44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 10, 2022 10:00AM
- Jun/10/22 11:32:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are a number of measures that our government put in place that will help Canadians this year. Canadian families will be receiving up to $7,000 this year in the Canada child benefit, and cheques will start to come out in July. Over three million Canadian workers will benefit from the Canada workers program.
What we heard from the other side, from the Conservatives, were two policy proposals this week. One was to give a tax break to big oil and gas, and the second was to give a break to Russia and drop the sanctions against Russia. There is no solid, credible economic policy coming from the Conservative Party, and it is disappointing.
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- Jun/10/22 11:32:55 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, just to correct the record, we are asking for assistance to consumers. I just want to get that on the record.
Statistics Canada reported that 75% of Canadians are being impacted negatively by the ever-increasing cost of living. Food costs are up. Housing costs are up. Fuel is up. When the government had the opportunity to provide relief from the pumps, it turned it down.
Where is the help from the government for Canadians who are struggling with the dramatic increase in the cost of living today?
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- Jun/10/22 11:33:26 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are proposing to give a tax break to oil and gas companies, not to Canadians.
We are providing direct payments to Canadians. Canadians who have trouble finding affordable housing would be getting a direct payment from our government. Canadians who are working at minimum wage would be getting a direct payment from our government. We are helping Canadians directly, and we will continue to do that.
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- Jun/10/22 11:33:59 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, sky-high inflation, now at a 31-year high, is having a disproportionate impact on Canadians. The Prime Minister does not have to buy groceries or fill his own tank. However, Canadians on lower incomes are spending a disproportionately higher percentage of their incomes on necessities like bread, milk and sundries. Gas prices in North Okanagan—Shuswap are at $2.13 a litre. Some cannot afford to drive to work.
We know the Prime Minister does not think about monetary policy for Canadians, but do any of the other speNDP-Liberals think about it?
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- Jun/10/22 11:34:36 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite cites a PBO report. The PBO report also confirms that inflation is a global phenomenon caused by the war in Ukraine and by bottlenecks in supply chains from the pandemic.
What we have done is put forward a number of measures in the budget that would help Canadians directly. What the Conservatives have done is delay the implementation of the budget, delay funding going straight to Canadians in order to help them with the cost-of-living increase, and it is shameful.
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- Jun/10/22 11:35:08 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps saying that the government took on debt during the pandemic so that Canadians would not have to. It turns out that it just did not work. Now the Bank of Canada reports that Canadians' biggest vulnerability is higher household indebtedness. In fact, interest rates are on the rise, and people are at risk of losing their homes.
This is a very important question. Will the minister finally admit that the Liberal government's irresponsible spending led to this cost-of-living crisis? Is that not right?
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- Jun/10/22 11:35:43 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a report just came out this week indicating that Canadians and investors have an extremely high confidence in the Bank of Canada and all of our financial institutions. That is certainly not thanks to the member for Carleton's comments or the Conservatives' comments impugning the independence of the Bank of Canada.
We will do everything to ensure that our Canadian economy continues to grow. Experts are forecasting that the economy here in Canada will grow at a higher rate than the rest of the G7 countries, both this year and next year. Our Stats Canada numbers from this morning indicate that unemployment is at its lowest levels historically in this country. We will continue to be focused on our economy and on Canadians.
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- Jun/10/22 11:36:25 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at $2.36 a litre, the price of gasoline in B.C.'s Lower Mainland is the highest in North America. We hear the Minister of Finance say that the price of gasoline is beyond her control, yet we know that it is the government's policy to actually drive up the cost of gasoline.
When will the government come clean and acknowledge that its policies are hurting ordinary Canadians and fuelling our cost-of-living crisis?
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- Jun/10/22 11:36:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, the only proposal from the Conservative Party is to cut taxes on the oil and gas companies themselves, with no guarantee that those tax cuts will be passed on to consumers.
What we are doing is providing direct support to Canadians so they can meet the increased cost of living that they are seeing as a result of the war in Ukraine. We will continue to be focused on Canadians themselves and not big oil.
