44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 21, 2023 02:00PM
- Jun/21/23 7:50:15 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, Conservatives love to stand up in the House and claim to be the stewards of the economy and to have presided over the previous government with balanced budgets, but they only balanced the budget once and it was a fake balanced budget. It was at the expense of a lot of infrastructure in Canada.
The member opposite ran on a commitment in the last election to both price carbon and run deficits. I do notice there has been a little change of heart of late on the other side, but there is a lack of a plan. It would be great to hear directly from the member on this. Any balanced budget would require program cuts. What specific programs is she suggesting the government cut?
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- Jun/21/23 10:02:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to stand in the House this evening on the final day of this parliamentary session. I am extremely happy to take part in today's debate to speak to our country's economic situation and the measures we are taking to make life more affordable from coast to coast to coast.
Before I do that, I have two things to say.
Today is National Indigenous Peoples Day, so I would like to recognize that. I would also like to recognize all first nations, Métis and Inuit people across the country who are celebrating their heritage, culture and language. We must do more to ensure those are upheld in this country. As it is the longest day of the year, being the summer solstice, it is an appropriate day to celebrate that. I was at the flag-raising this morning and heard lovely speeches from a lot of elders, the Prime Minister and the Governor General, who is the first-ever indigenous Governor General in this country, which is certainly something to celebrate on a day like today.
Also, like members before me, I would like to take a moment to recognize family and staff, such as my partner Emily, who when I am away a lot is in charge of the dog, and oftentimes when I am there too. I miss Cairo and I miss home, so I am looking forward to going back to the riding for a couple of months and spending time with my family, my dog and my girlfriend, as well as my mom, my brother and my dad, of course.
I miss my staff too and I am looking forward to getting back there. I thank them for holding down the fort in Milton over the last couple of months. There has been a lot of Ottawa time, and I am really grateful for all of the great work my constituency team does, as well as the people here in Ottawa. We really would not be able to do any of the work we do as members of Parliament without our extraordinary teams.
With respect to the substantive debate this evening on the Conservatives' opposition day motion, our government understands that many Canadians are struggling right now. These are tough financial times, with rising interest rates and global inflation, as well as quite a lot of uncertainty in the economic markets. We recognize that it is tough to make ends meet these days, and in these times of high inflation, our government has been there to support Canadians.
We have been witnessing a gradual decline in inflation in Canada, which is worth acknowledging is happening because we want to ensure that it continues to occur. The OECD predicts that it will return to its target level by the end of 2024, which is good news. Inflation in Canada reached a high of 8.1% in June of 2022, and has now fallen to the mid-fours, which is good news.
The inflation rate is still too high, but it is lower than what we are seeing in many comparable economies. For example, the inflation rate is 6.1% in the eurozone and 8.7% in the United Kingdom. In fact, as we continue navigating through these difficult times, our country is faring much better than most other G7 countries. Canada is facing the same global economic headwinds from a position of fundamental economic strength, thanks in large part to our government's targeted investments to support Canadians and our economy.
Since 2015, our government has been making investments to make life more affordable. The most recent federal budget tabled by our colleague, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, is an excellent example of that.
In budget 2023, our government introduced new targeted inflation relief supports for Canadians who are still struggling to make ends meet. When I knock on doors in Milton, I talk to my neighbours often and I recognize that these are tough financial times, but things like investments in child care, an enhanced Canada child benefit and supports for seniors, families and dental care are making a huge impact in ridings like mine and ridings right across this country. The support has been carefully designed to avoid exacerbating inflation and is aiming to support those who need it the most when they need it the most.
Very soon, Canadians who need it the most will be receiving their grocery rebate, which is a fantastic initiative that will not encourage any more inflation, recognizing that the toughest bills are those found at the grocery store and for rents and mortgages, and we have been there on those examples. Through the new one-time grocery rebate, budget 2023 delivers targeted inflation relief for over 11 million lower- and modest-income Canadians and families, with up $467 for eligible couples with two children, an extra $234 for single Canadians without children and an extra $225 for seniors, on average. Eligible Canadians will receive their grocery rebate payment in just a little less than two weeks, on July 5.
We are also working hard to crack down on junk fees, which could include things like higher telecom roaming charges and fees for events and concerts. Pretty much every time someone swipes their credit card, there are added costs associated with that, and we want to crack down and make sure those little things do not add up. We are also helping small businesses with their credit card charges. It is a good time to look at some of those little things that really do add up, because it is an easy way to save a bit of money.
