44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 24, 2022 10:00AM
- Nov/24/22 2:33:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, mothers, grandmothers and leaders of our community wrote a scathing letter indicting the government and the Prime Minister's lack of action in dealing with the health care crisis, particularly as it refers to children.
Children cannot breathe. They are ending up in emergency rooms that are full, waiting hours and hours to get care, and the Prime Minister has not shown up nor shown leadership. For parents, the health of their kids is their number one priority. Why is it not for the Prime Minister?
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- Nov/24/22 2:33:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is beneath anyone in this House to suggest that there is any one of us who does not care about the well-being of children in this country. I know we all do. I know we are all working very hard on this.
As a government, we invested over $70 billion more over the past few years into our health care system to support the provinces to deliver during the pandemic. We are sitting down with the provinces right now to create better outcomes and better results from health care which Canadians and, yes, Canadian families, particularly Canadian kids, need and deserve.
We will continue to be there to support health care systems across the country. We will continue to work with all members of this House. All of us care about the children.
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- Nov/24/22 2:34:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the lack of leadership shown by this government and this Prime Minister has opened the door to privatization in the health care sector.
Conservative premiers across the country are attacking our health care system, and the Prime Minister is not showing the leadership needed to address this crisis.
What will it take for the Prime Minister to take action and stand up for our health care system?
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- Nov/24/22 2:35:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows full well, we are actively engaged in discussions with the provinces and territories on health investments, but we are in the process of ensuring that we are delivering concrete results.
We are very concerned about the trend toward privatization that we are seeing in some parts of the country. That is why we remain deeply committed to the principles of the Canada Health Act.
We will be there to help the provinces deliver results, but we will be there to ensure that those results truly help individuals, families, those who need it.
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- Nov/24/22 2:35:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Governor of the Bank of Canada confirmed that getting rid of the carbon tax will reduce inflation. This is the same carbon tax that has driven up the cost of groceries, gas and home heating. This is the same carbon tax that has not helped the Liberals meet a single emission reduction target. The more they keep charging for it, the more emissions keep going up.
Why will the Liberals not stop forcing their failed carbon tax scheme on Canadians?
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- Nov/24/22 2:36:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Governor of the Bank of Canada estimated that the price on pollution would add marginally to the impact on inflation, perhaps 0.1%. That is one cent for every $10. On the other hand, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, eight out of 10 families will get more money back than they pay at the pumps. That will help with affordability and inflation.
Unfortunately, the opposition wants to take this climate action incentive away.
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- Nov/24/22 2:36:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is a job well failed by the government. It has not been able to fix the environment or the economy. It keeps making things worse, driving more families to food banks, with 1.5 million Canadians having to use food banks and one out of five Canadians having to skip meals. This is the government's plan. It does not have an environmental plan. It is a tax plan. It is not working.
When will the government axe the tax and give Canadians a break?
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- Nov/24/22 2:37:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 450,000 children have been lifted out of poverty since we took office in 2015. We have brought in early learning and child care agreements across the country. By the end of this year, families from coast to coast to coast will receive reduced child care fees by up to 50%. We have several measures that we have put forward, whether it is the Canada dental benefit, the Canada child benefit, or the Canada rental benefit, which have seriously helped families in need.
We know these are tough times. We are there for families. We just do not understand why the Conservatives are not.
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- Nov/24/22 2:38:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals, credit card use is the highest in Canadian history. Food bank usage is the highest in Canadian history. Many Canadians are just $200 away from insolvency. Among 38 rich countries, Canada ranks 35th in teen mental health and suicide.
It appears the Liberals have forgotten who they work for. Perhaps they should stop listening to themselves and start listening to Canadians who are struggling to survive.
Will the Liberals show compassion and leadership and stop forcing their failed carbon tax on Canadian families?
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- Nov/24/22 2:38:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I really do believe it is the Conservatives who need to look within and find some compassion. They have voted against measure after measure that has been there to support our lowest income Canadians, families and seniors who have been struggling. In fact, 450,000 children have been lifted out of poverty.
We know there is more work to do, but that is why, in the fall economic statement, we also enhanced the Canada workers benefit. It is why we doubled the GST tax credit for the next six months. We know these are difficult times.
The Conservatives have every opportunity to be there to support Canadians alongside us. They have just chosen not to.
