44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 7, 2022 10:00AM
- Jun/7/22 10:33:25 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we proposed taxing the windfall pandemic profits of big corporations and sending them back to Canadians through the GST rebate and the Canada child benefit as a way for the federal government to provide immediate relief to Canadians and make the wealthy pay their fair share. The official leader of the opposition has put forward an extension of wanting to work with us, but this motion is quick to cut taxes and other sources of revenue for the government, while offering nothing in terms of consumer protection from big corporations raising their prices above and beyond inflation.
Can the member comment on why the Conservatives think cutting taxes at the pump would actually stop big oil and gas from just raising their prices? Can she—
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- Jun/7/22 11:18:42 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, earlier, I pointed out to my Conservative colleagues that it was rather shameful to ask the government to lift the GST on gas, particularly since oil companies are making record profits right now. Big oil companies are the ones robbing the middle class of what little wealth it had managed to accumulate.
I am wondering whether my colleague is aware that the government is supporting oil companies. That is another shameful fact. Think of the $2.6 billion the budget allocates to carbon capture strategies. Does my colleague agree that that is shameful, given what the greedy oil companies are up to?
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- Jun/7/22 11:20:04 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend happy birthday wishes to my colleague's daughter.
We know that the Conservative motion, by cutting the GST and by eliminating the carbon tax on oil and gas, will actually just lead to an increased amount on our deficit. Also, it will do nothing to stop oil and gas companies from earning skyrocketing profits on the backs of everyday Canadians.
We know that speculation is the biggest factor driving oil and gas prices at the moment. Does the member agree that tighter regulation of this sector, with the establishment of a petroleum monitoring agency and an oil and gas ombudsman—something we have been urging for several years—would be a good way to ensure Canadians are getting fair prices at the pump?
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- Jun/7/22 11:33:26 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.
I do not know if he really took the time to read the motion, but the solutions we are proposing are perhaps not long-term solutions as he suggests. I still feel it is important that we discuss them.
However, in the short term, for all Canadians and those living in his riding, measures like temporarily suspending the GST on gas and diesel would benefit taxpayers in his riding.
We understand that it is a short-term measure, but if we want to give our constituents a break, I feel it is important that we do it.
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- Jun/7/22 12:20:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the question because it gives me time to talk about the confidence and supply agreement we reached with the government.
Some of the goals in the confidence and supply agreement are things like providing dental care, which will help poor families take care of their kids and help seniors take care of their teeth. What is most important to me in that agreement is the early launch of a for indigenous, by indigenous housing strategy, which will get secure housing built for first nations across this country.
There are many reasons in that confidence and supply agreement to support the government, but there are no reasons that I would support a cut to the GST or HST that would only benefit the wealthy and the big corporations.
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- Jun/7/22 12:38:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the New Democrats continue to put forward proposals to double the GST rebate and to increase the child tax credit by $500, yet the Conservatives do not support that. In fact, they continue to stand up for big oil. The member talked about the system being rigged; it is rigged, because Liberals are afraid to tax oil and gas. Who needs oil lobbyists, when we have the Conservative Party?
This motion is quick to cut taxes and other sources of revenue for government, but it offers nothing to protect consumers. In fact, all it would do is increase profits for oil and gas.
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- Jun/7/22 12:38:53 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that member should come to see some truths here.
First of all, when the Harper government lowered the GST from 7% to 5%, it maintained the 7% rebates for those on low income, which helped out seniors. Conservatives have always tried to help people with the lowest means. At the other side of this, New Democrats keep saying this will help oil companies, but the GST is applied on the transaction after everything else has been taken into account. This motion would mean money in people's pockets, which they can spend on things like food. Doug Porter from the Bank of Montreal has said that we should stop trying to entrench inflation, and gas prices are a way to do that at grocery stores. This motion would help.
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- Jun/7/22 12:52:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I just indicated to my colleague from Winnipeg North that these oil companies already pay $20 billion in tax to Canada, and that goes a long way to help us have the health, education and social programs that we have in this country.
I want to say how ironic I find it that both the NDP and the Bloc today are saying they are against lowering the GST and carbon tax. Why are we asking to do that? It is put dollars in people's pockets. They say they do not want to do it that way; they think that we should instead raise the OAS and CPP to put money in people's pockets. It is a difference in view on how to help people in this country. I get where they are coming from, but this is a very quick way of doing it. It could be done with a stroke of a pen. We are in the middle of a crisis right now, at a time when this measure would be most helpful.
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- Jun/7/22 1:20:05 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I listened to the member's speech and heard him say something we heard earlier today. I would like him to very clear about it. Is he telling the House that the reason the Liberals cannot eliminate, even temporarily, the GST on fuel and the carbon tax, or even just on fuel, is they believe retailers would collude to prevent the tax savings from going to consumers? Yes or no, is that the reason you cannot do this?
