44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 27, 2022 10:00AM
- Sep/27/22 2:45:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a couple of times today we have heard the Conservatives talking about deficits, debt and fiscal responsibility. I would say that is a bit rich coming from a party whose leader actually had the temerity to advise Canadians to invest in Bitcoin, which would have eviscerated their savings. However, I do want to set the record straight on fiscal responsibility. Canada has the lowest deficit in the G7. We have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, and we have a AAA credit rating.
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- Sep/27/22 2:46:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on average, Canadians now spend more of their income on taxes, at 43%, than they do on necessities such as food, shelter and clothing, which combined amount to 35%. Families are growing increasingly desperate as they stretch out their paycheques to fight inflation, a weakening dollar and out-of-control tax increases by the government.
When will the Prime Minister listen to their pleas, take action to cap spending and cancel his planned tax increases on gas, home heating and groceries?
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- Sep/27/22 2:47:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Conservatives of something Canadians understand very well. CPP and EI contributions are how all Canadians set money aside for our retirements and create a safety net in case we lose our jobs. At a time of global economic uncertainty, I have to say it is the height of irresponsibility, almost as bad as suggesting investments in crypto, for the Conservatives to be arguing that we should not be making these essential fiscally responsible contributions.
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- Sep/27/22 2:47:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the price of basic foods is skyrocketing. For example, bakery products are up 16% in one year. Butter costs 26% more and is now $8.26. Thousands of Quebec families are struggling to make ends meet. Instead of wanting to help them, the Prime Minister wants to increase the burden on families. There is only one thing to do: Cancel the tax increase.
Can we count on him?
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- Sep/27/22 2:48:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, CPP and EI contributions are how we save for retirement and create a safety net for Canadians. In this time of global economic uncertainty, it is completely irresponsible of the Conservatives to suggest that our country should stop setting money aside for retirement and a rainy day. Maybe their real plan is to cut Canadians' pensions.
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- Sep/27/22 2:49:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, big oil has been making record profits off the backs of Canadians who are struggling, all while refusing to clean up its climate mess. The environment minister said he is not opposed to a windfall tax, but he is waiting to see if big oil will invest in climate action on its own. Instead, it is paying out huge dividends to its shareholders and bonuses to its rich CEOs. If the minister is waiting for big oil to do the right thing he is going to be waiting a long time. Time is running out for our planet.
Will the Liberals tackle corporate greed, implement a windfall tax and make big oil pay its fair share?
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- Sep/27/22 2:49:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I could not agree with the hon. member more. Energy companies are doing well and they must put their shoulders to the wheel and invest in reducing pollution.
We are working on many fronts to reduce fossil fuel emissions. We are going to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector. We are going to be introducing a clean fuel standard. We are putting a price on pollution. We are going to be eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies in 2023, two years ahead of schedule.
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- Sep/27/22 2:50:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals agree, they just need to do it and have the guts to take on big oil.
The cost of groceries is skyrocketing. CEOs are raking in record profits and lining their pockets. Last year, the head of Sobeys earned over $8 million. Instead of raising employees' wages or lowering prices, he took away their bonuses. The nerve.
The NDP wants to see a parliamentary committee look into how corporate greed is driving up the cost of groceries. Does the government think it is okay for wealthy CEOs to pad their pockets by making families in Quebec and Canada empty theirs?
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- Sep/27/22 2:51:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have been, and we remain, fully committed to ensuring that everyone pays their fair share of tax. We are permanently raising the corporate income tax rate by 1.5% on Canada's largest, most profitable banks and insurance companies, and we have introduced a recovery dividend of 15% on the excess profits these institutions made during COVID‑19.
That is action.
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- Sep/27/22 2:51:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, hurricane Fiona has had a devastating impact across Atlantic Canada, particularly in communities in northern Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island and western Newfoundland. The government has committed to making sure we are part of that rebuilding process in communities and is working with the Canadian Red Cross to match private contributions. However, it is extremely important to make sure we have support on the ground to help with the cleanup and to restore electricity to those who need the help.
