44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 28, 2023 10:00AM
Mr. Speaker, it is always great to rise in this most honourable House. I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Steveston—Richmond East. It is great to see everyone this afternoon. I hope that all my colleagues and their families are doing well on this Tuesday.
I am pleased to take part in today's debate. Rather than indulge in Conservative partisan attacks on the pollution price, let us talk about what matters most to Canadians: making life more affordable and ensuring that Canadian families have good jobs and good futures for themselves and their children. That has been the focus of our government since day one and we will continue to be on that tangent.
As Canadians continue to feel the effects of global inflation, our government understands that it remains difficult for too many families to make ends meet.
We are seeing very strong indications that global inflation is rolling over. We have seen that in Europe where inflation is at 1.8% or so. We have seen that in the United States where some indicators have it down below 3%. We have seen rent inflation in the United States actually roll over to the downside. We have seen that in recent indicators in Canada. I strongly believe, as an economist and someone who worked on Bay Street and Wall Street for many years, although I grew up in small-town Canada, we will see that in the months ahead in Canada. When we look at the price of containers or look at leading indicators of the TRI index and so forth, inflation is rolling over to the downside. That is the way our economy is going. It will be a benefit to all Canadians.
Since 2015, our government has taken many actions to make life more affordable for Canadians who need it most, but we understand that some Canadians still need more support.
That is why, last week, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance introduced new measures to support Canadians in the 2023 fall economic statement.
Of course, we are undertaking this while continuing to deliver the government's economic plan, and while also making important progress on the government's existing commitments that are helping to make life more affordable across the country.
It is clear that our measures are having a very real impact on Canadians' budgets.
I would like to give a few concrete examples.
A family with two children in British Columbia, with an income of $88,000 in 2023, could benefit from about $17,700 as a result of reduced child care costs, the Canada child benefit, the Canada dental benefit and tax relief from the increased basic personal amount, which we raised to $15,000 in 2023-24. That will provide Canadians $6 billion of tax relief from coast to coast to coast. This is money in the pockets of Canadians.
For my family, my little daughter is at day care. The families that use that day care in the province of Ontario have saved 50%, which literally means up to $8,000 in after-tax dollars, while before-tax dollars it is over $10,000. Going into 2024, they are going to see a further reduction in their day care costs, which means real savings for families across Canada. That, again, will make life more affordable for all Canadians.
In Nova Scotia, low-income students could receive more than $5,800 in additional support in 2023, thanks to increased Canada student grants and interest-free Canada student loans, the grocery rebate and pollution price rebates, known as the climate action incentive payments.
If students have a disability or dependants, they could receive an additional $12,800 in specialized student grants, plus an extra $640 per dependant and up to $20,000 toward devices that support their learning. After graduating, all their federal student loans will remain interest free. Again, student loans to youth or older folks going to school are interest free, with full repayment assistance available until their income surpasses $40,000 per year.
A 78-year-old senior in Quebec with a maximum GIS entitlement could receive more than $2,000 in additional support in 2023. That is $2,000 in seniors' pockets thanks to the grocery rebate, the GIS top-up increase for single seniors, and the 10% old age security increase for people 75 and up.
However, we know that more needs to be done to support Canadians, especially through these times when global inflation has had an impact on all economies throughout the world. That is why our government has taken further action in the 2023 fall economic statement to support the middle class and build more homes faster.
To help Canadians with mortgages, our government is moving forward with the new Canadian mortgage charter, which details the relief Canadians can expect from their banks if they are in financial difficulty.
We also understand that when it comes to housing, there is an important issue on the supply side. There is simply not enough homes for Canadians. We have known this for years. We know that we need to increase the supply of homes. We have no choice; we need to do it. There are many reasons for this. We are attracting newcomers from all over the world, whether it is in the global high-tech stream, family reunification, express entry or firms putting forward LMIAs.
