44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 21, 2022 10:00AM
- Jun/21/22 2:31:59 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has continually gotten inflation wrong.
First she said deflation was the concern. Then she said inflation was transitory—wrong and wronger. Now she says she is considering cutting taxes at the pumps. Good. When Alberta did this, it reduced its inflation rate as higher energy prices drive inflation.
Every G7 country is doing something on gas prices. When will she start fighting inflation and give Canadians a break at the pumps, or is she that content to be the wrongest person in the room at the next G7?
95 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:32:35 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, let me just point out that, when Canada meets our G7 partners, we are the envy of our peer countries.
The IMF, the OECD and Moody's have all pointed out that Canada is expected to have the strongest rate of growth this year and next year in the G7, and we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7 and the fastest rate of fiscal consolidation.
When it comes to affordability, our government is taking meaningful steps, starting with the OAS benefit going up this summer.
91 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:33:17 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, these speNDP-Liberals love warning labels so much, there should have been a mandatory “this product causes inflation and will be harmful to your economy” sticker on the last budget.
This Minister of Finance is fond of saying that her government “can walk and chew gum at the same time”. Okay, then, could she explain to the House how she can inject a post-COVID-19 stimulus of $100 billion into the economy and fight inflation at the same time?
86 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:33:50 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the verdict of some objective experts when it comes to Canada's government policy.
I am going to start with S&P, the ratings agency whose job it is to judge fiscal responsibility. After I tabled the budget in April, S&P confirmed Canada's AAA rating with a stable outlook going forward. Let me also point out that Canada, today, is tied with the U.S. for the fastest rate of fiscal consolidation in the G7, that means bringing down the deficit. That is fiscal responsibility, and it is appropriate.
99 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:34:36 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the current NDP-Liberal budget spending is the most outside of a crisis in three decades. It is driving runaway costs of living and rising inflation. Food is up 9.7% since last year, the biggest jump since the eighties. Gas is a record high, over $2 a litre across Canada. It is almost $3 a litre in big cities like Vancouver and Montreal. It is hard in rural areas too. Since last year, fertilizer is up 44%, feed is up 8% and farm fuel is up 32%.
Why do the Liberals not care that Canadians are really struggling right now just to get by?
107 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:35:13 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely understands the challenges Canadians are facing today with the cost of living, but let me actually remind the member opposite of a statement that one of her colleagues made during the private members' statements just a moment ago. One of her colleagues pointed out that higher food prices today are being driven by Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. We have to remember who is responsible for the challenges that Canadians are facing today.
80 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:35:53 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals racked up more debt than every other government before it, combined. That puts all Canadians on the hook and they are worried whether they can make it. Scotiabank says the Liberals “are doing nothing of any significance to slow inflation at the moment” and “missed their chance to nip it in the bud”, the inflation they caused. RBC and BMO predict tomorrow’s inflation to be 7.4%, over double from May last year. Liberal spending caused this skyrocketing inflation and is forcing Canadians to choose between heating and eating.
Why do the NDP-Liberals always make things so much worse for working everyday Canadians?
114 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:36:32 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, let me take another opportunity to point out to Canadians listening to us that Canada is tied with the United States in the G7 for the fastest rate of fiscal consolidation and the fastest rate of bringing down our deficit.
Canadians know inflation is a global phenomenon. It is driven by Putin's war in Ukraine. It is driven by China's COVID-zero policies. I will give some numbers to back that up. Our latest inflation number is 6.8% in Canada. That is lower than the U.S., which is at 8.6%; Germany at 7.4%; the U.K. at 9.0%; and the OECD average of 9.2%.
114 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:37:18 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Radio-Canada's Daniel Leblanc reported this morning that the Canada Revenue Agency closed the criminal investigation into a tax evasion scheme by KPMG a year ago. At noon, KPMG confirmed that it had been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Members will recall that, in 2017, the Minister of National Revenue stated, and I quote, “We’re going to get to the bottom of this, and we’re going to catch them. When everything comes out publicly, it will be easier.”
I have a very simple question for the Minister of National Revenue. She has known for a year that this case was closed, so why did she not speak to anyone about it?
