Transcription

Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich—Gulf Islands: Mr. Speaker, I was going to ask the Prime Minister a question about nation-building projects, but then today Tina called our office. She got my chief of staff on the phone and started explaining that she is a mom with disabilities and she cannot figure out how she is going to feed her children, and she started crying on the phone. Here is a nation-building project question. Cheques start going to Canadians with disabilities in July, but they are lousy and max out at $200 a month. How about a nation-building project to lift all Canadians with disabilities out of poverty?

Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for having such compassion for the constituents in her riding, as we do all across the country. People who are living with disabilities have the right to be fully included in community. They have the right to live decent lives, just like the rest of us. That is why this government is proceeding with the Canada disability credit. That is why we are also working with provinces and territories, including most recently Ontario, to commit to ensuring that the money will not be clawed back from other benefits.

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Again, because I haven’t said in the last several days in clause-by-clause, the splitting of the schedule and removing the word “toxic”…. I firmly believe as a formerly practising environmental lawyer who has worked on this bill since 1988 that this will threaten the constitutional underpinnings of the entire act. Some people think that as a Cassandra in this movement I draw satisfaction from being proven right. I would much rather be proven wrong. If this act is struck down by the courts because of what you’re doing here today, then I will be very sad. At least you will have been warned.

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Speaker: Ms. May
Time: 06/02/2023 15:09:15
Context: Question

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, today, February 6 finds us 18 days away from a horrific anniversary. I do not know how the rest of my colleagues in this place feel, but on February 24, 2022, who could have believed that in this day and age there would be a land war in Europe and that Vladimir Putin would do the unthinkable, threaten nuclear arms and attack Ukraine.

Could the Prime Minister tell us what Canada is doing to press for peace talks and to press for a negotiated solution? Arms will not end the war.

Hon. Anita Anand (Minister of National Defence, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, since the very beginning, Canada has stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.

Since 2015, Canada has trained over 34,000 Ukrainian armed forces members. We have put on the table over $5 billion of military aid. We will stand with Ukraine in its fight for security, solidarity and sovereignty in the decision relating to peace, and Ukraine’s future will come from Ukraine itself. Canada will be there all along the way.

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Speaker: Ms. May
Time: 01/02/2023 15:13:14
Context: Question

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, as the budget is in the drafting stage, I remind the Prime Minister of previous Liberal election promises as a useful guide. For example: Reduce spending by stopping spending on fossil fuel infrastructure, cancel the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, cancel the purchases of the F-35 fighter jets, cancel the fossil fuel subsidies across Canada and deliver on promises on pharmacare, fund the disability benefit, fund an independent Canada water agency and deliver on promises to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Will the Prime Minister use this budget to deliver on his promises?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, Canadians are facing a difficult time right now, which is why we are going to continue to be there for them, investing in them responsibly to make it through these tough times and get to the brighter future ahead. We know our investments in building a cleaner economy and good jobs that go with it, our investments in reconciliation and our investments in science and in research are all things that are helping Canadians through these difficult times, and we will continue to put Canadians at the heart of everything we do.

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Speaker: Ms. May
Time: 09/12/2022 12:06:13
Context: Question

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Madam Speaker, I speak to members from Montreal, where the world is gathering for COP15 in a desperate, last-chance effort to save endangered nature. We do not have to look far. We do not even have to look as far as Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island or the threatened caribou habitat in the boreal. Here, on the island of Montreal, the federal government is ignoring the opportunity to protect 215 hectares of highly threatened, important wetland biodiversity, home to the Least Bittern, short-eared owl and monarch butterflies. This is federal jurisdiction.

When will the government act to protect it?

Mr. Terry Duguid (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.): Madam Speaker, I think the member would agree that thousands of species are at risk here at home. One in five species, according to the Wild Species report, are in danger of extinction. There are millions around the world. That is why we are gathered in Montreal to face the biodiversity crisis head on at the UN Biodiversity Conference. We are stepping up to preserve and conserve 30% of our land and waters by 2030, and we hope to inspire the world to do the same.

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Speaker: Ms. May
Time: 30/11/2022 15:16:44
Context: Question

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, the major global summit on nature, COP15, opens next week in Montreal. It was originally scheduled to take place in China, so China retains the chairmanship of this conference, but the Prime Minister could do more. Many civil society organizations have asked that the current Prime Minister put the message out and ask other heads of government to come to Canada so that a strong global biodiversity framework could be achieved. Is the Prime Minister willing to reach out and improve the chances of success for COP15 in Montreal?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for her long-standing advocacy. We are excited about stepping up to welcome the world for COP15, focused on nature and biodiversity, because we know how much it matters. In Montreal, we will be pushing countries for results on funding, protected areas and more. At home this week, we announced money for 67 projects to protect species across the country and we have gone from protecting less than 1% of our coastal areas before 2015 to protecting over 14%. I am looking forward to sharing more next week in Montreal.

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Speaker: Ms. May
Time: 24/11/2022 15:15:22
Context: Question

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, for years the residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands have had their pristine environment, where we live on the shores of the Salish Sea, contaminated by polluting commercial anchorages, which are essentially free parking for freighters. This last month, the Port of Vancouver has been holding what are called “public consultation”. The constituents of Saanich—Gulf Islands do not feel consulted. They once again feel ignored, as the Port of Vancouver tells them these anchorages are essential to the Port of Vancouver, instead of figuring out how to make the Port of Vancouver efficient.

Hon. Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, over the last couple of years, we have seen global supply disruptions that have impacted our own supply chains at home. Because of that, we have seen congestions at airports and increased vessels that are anchored next to our coast. I have been listening to constituents on the coast, particularly where the hon. colleague is raising the point.

I want to assure her that we are putting together an action plan to address this. We tabled Bill C-33 just two weeks ago. That will introduce new tools to help mitigate the traffic of the vessels. We will work with her and constituents to make sure that we manage this adequately.

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Speaker: Ms. May
Time: 14/11/2022 15:10:35
Context: Question

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, as COP27 opened last week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said:
We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.

Did the Prime Minister stay away because he knows he is over the speed limit? Did he stay away because he knows we are part of the problem and not part of the solution?

There is still time for the government to do the right thing at COP27. Stand up and announce that we have read the science, we understand we have to cancel the TransMountain pipeline, reverse the Bay du Nord decision and build a decarbonized electricity grid from coast to coast to coast.

Mr. Terry Duguid (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that our Prime Minister has been front and centre on the most ambitious climate plan in our history.

We have invested over $100 billion since 2015, $9.1 billion in our emissions reduction plan. It is a granular, detailed, sector-by-sector plan that is going to get us to our 2030 emissions, on our way to net zero by 2050. It has widespread support. We have taken that message to COP27.

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