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- Jun/7/22 2:39:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, Canadians need answers, not talking points. People in my riding and in northern and rural communities all across Canada have to drive just about everywhere. Fuel prices are at record highs, which is making life harder for all Canadians.
When will the government drop the talking points, do the right thing, drop the GST on fuel and make life more affordable for Canadians?
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- Jun/7/22 4:10:40 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, as my good Liberal friends Lowell Green and Rob Snow have reminded me, there is always one taxpayer in this country, and he knows the gas tax helps municipalities pay for the costs of operations. I would argue we should be using those dollars to help municipalities pay off some of the operational costs that gas pressures are creating on their own budgets. If they do not have that help, they will need to increase their taxes in return. He knows, because he was part of that government, that they were transferring that gas tax to help municipalities. We have continued that program and we believe in it, but cutting the GST will not help consumers at the pump.
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- Jun/7/22 4:23:18 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague across the way. Basically, he is saying what we are also thinking, which is that the opposition motion is a bogus solution for real problems. I understood that he was objecting to one aspect of the motion, which would be to temporarily stop charging the GST on gas and fuel, since it is unclear whether that money would go to consumers.
However, would my colleague agree that the surplus the government is currently reaping from higher gas prices could be used to provide relief to those hit hardest by inflation? These include low-income earners, seniors, agricultural workers, taxi drivers, truck drivers, and so on. Support programs could be put in place for these people.
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- Jun/7/22 4:36:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member talked about hearing from constituents in the riding.
When I look at the text of the motion, I see a series of different principles that the Conservatives have put forward. One relates to the GST on fuel. As a member of Parliament who makes almost $200,000 a year in terms of my work, and the member opposite would probably be somewhere in the same range, why would she think that eliminating GST on all gas is a targeted measure?
I agree with the principle that perhaps the government should look at the GST and make this measure specific to individuals who have lower incomes, but the way the Conservatives are proposing it, everyone across the board, including millionaires, would receive this benefit. Would the member not agree that MPs should not be eligible for that type of benefit?
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- Jun/7/22 4:37:12 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do not think there is a single tax cut that they would support on gasoline. This is a party that wants to see gas prices get higher. It would be better if the member opposite just told us that. The Liberals want to see the price of gas be over $2. That is part of the plan. Cutting the GST, which is a tax upon the tax, will give real relief at the pumps for constituents in his riding, who, I understand, need to drive a car really far to see him and tell him.
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- Jun/7/22 4:40:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be brief. Just because we ask the government or tell the government that we think the carbon tax should be eliminated, or just because we want a GST cut, or just because we have proposed solutions a number of times, it does not mean they are wrong. They are absolutely right, and we are going to continue standing up for Canadians in the House every single day until it gets done.
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- Jun/7/22 4:52:41 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague obviously has good intentions.
There might be a little problem with the approach, however. Would my colleague agree that a program should be created with the surplus to help workers whose livelihoods are at risk because of the rising cost of diesel and gas? I am talking about farmers, truckers, taxi drivers and everyone who is struggling to make ends meet right now. Does he think the surplus could go directly to the workers who need help?
If not, could he explain how he would ensure that removing the GST from diesel and gas would truly benefit consumers?
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- Jun/7/22 4:53:41 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member should take time to read through the motion we have moved. We are proposing to suspend the GST and the carbon tax to provide immediate relief.
There may be something worthwhile in what the member is proposing, but today we are debating a motion, not a budget. I want to make that clear.
Suspending the GST for the next few weeks is a concrete action we could put in place tomorrow morning. All Canadians would benefit from this, not just the farmers who need it. This would generate economic spinoffs across the country.
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- Jun/7/22 4:54:25 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.
The leader of the NDP has made some interesting proposals. Banks, insurance companies and oil companies are making record profits, while people are struggling to pay their bills.
Why not impose a temporary tax on excessive profits so that we can take that money and redistribute it to people through the Canada child benefit and by doubling the GST tax credit? That is far more practical and fair.
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- Jun/7/22 5:22:14 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member is suggesting that I am out of touch. That member and her party want a GST cut for everybody, including her, including me and including the people who are making ridiculous amounts of money right now as a result of going through the pandemic and the people who have experienced a lot of windfall from that. The reality of the situation is that we do not need a GST tax cut. I do not need it, and I will go out on a limb and suggest that she does not need it. However, there are people out there who do need supports, and that is where the government is focused. It is focused on providing support to the people who need it.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jun/7/22 5:36:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at the end of every recession, we see a very similar pattern where we have a shortage of material and a shortage of labour and supply chains are disrupted, yet what we are debating today is looking at some very piecemeal measures to try to get Canadians back on their feet, including cutting GST on gasoline purchases. We saw Prime Minister Harper, at the time, cut the GST and that did nothing for economic growth.
Could the hon. member talk about solving complex problems with simple answers versus solving complex problems with complex answers?
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