I would like to talk about our supports for seniors and how they are felt in Milton.
When I talk to seniors at Allendale or at any of the seniors homes or I talk to seniors who live at home, which is something we are supporting by making sure that seniors can live at home more comfortably and safely for longer, they recognize that the OAS increases and the GIS increases are having an impact, but so is the New Horizons program for seniors.
One of the most important things that we can do as a government is combat loneliness and isolation that a lot of seniors experience, particularly when they are single. One of the reasons we chose to increase the OAS for older seniors is that they are disproportionately single, and they are more often disabled and far less able to work when they are over 75 as well. Making sure that financial support goes to people who really need it has been a priority for our government, and it has had a really great impact. Those supports are also indexed to inflation, and that indexing is important in times of high inflation, given that we have been experiencing high inflation over the last little while.
Speaking of interest and inflation and the relationship between the two, I was at a graduation ceremony in my riding recently. I was talking to some high school students who were going on to college, university and apprenticeship programs next year. They were thrilled to hear that Canada's student loans and Canada's apprenticeship loans would not include any interest on the federal portion any longer.
This is a cost burden that students will never need to experience. They are not going to see a minus symbol or a red colour on their invoice. They will just never know that cost burden. That is an investment I was very proud of. I am glad to know that students in the future, whether they are pursing an apprenticeship, a university degree or a college diploma, will not have to pay federal interest on their student loans.
This evening we have been hearing a lot from Conservatives. Oftentimes, Conservatives will talk as if they are stewards of the economy and Canada's experts on things such as balanced books. I think it is important to examine their record and look back at the Harper years. Those are the years when I started getting involved and more interested in politics personally because I recognized that it had started affecting our lives, and it was a tough time. I was travelling a lot internationally, and Canada did not have the greatest reputation internationally, specifically when it came to climate change and action on it.
We also were not encouraging any international investment. We were considered a low-competitiveness nation at the time. There was really stagnant economic growth, and we had really high unemployment. To compare it to today's numbers of 4.8% unemployment, back in the Harper years there was 7.3% unemployment. We are talking almost double the number of people who were not working in this country.
We had low competitiveness, low exports, low international investment, higher rates of poverty and lower rates of economic growth. I would question what the Conservatives got for all that. They might say they balanced the books; they in fact did not. They ran deficits year after year, deficits as high as almost $60 billion. Over the course of the six years that they ran deficits, they ran a deficit of, on average, $24.1 billion. For the Conservatives to suggest that the books would be balanced if we could just flick a switch and have them in power is actually absurd, because their record disproves that idea entirely.
The other topic that the Conservatives have been focusing on a lot, and I think it is a good thing, is talking about inflation, but they have not been talking about the root causes of inflation. Their only speaking point with respect to inflation is to say that government spending is causing inflation. I would challenge that assertion.
Is the government's spending on dental care programs causing inflation? No. Is the government's spending on COVID, buying vaccines and making sure that businesses could stay open, causing inflation? No, it is not. Is making sure that students do not have to pay interest on their student loans causing inflation? No, it is not.
Some of the things that are causing inflation that the Conservative side does not want to talk about, for some reason, are climate change, the pandemic, supply and demand, and Russia's illegal war on Ukraine and its invasion of that country.
How about the fact that inflation continues to be global, and that Canada's inflation numbers are actually lower than those of all our peer nations? Despite all that, we also have the strongest economic position in the G7. We are expected to grow at a higher rate than all of our counterparts in the G7. We have the lowest unemployment in the G7. Our economy is working, and that is because Canadians are working. More than 900,000 more Canadians are working today than before the pandemic.
Our economy is growing despite the economic headwinds globally. Our Canadian economy is working because Canadians work hard. They push through hard times. I think about it like paddling into a headwind. I had the opportunity to get on the water this afternoon, while over at Petrie Island Canoe Club to talk about some of our investments in community-level sport. I was lucky. I got on the water with some young paddlers in the riding of Orléans. It was windy. I was thinking that paddling into a headwind is tough, but we have to keep paddling; otherwise, we get pushed backward. That is something relevant.
If people do not push forward when they are working in a headwind, they will actually get pushed backward. That is what the Conservatives want us to do; they want us to stop investing in ourselves. Confident countries invest in themselves. We invest in our future. We believe that a stronger Canada is possible if we are willing to make sure we lay the economic groundwork and the foundation for that better future, and that is something the Conservatives have never understood. They have never been courageous enough to invest in our own country, our own sectors, our industries, and our future.
