44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 28, 2022 10:00AM
- Apr/28/22 2:53:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, millennials with good jobs just want out of their parents' basements, but the cost of living under the Liberal government is going through the roof. The budget's signature housing promise is a shiny new savings account, but who has $8,000 a year to save, with out-of-control gas, grocery and housing inflation?
Could the Minister of Housing please enlighten us: Where will these millennials find $8,000 a year to save, or does he believe that young families can always do what the speNDP-Liberals do, which is just go borrow more money?
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- Apr/28/22 2:53:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola should have a talk with the member of Parliament for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, because that member believes that we should just download the cost of housing to provinces; his leader believes we should just download the cost to municipalities, and his other colleague, from Calgary Centre, believes that we should not help first-time homebuyers. The members opposite cannot even come together to formulate a coherent policy on affordable housing. The hon. member has been on record opposing the ban on foreign buyers, which would give more opportunities to first-time homebuyers.
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- Apr/28/22 2:54:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Royal Bank of Canada says that those most affected by the current inflation crisis in Canada are the poorest Canadians, and that is easy to understand when the price of food, transportation and housing are going up. These are essentials and those most affected by this situation are the poor. What the government needs to do to fight inflation is control its spending. It has not done so in seven years. It must also be sure to freeze all tariffs and tax increases, which it refused to do on April 1.
Why does the government continue to directly attack the poorest Canadians?
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- Apr/28/22 2:55:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we might think that the Conservatives are criticizing a fictitious budget and not the one that they read. Maybe they should take note of what Stephen Harper's former director of communications said, and that is that the budget is prudent and reasonable. He believes it is a budget for an economy in full swing, one that will achieve a near zero deficit in five years.
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- Apr/28/22 2:55:57 p.m.
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Mr Speaker, last night I received a text from a local business owner. He said diesel fuel had jumped 24¢ in two days, which puts it at $2.18 a litre. The average truck burns 400 to 500 litres, so that is $1,000 per day. It costs him $60,000 a month for three trucks. This has to stop before there is no one left to move our goods.
The government is a colossal disappointment. When will the government take ownership of its mistakes for all devastated Canadians? They need relief.
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- Apr/28/22 2:56:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yet again the Conservatives seem to be attacking a budget they invented and not the one we actually delivered. Maybe they should read the National Post, which described the budget as “prudent and responsible”. The Post went on to say, “The efforts to expand Canada's productive capacity and hold the line on spending are welcome, as are the new commitments to defence spending.”
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- Apr/28/22 2:57:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, price shocks on everyday items continue to hurt a growing number of Canadians, and it appears the worst is yet to come. Inflation is almost 7%. We have price inflation and currency inflation happening at the same time. Interest rates are on the way up. People of all ages, especially those on the margins, are trimming expenses just to make ends meet. The dream of home ownership is moving farther and farther away from many, especially our youth. The policies of the left are shrinking any disposable income.
When will the Prime Minister stop making one bad mistake after another and outline a clear commitment to control inflation?
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- Apr/28/22 2:58:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to supporting the most vulnerable Canadians with the cost of living. It was our government that introduced the Canada child benefit, which is indexed for inflation and has lifted almost 300,000 children out of poverty. Our government increased the GIS, which is also indexed to inflation and has helped over 900,000 seniors. When we formed government, more than five million Canadians lived in poverty. Today, that number is below 3.8 million.
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- Apr/28/22 2:58:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Service Canada has completely abandoned thousands of victims of fraud.
Picture this. These people lose their jobs and apply for employment insurance. Months go by and they do not get anything, so they ask questions but do not get any answers. They call back and still do not get any answers. Finally, they find out that they are the victims of fraud, that no one told them about it, that no one knows why and that no one is going to give them their money. There are people who have been out of work since December and have still not received a cent.
We need to get to the bottom of this, but, first, will the government at least give these fraud victims their benefits?
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- Apr/28/22 2:59:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for that important question.
We are aware that there has been an increase in the number of cases of employment insurance fraud. We are working with members of the Bloc Québécois to make sure that everyone gets their benefits.
