44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 7, 2023 10:00AM
- Mar/7/23 3:02:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite wants to erase everything that has happened in Canada and around the world over the past few years, including the pandemic. It is important to remember that the government has been there for the people who need it most.
It is also important to remember that after years under the Conservatives, when our government took office, we lifted two million people out of poverty and created more jobs in the last ten years than the Conservatives did when they were in power.
This government is doing more for Canadians than the Conservatives will ever do.
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- Mar/7/23 3:02:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, Canadians are struggling.
Seniors are being pulled out of retirement and forced to re-enter the workforce to pay for food and housing costs. Grocery prices are out of control. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment across Canadian cities is $2,000 per month, compared to $1,200 per month in 2015.
Will the Prime Minister step aside and let the Conservatives fix what Liberals have broken?
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- Mar/7/23 3:03:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is really important to look at the facts.
The fact of the matter is that, when that party, the Conservative Party, was in power, the plan for seniors was to raise the age of retirement to 67. The first thing we did was to reverse that back to 65. We then enhanced the old age security and enhanced the guaranteed income supplement.
Every step of the way the party opposite has opposed measures to support Canadians and has stopped us from doing the work for seniors. We will not take any lessons from the Conservatives. We will continue to make sure we deliver for seniors.
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- Mar/7/23 3:04:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this year, Canadians will feel the brunt of the 4.25% increase in the Bank of Canada's base rate.
According to Statistics Canada, 35% of Canadian households reported that it was difficult for them to meet their financial needs in the previous 12 months. What is more, 44% of respondents said that they were very concerned with their household's ability to afford housing or rent.
Will the Prime Minister admit that his out-of-control spending caused inflation and created conditions that are impoverishing Canadian families?
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- Mar/7/23 3:04:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, inflation was not caused by all of the support measures that we put in place to help people get through the pandemic, regardless of the Conservative Party's far-fetched economic theories. What we are not going to hear from the other side of the House is a plan.
The Conservatives do not have a plan for the economy. They do not have a plan for housing. They do not even believe in climate change, so they definitely do not have a plan for that.
On this side of the House, we believe in Canadians. We believe in having a plan and we are going to follow our plan to support Canadians.
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- Mar/7/23 3:05:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs voted in favour of an independent public inquiry chaired by a commission member chosen with the agreement of all the parties represented in the House.
The Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Conservatives were able to set partisanship aside. What is important here is public confidence in our electoral system, not partisanship.
Does the government really believe it will restore public confidence with a secret committee and a rapporteur who reports directly to the Prime Minister?
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- Mar/7/23 3:05:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said a few moments ago, we share the concern of all our colleagues over the importance of strengthening our democratic institutions with respect to interference by foreign states, including China.
We have taken action on several fronts and put a number of measures in place. We will continue to further reinforce our democratic institutions, precisely as Canadians expect from a responsible and transparent government.
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- Mar/7/23 3:06:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in a democracy, candidates are not guaranteed to win an election, but they must be assured that the election is conducted by the book, without cheating, without money received on the sly, without people being bullied into voting, and without foreign interference. That is democracy.
These conditions make it possible to accept the results of elections. If the public loses confidence in the electoral system, democracy is weakened. That is why we need an independent public inquiry.
Why is the Prime Minister stubbornly refusing this inquiry?
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- Mar/7/23 3:07:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I share my hon. colleague's concerns.
That is why we created two independent panels that verified that the 2019 and 2021 elections were free and fair. Now, we will follow a process managed by a special rapporteur. The rapporteur will table recommendations that the government will follow.
Yes, this is very important. We will continue to protect our democratic institutions.
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- Mar/7/23 3:07:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, CIBC is the first bank to show that, on 20% of its mortgages, the monthly payment does not cover interest and increases what the borrowers owe on top of their original mortgages. Does the Minister of Finance agree that, inevitably, these higher debts must be paid down?