However, Liberals will not apologize for making sure we are laying the economic groundwork for a better future for all our children. I thank the hon. members for the encouragement; it is nice. I feel very well encouraged. As members can see, we have delivered a lot of new support in budget 2023 to help make life more affordable throughout our country. However, the reality is that we started introducing such measures as soon as we formed the government. We go back a couple of years, and I will give a few examples. We have provided one-time inflation relief payments to about 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians—
Mr. Peter Julian: Thanks to the NDP
Mr. Adam van Koeverden: Mr. Speaker, it is now worth up to $467 for a couple with two children, and up to $234 for a single Canadian without children.
My hon. NDP colleague down the way pointed out that it required a little collaboration, and I think that is actually the best part about this place. We come together, find solutions and talk about things that are going to help Canadians. I thank the New Democratic Party for contributing to the conversation, making sure its constituents' voices are heard, making sure we have good policies that actually help people, rather than just dragging people through the mud, talking down the Canadian economy and our workers, and ignoring things like climate change and Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
It has been a tiresome spring hearing from the Conservatives about all the ways that Canada's economy is just not working, because it is not true. Canada's economy is working, and that is because Canadians are working. Let us talk about the Canada workers benefit. The Canada workers benefit means that new families could receive up to $2,616, and single Canadians without children could receive up to $1,518.
Another thing we collaborated on in the House, and I am very proud of it, is the Canada disability benefit. Just in the last couple of days, we have made it a reality. We are taking steps towards ending disability poverty in this country, and it is about time. Some members will say that we should do less for people who need more. Some members on the Conservative side do not understand the idea of equality versus equity and what we are actually trying to fight for when we invest in people and make sure they have the supports they need. I will say that members of the Bloc Québécois, the NDP, the Liberal Party and the Green Party do understand the difference between equity and equality, and how we fight for those individuals who need a little extra support because of their circumstances.
We have also provided direct, tax-free payments of up to $1,300 per child over two years to eligible families, to cover dental expenses for their children who are under 12, and work is under way to make sure that the age goes up to 18, so that children under 18 could receive dental care. Also, because a lot of provincial governments do not adequately fund their social safety net with regard to dental care for seniors, our government is looking at solutions to ensure that seniors are also covered under our Canada dental benefit.
We have also provided a tax-free payment of $500 to help low-income people who are struggling with the cost of rent, through the Canada housing benefit.
It is important to recognize that, when parties work together, we make progress happen for our neighbours. If more parties would come to the table with great ideas and solutions, then we could probably make even more progress happen. I love democracy. When people vote for parties that care about people, we make good progress, so I thank the NDP for that progress, and, indeed, I thank my colleague from British Columbia.
We have also increased the old age security, as I mentioned earlier, which is providing over $800 in new supports to full pensioners just in the first year.
We are going to launch the tax-free Canada child benefit to support some 3.5 million families a year. That means that families will receive up to $7,000 per child under the age of six and up to $6,000 per child between the ages of six and 17 per year.
In order to fight climate change while making life more affordable, we put a federal price on pollution that puts more money back into the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians in the provinces where the fuel charge applies.
We spent a lot of time in the chamber talking about carbon pricing. I think there are some members in the House who perhaps do not believe in the institution of the Nobel Prize. I, however, think it is an institution that is fairly good at identifying when huge steps forward in progress and innovation have occurred. That prize was given to somebody named William Nordhaus for his excellent work on pricing carbon and recognizing a price on pollution is just the foundation for fighting climate change around the world, which is an existential threat, and the climate emergency is causing a public health emergency in many places, including here in Ottawa. Just a couple of weeks ago, despite the fact that the clouds of fire smoke were rolling in, the Conservative side was still talking about how we could do less to fight climate change in this country. It was very disappointing.
However, I am glad we are making progress. We are fighting climate change in various ways, from promoting green technologies and ensuring that we are investing in the right ways for green jobs of the future, to promoting more tree planting. We are also ensuring that we are reducing emissions. We are putting a cap on emissions for the oil and gas sector. We are creating solutions so people can afford to put in a heat pump to get off home heating oil. They can more adequately afford an electric vehicle because of our zero-emission vehicle subsidies. These are all important programs that invest in Canadians and make sure solutions for existential threats like the pandemic or climate change are less of a burden for Canadians.