119 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:37:55 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and very surprised to my colleague opposite's enthusiasm for tackling tax evasion.
He knows very well that I cannot comment on specific cases. Furthermore, my colleague should know that the Canada Revenue Agency conducts its investigations independently. I do not intervene in investigations, nor do I conduct them.
We will continue to work hard to address tax evasion in Canada and abroad.
69 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:38:31 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, this is the same minister who, weeks ago, kept telling us that the net was tightening. The reality is that she is the one getting caught up in the net.
In 2017, she said that she was going to make this public and that the whole truth would come out. The investigation has been over for a year and the minister said that once everything was public, it would all become clearer and they would comment on it. Now, for a whole year, she has said nothing.
Why, once again, is the government refusing to get to the bottom of this? Why, when it is time to talk, do its representatives have nothing to say?
117 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:39:05 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I cannot comment on specific cases.
My colleague should know that the Canada Revenue Agency is independent, and that we do not interfere with or direct investigations.
32 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:39:27 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the situation at passport offices is getting out of hand. According to TVA, at the end of the ordeal, the lucky ones who do get their passports at Guy-Favreau complex in Montreal are still being charged extra fees. Despite the minister's instructions today, people are being charged $110. Despite the minister's instructions, the federal government is making Quebeckers and Canadians pay for its mistake. The minister has no control over her department.
When will she finally ensure that people can get their passports without extra fees?
92 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:40:08 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, once again, I will tell my colleague that the instruction given to all Service Canada employees is that if passports are issued outside the standard service times, there is no additional charge. We will say it again. It is clear and the directive has been given across the country. We are going to make sure it is enforced on the ground.
63 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:40:35 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, nothing is clear these days. People are being treated like cattle at passport offices. Instead of managing the crisis effectively, security officers at the Guy-Favreau complex reportedly threw out a journalist who was reporting on the line-ups.
If things are so bad that they cannot be shown on TV, the answer is not to kick out the media. The answer is to do a better job of managing the crisis.
When will the government extend hours of operation, reassign public servants, treat citizens with respect and ensure that everyone gets their passport?
96 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:41:18 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the situation in Montreal is completely unacceptable. I have heard about this situation and it is clearly not what should be happening.
I assure my colleagues that anyone in Montreal who is travelling in the next 48 hours is getting their passport. Applicants are being triaged in line. Senior management is on the ground to help manage the situation, and although the volume of applications has skyrocketed, this situation is unacceptable.
73 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:41:58 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Minister of Finance once again made an announcement about inflation without giving one cent to our farmers.
She has been warned for months that agriculture is at risk. Inflation strikes farmers three times, not just once. The price of fuel, fertilizer and animal feed has skyrocketed and added $1.5 billion to their costs.
If Ottawa does nothing, producers could go bankrupt and the price of food will continue to rise. Farmers submitted specific requests to the minister. When will she finally support them?
90 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:42:40 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, once again, I agree with my colleague that our farmers work extremely hard and that, just like society as a whole, they are faced with very high prices right now for food, inputs and energy.
That is why we are helping them in different ways. Last year, the Department of Agriculture had its largest budget ever, with $4 billion for the agricultural sector.
I assure my colleague that we are working on different options to see how we can provide our farmers with more assistance.
88 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:43:11 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the utter chaos experienced by Canadians simply trying to obtain a passport from their own government is a crisis solely of the Prime Minister's making. A summer that should have provided much-needed relief after two years of significant stress has instead turned into an endless nightmare of dangerous passport office all-nighters and infuriatingly long hold times, often ending in abruptly dropped calls. A year ago, as this fully predictable situation was brewing, the Prime Minister called a completely unnecessary election.
Will he now admit that he was wrong to put his political interests ahead of the Canadians he was elected to serve?
107 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/21/22 2:43:49 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned several times in the House, we are experiencing an unprecedented volume in terms of passport applications. We have, in fact, been planning for this surge and that is why 600 employees were hired since January. Another 600 are in the process of being hired. We are rearranging and reallocating resources within Service Canada and also within other government departments. We understand the situation. We understand the frustration of Canadians, and we will continue to do everything that we can to support Canadians in getting their passports in a timely fashion.
96 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
