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Mar/31/22 1:35:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member from my neighbouring riding, just across the border. Obviously, everyone needs to pay their fair share. To the member's point when she said to tax the rich, I do not know specifically what she means when she says that, so I am not going to elaborate on that. We need to ensure everyone is paying their taxes, but what we are saying in our motion is that all Canadians need to be paying less.

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Mrs. Tracy Gray (Kelowna—Lake Country, CPC)

Mar/31/22 1:35:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Kenora, for his great intervention and speech. It is always a pleasure to rise in this House, and today it is in response to the announcement of the tabling of the first NDP-Liberal budget on April 7, to represent my constituents of Kelowna—Lake Country and to speak on this Conservative opposition day motion, which looks to make recommendations to give people a break from higher taxes and out-of-control debt. We have made many recommendations to help Canadians, to help get our fiscal house in order and to have fiscal anchors. I will be gladly speaking to some of these points. I hear from constituents every day who cannot afford basic necessities and cannot afford housing costs, which are up over 30% in the past year alone, and I hear from businesses and not-for-profits that are being squeezed by higher costs. This situation is becoming critical for many people. We have heard one word from the government a lot in the last few weeks: “tired”. The government likes to say that it recognizes that Canadians are tired: that they are tired of federal COVID-19 restrictions, tired of paying so much at the pumps and tired of an escalating grocery bill. However, we never hear anything from the government afterwards about giving any peace of mind to Canadians, or any hope. There is a reason for that. It is because it would involve reversing the government's stated choices. Provinces are reopening and are removing restrictions and mandates, but the federal government chooses to not even set a date. It chooses not to bring forth any data or any metrics on how it is making decisions around this issue. This is holding back the economic recovery of Canada and creating uncertainty for my residents and businesses in Kelowna—Lake Country and across the country. Small businesses might be coming out of the pandemic struggling with debt, labour shortages and squeezed margins, but ministers in Ottawa still choose to raise their taxes. Consumers might find it harder to manage grocery or gas bills, but the Prime Minister chooses to leave tax relief off the table. Let us not kid ourselves about who these choices harm the most. It is the poor, the vulnerable, struggling young people, families and seniors. The Liberal elites, multinationals and large real estate investors seem to have nothing to complain about. They have fared well during the pandemic. A report released a few weeks ago from the government's own finance department showed that single parents, lower-income households and recent immigrants are more likely to see 50% or more of their earnings offset by higher taxes, clawbacks in benefits or a combination of the two. Calls are coming from inside and outside this House to halt taxes and take action on inflation, but the Liberals still refuse to listen. As made-in-Canada inflation continues to rise, even former advisers to Liberal finance ministers, such as Robert Asselin, are calling for the government to rein in its spending to reduce our inflationary levels. It was not long ago that ministers in the government called our rise in inflation rates “transitory”. Well, inflation has transitioned—from bad to worse. Other governments in the U.K., Germany and the United States have set out plans to tackle inflation, and it is long past time for the government in Canada to do the same. Failure to deliver a budget that will reduce inflation will be a budget that will fail to reduce our cost of living. With government’s coffers growing as a result of inflation, there is no reason to celebrate, yet with families facing an increase of more than $1000 in their annual grocery bill alone, Liberal insiders choose to brag in the press about the extra tax revenue they are collecting from them. People are being squeezed with lower paycheques due to the January payroll tax increase and rising costs on everything. That is why we are bringing forward this motion to call on the government to not implement new taxes and to bring forth a path to balance to aid them. I am sure there is no member of this House who has not heard from their constituents about how they are being hammered by high gas prices. Constituents in my part of the country have seen prices rise as high as $2.145 this month. If parties here today had joined in our call to introduce a 5% GST reduction on gasoline and diesel, the government would have been given the opportunity to reduce the average price by approximately 8¢ per litre. Unfortunately, the other parties voted against this motion last week. What we are asking for today is common sense to help people. It is a practical way we could improve lives today. Another way Conservatives are looking to provide relief is by calling on the federal government to end its upcoming April 1 tax increases. The first April Fool's Day tax increase is on excise tax on alcohol products. The kicker with this is that it is based on the CPI, meaning it is based on inflation; therefore, the increase would be higher than ever before. It is basically a tax increase on inflation, and what is worse is that it is automatic. It does not have to be debated and voted on by parliamentarians every year. Wineries, cideries, breweries and distilleries in my riding cannot afford increases to the excise escalator tax after two years of pandemic damage to their bottom line. This measure affects dozens of small businesses in my riding of Kelowna—Lake Country that have deep roots in our agriculture history. We have craft beer tours, winery tours and a cider festival. This is an emerging sector, and there are dozens of businesses in my riding that would be affected. The tax increase will ultimately have to be passed on through the supply chain and to consumers. That is why I was pleased earlier today to second a bill from my colleague, the member for Calgary Rocky Ridge, that would eliminate this escalator tax. Poor policies and poor leadership by the Liberals caused rolling COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns and left producers with the least profitable avenues of sale, such as government liquor stores. Even with restaurants, hotels and farm gate sales slowly returning, they have a lot in their bottom lines to recoup, and recovery will be sluggish. Their efforts to survive should not be penalized with more taxes and new taxes, as domestic producers who have not been applicable will have to start paying on July 1. We have to remember the average small business took on $170,000 in new pandemic debt and was hit with payroll tax increases on January 1. These costs came directly off their bottom line. When both the finance minister and the small business minister, who have not had to make payroll or read financial statements in their past careers, are making decisions that will affect people’s lives, we can see why they have no clue about how businesses are being squeezed. The second April Fool's Day tax increase is to the federal carbon tax, and we have called for it to be halted. The government's decision to proceed with raising the floor of the carbon tax is entirely out of touch with people who are just trying to fill their car with gas or heat their homes. The government's choice to then worsen this situation by adding 11¢ a litre to Canadians' gas prices is really to act without compassion. It is choosing to commit to an ideological agenda rather than appealing to common sense The Parliamentary Budget Officer recently reported that the government is taking in more in carbon tax than it is rebating, and many people will receive far less than they pay. The carbon tax is not reducing emissions and is nothing more a windfall for the government on the backs of Canadians and small businesses. In addition, if Canada was more energy dependent, we could be helping our allies right now. Lastly, I want to touch on another financial penalty that will affect every Canadian: the growing size of our national debt. A recent mandate letter of the finance minister stated that creating any new permanent spending should be avoided. With this new Liberal-NDP backroom coalition, this will be another broken promise. We are calling today for a meaningful fiscal anchor. Kelowna—Lake Country was recently visited by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's national debt clock. The Liberals broke the former debt clock when it went over $1 trillion. Every second, $4,531 is being added to our national debt. By the time I am done my fifteen-minute debate today, Canada’s national debt will rise an extra $4,077,900. Any member in this House who ignores the responsibility of this House to manage this is leaving the future of our children and grandchildren at risk. Choosing to offer relief today to Canadian families and seniors with immediate savings on daily costs while ensuring our financial stability for the next generation is how this House should be choosing to act. A commitment to an ideological tax-and-spend agenda will not help either of those goals. I hope all members of this House will support our motion today to give people hope and give them a break.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate), Lib.)

