44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 20, 2022 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, the economy is working for nobody. This is very clear right now, as we had, as I mentioned, an inflation rate of 8.1% in June and have a budget in 2022 of $56.5 billion with the act that was recently announced. Canadians cannot buy groceries right now, they cannot fill up their vehicles with gas at this time and new families cannot purchase homes. The economy is not working for anyone, so I would suggest the member not discuss the economy.
I made it clear in my speech that the Conservatives will be supporting the bill, but it is not super inspirational.
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- Sep/20/22 2:20:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the new Conservative leader will put people first: their retirements, their paycheques, their homes and their country.
Today, people feel like they have lost control of their pocketbooks and of their lives. The cost of government is driving up the cost of living.
The Liberal government has doubled our national debt, adding more debt than all previous governments combined. It is the most expensive government in history. The more it spends, the more things cost.
What is the result? Seniors delay their retirements and watch their life savings evaporate with inflation. Thirty-year-olds are trapped in 400 square-foot apartments, or worse, their parents’ basements because the price of homes have doubled under these Liberals. Single mothers are putting water in their children’s milk so they can try to afford the 10% year-over-year increase in the price of groceries.
No wonder people are worried. Most are lucky to get by. Many are falling behind. There are people in this country who are just hanging on by a thread. These are citizens of our country. We are their servants. We owe them hope.
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- Sep/20/22 2:25:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all of that will be vaporized by inflation, which is costing families over $2,000 in extra costs, and that does not include the increased interest rate prices that people are paying on their mortgages. In fact, the average family used to pay its housing bill with 32% of its paycheque every month. Now it is 50% after seven years of the Prime Minister in power. What is his solution? It is to raise taxes on paycheques, with higher EI and CPP premiums that will shrink paycheques, and it is to put higher taxes on gas, groceries and heat.
Why will the Liberals not cancel these tax hikes so that Canadians can keep a roof over their heads?
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- Sep/20/22 2:28:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the course of this session, we are going to see two competing visions, one that shows our government doing what needs to be done for Canadians as they are facing higher inflation and the other—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Sep/20/22 2:32:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have a cost-of-living crisis that is hurting people. The Liberals kept saying “it is not our fault” and that it is worse in other countries. We have a leader of the opposition who thinks he can magically opt out of inflation by buying cryptocurrency, which ended up tanking and hurting people, so we have “say nothing” and “do nothing”, and then we have New Democrats, who forced the government to put more money into people's pockets.
My question is this: What took the government so long to act when people needed respect and support?
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- Sep/20/22 2:33:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on average, the cost of groceries has gone up by 10%. Major grocery store CEOs are making huge profits. Their greed played a role in the inflation that is hurting families right now.
When will the government force the these major grocery store CEOs to pay their fair share and reinvest, as a show of respect for families and people across this country?
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- Sep/20/22 2:39:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, before the pandemic even began, this Prime Minister was spending like no other prime minister in Canadian history. His out-of-control spending has led to record high inflation. Now Canadians are paying exorbitant prices for products and services.
Just to add fuel to the fire, he also plans to further increase the carbon tax. Canadians already cannot afford to put gas in their cars or feed their families, let alone dream of buying a house one day.
Will the Prime Minister promise not to raise taxes?
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- Sep/20/22 2:52:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we understand the high cost of living. In fact, when we came into office in 2015, we got rid of the universal child care benefit that the Conservatives were sending to millionaires and instead brought in the Canada child benefit that can provide up to almost $7,000 a year for children under the age of six for the lowest-income families. In fact, we raised the Canada child benefit this summer, indexed to inflation, because we understand how much families rely on this money to make sure they can give their children what they need.
We have been there for families and we will keep being there.
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- Sep/20/22 2:53:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, the government announced the doubling of the GST credit as one of the measures to help vulnerable Canadians fight inflation.
Can the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance tell us more about this support measure?
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- Sep/20/22 2:54:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the supports that we have announced today are targeted to the Canadians who need it the most, vulnerable Canadians who need this help.
I will share with the House some information from Lindsay Tedds, an economist at the University of Calgary, who has said very clearly that this is targeted to low-income individuals who are probably the ones unable to dip into savings or other things to pay for these increased costs. It is unlikely to increase inflation.
The Conservatives are going to deflect and distract. We are going to keep delivering for Canadians. That is responsible leadership.
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- Sep/20/22 2:55:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 600,000 Quebeckers are using food banks because they cannot afford to feed themselves. More and more of them are working folk. Rising costs are driving inflation, and workers cannot make ends meet. Groceries alone have gone up by more than 10%.