We will continue to do that. It is important to ensure that every Canadian gets the EI benefits to which they are entitled, and to combat fraud.
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- Apr/28/22 2:59:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, things are not moving quickly enough.
Thousands of people have complained to their Bloc Québécois MPs, and there are probably more people out there who have not yet realized that they are victims. Does the government realize how many people are affected?
Some people have not had any income for months. Service Canada must notify victims of fraud. It needs to find out how this fraud happened, but first, is there a way to get these people their benefits now so they can buy groceries?
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- Apr/28/22 3:00:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I would like to thank my colleague for raising this important issue.
We are continuing to work with members of the Bloc Québécois when we identify victims of fraud. Fraud is on the rise, and it is important that the Government of Canada ensure that it addresses and combats fraud so there are no further victims of fraud involving Government of Canada benefits.
That being said, we have made changes at Service Canada to ensure that people with legitimate complaints receive their benefits.
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- Apr/28/22 3:01:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the environment commissioner's latest report confirms that the Liberals are all talk and no action on the environment. They talk about the importance of the carbon tax, but ignore the impact it is having on small businesses and first nations. They talk about a just transition from oil and gas, but provide no support to Canadian energy workers who are losing their jobs. They fly across the country to talk about reducing emissions, while missing all of their targets every year.
These reports are scathing. Why is the Liberal government failing to protect Canada's environment?
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- Apr/28/22 3:01:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I can certainly speak to this government's commitment on what many refer to as just transition. I always hesitate when I say that phrase because, frankly, a lot of workers do not like that phrase. I can say one thing to this House, and I said this to the unions over these past number of days. This government will not move without the full support of oil and gas workers in this country. They are the ones who will lower emissions. They are the ones who will build up renewables. We are committed to them in the same way that they have always been committed to the prosperity of this country.
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- Apr/28/22 3:02:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this minister is so far behind, he thinks he is in first place, but these reports confirm that the Liberals are failing in every respect: protecting the environment, fail; respecting taxpayer dollars, fail; supporting Canadian workers, fail; standing up for small businesses and first nations, fail.
The minister may try and greenwash over these failures, but Canadians know better. After all, the environment commissioner says the Liberals' environmental plan is unrealistic and lacking credibility. Does the minister agree? Yes or no.
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- Apr/28/22 3:02:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the short answer is no.
The long answer is the commissioner says that carbon pricing is one of the most important measures to fight greenhouse gas emissions. That is exactly what we are doing.
The commissioner says that eight out of 10 Canadians are getting more money through carbon pricing than without it. The commissioner said that the federal government would reach its 25% emissions-reduction target this year, not in 2025. Our plan is working, but I will agree that there is way more we need to do.
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- Apr/28/22 3:03:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the environment commissioner's report on carbon pricing states that the government has not addressed the burden from carbon pricing faced by small businesses.
There is no plan to get carbon tax money back to small businesses. I met this morning with Ward from Kelowna—Lake Country, who owns an RV business, and much of our conversation was around various tax increases hitting the RV and camping industry.
Will the minister admit that the just transition plan is breaking the backs of small businesses and transitioning them to just hang on?
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- Apr/28/22 3:04:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the commissioner recognized in his report, eight out of 10 Canadians are getting more money through carbon pricing than without it. We are working with small businesses to ensure that the rest of the revenues are recycled. We already have an agreement with Ontario, and it is happening with the rest of the provinces in Canada.
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- Apr/28/22 3:04:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, LGBTQ+ rights are human rights, and we know that there is still more work to be done.
For years, LGBTQ+ communities have been calling for a non-discriminatory blood donation system. Today, Health Canada approved the request from Canadian Blood Services.
Could the Minister of Health tell us more about this historic announcement and the impact it will have on these communities?
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- Apr/28/22 3:05:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London West for her excellent work in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Today is a great day for anti-discrimination, justice and equity. Canadians have been waiting for this day for many years. Health Canada has approved Canadian Blood Services' request to eliminate the deferral period for men who have sex with men and to replace this policy with a single universal questionnaire that is non-discriminatory and is not based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
This is a significant achievement and I thank everyone whose hard work led to today's announcement.
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