44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 5, 2022 10:00AM
- Apr/5/22 2:33:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in contrast to what the member opposite said, it was actually this government that helped millions of Canadians. In fact, when we brought in the Canada child benefit, it helped nine out of 10 Canadian families. They have seen hundreds or thousands of dollars each year to support putting food on the table. That is real money for real Canadians, and they know this government, whether before the pandemic, during the pandemic or after we recover, will be there for them every single step of the way.
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- Apr/5/22 2:33:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, too many millennials make good money but are stuck in their parents' basements. They lose all hope when they see home prices up 36% in Toronto. At committee, a GTA Liberal member of Parliament said that Canada has a “healthy housing market”, yet witness after witness said the opposite. The Minister of Housing has access to the best housing information in the country.
Does the minister disagree with his colleague that Canada has a “healthy housing market”, or will he too plant his head in the sand?
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- Apr/5/22 2:34:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wish the member for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola had a conversation on housing and a united approach with his colleagues for Calgary Centre, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon and Simcoe North. They have all trashed the national housing strategy. They said that we should pull back from measures to help first-time homebuyers. They are against housing supply. They are against housing affordability investments. Those members of Parliament should get their stories straight.
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- Apr/5/22 2:34:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the only thing dropping in this housing market is the Liberals' credibility on affordability. At committee, Statistics Canada representatives said, “We have not seen gains this large in 30 years. The price increases are broad-based, with the biggest drivers being gasoline, food, supply chains and a heated housing market.”
Will the minister admit to his failures, or will he continue to blame Conservatives for his mistakes?
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- Apr/5/22 2:35:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is really difficult to take Conservatives seriously on the issue of housing affordability. They say one thing in this august chamber and then outside, in committee—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Apr/5/22 2:35:40 p.m.
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Order. I do not know who that was. We should be able to hear what is going on in the House. Are we ready to move on? I would like to hear the minister.
The hon. Minister of Housing.
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- Apr/5/22 2:36:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is really difficult for them to hear the inconsistencies on housing affordability. That is why we are hearing a lot of noise on the other side.
Let me set the record straight. On first-time homebuyers, on housing affordability and on making sure that Canadians have access to their dream of home ownership, Conservatives are nowhere to be found. They say one thing in this august chamber, but when they are in committee they talk down the national housing strategy, they talk down the first-time homebuyer incentive and they talk down the rapid housing initiative. Conservatives have absolutely no credibility, and Canadians know that.
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- Apr/5/22 2:36:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all young Canadian families dream of owning a home.
Unfortunately, home ownership remains out of reach for these families because this government is doing absolutely nothing to curb inflation. The cost of housing is increasing by over 30% a year here in Canada. That is completely unacceptable. Since the beginning of question period, this government has been bragging that its plan is working. The problem is that it is not working.
Why do the Liberals seem to think this plan is working, when it is actually not working at all?
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- Apr/5/22 2:37:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all Canadians deserve a safe and affordable place to call home.
If the Conservatives will not listen to me, perhaps they will listen to the former Conservative minister and current Mayor of London, Ed Holder. With regard to our investments through the rapid housing initiative, he said:
This funding...will save lives and ultimately improve the lives of those who come to occupy these desperately needed units.... We are exceptionally grateful that our commitment to this vital work is shared with equal enthusiasm by the Government of Canada.
The Conservatives voted against that, and they voted against every other affordable housing measure that we introduced.
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- Apr/5/22 2:38:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the minister and congratulate him on his first French sentence, which I very much appreciate, but I must nevertheless remind him about the facts.
The fact is, housing costs are up nearly 30% in Canada. That pushed inflation to 5.7%, which is why food costs more, gas costs more, and Canadians are paying more tax. Last week, this government had a chance to give Canadians a break by not raising the tax, but no, on Friday, the federal tax went up.
Can the government at least commit to not raising taxes in the budget it will be tabling two days from now?
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- Apr/5/22 2:38:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the state of the economy and why it is good news for Canadians. We have had eight consecutive months of growth. Our GDP grew by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Our trade surplus, now $6.6 billion, is at its highest point since 2008. This fall, S&P and Moody's gave us a AAA credit rating.