We are a magnet for talent from all over the world wanting to come to live, work and invest in Canada, which is a foreign concept for the official opposition. Foreign companies wishing to invest in Canada is a great thing. We need to champion it. Literally millions of Canadians work for foreign companies that have invested in Canada, and I cannot believe the official opposition does not like that.
We also understand that when it comes to housing, we need more supply. That is why we are accelerating our work to build more homes faster. Indeed, the Deputy Prime Minister announced last week in the 2023 fall economic statement that we would introduce billions of dollars in new financing to build more homes faster.
To make housing in this country more affordable, we will put forward measures to crack down on short-term rentals. We really want homes to be used for Canadians to live in. We will also take steps to increase the number of construction workers from coast to coast to coast.
I have been talking about housing measures, but cost of living challenges also include basic needs, such as groceries. Obviously, we see that as a major problem, so we are putting forward concrete measures to tackle it.
For example, we are going to amend the Competition Act and the Competition Tribunal Act to ensure Canadians have more choice, through competition, in where they take their business. The Competition Tribunal is something I hold dearly. We need to modernize it, and we are. We have done this with Bill C-34 and with other bills, as well as measures in Bill C-56. We need to move forward on that.
Capitalism is a wonderful thing, but capitalism only exists when there are rules and regulation and competition is encouraged, which fosters innovation, choice and lower prices. The more competition we have, the better our economy functions and better jobs happen. I am a big believer in new processes and new industries being created, and that is what is happening in Canada, whether it is in artificial intelligence, fintech or the many sectors across our beautiful country.
Together with Bill C-56, we will strengthen the tools and powers available to the Competition Bureau to enable it to crack down on abuses of dominance by bigger companies, including those intended to keep out competition, such as predatory pricing. Companies should pay for predatory pricing.
We will further modernize merger reviews, including by empowering the Competition Bureau to better detect and address killer acquisitions and other anti-competitive mergers. This is very important. Canadians deserve better, always—
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- Nov/28/23 2:01:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, indigenous peoples in urban areas cannot afford to wait any longer for transitional housing. In my riding of Brantford—Brant, 28 indigenous women have gone missing and 13 have been killed, three of whom were pregnant. They were left on the streets and were living in encampments or in abusive environments.
The demand for housing for urban indigenous people in Brantford—Brant and across this country has reached a crisis, and this will continue to compound by the lack of second-stage housing for women and girls and two-spirited indigenous peoples. This alarming situation is a direct consequence of the inadequate awareness and funding extended to urban indigenous communities. Immediate action is imperative.
In recognition of Housing on the Hill, I rise today to demand that the government prioritize indigenous housing. It is time for urban indigenous communities to receive a spot at the table and the funding they urgently require.
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- Nov/28/23 2:52:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, people with full-time jobs are sleeping in their cars, yet the Liberals are delaying funding for public housing until 2025. Experts are saying that investing in community housing is not only socially responsible but economically sound. Deloitte just released a report that says increasing the community housing stock could boost GDP by up to $136 billion. While the corporate-controlled Conservative leader is off demonizing community housing, the Bank of Canada says it is anti-inflationary.
Will the Liberals stop delaying housing investments in the fall economic statement to get affordable housing built now?
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- Nov/28/23 2:52:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for joining me this morning to discuss the need to build more affordable housing with community housing providers, who are in Ottawa today.
With respect, the crisis we are dealing with nationally is a result of 30 years of failure to invest in affordable housing. We changed that with the adoption of the national housing strategy in 2017 and continue to advance measures today. The fall economic statement included a recapitalization of our affordable housing programs to the tune of $1 billion and an additional $300 million that will flow early in the new year, just weeks from now.
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- Nov/28/23 3:10:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.
Our government is tackling affordability issues and environmental issues at the same time. We are scaling up affordable housing in Canada by making it easier to access mortgage relief. We are offering Canadian families incentives to help them save thousands every year on their energy bills, and we are helping them make the switch to electric heat pumps with an investment of $500 million over four years.
On this side of the House, we are delivering results for Canadians on affordability and on the environment.
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