44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 29, 2023 02:00PM
- Mar/29/23 2:25:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, during a challenging time in the world, this budget will ensure that Canadians can continue to count on their government being there for them. We are meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow by introducing a new grocery rebate that will deliver targeted support to 11 million Canadians, lowering credit card transaction fees for small businesses, increasing investments in our public health care system, making transformative investments in our economy.
This is a budget of hope and ambition. We are putting in place the building blocks today so that we can realize today's dreams tomorrow.
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- Mar/29/23 2:25:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pipe dream.
A year ago, the finance minister said, “We are absolutely determined that our debt-to-GDP ratio must continue to decline.” It is going up. She also said, “Our [pandemic] deficits must continue to be reduced.” They are going up. She went on to say, “The [extraordinary] debt[s] we incurred...must...be paid down.” They are not only not being paid down, but they are going up. She said as well that the budget would be balanced in 2027. Now the Liberals admit that the budget will never balance itself.
Given these four falsehoods, how can Canadians believe anything the minister or the Prime Minister says about money?
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- Mar/29/23 2:26:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are going to take no lessons from a Leader of the Opposition who tells Canadians to hedge on inflation by putting money into crypto.
Let us look at fiscal responsibility. Canada will have the lowest deficit and the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. The deficit is projected to decline every year. Public debt charges, as a share of the economy, will remain historically low. We have the strongest economic growth in the G7, with 830,000 jobs created since the beginning of the pandemic, and a record 85.7% participation of Canadian women in the labour force.
The future is bright for Canada, and this budget delivers that future.
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- Mar/29/23 2:27:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, they are so out of touch.
They have presented a budget containing $60 billion in additional inflationary spending, which represents an extra $4,200 for every family in Canada. That is insane. Canadians can no longer foot the bill for a government that has lost control of spending in our country.
Canadians are struggling to pay their bills, feed their children and buy a house. How will they survive this budget?
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- Mar/29/23 2:28:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians who are watching us from home today saw a disconnected Leader of the Opposition.
We listened carefully to Canadians. They asked us to do three things: take action to tackle the cost of living and, of course, the cost of food; invest in health care and dental care; and invest in the green economy to create the jobs of the future.
That is exactly what Canadians said. That is exactly what we are doing. We are building the future with Canadians to be a leader in the economy of the 21st century.
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- Mar/29/23 2:28:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, they admitted that deficits drive inflation and promised restraint. Instead, what they delivered was $60 billion of brand new spending. That is $4,200 for every family in Canada. These are families that are already skipping meals because they cannot afford food, and 35-year-olds are living in their parents' basements because they cannot afford housing.
How will Canadian families carry on their backs an extra $4,200 in government costs when we are already going broke as a country?
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- Mar/29/23 2:29:16 p.m.
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What is really disappointing, Mr. Speaker, is that the Leader of the Opposition has already told Canadians that he is voting against this budget and he is voting against them, because what he is voting against is a grocery rebate for 11 million Canadians. What he is voting against is dental care for nine million Canadians, including children, seniors and people with disabilities. What he is voting against is a tax-free savings account for first-time homebuyers.
He is not there for Canadians. We are.
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- Mar/29/23 2:29:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we had eight years of these multi-billion dollar government programs, and what has it given us? We have 40-year highs in inflation, one in five Canadians skipping meals because they cannot afford groceries, nine in 10 young people stuck in their parents' basements because they cannot afford housing, and students living in homeless shelters because the cost of living has risen so fast. These hard-working Canadians who do the work deserve a country that works for them, not an out-of-control tax-and-squander NDP budget like the one we have before us today.
When will they rein in their spending so Canadians can pay their bills?
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- Mar/29/23 2:30:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians deserve is a government that is going to respond to them in their time of need. That is exactly what we are doing with this budget, and that is exactly what we have been doing for the past seven and a half years. Just as the Conservatives voted against the Canada child benefit, which provides up to $7,000 a year for vulnerable families, they are voting against Canadians who need help in this difficult time. They are going to vote against a grocery rebate that is going to help 11 million Canadians. If they care about these issues, they have a simple option: reverse course, support this budget and support Canadians.
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- Mar/29/23 2:31:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as it stands, carbon capture is not green, grey hydrogen is not green, nuclear energy is not green and Arctic offshore oil is not green.