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- Nov/24/22 2:39:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is sad is that Christmas is just 31 days away. Instead of worrying about buying Christmas presents, Canadians are trying to figure out how they are going to pay for their home heating, their propane bill, on which they rely, which has gone from $4,000 to $12,000. That is triple the cost
Again, is there any leadership, any ability to listen to Canadians who are struggling to survive? This is not a luxury; this is a necessity. The government should axe the tax and face the facts.
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- Nov/24/22 2:40:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pretty sure the Conservatives do not want to face the facts of their disastrous time in government for almost 10 years. Two million fewer people are in poverty, including 400,000 senior women. We raised almost a million kids out of poverty.
However, Mr. Speaker, do you hear what I hear in the spirit of Christmas? I am not entirely sure who are the real Conservatives on the other side: those who are asking us to spend more or those who are asking us to spend less. Fortunately, I got the answer. It is the fall economic statement. We will invest in those Canadians who need it the most, grow the economy and position for a great future for Canada.
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- Nov/24/22 2:40:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, some people do not know how they are going to pay for groceries on the weekend, nor whether they can pay for heating. Students have to sleep in shelters, and workers have to use food banks, which 1.5 million Canadians turned to in a single month. Can the Liberal government look Canadians in the eye and tell them in all sincerity that the carbon tax is good for them?
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- Nov/24/22 2:41:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every time that the Conservatives had the opportunity to vote with Canadians and reduce taxes, they stood with their hands on their hearts, and what did they do? They voted against it.
In their 10 years in power, what did they accomplish? They made Canadians poorer. We are going to eliminate interest on student debt. We are going to help people buy homes. We are going to double the GST/HST credit.
The Conservatives have no plan, other than cryptocurrency. On this side, we have a plan.
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- Nov/24/22 2:41:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax only does one thing, and that is make Canadians poorer. It achieves nothing. The Liberals know that Canadians are suffering due to inflation, yet the government stubbornly insists on increasing the carbon tax.
My leader, along with every Conservative in this place, is calling for the Liberals to abandon their plan to increase Canadians' taxes. Will they do it, yes or no?
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- Nov/24/22 2:42:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have one hand on their heart while they swear they care about Canadians, but they are holding a pair of scissors in the other to make cuts because they think we are investing too much.
They need to be consistent. Where are they going to make cuts? The Conservative Party is the party of cuts, the party of austerity. Will the Conservatives cut support for our seniors or for our youth? Will they cut child care services or health care services? They need to have the courage to say it.
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- Nov/24/22 2:42:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government unilaterally decided to bring the deadline to submit infrastructure projects forward by two years. If Quebec and its cities fail to meet the deadline, the federal government will keep $2.7 billion, and we will be unable to use it in our ridings.
Yesterday, Éric Forest, the former president of the Union des municipalités du Québec, wrote an opinion piece explaining what the consequence would be. The consequence is that Quebec will be under pressure to choose projects based on size rather than value in order to meet the deadline. That means that small municipalities' projects could take a back seat to those of the big cities. That is neither fair nor smart.
Does the government support that? Will the government listen to reason, reconsider and listen to what the mayors have to say?
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- Nov/24/22 2:43:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise that we do not share my hon. colleague's view that we are being unfair to Quebec municipalities and the Quebec government.
I know he will not be happy to hear this, but I can tell him that I had a very positive discussion with the Quebec minister responsible for infrastructure and with my counterpart, the minister responsible for Canadian relations. I am quite certain that we will reach an agreement with the Quebec government to support the municipalities and the community groups that my colleague wants to support, so I have good news. We will be supporting them as well.
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- Nov/24/22 2:44:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals do not appear to understand how it actually works on the ground. Their role in projects is not complicated. They announce the money and then come and cut the ribbons when it is finished.
The reality is that our cities are the ones doing the actual work. The reality is also that the Union des municipalités du Québec has said that this is not good enough. Just last week, that organization said that March 31, 2023, is right around the corner, and that it would be severely penalized.
Projects are being threatened, projects to fight riverbank erosion, to build sports centres, cultural centres, water treatment facilities, and so on. What will these Liberals say when they go home to their Quebec ridings and have to tell their mayors that, in the end, they will not be getting any money, even though an agreement had been signed?
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- Nov/24/22 2:45:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I have good news for my colleague. We will not have to say these things that my colleague claims to be true.
What we are going to do is work with the Government of Quebec in partnership with the municipalities and public transit services. I had a very constructive and positive discussion with the mayor of Quebec City. For example, we are going to share the excess costs of the tramway project in Quebec City. We have projects going on throughout Quebec, and we look forward to seeing them through in partnership with the Government of Quebec and the municipalities.
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