Mar/31/22 1:45:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the member can also refer to the debts of the other G7 countries, because the reality of the situation is that it is more important to base the value of the Canadian economy against the economies of our trading partners. To value what the Canadian economy is genuinely worth is to value our debt-to-GDP ratio. The reality is that we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio, so that actually means that we are in the best fiscal position when compared to our G7 partners in terms of where we can go to rebuild our economy. I am wondering if the member can weigh in a little on those facts.

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Mrs. Tracy Gray

Mar/31/22 1:46:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the reality is that my future grandchildren, which I do not have yet, will be paying off this debt, as will the future grandchildren of other people in this House. We have to be cognizant that someone will have to pay back this debt that we are creating right now. We are not setting up our children and grandchildren very well here. Regardless of what others are doing, we have to focus on Canada and on the fiscal prudence of this country. We need to get our fiscal house in order. Yes, we need to help people who really need help, but at the same time we also need to be looking ahead. We need to look ahead for how we can increase investment in Canada and increase the prosperity of Canadians.

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Mr. Denis Trudel (Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, BQ)

Mar/31/22 1:47:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to commend you on your hard work. All morning I have been hearing the Conservatives say, and rightly so, that they are concerned about rising debt and inflation. We should be concerned, and we cannot allow spending to increase this way. Let us focus on the housing crisis. Right now, federal government spending and the Liberal government programs are primarily helping private developers. That does nothing for affordability and accessibility. I see my Conservative friends worrying about the fact that house prices have doubled, and they are right. However, I never hear solutions coming from the Conservative side. What is the Conservative plan to tackle the housing crisis?

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Mrs. Tracy Gray

Mar/31/22 1:48:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, one of the reasons the housing prices have increased so much is because the government printed $400 billion that was put into the market. The benefit of that was for the largest investors. They have really come ahead in this, and it has driven up prices. Conservatives have put together and announced a task force on housing that is going to be looking at this. We had many recommendations in the platform during the last election, but now we are putting this task force together to look at it even more closely and come up with more recommendations than we have given already.

