44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 18, 2022 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to rise today on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people to speak in support of Bill S-219, an act respecting a national ribbon skirt day.
I am grateful to my colleague, the member for Fredericton, for bringing this forward. I want to acknowledge the significant work and leadership of Senator McCallum on this important piece of legislation and the contributions of Chief George Cote of the Cote First Nation.
Each and every opportunity we have, that all of us have, to engage with and learn from indigenous culture is one that we should take and cherish. The bill before us represents an opportunity for Canadians of all backgrounds to learn about a unique and beautiful part of indigenous culture, the ribbon skirt.
The ribbon skirt is a deeply symbolic garment used in indigenous tradition and ceremony. Each one holds a very personal significance. They represent the sacredness of women in indigenous culture. They show pride in one's culture, heritage, resilience and identity. They are symbols of womanhood, survival and strength. They call to our attention injustice, including injustice for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
I want to encourage all of my colleagues and Canadians to listen to Senator McCallum's remarks at second reading. She recounts the story of Isabella Kulak, a 10-year-old student from Saskatchewan who proudly wore her ribbon skirt to school and was shamed by an educational assistant who said that her ribbon skirt was not the right choice for formal day. She went home and took off her ribbon skirt that day. However, her story soon spread far and away, and a multitude of support came in for Isabella from around the world.
On her first day back to school after she was belittled for wearing her ribbon skirt, there was a march held to walk her to class. Women wore ribbon skirts and men wore their ribbon shirts. Chiefs from surrounding first nations also attended. It was a triumphant affirmation of one girl's choice to celebrate and showcase her indigenous culture and to take pride in who she is. What a message to send and what a message we can help send by recognizing January 4 as national ribbon skirt day in Canada.
I will admit that I have personally been fascinated with ribbon skirts, their beauty, importance and symbolism. As a member of Parliament, my days are often booked morning to night, but I have taken a lot of time over the last number of months to do more research on ribbon skirts. There is something so empowering about donning such a visible symbol of one's heritage, of facing the world and of confidence in who one is and where one comes from, especially in the current moment of all those around the world who do not have the freedom to do so, or who are pushed to assimilate themselves or stifle and hide their identity.
All of us here know the long and shameful history of attempted erasure of our indigenous brothers and sisters. It is part of why I have been so interested in deepening my understanding of the role of ribbon skirts in indigenous culture.
On Canada Day, amidst the hassle of so many community events, I made a point to stop by the Mawio'mi being held on the Halifax Common. There was so much indigenous food, culture and crafts on display that day, and when I spotted The Sewing Guild fabric store's table, I was immediately struck by the beautiful fabric they had for sale.
I was not immediately sure what to do with the gorgeous black fabric I picked out, but the colourful dream catcher pattern on it called back to my mind many of the ribbon skirts that I had seen at powwows and indigenous events over the years.
From there I did a lot of research and I reached out to Elder Debbie Eisen, a pillar of the M'ikmaw community in Kjipuktuk. I am so grateful for everything she had to teach me about ribbon skirts, from how they are made to what they mean. With her guidance and skill, I set about crafting my own skirt. Together, we made a beautiful purple and black ribbon skirt with eight coloured ribbons. Every choice had significance and, as Deb explained, all of them speak to the character of the wearer in some way.
As Deb shared with me, the skirt is worn to honour our mothers, aunties and grandmothers, and to honour Mother Earth's soul. The long length of it connects the wearer to Mother Earth. When its length hits the foliage, Mother Earth knows a woman is walking upon her.
The ribbons call back to the 18th century when silk ribbons were an item of trade between settlers and indigenous communities. Each ribbon had its meaning and I selected eight of them. Red represents missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. Green represents the foliage and Mother Earth. Blue represents the sky. Orange represents the survivors of residential schools. Yellow represents the east and Kjipuktuk. Pink is a feminine touch that accentuates the dream catchers in the design. The colour purple symbolizes womankind.
To me personally, the dream catcher pattern on the black fabric, with its multitude of colours, calls back to the idea of diversity and how we contain so much difference as people, yet we all come together as one. I was really struck by the statement it made when it all came together, and I was so honoured to have Deb and everyone at the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre join me in the project.
I am a proud Lebanese Canadian woman. I do not have an indigenous background, but I do have a deep respect for those who cared for this land long before the arrival of settlers and newcomers to Turtle Island. On this, Deb's words humbled me. She said, “The reasons behind your wanting to wear this ribbon skirt, and not only that but to make it yourself, show me that we are headed in a good direction.”
