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Tuesday, November 28, 2023 · sitting No. 257

House debates motion urging Senate to pass carbon tax relief for farmers

The House devoted the largest share of its sitting to a Conservative motion calling on the unelected Senate to pass Bill C-234, which would remove the carbon tax from farmers. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre moved the motion and defended it against accusations of intimidation tactics. Several members from the Bloc Québécois and New Democrats challenged the motion on grounds of disinformation and Senate history.

Question period featured repeated exchanges on the carbon tax, with Poilievre accusing the government of driving up food costs and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defending the policy while criticizing Conservative delays on other bills. Additional clashes arose over foreign workers at battery plants and anti-scab legislation.

Routine proceedings included tabling of reports by the veterans and taxpayers ombudspersons and introduction of a private member's bill to amend the Criminal Code on promotion of hatred.

From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard

Question Period – November 28, 2023. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube

Who held the floor · 2023-11-28

Government (Liberal)OppositionOver the day: government 38%, opposition 62% of the words spokenGovernment businessQuestion PeriodGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 10:0511:0012:0013:0014:0015:0016:00Last speech 17:45Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 7 h 40 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
44Supply talk, two bills nudge forwardMost time went to business of supply and carbon pricing with little else resolved. Two bills advanced a stage while question period produced almost no clear answers.AI-rated Score out of 100; the verdict and the answer ratings behind it are a model’s reading. How the AI rates this

AI-rated The sitting score and the rating of each answer come from a language model reading Hansard. How the AI rates this

Other moments

Points of Order

Conservative MP James Bezan raised a point of order objecting to a government House leader remark that linked some Conservative members to Russia.

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Automotive Industry

Conservative MP Ryan Williams pressed the government on a $15-billion battery plant deal that he said would bring 900 foreign workers at a cost of $300 million in lost wages to Canadian contractors.

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Justice

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet asked the Prime Minister to remove the religious exemption from the Criminal Code to address rising hate speech.

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Labour

New Democrat MP Alexandre Boulerice called on the government to speed up anti-scab legislation rather than allow an 18-month implementation delay.

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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet demanded that Immigration Minister Marc Miller pay Quebec the $460 million it is owed for refugee intake under a federal agreement.

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Corrections and Conditional Release Act

Conservative MP Bernard Généreux introduced Bill C-351 to require maximum-security classification for dangerous offenders and multiple first-degree murderers.

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Question Period, exchange by exchange

AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this

  1. deflected
    FinancePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks opposition and lists unrelated metrics instead of addressing debt interest versus health spending.I know that, since last week, more and more Canadians are having a hard time believing what the opposition leader says.
  2. deflected
    FinancePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer blames opposition for stalling a bill rather than addressing food bank shortages or reversing policies.it is becoming a bit hard to believe what the opposition leader is saying, because instead of speeding up passage of Bill C‑56
  3. misdirected
    Automotive IndustryPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to job numbers and accuses partisanship instead of addressing foreign worker contracts or releasing them.There will be 2,300 local Canadian construction jobs and 2,500 permanent Canadian jobs when the Stellantis plant is completed.
  4. deflected
    Carbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer shifts to Bill C-56 and Ukraine instead of responding to carbon tax on farmers or food affordability.if the Leader of the Opposition actually cared about Canadians being able to afford their food, the Conservatives would not have dragged their heels on the passage of Bill C-56
  5. misdirected
    Carbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks opposition on Ukraine support rather than addressing the carbon tax exemption request for farmers.How is the Leader of the Opposition explaining to Ukrainian Canadians right across the country that he no longer stands with Ukraine on things it needs right now to win this war against Russia?
  6. partly answered
    JusticeMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer agrees on the issue, condemns hate, and states intent to review the bill without full commitment.We will be looking at my hon. colleague's bill to see whether it can help combat hate and incitement of violence.
  7. partly answered
    JusticeMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer affirms existing prohibitions and promises careful examination but offers no timeline or agreement to expedite.We will examine the legislative measure proposed by the leader of the Bloc Québécois carefully.
  8. answered
    LabourMr. Alexandre Boulerice (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly states support for the replacement worker bill and contrasts with past Conservative actions.We are very pleased with the replacement worker bill.
  9. deflected
    LabourMr. Matthew Green (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer praises unions and NDP support but avoids any commitment on faster implementation of the bill.We are very pleased that the NDP is supporting our replacement workers bill.
  10. misdirected
    Carbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Karina Gould (Liberal). loaded question.The answer ignores carbon tax and farmers entirely to attack Conservatives on Ukraine support.there is only one party in the House that is flip-flopping, and it is the Conservative Party with regard to its support for Ukraine.
  11. misdirected
    Carbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Karina Gould (Liberal). loaded question.The answer shifts to accusing the opposition leader of lying about a terrorist attack instead of addressing the carbon tax question.In fact, on Thursday, when he was called out by the media for falsely alleging that there was a terrorist attack, instead of taking ownership as any Canadian would be expected to do, he blamed the media and doubled down.
  12. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. John Barlow (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). substantive question.The answer pivots to accusing Conservatives of bullying senators rather than responding on Bill C-234 or the environment minister's actions.Who is bullying whom in this House and in the Senate? It is certainly not us.
  13. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. John Barlow (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). loaded question.The answer again focuses on alleged Conservative bullying in the Senate instead of the carbon tax impact on farmers.No matter how much the Conservative Party would like us to believe that this is about taxation, it is not; it is about bullying.
  14. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). substantive question.The answer accuses Conservatives of Senate double standards and violence rather than addressing the democratic question on Bill C-234.I would also like to remind the House that we saw in the news recently how independent senators are being intimidated by Conservative senators at the request of the Conservative Party of Canada in the House.
  15. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). substantive question.The answer raises unrelated spending and climate costs while accusing Conservatives of Senate violence instead of answering on democracy or food banks.Speaking of the Senate, according to media reports, some Conservative senators, at the behest of the Conservative Party, engaged in violence against other senators.
  16. partly answered
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). substantive question.The answer acknowledges discussions with Quebec on expenses but refuses to address the specific $460 million figure in the House.We have demands of Quebec too, but we are not going to hash them out on the floor of the House of Commons with the Bloc Québécois.
  17. deflected
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). loaded question.The answer dismisses the debt question by distinguishing the Bloc from Quebec and demands concrete proposals instead of addressing payment.I would simply say that the Bloc Québécois is not Quebec.
  18. deflected
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). loaded question.The answer shifts to constitutional jurisdiction and insults rather than addressing the $460 million agreement or payment.The irony in all this is that the Bloc Québécois claims that this is solely a federal jurisdiction, which is totally false.
  19. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMichael Chong (Conservative) asked Karina Gould (Liberal). substantive question.The answer attacks Conservative senators and the opposition instead of addressing Senate respect for House financial bills.There is a pattern of behaviour that I thought was maybe just with the Leader of the Opposition
  20. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMichael Chong (Conservative) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). substantive question.The answer pivots to unrelated bail reform and Conservative senators rather than the Senate's handling of the tax bill.speaking of respecting the will of this House, perhaps the leader of the Conservative Party would like to talk to the Conservative senators who sit in his caucus
