44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 24, 2023 10:00AM
- Nov/24/23 11:20:36 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here is breaking news: Rents spiked in October at the highest rate in 40 years. Rents are up, taxes are up, prices are up and interest rates are up. The Prime Minister's reckless spending is causing pain. Scotiabank says mortgage rates would be two full percentage points lower if the government would just control its spending. Canadians are at risk of losing their homes when they renew their mortgages. Two per cent is the difference between making it and breaking them.
Will the Prime Minister end his reckless spending so that Canadians can keep their homes?
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- Nov/24/23 11:21:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member wishes to talk about Canadians keeping their homes. Let us look at the Conservative record on housing. When the now opposition leader was the so-called minister of housing, $300 million was allocated toward housing. How many homes were built? Fewer than 100. The record speaks for itself.
Across the country we have signed deals with many municipalities: Kelowna, London, Hamilton, Halifax, Calgary and the list continues. We are going to continue to work with municipalities and with partners across the way, to make sure we get homes built. This is an obligation, and we are up to the task.
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- Nov/24/23 11:21:57 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, photo ops do not build homes, and when our leader was not the so-called minister but was the minister, rent was lower, down payments were lower and housing was lower. It was a much more affordable place eight years ago than it is today in Canada.
Here at home at a time when Canadians are struggling with the cost of everything, the Prime Minister wants to quadruple the carbon tax. He is just not worth the cost.
Will he show some compassion and cancel the NDP-Liberals' cruel plan to quadruple the carbon tax on the backs of struggling Canadians?
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- Nov/24/23 11:22:42 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in a week where that party has been exposed for what it is, that is, a party that does not stand in alignment with the principles of freedom and has turned its back on the Ukrainian diaspora and on Ukrainians, it is hard to take anything that side has to say seriously today.
On the matter of housing, $46 billion has been allocated toward housing, and the result is that two million Canadians have been housed. They have had homes built, they have had homes repaired and homes subsidized. We are going to continue this work.
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- Nov/24/23 11:23:19 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is the government that sent turbines to Putin so he can pump natural gas into Europe and fund his war machine. We should end dollars for dictators and turn them into paycheques for our people. The Prime Minister gave $15 billion to Stellantis in Windsor without protecting Canadian jobs; $15 billion is being used to bring in up to 1,600 foreign replacement workers.
Let us see the contract. Let us see the details. Will the Prime Minister release the contract and let Canadian workers see for themselves how many jobs are going to foreign replacement workers?
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- Nov/24/23 11:24:03 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is becoming clearer and clearer every day is that the Conservative leader of today is just not worth the risk. Quite frankly, the far right element of Canada has actually taken over the Conservative Party today. We saw that in the actions of all Conservative members voting against the Canada-Ukraine trade agreement. It is completely amazing. It shows a lack of leadership. The leader of the Conservative Party is moving it far to the right. It is inexcusable and shame on every Conservative member for joining with—
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- Nov/24/23 11:24:43 a.m.
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The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable has the floor.
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- Nov/24/23 11:24:48 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, “A Fiscal Forecast Only a Contortionist Could Love”. That is what Mouvement Desjardins had to say about the Minister of Finance's mini-budget.
After eight years of fiscal irresponsibility, this Prime Minister has lost all credibility. Next year, the government will be spending $51 billion on debt payments. That is the same amount allocated to the health care transfers to the provinces and double the amount allocated to national defence. This shows that the Prime Minister is just not worth the cost.
Are the Liberals capable of showing some common sense and balancing their budget so that Canadians can finally manage their own budgets and put food on the table?
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- Nov/24/23 11:25:33 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, those who are watching at home on this Friday morning understand that the Conservative Party is not worth the risk.
Foreign investments in Canada are up, but that is something that our Conservative neighbours will not talk about. When it comes to attracting foreign investment, Canada is now ranked third in the world, after the United States and Brazil.
We have seen record investments in the battery, automotive, mining, steel, and aluminum industries. We will continue to fight to ensure that Canada is part of the 21st century economy.
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- Nov/24/23 11:26:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals should do more to fight for Canadians. If the minister wants numbers, I will give him some. We know that inflation rose at its fastest rate in 40 years. A record number of two million people use food banks in a single month. The cost of housing has doubled in eight years, the price of rent has doubled, mortgage payments have gone up by 150%, the down payment for buying a home has doubled, and the cost of housing is 50% to 75% higher in Canada than in the United States. The Liberals should be ashamed of what they are doing to Canadians. Every expert says that Liberal spending has increased the cost of everything.
When will they show some responsibility and tell us when we will return to a balanced budget?
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- Nov/24/23 11:26:57 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what people in Canada need is leadership. That is exactly what we are giving them in the mini-budget. Canadians asked for two specific things, namely for help with affordability and help with housing. That is exactly what we are doing in the mini-budget.