She shared with me an Algonquin prophecy of the seventh fire, of a time when people will be brought together by the talents they have and not the colour of their skin. She told me that every time she sees people who truly from their hearts want to respect indigenous culture, spirituality and ways, it solidifies for her that we are headed in the right direction. She continued, “We will hit brick walls along the way, but even brick walls crumble.” Deb lives in hope that will happen, and I share her belief in our collective ability to reconcile and move forward in respect and understanding together.
Today, indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people are wearing their ribbon skirts more often as a way to express pride and confidence in their indigenous identity and heritage. It is truly sparking something of a cultural revival, and I can think of a fantastic example from my province. Jahay's Quilting, a fabric store in Eskasoni, was started by Veronica Denny in her basement just over a year ago. Now she sells hundreds of ribbon skirt kits each season to customers all across my province, empowering them to honour their own culture and clan, while inspiring her granddaughter Jahay to make a skirt of her own one day. That is a beautiful thing to behold.
In closing, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill to formalize what communities have already unofficially deemed national ribbon skirt day. This is one more step ahead for us all in our journey of reconciliation and one that I hope we can take unanimously. Let us vote to establish January 4 as a federal day of recognition, education and awareness of the ribbon skirt and of all indigenous regalia, cultures, traditions and heritage. Let us ensure every little girl can burst with pride about who she is, where she comes from and what she stands for.
Wela'lin. Meegwetch. Shukran.
1361 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
The time provided for the consideration of Private Members' Business has now expired and the order is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the Order Paper.
30 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, a little earlier today, I used four minutes of my time before I was interrupted to go to Private Members' Business. I will now speak for my remaining six minutes while being mindful of the time allocated to me.
I talked about the reasoning behind supporting Bill C-31, which is really to make sure that we are not denying access to dental care, as well as not pricing people out in rental costs. It is about affordability.
Many of the things our government has been doing are to support Canadians because we realize affordability is a key issue. One-third of Canadians do not have access to dental care. What this bill proposes to do, over a two-year period, is to provide up to $1,300 for eligible children 12 years and under. The families will have to make less than $90,000.
I want to read a quote from the Canadian Labour Congress. It says, “Canada's unions welcome [the government's] investment in dental care that will give coverage to millions of Canadians - because everyone deserves a healthy smile”.
On the housing benefit, this will help two million Canadians and the support will be for those Canadians families making $35,000 or less, or for individuals making $20,000 or less, and paying more than 30% of their income on rental costs. This is in addition to the $4 billion we have put forward to help Canadians through rental support, cost-shared with the provinces and territories.
We are also helping with affordability, which is key here, because of the challenges that Canadians are facing financially today. Last week, we passed the doubling of the GST rebate for a six-month period. That was unanimous. Every member of the House voted in favour of that, and I want to thank them all because it will help 11 million individuals who file their income tax.
On affordability, the government also has the CCB, where we see nine out of 10 families receiving support. In my riding alone, it is over $5.5 million a month. That is over $70 million a year in my riding of Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook. I know it is a special riding, but every riding across the country, all 338 ridings, are receiving those types of supports. That is what is important.
Finally, on affordability, we are bringing in child care this year, which will lower the cost of child care by 50%. Those are direct supports to individual Canadians and families. It is so crucial.
Why and how can we do that? We are in a very good fiscal position. Let us not forgot that just before the pandemic, we had the lowest debt-to-GDP in the G7. Since the pandemic, we have increased that margin, which is very important. We still hold a AAA credit rating. That is very important.
Let us look at our economy. Canadians know that throughout the pandemic, we were there and we had the backs of Canadians. We were able to support Canadians through this global pandemic. We, the federal government, put in eight dollars for every $10 in support given to Canadians and businesses across the country. That is what we were able to do because our government was in a good fiscal position. We could bear the challenge of financing, compared to individuals and families, who would have been in a much more difficult situation.
Look where we are today. Over 21,000 jobs were created in the month of September. Today, we hold the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded at 5.2%. We have recaptured 113% of all the jobs that were lost. Those are big numbers. They are a strong reason why the government can move forward on topping up renters with $500 and bringing forward dental care to children under the age of 12.
Those are the types of decisions we need to continue to make to ensure all Canadians will benefit. That is the type of government we committed to being in 2015, in 2019 and in 2021. We intend to do more for all Canadians as we move forward.