That is what leadership means. That is what it means to focus on affordability. The other side does not like a growing economy, but we like it a lot.
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- Apr/5/22 2:39:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Greenpeace, Équiterre, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Sierra Club are unanimous: We have to say no to the Bay du Nord project. It is not complicated. It is no.
Yesterday's IPCC report came to exactly the same conclusion. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that “the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels”.
That is exactly what the minister would do with Bay du Nord: increase oil production by one billion barrels.
Will the minister say no to Bay du Nord?
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- Apr/5/22 2:40:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and her advocacy.
Our government recognizes the importance of the decision on Equinor's Bay du Nord development project. We are following a legislated process based on the available scientific evidence. That is why we extended the legislated timeline in order to take the time to properly review the considerable amount of complex information and make an informed decision.
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- Apr/5/22 2:40:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is jeopardizing his credibility. He cannot introduce an emissions reduction plan and then, one week later, consider approving a project to produce one billion barrels of oil. This would negate all his efforts and put him on par with all the other environment ministers in Canada, which has introduced 11 plans since 1988 and has never even come close to reaching its targets.
The Bay du Nord decision is the first major test for the minister. For the sake of the plan that he himself just introduced, will he say no to Bay du Nord?
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- Apr/5/22 2:41:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.
I would like to quote what some people had to say when we presented our plan last week. Équiterre's Marc‑André Viau stated, “We welcome the emissions reduction plan because this is the first time that we have such a detailed strategy to reach a target”.
I would like to remind my colleague that our plan is based on, among other things, data from the Canada Energy Regulator, which has forecast an increase in oil production in Canada. Despite everything, our plan sets out, in black and white, how we are going to tackle pollution and achieve our emissions reduction targets by 2030.
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- Apr/5/22 2:41:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, many people are unsure whether the plan to extract another 1.1 billion barrels of oil with Bay du Nord will reduce emissions from the oil sector. Many do not think this makes sense, although some do, from what I gather.
That brings us to the UN. Yesterday, in response to the IPCC report, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said “Some government...leaders are saying one thing - but doing another." He added, “Simply put, they are lying”.
Those are harsh but necessary words. Will the minister say no to Bay du Nord?
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- Apr/5/22 2:42:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is right that there are some people, like the Conservatives, who talk about climate change. Others, like those on this side of the House, are taking action by putting a price on pollution, which is already one of the highest in the world.
We are on our way to cutting methane emissions by 40% to 45% by 2025. We have an objective of 75%, which is the most ambitious objective in the world. It is clear that Canada's federal government can tackle pollution. My colleague knows very well that production is a provincial jurisdiction.
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- Apr/5/22 2:43:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, “crushing”, “stunning” and “frenzy” are words the Royal Bank is using to describe the housing crisis in Canada. The Bank of Montreal is calling it a full-scale attack. Housing experts are calling the minister's programs absolute failures.
When will the minister listen to the experts and stop blaming others for his failures?
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- Apr/5/22 2:43:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would urge the hon. member to look at what the national housing strategy is doing in his home province of Alberta. In Alberta, we are investing $444 million to support 35,000 households and pay rent. What does he have to say about that?
It is not only that. He should have a conversation with his colleagues from various parts of the country who continue to talk down federal investments in housing through the national housing strategy, and who have dismissed efforts we are making to enable more Canadians to have access to home ownership. They want us to pull back from the national housing strategy, and they want no federal leadership in this place.
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- Apr/5/22 2:44:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister has to keep reusing the same recycled talking points and twisting people's words because he is embarrassed, and rightfully so, of his record as minister.
He claims to have a plan that would help make housing more affordable, but under his watch, we have seen housing prices double and rent become more unaffordable than ever before. More and more people are looking at the situation and saying that they are giving up on ever buying a home. He should finally admit that his plan for first-time homebuyers is not working. It is only actually driving prices up.
Will the minister acknowledge his record of failure, change course and actually make housing more affordable for Canadians, and not just use the same talking points?
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