canada) and worried about offshore oil and gas exploration (Guilbeault: An independent organisation gave the permit, not the government).

Clifford Small decried the price of home heating and blamed it on carbon prices (Fillmore: We announced a programme to help transition to heat pumps; Wilkinson: We have taken significant steps for affordability, but no matter how much you try to mislead people, eight out of ten households get more back than they pay in carbon prices), and Rick Perkins decried the incoming federal carbon price on Nova Scotia (Guilbeault: Your leader noted this doesn’t take effect until July, which is not when we are heating homes; Petitpas Taylor: We are proud that we have a plan to fight climate change, and it’s unbelievable that you guys don’t believe climate change is real when we saw the effects this year).

Laurel Collins appeared by video to chastise Stephen Guilbeault for allegedly not standing up to big polluters (Guilbeault: We were a first mover among rich countries at COP27), and Leah Gazan demanded the federal do something about Manitoba trying to privatise more health services (Duclos: We are all aware of the challenges in the system, which is why we need to maintain the system in collaboration with provinces).

Round three saw questions on death threats being made against Iranian Canadians (Damoff: We are taking this seriously and standing up to the Iranian government), the allegation of Chinese interference in the 2019 election (Damoff: The purpose of foreign interference is to sow chaos, so we are taking action to combat it), accusing the government of trying to anglicise Quebec (Petitpas Taylor: We are moving forward on a bill with teeth to reverse the “decline” in French ), an increase in police-reported violent crime (Damoff: Our gun control bill has stronger measures in it; Lametti: We are ensuring resources are directed to the problem; The misleading statements are coming from your side of the House), accusing the government of “breaking everything” (Wilkinson: Your party’s environmental assessment process made things worse), carbon prices (Guilbeault: Most households get more back than they pay), affordable housing (Martinez Ferrada: Our national housing strategy is to ensure everyone can afford a home), a wrongful conviction (Lametti: I can’t comment on an active case, but I can say the creation of the Wrongful Conviction Commission is on my agenda, and I am working hard on it).

Overall, the mind-numbing mendacity of the carbon price questions rolls along apace, and once again, the government did precious little to call any of those falsehoods out (other than the number of households better off under the climate rebates). The concern trolling about climate targets is bogus because the Liberals didn’t make any of the commitments to the missed targets—the Conservatives did. And of course, the “triple” ear worm is complete innumerate nonsense, and while they have called that out in the past, they ceased doing it a while ago, as it seeps into people’s brains through repetition and they start to believe it. That’s the whole point of why the Conservatives are doing it.

Otherwise, the government has not improved any of their responses around the allegations of Chinese interference, and you would think that they would have had time enough to come up with some better lines, but no, Pam Damoff continues the same ones she recited all week last week, and it’s not great. The only saving grace was that we didn’t get Terry Duguid to repeat his same tired scripts on the environment file.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Adam Chambers for a dark grey suit with a crisp white shirt and a bright pink tie, and to Karina a Gould for a fitted red jacket over a black dress. Style citations go out to Rosemarie Falk for a long-sleeved black dress read grey and apricot-coloured floral across it, and to Clifford Small for a dark grey jacket with a loud windowpane pattern over a lavender shirt and tie with navy slacks. 

One thought on “QP: Concern about Atlantic Canada’s incoming federal carbon price”

  1. So tired of Poly’s triple, triple triple tripe.
    Here is what Canadians need to know about this conservative idiot… a new triple, triple. Stupid, ignorant, with no commonsense.
    This is the triple that Cons have been trying to foist on us for untold decades and they have the perfect trifecta in the Poly boy.

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