697 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, to finish his speech, the member was talking a lot about day care, so I have a question from a constituent of mine. Her kids do not fit into the description of what the government has because they are no longer in the zero-to-five category. It is the after-school side of it the government is ignoring and lots of people have concerns around that. I am just wondering why it did not do anything to help people in that situation.
85 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I want to remind my colleague that this is a partnership and we are working with the provinces. I would suggest that he speak with his province and talk to the provincial government to see how it can work with the federal government to bring forward those types of supports. That could be an added piece.
It is a good suggestion and we will take it under review.
70 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I must admit that I am happy that my colleague finished his speech, because he was starting to get carried away. I was getting concerned. I like him a lot and want him to stay fit and healthy. That said, I congratulate him for his speech and I would like to ask him a question.
I know the intention is good, because, obviously, no one is against virtue or against good intentions. However, I wonder why the federal government insists on implementing programs that it has to manage, when programs already exist in the provinces. As everyone knows, this is the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces.
Why not just make things easier and give the money to the provinces so Quebec and the provinces can manage their own health system, their own dental care?
It would be much simpler. Quebec and New Brunswick, for example, already have dental care programs for children. They could have managed it themselves. The other provinces could do the same.
Would it not be easier to make transfers, like the premiers of Quebec and all the provinces are calling for?
188 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his very important question.
I just want to remind him that only 4% of residents of the provinces receive the support they should be getting in terms of dental care. The federal government plays a supporting role, as it does with the health agreement. We are working together.
Yes, health is a provincial jurisdiction, but that does not mean that we will not ensure that Canadians in Newfoundland, Quebec and western Canada benefit from the same health care standards and the same support.
We want to ensure that that support is available to all children aged 12 and under, both in Quebec and across Canada.
112 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague because the Liberal government is finally getting on board with the NDP and beginning to put in place a dental care plan. I know he spoke a lot about people struggling across the country, and I would agree with him. Winnipeg Centre, the riding I represent, competes to be the second- or third-poorest riding at any given moment.
One of the things we are having a crisis with is, of course, accessible and affordable housing with rent geared to income. Although the rent top-up, thanks to the NDP, is coming as an urgent response, I am wondering when his government will seriously address this human rights matter and ensure that everybody in Canada has access to affordable housing with rent geared to income, not this notion of affordable that is truly not affordable for most people in my riding who are living under the poverty line.
158 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, we realize that housing is very important, but we did not just realize it today. We realized it back in 2016, because we brought in the first-ever national housing strategy in the country. That was a big step. Now we are bringing in other pieces that are very important. We are bringing the rent-to-own piece. We have added the accelerated program so that we can take some of the older buildings in the communities and improve on them and build more housing for Canadians, affordable housing. We will continue to work together to make sure that all Canadians have access.
105 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this House to speak to this important piece of legislation on behalf of the citizens of Vancouver Granville. This piece of legislation, which deals directly with measures related to dental care and housing, is going to provide immediate support to families across the country.
We have all talked about the fact that the global economy is facing serious challenges, which are causing real impacts here at home and around the world. Whether or not members want to believe it, inflation is in fact a global phenomenon. It has been caused by COVID-19, Putin's illegal and unjustifiable war on Ukraine and a variety of other factors. Life is getting more expensive and all of our constituents are hurting. Families are feeling the effects when they go to buy groceries and other staples.
In my riding of Vancouver Granville, affordability and the rising cost of living are top of mind. That is why the crucial supports needed in Bill C-31 will provide much-needed relief to Canadians now and will help ensure a healthy future for tomorrow.
Our government has put forward a concrete plan to make life more affordable and help my community and communities like it across the country get through these tough times. This bill, as we know, establishes two cost of living relief measures and provides crucial assistance to those who need it the most: first, through the creation of a new Canada dental benefit, and second, by providing a direct federal Canada housing benefit top-up payment of $500 to eligible renters who are struggling with the cost of housing.
We know that oral health is an important marker of overall health and that access to good dental care is essential, but one-third of Canadians do not have dental insurance, unlike everyone in this room, and one in five Canadians reported avoiding dental care because of the cost. When we talk about meaningfully addressing affordability, ensuring accessibility to quality dental care is important. It is important not just because of the long-term benefit to our health care system, but because poor oral health in kids has an impact on their future. I became a dad recently, so for me, children's health, and in particular dental care, is top of mind.
