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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 33

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 17, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:21:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this siege and these blockades are causing major damage to our economy. International confidence in Canada as a place to invest and do business has been shaken. The blockade of the Ambassador Bridge disrupted $390 million in trade per day. These costs are real. They threaten businesses large and small and, for that reason, we must act.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:22:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian business leaders know these illegal blockades cannot go on, and they support our government taking necessary action. Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada, said this week that the council welcomed the decision as a step toward ending illegal blockades across the country and upholding the rule of law. That is exactly what we are doing.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:24:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we did during the NAFTA negotiations, our government will always do whatever it takes to protect our workers and the national interest. We stood up for Canada during the NAFTA negotiations, and now we are standing up for Canadians against these illegal blockades and occupations. We must and we will continue to do so.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:25:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I spoke yesterday with the head of FINTRAC and we are in close touch with that very important organization. The reality is that FINTRAC lacked the necessary authorities to oversee the new world of cryptocurrency, crowdsourcing and payment platforms. With these measures, we have enhanced the authorities of FINTRAC and that is allowing us to stop the illegal funding of these illegal blockades.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:26:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once upon a time the Conservative Party was a responsible party that believed in defending the national economic interest. I know one former Conservative minister who served in such a government, Perrin Beatty, who created the Emergencies Act. Mr. Beatty said this week that when he brought in the Emergencies Act he knew that there would inevitably be future crises. I spoke to Mr. Beatty today, and I told him about the work our government is doing to defend the Canadian economy.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:28:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec's business leaders know that the illegal blockades cannot continue, and they have supported our government's action. Véronique Proulx, president and CEO of Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec, said this week that manufacturers applauded any action that would restore order at the borders and Canada's reputation as a reliable trading partner.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:29:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we did take responsibility and we are doing so now. I am calling on all members of Parliament to be accountable to the Canadians who elected them and to take responsibility for Canada's democracy and economy and for protecting the national interest. That is what we are doing and what we will continue to do.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:30:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our country is moving past this pandemic. This is thanks to the hard work and common sense of Canadians, thanks to the fact that 90% of Canadians are vaccinated, and thanks to the heroism of our health care workers and our essential workers. For that reason, Canada has one of the best outcomes in the western world when it comes to mortality rates. Had we had the U.S. level of mortality, an additional 66,000 Canadians would have died. We are getting past the pandemic thanks to Canadians.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:31:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yes, absolutely. Our government is working hand in hand with municipalities, the provinces and all Canadians to bring about a strong recovery after the COVID‑19 recession. The good news is that Canada's GDP is now back to where it was before COVID‑19, and we have recovered all the lost jobs. We have work to do, and we will do it together.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:44:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, Canadians understand that inflation is a global phenomenon, and here are some numbers to back that up. The latest inflation number in Canada was 5.1%. In the U.S. it was 7.5%, and in the U.K. it was 5.5%. Our inflation is lower than the G7 average, which is 5.5%, the G20 average, which is 6.1%, and the OECD average of 6.5%. Canadians understand. It is time for the Conservatives to understand as well.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:45:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think it was actually the chairman of the federal reserve who used the term “transitory” to characterize inflation. Let me just point out, yet again, that the Conservatives continue to push a false narrative, frankly, about everything that is happening in Canada, and very much including the economy. The fact is that the Canadian recovery is strong. Our GDP grew by 5.4% in the third quarter. That beat the U.S., Japan, the U.K. and Australia. I also want to point out that S&P and Moody's both reaffirmed our AAA credit rating this fall.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:47:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we do not need lectures from Conservatives about helping the most vulnerable Canadians deal with the cost of living. We introduced the Canada child benefit, which is indexed to inflation and has lifted almost 300,000 children out of poverty. Our government increased the guaranteed income supplement, which is also indexed to inflation and has helped over 900,000 seniors. That is what we have done.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:58:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. I confirmed at a press conference today that we have started to use the tools provided in the emergency measures, and that some accounts are now frozen. However, for the safety of the security forces' operations, we cannot give the figures today. We will provide them as soon as possible.
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 2:59:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, before the use of the Emergencies Act, it was impossible for all the information to be shared between the national, local and municipal security forces and the banks. Before the use of the Emergencies Act, we also could not require the banks to do these things. These financial tools are important—
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 3:07:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative MP began his question talking about government spending, which he seems to deem excessive. I would like to remind him that he, together with every single Conservative member, actually ran on an election platform proposing higher spending in 2021-22 than the Liberals did. They proposed a $168-billion deficit. We proposed a $156-billion deficit. Could the party of flip-flops tell Canadians what they stand for today?
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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/17/22 3:08:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich to hear the Conservatives talk about their support for Canadian workers and Canadian jobs. Let me just point out one moment of abject Conservative failure. It was before Christmas when we knew omicron was coming and we knew Canadian workers and businesses needed support, but the Conservatives voted against that measure. When it comes to jobs, Canada recovered 101% of the jobs lost to COVID. In the U.S., it is just 87%.
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