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Mr. Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre, NDP)

Mar/31/22 1:49:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, working people have been struggling since the beginning of the pandemic, but the Conservatives have made no gains for working people. Not surprisingly, the Conservatives have a history of standing up against workers' rights by undermining EI programs and protecting big bank profits. They are also against our NDP efforts to eliminate tax evasion by the ultrawealthy and big business. While the hon. member listed many groups marginalized by the economic violence of capitalism and spoke at length about the impacts of inflation, she never mentioned a word about the impacts of austerity, stagnated workers' wages and cuts to their benefits. Will the hon. member acknowledge that the government has a role to play in helping our most vulnerable people, and that doing so requires revenue and increased labour rights and protections for workers?

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Mrs. Tracy Gray

Mar/31/22 1:49:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of constituents who reach out to me who have had to switch jobs that maybe they were not trained in or have not worked at in a long time because they have not been able to meet the current mandates of the government. When the government gives numbers to say we have recouped this many more jobs, the jobs may not be necessarily in the fields that people had trained for or at the high income levels that they were making before. That is the first thing. The second thing is that during the entire pandemic, we have continually made recommendations to the government to make sure that programs were amended so that they were applicable to more people. There were many times when some of the people most hit by the pandemic were not actually eligible for many of the government programs.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Mar/31/22 1:50:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to start off, it was only a couple of weeks ago that President Zelenskyy from Ukraine spoke to Canadians virtually through the House of Commons. Just down the hall today, there are a number of Ukrainian members of Parliament shared a very strong message with parliamentarians and Canadians in terms of the need for support with lethal weapons in Ukraine, and the need to continue with sanctions. They talked about the importance of our friendship and the infrastructure needs of Ukraine, not only today but going forward. I believe that unanimously in the chamber, there is a very strong sense of solidarity with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. We will do what we can. I should mention that I will be sharing my time with the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge. Having said that, I want to provide a bit of an overview in the time that I have, if it is possible, of what I believe is an opportunity for members to get engaged and talk about budgets and the importance of the budgetary process. It will come as no surprise to members that I have a difficult time with the Conservative Party's approach to dealing with budgets. Let us look at budgets in general. We have presented budgets since 2015, after the election. Every time the government has presented a budget in the House, the Conservatives have been true to form and voted against it. That includes budgets that provided tax breaks, for example. Members will recall that when the Liberals first became government, we said the priority for the Government of Canada was to support Canada's middle class and those aspiring to be part of it. That was priority one. In that budget, there was a tax break for Canada's middle class, which the Conservative Party voted against. There was a hike on the tax rate for Canada's wealthiest 1%, which the NDP voted against. Inequality of income was addressed through such things as the reformation of the Canada child benefit program: a program that saw hundreds of millions of dollars go into communities across the country to deliver children from poverty. There was the delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars to the poorest seniors in Canada, lifting hundreds and thousands of seniors out of poverty. Through our budgets, we have consistently provided supports to the provinces and to our infrastructure. Historic amounts of money are being invested in Canada's infrastructure. As we continued to support Canada's middle class prepandemic and were there in very real and tangible ways through legislative and budgetary measures, we saw the Canadian economy grow. In fact, in terms of economic growth, such as employment opportunities, we were able to achieve more in the first four years than Stephen Harper did in 10 years. At the end of the day, I would argue that by investing in Canadians and infrastructure, we were able to build a stronger and healthier economy, because we understand that a healthy middle class is the best way to deliver a stronger economy going forward. The first number of budgets people saw were heavy on supports for the middle class and building our infrastructure. Then the pandemic hit, and through the pandemic we saw the continuation of a government that recognized the value of being there to support Canadians and small businesses in particular. We saw it in the form of programs such as CERB, which put literally billions of dollars into the pockets of Canadians at a time when they needed that support. By doing that, we ensured that Canadians were able to pay critical bills that needed to be paid. We supported small businesses, whether with wage subsidy programs that preserved literally thousands of jobs across this country and prevented businesses from going bankrupt, or with loans and other forms of support for small businesses. Our budgets reflected that. When Canadians needed a government that was going to be there, we were there, not only with words but with legislative and budgetary measures. Throughout, we constantly saw a Conservative opposition more focused on character assassination and flip-flopping on different policies than on recognizing and contributing to the ideas that were flowing to support Canadians and build our economy. In listening to the Conservative Party, one would think that Canada was in a doomed state when it comes to inflation. Let us compare Canada's inflation rate with that of the United States, or look at Canada's inflation rate compared with those of the G20 countries. If we take a look at the average of the G20 countries and the United States, we find that Canada's inflation rate is less. My colleague for Kingston and the Islands just made reference to the GDP and how Canada is in a good position to continue to build strength for our economy and to continue to be there for Canadians. Unlike Conservatives, we believe in investing in the people of Canada. A good example of that is what recently happened in the province of Ontario: My Ontario colleagues were very happy the other day when we finally got Doug Ford to recognize the true value of a national child care program. This is a program that now stretches coast to coast to coast. It is a program that is going to enable more people to enter the workforce. The Conservative Party would look at that program and say that the government was spending money. It would say that all the government does is spend money and that we need revenues. Education 101 is that enabling more people to get engaged in the economy generates more revenue for the Government of Canada. Not only does a national child care program help by providing much-needed child care spaces, but it is good for Canada's economy too. I only wish the Conservatives would recognize that. When the Conservatives talk about issues of taxation, they are so confused. They do not care about the middle class, because when it came time to increase the CPP, which would benefit the working class of today for tomorrow, they are just as likely to call it a tax and say that it is a bad thing. No. We are thinking about tomorrow's seniors. The working class of today also needs to be protected. This is a government that is progressive and that understands the importance of being there for Canadians. We will continue to have their backs, as we have demonstrated in the past six years.

