44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2022 02:00PM
- Dec/7/22 2:31:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government has a long history of working with the provinces and territories, not only to provide funding, but also to ensure a national vision for health care and systems that meet the needs of Canadians.
Since the start of the pandemic, our government has invested more than $72 billion to protect Canadians' health.
We will increase Canada health transfers by 10% in March 2023, which is in addition to the extra 5% increase announced a few months ago.
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- Dec/7/22 2:51:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are worried, as are the parents of kids across this country, and our hearts are with them, but we all need to do everything we can do to keep people well and to observe the public health measures of the public health authorities.
Our government has a long track record of working with provinces and territories, not only to provide them funding, but also to ensure the national vision for a health care that delivers for Canadians. Our government has made significant investments to support health systems, including $72 billion over the course of the pandemic. We will increase the Canada health transfer by 10% in March, as we increased it by 5% earlier—
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- Dec/7/22 3:05:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that climate change is putting the family farm at risk. Since hurricane Fiona, I have visited farms in my community that have had silos turned down and their crops destroyed, and that are continuing to feel the financial pinch just as we head into the Christmas season.
I would further point out that the Conservatives talk a big game when it comes to affordability, but they voted against our measures to put more money in the pockets of seniors to help with the cost of housing. They opposed the Canada child benefit, and their leader hosted a press conference to call the programs we put in place during the pandemic big, fat government programs that Conservatives would not support.
We are going to continue to be there for families. I hope Conservatives will finally put their money where their mouth is and join us.
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- Dec/7/22 3:07:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is one thing I would like to say. There is nothing more important than protecting the health and safety of Canadians, and that is what we did as a government. When we started in government, the fill-finish capacity at the beginning of COVID was around 30 million doses. Thanks to the investments we have attracted in this country, now we can produce and fill and finish more than 600 million doses, in case anything happens.
We did not choose the pandemic; we will not choose it if there is another one, but we choose to be better prepared on behalf of Canadians.
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- Dec/7/22 3:08:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would direct my hon. colleague to a Scotiabank report that says very clearly how our investments in the pandemic had no effect on inflation.
In fact, let us look at the Auditor General's report, which said this:
We found that the COVID-19 programs achieved their objective to help Canada avoid a more severe contraction of the economy and the social consequences of...a significant increase in poverty. This financial support allowed the economy to rebound and return to its pre-pandemic level.
That is the job of a government. That is what we did. The Conservatives do not like it, but Canadians sure do.
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In the spring, we were all focused on the high price of gas. It is still not cheap, but it is down substantially from its peak of over two dollars per litre. Groceries and other necessities remain more expensive than usual, and this trend is forecast to continue into the coming year.
While my friends across the way may say otherwise, inflation is not a made-in-Canada phenomenon. Groceries are not more expensive because our government stepped up during the pandemic to stop people from losing their homes and businesses from declaring bankruptcy.
In fact, our pandemic supports for Canadians, which I recall all members in the House working on together to deliver them to Canadians expeditiously, saw Canada emerge stronger from the pandemic. We were there for Canadians and we always will be.
Inflation is a global phenomenon driven by the zero-COVID policy in China, ongoing supply chain disruptions, climate change impacting the harvest of vital crops and the war in Ukraine. Canada is not immune to these global pressures.
We have done better than many of our peers. According to a report last month from CTV, Canada had the third-lowest inflation rate in the G7 at 6.9%, which is higher than only France and Japan, and faring much better than the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and even the United States.
That said, the challenges being faced by many Canadians are very real, and Canadians expect their government to be there to help those who need it the most. You and I do not need help, Mr. Speaker. We can tighten our belts and weather the storm until it passes.
However, those families already on the edge, the seniors on a fixed income and the single mother trying to support her kids on a minimum-wage job are the people who need targeted assistance. It is those Canadians we are seeking to help with Bill C-32.
I would like to focus on a few of the ways we are already helping constituents in my riding who need help the most.