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- Jun/10/22 11:37:26 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, input costs for farmers have soared. Fertilizer costs have nearly tripled and fuel costs have doubled, all while we face a food security crisis, yet Liberals intentionally hurt farmers' ability to increase production. A punitive fertilizer reduction policy, not based on fact or science, and a carbon tax increase are hindering investment in climate-resilient techniques that farmers were making long before Liberal ministers were Greenpeace activists.
Has the Minister of Agriculture misunderstood that she is supposed to fight for farmers instead of against?
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- Jun/10/22 11:38:06 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I want to reassure my colleague. Our government is the one that has supported producers the most.
We had a historic budget for the agricultural department last year of more than $4 billion. It did not happen with the previous government, I can assure the member, because it had cut the budget of the business risk management programs and many other programs, while we have increased the budget for the business risk management programs. We are at a $1.5-billion investment in agri-environmental programming.
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Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec has taken the rare step of sending all parties a list of amendments that it is calling for respecting Bill C‑13 on official languages. All it is asking for is for them to be rational.
It is asking the parties to note that the French language is in the minority in Canada because of the predominance of English and that francophones and anglophones therefore have different needs. That seems obvious to me.
Will the government amend Bill C‑13 so it corresponds to reality?
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Mr. Speaker, we are the first federal government to recognize the decline of French across the country, including in Quebec.
We know that more needs to be done to protect and promote the French language, which is a goal we share with the Government of Quebec. Our government will continue to take responsibility for passing legislation within its own jurisdiction to support the vitality of French in our communities.
The members of the committee will also have the responsibility of studying the amendments presented by the Government of Quebec and stakeholders from across the country.
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Mr. Speaker, that really is not a clear answer.
The Prime Minister had a moment of clarity in 2016. He said, “Quebec has to be French in order for Canada to be bilingual”. This is in line with the amendments to Bill C‑13 that Quebec wants.
Quebec is asking the federal government to commit to respecting Quebec's language planning model set out in the Charter of the French Language.
Will the government incorporate Quebec's demands into Bill C‑13 to affirm Quebec's distinctiveness and ensure respect for the Charter of the French Language?
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑13 is currently being examined by the Standing Committee on Official Languages. As I said earlier, we once again thank the Government of Quebec for its contribution to the legislative process.
Members of Parliament will be responsible for considering the amendments brought forward by national organizations and all parliamentary stakeholders. I am optimistic. We will find a way to move Bill C‑13 forward so that it can be passed as soon as possible.
I therefore ask all the parties to stop playing political games and to work to ensure that Bill C‑13 is passed as quickly as possible. It is important for communities across the country.
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- Jun/10/22 11:41:14 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are experiencing economic challenges that they have not seen since Pierre Elliott Trudeau was Prime Minister. They are struggling through a cost-of-living crisis. Inflation is at 6.8%. Supply chain disruptions have Canadians waiting for months for essential items. Gas prices are over $2 a litre. A struggling stock market has Canadians' retirement savings disappearing.
Are we experiencing a return to Trudeaunomics or is this “just inflation”?
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- Jun/10/22 11:41:47 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite cites a few statistics, and I will do the same. This morning, Statistics Canada confirmed that wages increased for Canadian workers at the highest rate since 1981, by nearly 4%. Canadians are taking home more money in order to meet the cost-of-living crisis they are facing, and our government is supporting vulnerable Canadians. With respect to seniors, for example, we increased our supports for seniors, which has helped lift over 450,000 seniors out of poverty. We are helping 900,000 seniors right now with our increased supports—
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- Jun/10/22 11:42:28 a.m.
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The hon. member for Calgary Rocky Ridge.
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- Jun/10/22 11:42:32 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when questioned about inflation, the government just shrugs its shoulders and says it is part of a global phenomenon. It is true that some other countries that have been running huge deficits are experiencing inflation, but Canada is the only one deliberately making things worse by increasing taxes on consumers.
Dropping the carbon tax and GST on fuel would immediately reduce consumer prices, just as prices dropped in Alberta when the provincial government cut its fuel tax. Why will the government not drop these taxes?
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- Jun/10/22 11:43:04 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is the NDP that is proposing to increase taxes on oil and gas companies, and it is the Conservative Party that is proposing to cut taxes on oil and gas companies. We are focused on Canadians. We are focused on supporting vulnerable Canadians—
An hon. member: You're a liar.
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