44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 8, 2023 02:00PM
- Mar/8/23 7:14:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to rise in this House as the representative of North Okanagan—Shuswap. It is such an honour to have this opportunity to circle back to a question that I did not consider got an adequate answer when asked the first time and seek a response that would give hope to seniors, those struggling under the inflationary policies of the government.
On February 16 of this year, I put the following question through the Speaker:
...after eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister's inflationary policies, seniors cannot afford food. Barry told me that 40 out of 120 attendees at the mission he works at were seniors. People who used to donate to food banks are having to go to one because they cannot afford groceries.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for seniors going without food, or will the Liberals get out of the way so the Conservatives can fix what they have broken and restore seniors' dignity?
The response to the question was shameful, claiming that the government has been there for seniors. The way the government has been there for seniors has been to allow its out-of-control spending to contribute to inflation rates that we have not seen in 40 years. Food prices are climbing so fast that so many seniors are going to food banks because they cannot afford groceries.
Another example of how the government has not been there for seniors came to light last week for me while talking to a restaurateur at home in the Shuswap. While talking to this restaurateur, I asked if she had been affected by rising food prices. The owner took a step back and gave me a look. She did not have to say anything. I knew what the answer was. She went on to tell me how she had built a lunchtime clientele from scratch by building the business for seniors. She built that business around seniors who often preferred a meal out at lunchtime so they did not have to drive at night or it was better for their digestive system than eating at night. She told me that lunchtime seniors clientele was drying up because of increasing food costs and because of the costs that she had to pass on to customers, prices like a case of cauliflower that used to cost her business $35 to $40 per case now costing $130 to $140, prices like green beans being $8 per pound, and these are wholesale prices. We are seeing even higher prices on grocery store shelves.
For the government to say it has been there for seniors is truly shameful. What we have seen in the past eight years from the Prime Minister is that the price of a home has doubled and average rent prices soared above $2,000 in our 10 biggest cities. Nearly half of all Canadians with variable mortgages will no longer be able to afford those mortgages in nine months. Canadians are grappling with 40-year-high inflation. A quarter of Canadians cannot cover an unexpected cost of $500.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for seniors going without food, or will the Liberals get out of the way so the Conservatives can fix what they have broken and restore seniors' dignity?
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- Mar/8/23 7:18:39 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I really enjoy this new line from Conservatives asking Liberals to get out of the way so they can do the job. It is as though they have completely given up on the democratic process, and they realize that they are never going to get elected to the position, so they are just asking the government to step aside and attacking it that way.
Nonetheless, it is quite rich for the member to go on at great length about the fact that this government has not been there for seniors when I will read for members a number of the things, which have been repeated so many times in the House, that we have done. In advance of that, I remind those people who are watching that Conservatives voted against every single one of these initiatives that we brought forward. Therefore, to suggest that the government has not been there, but somehow Conservatives have had the backs of seniors is a no. Conservatives had much more interest in playing politics around these issues than in providing anything of substance.
However, the member is right that the rising grocery costs are a problem and inflation is a worry on everybody's mind. While we know that inflation is a global issue, making sure that Canadians can make ends meet is a priority. In this context, the Government of Canada has stepped in. We have ramped up supports for seniors.
In fact, we made history last July with the new permanent 10% increase to the OAS pension, the first in 50 years for seniors over the age of 75. Thanks to the increase, full pensioners will get more than $800 extra over the first year. That will go a long way toward groceries. What is more, eligible seniors have not had to fill out any forms or take any action to receive the increase. They are automatically receiving it. Because all OAS benefits are indexed quarterly, they maintain their value over time as prices increase. This new historic measure is just one of the ways that we have seniors' backs.
Since 2015, as I alluded a few moments ago, we have provided a number of measures. Allow me to reiterate what those are. We increased the guaranteed income supplement for nearly one million low-income single seniors. We have restored the age of eligibility for GIS and OAS from 67.
Members might remember that the member's previous government increased the qualifying age. Imagine paying into these programs over one's entire working career and planning on retiring at age 65, and then suddenly, just before they get to the finish line, the government of the day says it was going to move it to age 67. Well, we restored it to 65.
We also enhanced the Canada pension plan. We reduced income taxes through increases to the basic personal amount. During the pandemic, we provided seniors with one-time payments to help with extra costs. Finally, budget 2022 committed an extra $500 to the Canada housing benefit and doubled the GST credit for six months.
As the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance said on February 13:
Thanks to measures put in place by our government, hundreds of thousands of seniors have been lifted out of poverty, as have hundreds of thousands of Canadian children. We have done that while maintaining Canada's AAA credit rating and having the lowest debt and the lowest deficit in the G7.
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- Mar/8/23 7:27:24 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, allow me to show my colleague that our actions are working and helping Canadians. First, since it is International Women's Day, I want to recognize the achievements of Canadian women and reaffirm our government's commitment to eliminating systemic barriers so as to advance gender equality in Canada and around the world.
Our government is taking meaningful action to support women, and we can see the results. Our Canada-wide early learning and child care system is a good example. It is already delivering $10-a-day child care in nearly half of Canadian provinces and territories and has reduced fees by at least 50% in all other jurisdictions, with work on track to reaching $10 a day across the country in just three years. In addition, last year, labour force participation for working-age women in Canada reached a record high of 85%. This is something we can all be proud of.
That said, we understand that high inflation, a global phenomenon, is hurting Canadian families. Many Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. They have to make choices at the grocery store. They are struggling to pay rent or fill up their car.
Fortunately, inflation is gradually decreasing, and the OECD predicts that it will return to its target level by the end of 2024. Inflation in Canada, which was 8.1% in June 2022, is now only 5.9%. Although this rate is still high, it is lower than what we see in many comparable economies. For example, inflation is 8.6% in the eurozone and 10.1% in the U.K.
There is also some good economic news. For example, more Canadians than ever are working. With 150,000 new jobs created in January, our 5% unemployment rate is now close to historical lows. There are 800,000 more Canadians working today than before COVID hit. That is 126% of COVID-19 job losses recovered, compared to 112% in the U.S.
Canada had the strongest economic growth, since the fourth quarter of 2021, in the G7.
However, we understand that many Canadian families, including seniors, still need help to make ends meet. To make life more affordable for millions of Canadians, we budgeted up to $12.1 billion for new inflation relief measures, many of which will continue in 2023.
For example, our government moved forward with a permanent 10% increase to old age security for seniors 75 and over, which increased benefits for more than three million seniors and provides more than $800 in the first year to full pensioners.
We also provided a $500 payment to low-income renters who are struggling with the cost of housing.
Now that we have doubled the GST credit, a family of four that is struggling to pay its bills will receive up to $1,401.
Furthermore, benefits like the Canada child benefit, the GST credit, the Canada pension plan, old age security and the guaranteed income supplement are indexed to inflation.
I also want to talk about the price on pollution. Pollution is having an unprecedented impact on Canadians across the country, and something must be done about it. It is an economic necessity. Our pollution pricing system is driving the development of new technologies and services. We see it every day in this country.
I would like to remind my colleague that our pollution pricing system is putting money back in the pockets of Canadian households and provinces where the federal fuel charge applies.
In 2022-23, through climate action incentive payments, a family of four will receive $745 in—
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