By doubling the GST tax credit for six months, we are directly helping lower-income seniors and families. Everyone below a certain income threshold is eligible for the GST tax credit, and this increased rebate is already putting money back into the pockets of Canadians who need help the most.
A single person with no dependent children can receive up to $234, and a couple with no children can receive up to $306. This goes all the way up to $628 for a couple with four children.
We are also topping up the Canada housing benefit with a $500, one-time payment. Everyone, from young people living on their own for the first time to families and seniors on a fixed income, is eligible based on their income and how much of their income they pay toward rent.
In short, whether it is a family with a net income under $35,000 or it is a single person earning under $20,000 and paying 30% or more of their income on rent, then they can qualify for this payment, but they need to apply for it. Applications open December 12, and if someone is eligible, I strongly encourage them to go online to apply.
We have also launched the Canada dental benefit for low-income families with children under the age of 12. It can provide up to $1,300 over two years to help with dental costs for eligible families. We expect this program to expand to lower-income seniors next year. I know it will make a difference for many seniors on a fixed income.
If people take care of their teeth, their teeth will take care of them. This program means that lower-income families without employer coverage do not need to neglect their oral health needs. We are also working toward a national dental care plan for all Canadians.
These are all targeted programs that are putting more money back into the pockets of lower-income families and seniors. We are building on these initiatives with Bill C-32.
To address housing affordability, we are taking a number of steps, including an anti-flipping rule to discourage people from rapidly flipping homes for profit in a short time, which is driving up housing prices. Houses should be a home, not a business. We would make it easier to save for a down payment with the new tax-free first home savings account.
We would change the rules around the tax on the value of non-resident, non-Canadian owned residential real estate that is considered to be vacant or underused. Also, we would double the first-time homebuyer's tax credit amount from $5,000 to $10,000.
I also have a lot of multi-generational households in my riding, and the multi-generational home renovation tax credit would help families make their homes more suitable to their needs.
I am particularly excited about the elimination of interest on federal Canada student loans and Canada apprentice loans, combined with no requirement for repayment at all until a graduate is making at least $40,000 per year. This would be a significant benefit for our young Canadians.
I meet with student groups every year and with individual students all the time in my community. They have long told me about the burden of graduating with major student debt that weighs them down for years. In real dollars, tuition and other expenses are so much more than when we were in school. Even working full time, it can be hard to keep up.
The elimination of federal student loan interest has been welcomed by many stakeholders. For example, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, which I met with last week, said:
Big news for students across Canada!
Starting on April 1, 2023, the Government of Canada will remove the interest on Canada Student Loans. This investment is welcomed by past, current, and future student loan borrowers.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada said:
We're pleased to see help to Canada's most vulnerable in today's economic update, including eliminating student loan interest payments for thousands of our members and increased funding for the services our members deliver to Canadians every day.
By eliminating interest and delaying repayments, we would make it easier for young graduates just entering the workforce to begin a family, to begin saving and to enter the housing market. Without the burden of crushing debt payments and compounding interest, they could more easily realize their career goals and contribute to society, which would enrich us all. This measure would save the average graduate more than $400 every year, and that would be a real benefit for young families saving for their first homes.
I could go on, but the sooner we pass this legislation, the sooner more help will begin to flow to Canadians who need help the most. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Canadians, and let us pass this bill.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech.
I think she knows that my riding is home to many seasonal workers. The Gaspé and the Lower St. Lawrence are very popular tourist areas. During the pandemic, temporary measures were put in place for people who had to stop working for mainly pandemic-related reasons. I have to say that those temporary measures were fairly decent. They could have opened the door to employment insurance reform, but in the end, the government did away with those programs, went back to the old program and thus abandoned all of the workers that did not accumulate a sufficient number of insurable hours.
Does she think that the fall economic update or economic statement would have been the right time to announce something for seasonal workers in the regions of Quebec?
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