That is something that borrowers cannot afford now, let alone at a higher cost later. If she believes that is true, why does she continue to relentlessly borrow and spend when it is not only inflationary but also a debt that Canadians cannot afford today, let alone tomorrow?
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- Mar/7/23 3:08:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue on our prudent fiscal track that we laid down in the fall economic statement and in budget 2022.
It is intriguing that the Conservatives are having a little laugh fest today because—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Mar/7/23 3:08:48 p.m.
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Order.
The hon. minister can take it from the top so we can hear the whole answer, please.
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- Mar/7/23 3:08:57 p.m.
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Perhaps we should go back to the past, Mr. Speaker, and talk about nine years of stagflation during the Harper government, when the Canadian economy did not grow more than 1% or maybe 1.2%. Which country in the world is positioned to lead the G7 in growth next year? It is Canada. Is that good enough for Canadians who are struggling with inflation? No. That is why we have affordability measures in place.
They voted against them. We are voting with Canadians. They can hem and haw. We are here for Canadians.
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- Mar/7/23 3:09:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not buying the house of debt that the minister is selling.
Kelowna is now recognized as one of Canada's top-five highest rents, and it shows. The Minister of Housing has failed to house the homeless on the streets of Kelowna. With rentals and home prices doubling, there is no way that his policies can help them, let alone the middle class and those working to join it.
Does the minister understand that he has failed the people of Kelowna? If so, will he move out of his office today to make room for someone else, or is he waiting for an eviction notice from the Prime Minister?
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- Mar/7/23 3:10:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is really rich to hear rhetoric coming from the other side, when they have voted against every single measure that we have put in place to help Canadian renters. When we put together the Canada housing benefit, they voted against it. When we introduced a $500 top-up payment that is going to almost two million Canadian renters, they not only voted against it, but they also played procedural games last fall in the House to delay payments that were going to almost two million Canadian renters to help them with the cost of rent.
Canadians can see through their rhetoric.
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- Mar/7/23 3:10:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years under this Prime Minister, property and housing prices have skyrocketed.
Interest rate hikes have dealt a major blow to homeowners. The average cost of a mortgage in Canada has more than doubled. It is now $3,000 per month. As a result, young families cannot afford to buy a home, young adults are camping out in their parents' basements and students are staying in shelters.
When will this Prime Minister acknowledge the problems he has caused, show some compassion and finally help Canadians?
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- Mar/7/23 3:11:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have a plan in place to help first-time homebuyers access the dream of home ownership. We are building more supply by working with the municipalities and provinces to get more barriers out of the way and to build more housing across the housing spectrum. What do they do? They vote against all these measures.
In addition to that, it has been more than year since their leader took the helm of leadership, and they do not have a housing plan. They do not have a plan in place. They do not have the voting record. When they were in government, they spent meagre amounts of money. Every time that we try to put measures in place to help Canadians across the housing spectrum, they vote against them.
Canadians can see through that.
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- Mar/7/23 3:12:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this government has made significant efforts to recognize historic wrongs and the criminalization of vulnerable communities across Canada.
Today, as part of those efforts, the government reaffirmed its commitment to all women and the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities by adding several offences to the list of those eligible for expungement.
Can the Minister of Public Safety inform the House of the positive impact this announcement will have on Canadians?
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- Mar/7/23 3:12:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.
We need to recognize the historic injustices that wrongly targeted vulnerable communities. That is why we are making abortion-related, bawdy house and indecency-based offences eligible for expungement.
This is about recognizing the legacy of discrimination suffered by women and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community while protecting their right to choose and access safe reproductive health care. This is one more step toward building a compassionate, inclusive and diverse country.
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-11 is an unnecessary and grotesque overreach of government control. It censors what Canadians can see, hear and post online. The minister has said that this bill is about “support[ing] Canadian culture”, but that is actually not true. The bill stifles creators' voices. In fact, subject matter experts have said that it likens Canada to countries like China or North Korea.
Will the Prime Minister stop this damning overreach and kill Bill C-11?
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