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/31/22 2:00:12 p.m.
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I hate to interrupt such an impassioned speech, but the member will have one minute remaining in his speech before we go to questions and answers.

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Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk (Windsor—Tecumseh, Lib.)

Mar/31/22 2:00:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is incredible to think how one announcement can transform an entire community, but that is exactly what happened last week in my riding of Windsor—Tecumseh. Our federal government secured a $5-billion investment that will see the first battery factory in Canada built in my hometown of Windsor. That partnership with Stellantis and LG will create 2,500 auto jobs in our community. It is the largest automotive investment in the history of Canada and it is the largest single investment in the history of Windsor—Tecumseh. Residents describe it as transformative. What this does is it helps a community that has seen its fair share of valleys build a bridge to prosperity for generations to come. Windsor-Essex is the automotive capital of Canada. We build things better than anyone else in the world, and with federal leadership on climate change, we are ready to lead our country’s transition to a zero-emission future.

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Mr. Robert Kitchen (Souris—Moose Mountain, CPC)

Mar/31/22 2:01:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, members from the South Saskatchewan Ready partnership came to Ottawa regarding the phase-out of coal-fired electricity and the negative impacts it is having on rural communities. Only 3.5% of the funding given through just transition has been dedicated to economic development that would ensure SSR communities remain viable post-2030. A recent study shows that the coal transition could lead to a 67% loss in population and an 89% loss in household income, just for the Town of Coronach alone. The government implies the green jobs that are created will be in the areas where energy jobs are lost, but this is not the case. These jobs to build green infrastructure are not in rural ridings. Investing transition funding into community infrastructure will do absolutely nothing when there are no people left to use said infrastructure. Places like Coronach, Bienfait and Estevan deserve more from the government. I thank the members of SSR for their advocacy and dedication to the sustainability and future of these communities.

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Ms. Iqra Khalid (Mississauga—Erin Mills, Lib.)

Mar/31/22 2:02:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this has been an exciting week. Budget 2021 set out our plan for affordable child care for only $10 a day. On Monday, Ontario finally signed on, which means we have deals to deliver affordable child care to every province and territory. This has been a top priority in my riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills and we delivered. That was in 2021. Next week, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance will table budget 2022, and I would like to share some of my priorities. They include building even more affordable housing, addressing gender-based violence, filling labour gaps and creating more jobs across Canada, supporting small businesses, seniors and youth, and building a clean, green economy. We have a lot of work ahead and I am looking forward to our budget so that we can get to it.

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Mrs. Marilène Gill (Manicouagan, BQ)

Mar/31/22 2:03:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, ever since the birth of the Quebec nation, fishers in Charlevoix have been weir fishing for capelin. It is a tradition, not an industry. It accounts for less than 1% of the total fishery. However, this traditional fishery not only supplies our restaurants, but is also part of our history and is in the process of being recognized by UNESCO. The problem is that Fisheries and Oceans Canada off in Ottawa, which is very far from the sea, is lumping our weir fishers in with Newfoundland's commercial fishers. It is forcing them to open their season in June, just like in Newfoundland. What Fisheries and Oceans Canada does not know, being so far from the sea, is that, where we are on the St. Lawrence River, capelin are abundant in April and gone by June. This national tradition will disappear if the minister does not open the capelin season on the river on April 1. April 1 is tomorrow. The Bloc Québécois is asking the minister to intervene. The time to save the weir fishery is now.