Will the government admit that the big news in yesterday's budget, approximately $17 billion, is intended exclusively for oil companies?
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- Mar/29/23 2:31:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the short answer for my colleague is no. We will admit no such thing since that is not the case.
I would like to quote the David Suzuki Foundation, which said yesterday that investments in renewable electricity in budget 2023 could position Canada as a global leader in the clean economy.
I could also quote Greenpeace Canada, which talked about “unprecedented federal investments” in greening the grid, which will allow us to end our reliance on fossil fuels.
We agree with the Suzuki Foundation and Greenpeace but not with the Bloc Québécois.
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- Mar/29/23 2:32:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the National Assembly, which speaks for Quebec, adopted a unanimous motion asking that no more money be invested in subsidies for the oil industry. However, that is just what Ottawa is doing.
Incidentally, Quebec also asked that the federal government not interfere in provincial jurisdictions, including dental care. That is exactly what Ottawa is doing.
Will the government admit that the budget it has tabled—which essentially caters to oil companies and the NDP—is a budget that does not work for Quebec?
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- Mar/29/23 2:32:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for allowing me to continue the list of organizations that praised yesterday's federal budget.
I would like to quote the International Institute for Sustainable Development, which said that Canada is making historic investments in clean electricity and fresh water throughout the country.
I agree with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, but not with the leader of the Bloc Québécois.
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- Mar/29/23 2:33:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, New Democrats are proud that we forced the government for a historic expansion of medicare to include dental care for the first time. That, alongside our push to double the GST rebate, means that families will save up to $1,700 on average per year. We have also forced the government, for the first time ever, to have strings attached to investments to fight the climate crisis, which require guarantees of good wages and good union jobs. If the government is running out of ideas, we have more.
Will the government take the housing crisis seriously and finally build more homes that people can afford faster?
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- Mar/29/23 2:34:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I direct the hon. member to look at our national housing strategy, a record number of investments to make sure we build more affordable housing in this country, including the $4-billion recently announced housing accelerator fund to set us as a country to double housing construction and pay particular attention to affordable housing. In addition to that, we are making sure we are protecting renters and helping them, through the Canada housing benefit and the top-up of $500 for almost two million Canadian renters to help them with the high cost of rent.
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- Mar/29/23 2:34:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is not meeting the urgency of the crisis with the steps required.
We are proud we forced this government to create a dental care program. We are proud we forced this government to double the GST credit, which will save families a lot of money. However, there is more work to be done. Economists have made it clear that a recession is very likely coming our way.
When will this Prime Minister introduce an EI system that covers all workers?
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- Mar/29/23 2:35:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that Canada's EI system is complex, and that is why we are focused on improving it. Budget 2023 invests in seasonal workers so that they have five additional weeks of coverage, for a total of 45 weeks. Also, in budget 2023, we propose establishing a new independent tripartite board of appeal, to hear cases regarding employment insurance claims.
In the past two years, the minister has led more than 35 national and regional round tables with workers, employers and academics. EI reform is a priority. We are on it and we will get it done.
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- Mar/29/23 2:35:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister fled the House of Commons instead of answering questions about public safety.
The current crime wave is the direct result of Liberal-NDP policies that put the criminals who are usually considered the most dangerous back on the streets. Half a dozen people have been murdered in the past week, including a police officer in Quebec.
Will the Prime Minister reverse the policies that set the most dangerous offenders loose? Will he protect the safety of Canadians?
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- Mar/29/23 2:36:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear that my hon. colleague did not hear the response from yesterday. I will repeat it.
We have worked with the provinces and territories to make changes to the bail system in order to address the issue of serious repeat offenders and to give the community a role in bail decisions.
Together we will address this issue and find solutions.
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- Mar/29/23 2:37:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, still the Prime Minister does not have the guts to stand up and answer the question. Of course not. He is protected by armed men every single day, so he is not worried about the streets that are turning into savage chaos since he brought about catch-and-release bail.
We do not need to work with the provinces to change the bail laws. They are exclusively federal jurisdiction, right in the Criminal Code. The Prime Minister has unleashed a 32% increase in violent crime since he brought in the catch-and-release bail policies.
Will he finally summon the courage to stand on his feet, admit he was wrong, reverse the policies and choose jail, not bail, for violent offenders?
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