On top of that, we are announcing the biggest change to the Competition Act in 30 years. Why are we doing that? In this country, we want fewer mergers, more competition and better prices for Canadians. We will continue to fight for Canadians every day.
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- Nov/24/23 11:27:35 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government owes Quebec the $460 million that the province spent on asylum seekers, who come under federal jurisdiction. Quebec is doing far more than its share, and now it is time for the federal government to do its part.
Yesterday, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship not only refused to settle the bill, he had the temerity to say that he was giving Quebec too much money. He said that not only would he refuse to reimburse these costs, he might even send Quebec a bill of his own. Instead of picking fights, why does the minister not get out his chequebook and pay up, so that we can take in asylum seekers the way they deserve?
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- Nov/24/23 11:28:12 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have stated very publicly that we need to sit down with Quebec and our respective finance ministers to sort all this out and put all our cards on the table. If we included all the extra amounts that we have invested in the Canada-Quebec accord, Quebec would definitely be the one getting the bill.
That is something I hesitate to discuss in public. I would rather sit down with my provincial colleagues and talk this over privately. We need to sort this out. Our goal is to work together on behalf of immigrants and asylum seekers.
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- Nov/24/23 11:28:45 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is talking about additional amounts, but one has to wonder whether he has ever met with an asylum seeker or one of the organizations that support them. He will not find anyone on the ground who is saying that there is too much money for asylum seekers.
There is no such thing as too much money when we have to support people who do not even have the right to work because the federal government is not giving them permits. There is no such thing as too much money when people are sleeping in tents in the winter. There is not too much money, there are just too many political games being played at the expense of vulnerable people.
When will the minister take responsibility, stop playing petty politics and reimburse Quebec?
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- Nov/24/23 11:29:22 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, playing petty politics is to presume that this is a one-way relationship, when it is actually a two-way relationship. It takes two to tango.
Obviously, both levels of government have to assume some responsibility. That is what we are trying to do. Obviously, under the Canada-Quebec accord, Quebec has all the responsibility and a duty to welcome asylum seekers. We can do this together as a country.
However, given the reductionist approach of the Bloc Québécois and its friends in the Quebec National Assembly, which are sending questions to the Bloc members, I would ask them to sit down with us to sort all this out. We will be able to see that the bill would very quickly fall to Quebec to pay. We can all work it all out together.
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- Nov/24/23 11:30:01 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a 30-year-old Sherbrooke man cannot find affordable housing. Without housing, Alexandre is getting ready for his first winter living on the street. According to the Sherbrooke tenants' association, this is part of a new wave of homelessness.
Under successive Liberal and Conservative governments, Canada has lost one million affordable housing units over the past 17 years. People need housing today, not two years from now. When will the Liberals take action to build the social housing that people need now?
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- Nov/24/23 11:30:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yes, it is true that Canada is in the midst of a housing crisis. What approach is our government taking? I believe it is an example of co-operation.
It is co-operation with the parties across the way that want to do something on housing, with provinces, with municipalities and with the not-for-profit sector.
To take an example, the national housing strategy is getting people housed. Thousands of people across the country who did not have a home have a home now. Those who were homeless are now able to access the wraparound supports they need in order to have something better. We have more work to do and we are going to get it done.
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- Nov/24/23 11:31:20 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, pretty words like that do not put a roof over the heads of the thousands of Canadians sleeping out in the streets of our country tonight. Seniors are there too. A retired couple in Holyrood, Newfoundland, with teachers' pensions, were just forced to sell their home. They spent their whole lives working to teach our kids, but they cannot afford to live there anymore.
Food price gouging is hurting them badly and their pension cannot keep up. Will the Liberals support the NDP's plan to lower food prices by stopping price gouging, to give seniors like them a needed break now?
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad that we have the NDP's support on Bill C-56. As we know, there are competition measures in it that would hold grocery chains to account.
On the question of housing, the more we build, the more we ensure that costs come down. I have good news for the member. Right across the country, we see residential construction up. In Manitoba, it is up 34%; in Saskatchewan, 25%; in New Brunswick, 23%; in Alberta, 11%; in Newfoundland, 10%; in Quebec, 9%; and in my province of Ontario, 7%.
It is working. We have a plan. We are going to get it done, as I said.
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- Nov/24/23 11:32:43 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, rent is up. Interest rates are up. Mortgages are up. Groceries are up. Taxes are up. Debt is up, and Canadians are fed up.
The Bank of Canada governor and Scotiabank economists are all sounding the alarm bell. The NDP-Liberal government's massive borrowing is making everything more expensive for Canadians.
With two million people using food banks now, we know the Prime Minister is just not worth the cost. When will he stop the inflationary borrowing that is hurting so many Canadian families?
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