Will the Prime Minister commit to leaving more money in people's pockets by immediately putting an end to these new tax increases?
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- Sep/20/22 2:55:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the support measures we are aiming to put in place will do exactly what my colleague is asking. They will put money in the pockets of the Canadians who need it most.
At the same time, we are very much aware of the issue of inflation. Economists throughout the country have clearly said that our measures will not increase inflation.
That is our commitment to Canadians: Support them where they need it while remaining fiscally prudent.
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- Sep/20/22 2:57:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, according to Statistics Canada inflation remained above 7% last month. Why?
It is because of this government's incompetence and its failure to understand the economy. As long as the Liberal-NDP coalition is in place, Canadians and Quebeckers will have to deal with this inflation.
Will the Liberals promise to at least cancel the tax hikes? If not, why not?
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- Sep/20/22 2:58:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, these measures will not increase inflation. They will bring much needed support to the people on the ground. We are focusing on Canadians who need help the most.
Economist Trevor Tombe was clear when he said that global factors and spending, changes or tax changes made by the Government of Canada were unlikely to have a significant effect. It is the economists who are saying that our plan is a fiscally prudent plan.
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- Sep/20/22 3:00:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the cost of government is driving up the cost of living. A half trillion dollars of Liberal inflationary deficits have bid up the cost of the goods we buy and the interest we pay. Inflation is running at historic highs and taking a massive bite out of the ability of Canadians to pay the bills.
Now, if one thought it could not get much worse, one would be wrong, because the Liberals are planning on raising taxes on the paycheques of Canadians by hiking CPP and EI premiums.
Instead of making the problem worse, will the government commit to cancelling its planned tax hikes and cancel its tripling of the carbon tax?
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- Sep/20/22 3:02:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the new measures proposed by the government will just get vaporized by continued sustained inflation. It is the cost of government that is driving up the cost of living.
Food is up 10% year over year, and four out of 10 Canadians are cutting their diets because of rising food costs. Canadians who have never used a food bank in their lives before are being forced to because they simply cannot keep up with soaring prices. Canadians are struggling to get by, and the government plans to raise taxes on gas, home heating, groceries and paycheques.
Will the government reverse its planned tax hikes and commit to no new taxes?
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- Sep/20/22 3:03:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what has been vaporized is Canadians' purchasing power as the government has caused the record-breaking inflation that is hammering Canadians' abilities to make ends meet.
The best way to stop inflation is to put an end to the deficits that caused it in the first place. Instead, the Liberals are going to make the problem a whole lot worse. Rising prices have robbed Canadians of the ability to heat their homes and fill their fridges, and in the coming new year, the government is planning on hiking payroll taxes and carbon taxes, meaning Canadians will have to spend more as they take home less.
Will the government simply cancel its planned tax hikes?
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- Sep/20/22 3:05:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have been warning the Liberals about the dangers of inflation for two years now. They kept saying there was nothing to worry about, but now we are in a Liberal inflationary spiral. Over half of Canadians have said they could not afford a sudden expense over $1,000. Nearly 40% of Canadians are worried about their debt load. Families are having a hard time putting gas in the car and food on the table.
Will the Liberals promise not to raise taxes?
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Madam Speaker, yes, of course. In clause 11, the regulations, right now the government is proposing that the indexation to inflation will be determined by cabinet, both the day it would happen and the amount it would be. It seems infinitely reasonable, when we are talking about a cost-of-living crisis in Canada, that we protect the most vulnerable, to whom we are trying to extend the benefit.
I think the member and others on the government caucus benches have said this is about legislating a principle into law. Well, principles are not legislated. Those are seen in government motions they could put forward. There is a lot to fix in this legislation, and I am sure we will have many amendments at committee to propose.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague across the way for what she has said and for fighting for people living with disabilities. It is so incredibly important. We have heard in the House about the rising inflation and how it is hitting those living with disabilities harder.
Uniquely, some provincial members of Parliament in our province of Ontario have put themselves on what they call a “welfare budget”. They are trying to live on what people who are in the Ontario disabilities program or Ontario Works receive. I think they are trying to live on $47.60 for groceries each week to show how incredibly important it is for them to receive increases.
Now, the provincial government has only given 5% and those members are calling for that to be doubled. I wonder if the member supports initiatives like that as she has been so positive about ensuring that people living with disabilities have the income they need to survive.
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