Here are some facts that we do not often want to talk about. Children with poor oral health are three times more likely to miss school as a result of dental pain. Absences caused by pain were associated with poorer school performance, but absences for routine care were not.
This has longer-term impacts on children, and here is some very boring scientific information. Sometimes we need to hear the facts behind why some things matter, and here are some of those facts. Bacteria that is trapped by plaque travels to major organs like the brain. Rather than focusing on growth and development, kids who do not have access to good dental care end up having consequences when the brain is battling inflammation. Oral health has an indirect impact on kids’ cardiovascular health. Kids with poor dental care who participate in sports and other activities will likely also suffer poor performance in sports. We also know that high levels of disease-causing bacteria in the mouth put children at a higher risk of clogging of the arterial wall and higher blood pressure.
That is a lot of information about dental care, something we probably do not talk a lot about in this House, but if we actually care about children, and the facts and the consequences, these should be reasons enough. No price should be too high to protect a child’s health and development.
The Canada dental benefit would provide dental care for families without insurance and an annual income of less than $90,000, starting with children under 12 this year. That means up to $650 per child under 12 tax-free. That is immediate financial relief to low- and middle-income families right now. Through this benefit, parents would be able to make sure their kids can see a dentist, prevent oral health problems from developing and address dental care needs sooner rather than later. This is another necessary step toward establishing a robust, sustainable long-term dental care program for all.
What I fail to understand is why anyone in the House would not support this measure. We all have the data that shows that dental care is critical to long-term health, preventing everything from heart disease to cancer and from dementia to kidney disease. If the Conservatives care about the fiscal bottom line, if not the health of Canadians, then this should appeal to them because good dental care in kids saves money for the health care system in the long term.
The Conservatives often tell us that this would be bad for the economy, but this morning the CEO of the Pacific Blue Cross, one of the biggest insurers in British Columbia, was in my office. He was unequivocal in his support for dental care for kids because he knows that it makes good economic sense. Preventative care saves money in the long term and it makes for healthier citizens. At a time when we all acknowledge that we must safeguard the resilience of our health care system, we must also realize that dental care will help support the long term viability of our health care system and, indeed, the health care indicators of all Canadians.
I want to turn to the second crucial component of this legislation, the housing top-up. Housing is where we continue the traditions of our past and plan our futures. Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That is why we have made and continue to make historic investments to rapidly create more affordable housing. Our $72-billion national housing strategy, launched in 2017, and the $1.4-billion investment in housing in budget 2022 will go a long way to addressing some of the obstacles faced on the path to home ownership. This is a long-term strategy for the future.
However, at the same time, renters are facing increasing challenges today. From finding a safe place to call home to the high cost of living, affordable housing is becoming less and less attainable, and we need to step up now.
We know that those struggling with the cost of rent need targeted action immediately, and through this bill we are doing just that. By investing $1.2 billion to provide a direct federal Canada housing benefit top-up payment of $500, 1.8 million renters struggling with housing costs will receive assistance. This support is in addition to the $4 billion already invested to provide an average of $2,500 in direct financial assistance with the cost of rent through the existing Canada housing benefit. Crucially, this one-time top-up will not reduce other federal income-tested benefits, such as the Canada child benefit, the GST credit and the guaranteed income supplement.
Other key components of our plan to make housing more affordable include measures to double housing construction over the next decade, helping people save for and buy their first home and banning foreign ownership.
These are challenging times for everyone, but our actions now will undoubtedly define what our future looks like. By working together to make life more affordable for families and make sure kids get the dental care they need and by alleviating the cost of living, we are taking the steps necessary to be there for Canadians when they need the support most.
These are important priorities for our government, and I want to take this moment to acknowledge the hard work done by the member for Vancouver Kingsway in his advocacy on dental care for many years. Perhaps this could be the time that all of us in this House come together and vote to give Canadians the supports they need.
1336 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I have asked a question a couple of times today, and I still have not gotten a satisfactory answer, so my question for the member who was just on his feet is this: Has he consulted with the B.C. health minister? The health minister would not answer this question, but has anyone in his party talked to any provincial health minister in the country who has said that this $10-billion program is at the top of their wish list? We all know health is provincial jurisdiction. I would like an answer from someone on that side about whether they consulted with the provincial health ministers about this program before they brought it to the floor of the House of Commons.
124 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, one of the things that I think health ministers across the country would say is that the government has done a tremendous job of consulting with them on a variety of health care matters, and has done far less damage, I would argue, to the health care system than the previous government did when it chose to gut transfer payments to the provinces for health care.