Can the Minister of National Defence, who is originally from Atlantic Canada and knows our communities well, provide an update to the House on the work of the Canadian Armed Forces to help support Atlantic Canadians in their time of need?
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- Sep/27/22 2:52:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as a Nova Scotian myself, I want to assure my hon. colleague and everyone in the House that the Canadian Armed Forces will be there for as long as needed. In Nova Scotia, they are removing debris and restoring roadways and bridges. In Prince Edward Island, they are assisting with restoring the power grid. In Newfoundland, they are going door to door to check on neighbours to make sure everyone is okay.
From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank the members of the Canadian Armed Forces for all they are doing to keep Canadians safe in this time of need.
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- Sep/27/22 2:53:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the weather is getting cool and people are starting to turn on the heat. Millions of Canadians rely on oil and propane to heat their homes. The costs of those fuels, however, have skyrocketed. It now costs upwards of $5,000, $6,000 or even $7,000 a winter to heat their home. The government has now put on top of that a carbon tax that will cost upwards of $400 to $500 a winter. People are getting desperate.
Will the government listen, including to the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and cut the tax on oil and propane heat?
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- Sep/27/22 2:53:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we watch yet another disaster unfold that is fuelled by global climate change and as the world is called to act on climate change, the member is playing games with misrepresenting climate action. The member well knows that the money that is taken is given back to Canadians, and the action that is taken is essential so that we have fewer Fionas, fewer disasters and fewer Canadians who are affected by global climate change. We have to take action.
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- Sep/27/22 2:54:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is completely out of touch. Emissions have risen each and every year that the government has been in power, except for the year of the pandemic, when it shut everything down. A third of Atlantic Canadians heat with oil, as do over a million Ontarians and 10% of Canadian households.
When will the government do what other G7 governments have done and provide relief on fuel taxes, cutting the tax on the oil and propane heat that people are so desperate to use this winter?
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- Sep/27/22 2:55:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as our House leader said, in a week in which climate change has ravaged much of Atlantic Canada, it is absolutely astounding that the opposition wants to take a valuable tool off the table that is helping to reduce emissions and put more money in people's pockets. We will be there to help Atlantic Canadians rebuild. We will be there to help them transition from carbon-intensive fuels to greener energy. We will be there for Atlantic Canadians.
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- Sep/27/22 2:56:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, economists agree that payroll taxes like the increase that the government is pushing on Canadians are the most regressive form of taxation, because they lead to lower productivity and jobs leaving Canada.
That is not stopping the government from jamming these taxes onto Canadian workers. Inflation is eroding Canadians' ability to buy the basics, and the government is gouging more of their take-home pay. Canadians get to feel the pain of the government's reckless policies at both ends.
Will the government cancel its planned tax increase on Canadians' paycheques?
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- Sep/27/22 2:56:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians need is for Conservatives to come clean with them on their plan to eviscerate our pension system. Their scheme is highly irresponsible. Do members know who pointed it out this week? It was Rob Carrick of The Globe and Mail. He wrote, “Canada pension plan premiums are not a tax...the CPP is the bedrock of a Canadian retirement plan.” The Conservatives want to undermine the pensions all Canadians depend on, but we will not let them do that.
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- Sep/27/22 2:57:38 p.m.
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We started off really well, but I am not sure what happened. I want to remind all members to look at their whips and follow their instructions.
The hon. member for Calgary Centre.
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- Sep/27/22 2:58:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the last decade, payroll contributions under the government have risen by 13% for employment insurance and over 60% for CPP. The last year has seen the effects of massive government overspending, showing up in inflation numbers Canadians have not seen in 40 years. Workers' paycheques are not going as far, and now there will be even less in those paycheques.
Given the harsh rise in the cost of living for Canadians, will the minister take heed and cancel the tax increase on Canadians' paycheques?
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- Sep/27/22 2:58:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what I will do is tell Canadians the truth about what is happening with their EI contributions and their pensions. What is true is that in 2015 a Canadian who earned $49,500 paid $931 in EI premiums. Do members know how much that same Canadian will pay next year? It is $807. That is $125 less than she paid when the Conservative leader was the employment minister. That is supporting hard-working Canadians.
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