I know that the Conservative side will stand up in a moment or two to ask me a couple of questions about my speech, and I welcome that. Before they do, I would ask them to maybe identify one or two of the programs they think are superfluous. Which program is it that they would cut? Which program would they think is not helping Canadians? Is it dental? Is it the old age security? Is it our Canada child benefit, which supports families in my riding with $106 million every year back to the families who need it most, in a cost-effective and means-tested manner? It is a great program and it has pulled over 400,000 children out of poverty. I stand behind it.
I know that all members of the House do stand behind great programs, like our child care subsidy, for example, which I was thrilled to see pass through the House unanimously. I would like to thank my colleague from Burlington for all her extraordinary hard work on that program. As a parent of a young one, she knows full well how important it is to make sure that there is good, high-quality child care available to parents across the country. My mom relied on our neighbours. I went next door when I got home from school, and then, when I was a bit too old for a babysitter but too young to take care of myself, she relied on the canoe club. My colleague says that was two years ago; that is probably true, actually. The canoe club was our solution to child care, but I am glad we have something that meets the needs of Canadians. Before Conservatives stand up and say that all these programs should be cut so we can balance the books, I would ask them why they voted unanimously for something like child care.
In closing, we recognize that times are tough. Financially, families are struggling right now. It has a lot to do with inflated costs and global inflation, but we are meeting the moment. We are meeting Canadians where they are and finding solutions with an open mind. We are fighting inflation, and it is slowly going down. I want to recognize that it is still too high, as are interest rates for many Canadians. That is why our government is investing and finding ways to provide inflation relief to those who need it most: the most vulnerable and those who are most exposed to inflation.
Mr. Speaker, I wish you a great summer. I look forward to spending some time back in my riding and maybe taking a little vacation. I am looking forward to getting home after a long spring here in the House of Commons. I want to congratulate everybody on passing so much legislation this spring.
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- Jun/21/23 10:23:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I am shocked that the Conservatives would say one thing but then do another. With all of the support for Ukraine in our budget, the Conservatives voted against it. With all of the supports for Ukraine through the most difficult time in that country's existence, they voted against it. Then, they stand in the House and suggest that the one way we should help Ukraine is by exporting more oil and gas to western Europe.
There is an energy crisis around the world. We need solutions, and we need innovations, but to stand up and suggest that the only thing we should be doing for Ukraine is voting against a budget with all that aid, all those supports and all those defence mechanisms that the minister has applied, and that what we should be doing is sending more oil and gas, is so myopic that I cannot wait to get to summer so I do not have to hear that type of argument anymore.
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- Jun/21/23 10:25:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and for her interest in this very important issue.
I believe it is a question of collaboration and responsibility. The constituents of my riding of Milton want a better education system and better health care. Over the past six years under the current premier of Ontario, we have seen cuts to the education system and the health care system.
It is a question of responsibility and collaboration between the provinces, the territories and the federal government. It is not a question of paternalism, as my colleague stated.
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- Jun/21/23 10:27:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend and colleague from New Westminster—Burnaby for doing what I did not do during my 20 minutes, which is to thank the resources of the House and the people who work so hard to make sure everything about democracy that we all love and hold so dear happens. I would also add the analysts, the Library of Parliament and all the clerks. The whip is saying I should include the whip.
I thank the pages especially, because we played soccer against the pages, and I will not talk about the score. Should I talk about the score? Is it fair to talk about the scores? The MP side did win this time, by only one point, but my favourite part of that was that the pages held up a sign during the game that said “Get your own water!”, so for the next three months I am going to get my own water. I appreciate that.
I would reiterate the kind gesture from my friend and colleague from New Westminster—Burnaby. I thank all the workers. I thank all the people who are supporting workers across our country, and I thank everybody in Ottawa who works so hard. We will see them in September.
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- Jun/21/23 10:29:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first, I want to congratulate my colleague for the passage of Bill C-13. There is a small, but very strong francophone community in Milton. On Monday, I plan to attend a graduation ceremony at that school.
I thank the hon. minister for her hard work passing historic legislation for minority language rights in Canada.
Once again, I would like to acknowledge how historic our investments in affordable child care. Six provinces and territories across this country have achieved $10-a-day day care. Parents are now spending more time with their children over the course of the summer, but come September, they will be accessing that child care.
Once again, I thank everybody in the House for making this session possible.
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