One of the most important things about the bill is that it helps the provinces support many of the plans they have, and where provinces do not have coverage for kids, it is something they could actually benefit from. Frankly, the benefit to provincial health care systems from kids with good oral health is not just a today thing. It is an outcome that delivers value today and in the future.
139 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I just heard the question from the hon. member for Regina—Lewvan about whether dental care was a priority for provincial governments, so I guess my question for the member for Vancouver Granville is whether he has found the same thing that I found in my riding: that dental care is definitely a priority for seniors and definitely a priority for families, and that any money we spend on this program, despite those partial provincial programs that do exist, would save provincial governments money. For those people who are asking for dental care, we are beginning with families with kids under 12 and then are extending it to people with disabilities, and eventually seniors and everybody who earns less than $90,000. That is where the demand is coming from. It is from constituents in my riding.
I want to know if the member for Vancouver Granville shares that experience.
153 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, the member's reflections on what he is hearing in his riding are exactly what I am hearing in mine.
I have families that are struggling. I have seniors and young families that would benefit from the support. I also have a large number of people who work in health care, particularly doctors and nurses. They have all said that dental care would improve the long-term health care indicators of Canadians, and would reduce the burden on the health care system long term.
These are investments that help provincial health care systems save money in the long term. We can make all the decisions we want for the short term, but they provide long-term benefits for a sustainable health care system for the future. That is what we need to be doing together.
137 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I also heard the question from my other colleague.
As I already said today, this bill was announced on the same day that seniors' groups were addressing Government of Quebec health care officials, demanding assistance with dental care. We know that children aged 10 and under are already covered in Quebec.
When the Government of Canada announced this bill, the seniors' groups said that it was not the right place. They wanted to speak to the Government of Quebec, which is responsible for dental care.
What seniors in my riding want is for the federal government to increase health transfers to cover 35% of costs so that Quebec's department of health can take care of them and make decisions about dental care.
132 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her comments and her question.
We need to pay attention to our seniors. We will work together to improve oral health for all Canadians, particularly youth and seniors.
If we continue to work together, and if, as I hope, all members of the House of Commons here today support the bill, we will also be able to work on other elements.
68 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, let me begin by saying that I will be splitting my time with the member for Peace River—Westlock.
This motion and the underlying Bill C-31 are effectively an admission of failure by the Liberal government when it comes to the economy and fighting inflation. To be very clear, Bill C-31 is setting up a national dental care program focused on children; it also provides for 500 dollars' worth of rent relief, which does not go very far nowadays in most of our cities. That is what this does.
I want to focus on the term “relief”. Why is relief even required in the first place? Something went wrong in the economy, so that the government decided, “Listen, we are going to have to borrow more money and send out cheques, because Canadians are suffering and falling behind.”
Why are they falling behind? There is a very clear reason. Inflation is rampant. The government did not get hold of the problem of inflation in a timely way.
I will be the first to recognize that there are different things that have affected the inflationary pressures within Canada. We know the global community has suffered from a COVID pandemic, which has disrupted everything in our lives. Our lives have been changed, actually, forever by the COVID pandemic. A pandemic had not been experienced for over 100 years, and suddenly it was at our doorstep.
Sure, that contributes to inflationary factors. Supply chain disruptions that occurred, the war in Ukraine and weather-related challenges, whether they are drought and famine, storms and hurricanes, or heat domes in British Columbia, all contribute to inflation.
However, there is one big factor that is very clearly in the control of the Liberal government, and that is its spending and its borrowing.
Here is a factoid that a lot of Canadians are not aware of. Are members aware that over the last seven short years, the Liberal government has spent more money than all previous governments in Canadian history combined? That's going back from 1867 all the way to 2015. The Liberal government, in the subsequent seven years, has spent more money than all of those governments combined. Now we know there is a problem.
Some of that money was required to support Canadians in their time of need during the COVID pandemic. That was a crisis that required a government response, but much of that spending was not actually COVID-related. We know that because the Parliamentary Budget Officer said so.
The spending this government did has now accumulated a national debt somewhere in the order of $1.5 trillion. If the spending that has brought us to that point, much of which was not COVID-related, was effectively money that was pumped into the economy, then more dollars are chasing the same number of goods and services, and that drives inflation. Every credible economist will tell us that. If a nation's productivity is not improving, which in Canada it is not, but it is pumping more liquidity into the marketplace, that is going to drive inflation.