  21. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). loaded question.The answer redirects to gun control legislation instead of responding to the constitutional or Senate obstruction claims on C-234.Unelected Conservative senators are blocking the passage of an important gun control bill that passed the House.
  22. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). loaded question.The answer again diverts to gun violence and bail bills rather than addressing the constitutional or Senate role on C-234.as they often do in the House, the Conservatives pretend to be interested in bills that protect Canadians from gun violence
  23. partly answered
    HousingMs. Jenny Kwan (NDP) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). substantive question.The answer acknowledges the shared discussion and details new funding timelines but does not directly commit to advancing investments in the fall statement.The fall economic statement included a recapitalization of our affordable housing programs to the tune of $1 billion
  24. partly answered
    Public SafetyMs. Lisa Marie Barron (NDP) asked Mr. James Maloney (Liberal). substantive question.The answer expresses sympathy and references Bill S-12 but does not address the timeline for the promised online harms bill.We recently passed Bill S-12 in this House, which addresses some of these concerns about online safety.
  25. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Dave Epp (Conservative) asked Lawrence MacAulay (Liberal). substantive question.The answer promotes their climate plan and funding instead of addressing the carbon tax impact on farmers' competitiveness.We have a plan. My hon. colleague's party does not.
  26. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Dan Mazier (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). loaded question.The response focuses on attending COP28 and provincial delegations rather than the bill or minister's position.yes, I will be proudly representing Canada at COP28 in Dubai, and I will be in good company.
  27. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMrs. Shannon Stubbs (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.The answer diverts to criticizing the Conservative party's stance on Ukraine instead of addressing the carbon tax or bill.Is she ashamed that her party has voted against Ukraine?
  28. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMrs. Shannon Stubbs (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.The response shifts to supporting a free trade deal with Ukraine rather than discussing the carbon tax bill.A great way to bring down prices of food and fuel for the whole world is by stopping Vladimir Putin.
  29. partly answered
    Public Services and ProcurementMr. Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (Bloc) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). substantive question.The answer highlights the importance of the decision for jobs and military needs without addressing the call for tenders.That is why the decision we will soon be making is an important one, both for securing the military and geopolitical needs of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces, but also for continuing to support Canada's aerospace sector.
  30. deflected
    Public Services and ProcurementMs. Christine Normandin (Bloc) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). substantive question.The response emphasizes the talents of aerospace workers without addressing the request for a competitive tender process.I thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to focus on talents and needs, the talents of all aerospace workers in Canada.
  31. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Scot Davidson (Conservative) asked Jenna Sudds (Liberal). substantive question.The answer promotes government social programs and criticizes Conservatives rather than addressing Bill C-234.They totally lack empathy or understanding of the struggle of Canadians.
  32. misdirected
    Public SafetyTim Uppal (Conservative) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). substantive question.The response defends government actions and points to Conservative obstruction in the Senate instead of outlining new measures.They should perhaps talk to their Conservative Senate parliamentary colleagues and ask them to please pass the legislation this House adopted to strengthen bail conditions for serious violent offenders.
  33. misdirected
    Public SafetyTim Uppal (Conservative) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks Conservatives instead of addressing the crime statistics or bail policies raised.It is the Conservative senators who are blocking legislation requested by Conservative premiers and worked on by this government last spring and adopted by this House of Commons at all stages when we came back in September.
  34. deflected
    Automotive IndustryMr. Ryan Williams (Conservative) asked Mr. Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to past Conservative record and unrelated bills rather than addressing the specific contract or job losses asked about.When they were in power, we saw the rapid decline of our automotive industry and the loss of over 300,000 manufacturing jobs.
  35. deflected
    Automotive IndustryMr. Ryan Williams (Conservative) asked Mr. Ryan Turnbull (Liberal). loaded question.The answer quotes a union president to mock the questioner instead of releasing or explaining the contract.Either way they are officially talking out of both sides of their mouths. It's embarrassing
  36. deflected
    Automotive IndustryMr. Joël Godin (Conservative) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). loaded question.The answer accuses Conservatives of opposing the economy rather than addressing the demand to disclose contracts or protect Quebec jobs.The members opposite do not want us to sign a good deal with this company.
  37. partly answered
    InfrastructureMr. Brian Masse (NDP) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). substantive question.The answer offers to discuss details privately but does not state the government's position on the ban during the exchange.I would be happy to speak with him after question period and set up a time to discuss the details in person as our schedules allow.
  38. partly answered
    Persons with DisabilitiesMr. Blake Desjarlais (NDP) asked Mr. Sameer Zuberi (Liberal). substantive question.The answer affirms commitment to the benefit but does not give a timeline for full implementation.We are committed to making sure that this benefit is realized, and that this will get dollars into the pockets of those who need it for Canadians who are with disability and who are of working age.
  39. deflected
    Persons with DisabilitiesMr. Michael Cooper (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). rhetorical question.The answer interrupts to criticize Conservative terminology instead of engaging the request for unanimous consent.Conservatives talked about the respect of our institution.