44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 22, 2022 10:00AM
- Mar/22/22 1:31:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Halifax.
The government is fully aware that there are currently inflationary pressures all around the world. Every country in the globe is facing the same challenge of reviving the global economy. We all have to deal with the disruptions in the supply chain.
Then we have to add to that the current instability of global markets because of Russia's attack on Ukraine. This invasion has resulted in rising costs for raw materials, which will put upward pressure on prices.
Canadians are worried about the rising cost of living and we understand that. I want to assure the House that the government is taking tangible measures to help Canadians absorb the rising cost of living. The government is there to support Canadians, especially the most vulnerable.
Let us also put things into context. Canada's inflation rate is currently 5.7%. The inflation rate in Canada is lower than it is in the United States and the United Kingdom. It is also lower than the average rate for the G7, G20 and OECD countries.
Canada does, however, have the highest rates when it comes to economic recovery. There are more Canadians working now than there were before the pandemic. There are more businesses open in Canada than there were before the pandemic. Canada's job rate sits at 112% of what it was during the worst of the pandemic, in spite of omicron's impact on Canada's job market. We have vastly outperformed the United States, where just 90% of the jobs lost have been recovered.
Canada's real GDP has now surpassed its prepandemic level. The economic recovery is well under way, even though progress is slower in some sectors. This is why we have maintained targeted measures to provide assistance where required.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine does, indeed, represent a major new source of uncertainty for the global economy, and it has led to a significant increase in the price of oil and agricultural products.
That said, I hope that the member for Abbotsford will agree that the measures taken against Russia were and still are necessary. Quick, decisive action was needed, and that is exactly what the Canadian government did. We worked together with the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom to implement the harshest sanctions every placed on a major economy. For these sanctions to truly be effective and have a real impact, we have to be prepared for some temporary consequences for our own economy.
That said, I would remind the member for Abbotsford and everyone in the House that government assistance programs are indexed to inflation. This ensures that the benefits paid to Canadians increase in line with the rising cost of living. This is true of the Canada child benefit, the goods and services tax credit, the Canada pension plan, old age security, and the guaranteed income supplement.
Speaking of old age security, this pension benefit is going up as of July for people aged 75 and over. Roughly 3.3 million Canadians will benefit from this, and they do not have to take any action. These seniors will automatically receive the additional payment if they qualify. This 10% increase will provide an additional $766 in the first year for seniors receiving the full pension.
The Canada child benefit that I just mentioned is also a key part of our efforts to make life more affordable for Canadian families. This program helps 3.5 million families with children each year. Compared to previous child benefit plans, the program puts more money in the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families.
The benefit has already lifted 435,000 children out of poverty and, every year, the payments are indexed to keep up with the increase in the cost of living. We are also working with the provinces and territories so that Canadian parents across the country can access early learning and child care services at an average cost of $10 a day. We have entered into agreements with nine provinces and three territories, and we are continuing our discussions with Ontario.
I carefully read the motion moved by the member, and I have to say that it would not do much for many Canadians. The motion calls on the federal Parliament to reduce the Quebec sales tax on gasoline and diesel. That is not a federal jurisdiction and we cannot reduce a provincial tax. The Government of Quebec has already indicated that it has no intention of reducing the tax. The member for Abbotsford can challenge that if he wants to.
As I stated earlier, our government realizes that the high inflation rate around the world has a real impact on Canada. We will remain vigilant. We will continue to be there for all Canadians, to make life more affordable for families, to build a resilient economy, to ensure that no one is left behind, and to build a stronger, fairer, more competitive and more prosperous economy. We want to build a Canada, and a Quebec, that is sustainable and united, fairer and more equitable, because no one can be left behind.
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- Mar/22/22 1:38:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question.
I am proud to tell my constituents that I voted in favour of the family allowance and measures that helped all families across the country during the pandemic.
I would say to my hon. colleague that the intent of the motion is good, but the idea is bad.
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- Mar/22/22 1:39:32 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.
Back before I became a federal member of Parliament, I helped set up a transportation system for seniors in the riding where I lived at the time. I would like my hon. colleague to know that our government has invested more in public transit than any other government. We will work with all municipalities across the country to make sure we improve transportation services.
I would be very happy to work with her on rural issues, which are very important to me.
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- Mar/22/22 1:40:40 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.
Indeed, as I said earlier, I think the intention is good, but the idea is bad. This is not the right approach. I think we need to provide direct assistance to Canadians across the country to help them cope with inflation. Our government has worked with all the provinces and territories to provide additional assistance during the pandemic.
I think that, in the future, we will have to work together to provide direct assistance to Canadians rather than doing things in a roundabout way and helping oil companies make more money.
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- Mar/22/22 1:41:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
I just returned from Chile, where I had the pleasure of representing Canada, our great country, at the swearing-in of the new Chilean president. The people of Chile are facing the same challenges, since this is a global reality.
We are very fortunate to live in a country where the government has introduced measures to help all Canadians. I am very pleased to continue this work with all members of the House.
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- Mar/22/22 6:47:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to talk about our government tackling housing affordability. My colleague asked for a plan, and we have one. We launched the national housing strategy in 2017, the first of its kind in Canada's history. It is an ambitious 10-year plan backed by more than $72 billion in investments.
I was deeply disappointed to hear the Conservative member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry yesterday say in the House that we should pull back on the national housing strategy. I could not disagree more. Unlike the Conservatives, we believe we need to make historic investments in affordable housing, and that is exactly what we are doing.
Through the national housing strategy, we have invested over $20 billion. That is thanks to a range of programs that address the different housing needs of Canadians, from shelters to community housing, to market rentals and ownership. One of those programs, the rapid housing initiative, exceeded all expectations through two rounds of applications. It has been very popular with our partners and will ultimately result in the quick construction of more than 10,000 new affordable housing units, including more than 200 units in my colleague's city of Hamilton, but we recognize that we still need to do more.
Since the last election, this government has set out an ambitious new agenda with further activities to make housing more affordable for all Canadians. We have planned for new initiatives such as the housing accelerator fund to help cities speed up development processes, and we have expanded access to funding to support green home retrofits. We will be working with the provinces, territories and municipalities to develop a fairness in real estate action plan to ensure there is more protection and transparency for homebuyers and renters.
We will also be collaborating with indigenous partners to codevelop a new urban, rural and northern indigenous strategy and Canada's first-ever national indigenous housing centre.
For young people working hard to get a foot on the property ladder, we introduced the first-time homebuyer incentive, which helps reduce their monthly mortgage payments without adding to their financial burden.
I was also disappointed to hear my Conservative colleague, the member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, say in the House yesterday that we should not be helping first-time homebuyers. On this side of the House, we believe that first-time homebuyers need more support. That is why we continue to make the first-time homebuyer incentive more accessible, with more adjustments to come.
To help make it easier for renters to get on the path to home ownership, we are also working on creating a fund to test, develop and scale up rent-to-own projects across the country.
We are proud of our success in improving housing affordability, even as we look forward to doing more with the support of this House and, I hope, the support of the member, and with our plan for making housing more affordable and creating more home ownership in this country.
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- Mar/22/22 6:51:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not want to get into the political rhetoric that we should do more. We have to do more. I agree with the member.
I hope the member and the party opposite will support all of the measures that will be put in place in the next months and years to come. We agree with the member that there is an issue in housing and the government has made a plan with the national housing strategy, ownership initiatives and a rent-to-own program coming. I hope the member will support these measures when they are presented in the House.
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