I challenge the government to show me the steps it has taken to discipline and to restrain spending, and the borrowing that was required to sustain that spending, much of which was not COVID-related.
That is the first challenge I throw out to my Liberal friends. I ask them to explain to me where the plan is to control spending, that reckless spending that has taken place. Also, by the way, where is the plan to return to balanced budgets? Where is the plan to start repaying that massive debt that we have accumulated over the last few Liberal years? I ask them to explain to me how they justify to future generations of Canadians this massive debt, in an environment of increasing taxes and increasing interest rates, that their children and grandchildren are going to have to repay. I cannot defend that to my children. I cannot.
What is even worse is that much of this COVID spending, the amount that was invested in relief and support programs, came through programs like CERB. They were poorly designed, so yes, fraud took place, much more fraud than should have taken place. The programs were designed in such a way that people who did not need the support got the support. I can speak from personal experience. I have had constituents come into my office to tell me they applied for some of the benefits, such as that loan program of $60,000 that they did not actually need, and that now they have to pay only $40,000 back, because $20,000 is forgiven. They asked why they would not apply for it if they qualified.
Why did Canadian businesses and individuals who actually did not need them receive benefits during the COVID pandemic? During the COVID pandemic, because people had to stay at home, some businesses catered specifically to that kind of situation and made a ton of money. They had never made profits like that before, yet they applied for these benefits and received them from the Liberal government. That is a failure.
Then there is a question that has to be asked about a government that cannot fix its passport system, a government that cannot deliver passports on time, a government that botches the ArriveCAN app and pays $54 million for that app when the private sector says it should not have cost more than $1.5 million or $2 million, and a government that came up with the failed Canada Infrastructure Bank and the CERB program. I could go on and on about these programs that were absolute failures and that the government could not deliver in an efficient and accountable manner. How is it that the government now expects to roll out a $10-billion national dental care program? Nobody in this country trusts the government to manage that, to do it in a coherent and accountable way.
Bill C-31 is effectively a band-aid solution to an underlying problem that is much more significant, which is a failure of the Liberal government to address the underlying causes of inflation. Effectively, Bill C-31 camouflages the real problem, which is incompetence on the part of the government on the economic file, its inability to understand that it needs to control its wild borrowing and spending because that is what is driving inflation, at least in part.
I will be fair, as I said at the beginning. Some of the influences on inflation are not within Canada's control, but a very significant component is, which is its spending. My challenge to the Liberal government is to get its borrowing and spending under control. Then it might gain some credibility with Canadians when it rolls out these expensive programs, multi-billion dollar programs that are going to saddle future generations with permanent obligations. It should not do that to future generations. Canadians expect better.
1174 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite's speech was very entertaining, but Bill C-31 is a measure that is based in positive health outcomes for Canadians. Even when universal health care was first being discussed in this country, there were people like this member who did not want to see Canadians have positive health outcomes and benefits.
Fast-forward to today, and I do not think there is anything we are more proud of as Canadians than our ability to provide everyone in this country with health care if one is Canadian or a permanent resident. We have had challenges with health care, but I do not think the solution anyone would propose on any side of the House would be to do away with our universal health care system. It would be to invest more to make sure we have the doctors needed. Dental is a part of that type of system.
I have heard from many small business owners who have said that they would not have survived if it were not for the benefits this government provided, which the members opposite supported, for the economy and those businesses to survive. Does the member not have any businesses in his riding that benefited positively from the benefits that were provided?
212 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Mr. Speaker, the answer to that is that there absolutely were many businesses in my riding that benefited from the government's support programs. My focus was on the design of those programs, where there were also many businesses that did not need that support and some businesses that actually abused the programs because of their poor design.
The suggestion that somehow we as Conservatives do not want positive health outcomes is beneath a member of the House. We are all members of Parliament who represent our communities. The member suggests we somehow do not support positive health outcomes for Canadians. We have done this regularly to support Canadians in their time of need.
On the suggestion that the universality of our health care is somehow at stake, and we are challenging the universality of our health care system, show me evidence that we are doing that. Show me evidence. You have none.
153 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/18/22 7:31:30 p.m.
- Watch
I would like to remind hon. members, and I realize it is late and we are tired, to speak through the Chair and not directly to each other, unless of course they want the Speaker's opinion. However, nobody wants to hear that. They want to hear each other's opinions.
We will continue with questions and comments. The hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot.
66 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