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Mr. Stéphane Lauzon (Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, Lib.)

Mar/31/22 2:04:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to acknowledge the outstanding work of two cattle producers in my riding: Brylee farm in Lochaber and Guayclair farm in Brownsburg‑Chatham. They were both honoured with the Environmental Stewardship Award, Quebec chapter, in 2021 and 2022 respectively. This award is handed out each year in recognition of cattle producers' leadership in on-farm environmental management. The Guayclair and Brylee farms both received provincial recognition for their outstanding contributions. Just like last year's winner, the Brylee farm, this year, the Guayclair farm is nominated for national recognition from the Canadian Cattlemen's Association. The national winner will be announced later at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference. Congratulations to the Guayclair farm and the Brylee farm. They are solid examples of innovation and excellence in on-farm environmental management.

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Mr. Scot Davidson (York—Simcoe, CPC)

Mar/31/22 2:05:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been five years to the day since the Liberals cancelled the Lake Simcoe cleanup fund. The finance minister stood on the shores of the lake in 2019 and promised to bring the fund back, but it has been 1,826 days and there is still no funding to clean up and restore the lake. It is unbelievable. Finally, municipalities and organizations from around the lake are joining me and my Conservative colleagues in calling for the cleanup fund to be reinstated. Instead of more taxes in next week's budget, the government must support community-based grassroots projects that will protect the precious Lake Simcoe watershed and ecosystem. It can be tough to wade through all the broken promises and inaction by the current Liberal government on the environment, but that is why I am here in my hip waders once again calling for the Lake Simcoe clean-up fund to be included in the 2022 budget. It is time for action.

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/31/22 2:06:55 p.m.
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I will remind people about the use of props. The hon. member for Kanata—Carleton.

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Mrs. Jenna Sudds (Kanata—Carleton, Lib.)

Mar/31/22 2:07:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in 2003, Eugene Melnyk purchased our beloved Ottawa Senators franchise. In doing so, he lifted the franchise out of possible bankruptcy. He brought jobs and economic growth to my riding of Kanata—Carleton, and he fought to keep those jobs in Kanata, despite proposals to move the franchise elsewhere. Above all, he made the Senators a beloved staple in our city. He helped cultivate a love of hockey among young and old. Eugene never wavered in his desire and commitment to bring the Stanley Cup to our nation's capital. Sadly, Eugene passed away peacefully on Monday. He will be fondly remembered by his friends, our community and Senators' fans everywhere. He leaves behind a legacy, a legacy of love for our Ottawa Senators, who our community will continue to support and cherish for years to come. The Ottawa community will miss his passion and dedication to the sport. I know the Ottawa Senators club will one day win a Stanley Cup, and I am sure that Eugene will be watching proudly from above.

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Mr. Terry Beech (Burnaby North—Seymour, Lib.)

Mar/31/22 2:08:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, before we took office in 2015, the federal government had been absent on the housing file for more than 30 years. In the last six years, our government has made safe, affordable and accessible housing a top priority. Our $72-billion housing strategy is working with the provinces and municipalities to tackle the issue of affordable housing and housing affordability. We have started to see the impact of these investments in Burnaby and North Vancouver helping build, retain or find homes for 3,900 people through programs like the federal community housing initiative, the rapid housing initiative and the co-investment fund. We have also promised to do more. This includes building more supply, treating housing like a place to live instead of an investment vehicle and finding pathways to ownership for first-time homebuyers. I am very excited to work with all members of the House to find more solutions to our housing crisis. I am also looking forward to the finance minister releasing budget 2022 on April 7, so that we can continue to deliver more affordable housing for Canadians.

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Mr. Larry Brock (Brantford—Brant, CPC)

Mar/31/22 2:09:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it gives me immense pride to announce that the City of Brantford is twinning with Kamianets-Podilskyi in Ukraine. This is a symbolic gesture that will initiate much-needed practical support for it. Since the Russian invasion, the city has been host to thousands of refugees, has helped displaced single moms with kids and the elderly who were pressured to leave their homes, and has organized efforts to provide support for the Ukrainian army. This wonderful idea was proposed by my constituent Andy Straisfeld and was unanimously supported by Mayor Kevin Davis and city council. I would like to thank Ukrainian MPs Georgiy Mazurashu and Ihor Marchuk, and the mayor of that city, Mykhailo Positko. I am also proud of the role that my team played to make this agreement a reality. I encourage my colleagues in the House to work with their municipalities and find their sister cities in Ukraine. Canada can help in so many ways. Glory to Canada. Slava Ukraini.

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