44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 10, 2024 02:00PM
- Apr/10/24 2:23:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when I was minister, the cost of housing was half of what it is today, and hundreds of thousands of housing units were being built with low interest rates. Today we learned that the Bank of Canada will not be lowering interest rates. Why is that? The Bank of Canada Governor said that if the government spends too much, the bank will be forced to keep interest rates high, which will force people into bankruptcy.
Will the Prime Minister accept my common-sense plan to fix the budget with a dollar-for-dollar rule to bring down interest rates?
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- Apr/10/24 2:24:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader spoke a moment ago about the Government of Quebec. I was speaking about the municipalities. With the leadership of the Quebec government, we signed an agreement to build 8,000 affordable housing units in the coming months. During his term as minister responsible for housing, the Conservative leader created six affordable housing units, and yet he called Quebec’s municipalities, including Quebec City, incompetent.
When will he agree to come with me and meet Quebec City municipal officials to apologize in person?
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- Apr/10/24 2:25:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will never apologize for keeping housing costs low when I was the minister of housing, but if someone was hoping for some interest rate relief today, as a mortgage holder or as someone with a small business loan or a line of credit, they got some bad news: The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. Rates are staying high long because, as the Governor of the Bank of Canada said, if government spending grows, then interest rates will have to stay high to combat the resulting inflation.
Why will the Prime Minister not accept my common-sense plan to fix the budget with a dollar-for-dollar law to bring down rates?
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- Apr/10/24 2:25:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is possible to be prudent fiscally and have strong social programs as well. That is exactly what the government does with its AAA credit rating, the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7 and historically low unemployment.
At the same time, we have a national school food program on the table of $1 billion and supports for child care and early learning, as well as for renters and homeowners. That is what we do on this side of the House. Every day is a great day to fight for Canadians.
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- Apr/10/24 2:26:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every day is not a great day when someone is living in a tent city or has had their mortgage double, or when they are part of a family for whom one in four children cannot get enough food, and the Liberals put forward a food program that does not have any food.
Instead, what they have done is doubled the national debt and driven up interest rates. Today we learned that the Bank of Canada is unable to bring rates down because the Prime Minister continues to make massive multi-billion-dollar inflationary spending.
Why will the Prime Minister not follow my common-sense plan to bring down the deficit and the rates?
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- Apr/10/24 2:27:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, wages are growing faster than inflation. Under the Conservatives, poverty was at 14.5%. When we replaced the Conservatives, we brought it down to 7.4%. We will continue to invest in Canadians with the supports for affordable housing, for renters and for early learning and child care, and because of our work, we will make life fairer for Canadians, unlike the Conservative leader, who is here for himself.
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- Apr/10/24 2:27:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are finding out today from the Bank of Canada that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.
In September, the bank governor said that if government spending were to grow, then interest rates would have to stay high. That was echoed by the former bank governor and incoming Liberal leader, Mark Carney, who indicated that he does not expect rates to fall quickly, and that it is partly because of a lack of fiscal discipline.
If the Prime Minister will not listen to me, why will he not listen to his successor and understand that he is not worth the cost of high interest rates?
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- Apr/10/24 2:28:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Apr/10/24 2:28:36 p.m.
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Order.
The hon. Minister for Innovation.
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- Apr/10/24 2:29:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope that the Conservatives will listen this time, because Canadians are watching at home.
We will take no lessons from the Conservatives. On this side of the House, we have a plan to build more houses. We have a plan to build more prosperity in this country. We have a plan to create more jobs. On the other side, they have slogans. Canadians are smart. They understand that slogans do not build homes. They understand that slogans do not create jobs. They understand that slogans do not create prosperity.
Every day is a good day to fight for Canadians, and that is what we are going to do.
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- Apr/10/24 2:30:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for the past three weeks the Prime Minister has made pre-budget announcements in Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction, but not today. No, today, he is at the Foreign Interference Commission. That means he does not have time for domestic interference. Health, schools, housing, dental care, early childhood centres, it is not the Bloc Québécois that fancies itself as the Government of Quebec, it is the Liberals.
Ottawa may well have the money, but Quebec has the expertise. If the Liberals want to help in an area under Quebec’s jurisdiction, they should increase the transfers. What are they waiting for?
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- Apr/10/24 2:30:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the time is always right to talk about the impact of federal investment for Quebeckers.
Let us start with child care services. A $6-billion investment over four years is helping give families, and women in particular, 35,000 new child care spaces. Naturally, this is helping boost family income and reduce poverty, while contributing to gender equality and childhood development—without interfering in anyone’s jurisdictions.
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- Apr/10/24 2:31:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is treating us to a veritable budget striptease, one item at a time.
The way things are going, we will be having a five-minute lock-up on April 16. There will be nothing left to announce. What will be left to spend after using billions of dollars to infringe upon Quebec's jurisdiction? What I know for sure is that competence is not a jurisdiction of the Liberal government: Phoenix, passports, ArriveCAN, processing of asylum seekers. Nevertheless, that is no reason to trample upon Quebec's jurisdiction.
Could it kindly transfer instead of encroach?
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- Apr/10/24 2:32:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am so happy to answer a second question and give a second example of how we are working very well together.
On the question of housing, two times $900 million equals $1.8 billion. This agreement, which we signed just a few weeks ago, will allow us to build the largest number of affordable housing units ever built in the history of the province of Quebec. This will greatly benefit Quebeckers, especially lower-income residents.
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- Apr/10/24 2:32:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Assembly of First Nations made it clear that this government is letting down indigenous people. Right now, the indigenous funding gap in infrastructure has risen to an astronomical $350 billion. That is not just a number on paper. It means that indigenous people are living in mouldy homes. It means that indigenous people do not have access to clean drinking water.
Why did the Liberal government turn its back on indigenous people?
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- Apr/10/24 2:33:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for decades and decades, Canada has underinvested in indigenous communities, and the Liberal government is putting a stop to that. We have increased funding for housing on first nations by 1,100%. While we know there is a long way to go, I want to thank the AFN for co-writing this report with us. It is very important to understand the size of the gap so that we can work even more quickly to close it together.
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- Apr/10/24 2:33:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is not just indigenous people the government is letting down, but also Canadians living with disabilities. Right now, Canadians living with disabilities are disproportionately living in poverty. According to Angus Reid, 90% of Canadians support a Canadian disability benefit, but the Liberal government continues to delay the implementation of this benefit, and the Conservatives voted against it.
Why is the Liberal government continuing to delay? Enough is enough. When will people get their cheques? When will people actually get the benefit?
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- Apr/10/24 2:34:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows extremely well that the Canada disability benefit is another concrete step to reduce poverty and to support Canadians who need it the most. This is our top priority. We are on track to deliver the benefit.
In the spirit of nothing without us, I want to take this opportunity to thank the disability community for their relentless advocacy and for the work they have been doing.
We will get it right and we will get it out for Canadians living with disabilities.
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Mr. Speaker, Tina from Orangeville just sent me a photo from the Orangeville Food Bank. There is no juice. There is no cereal. There are almost no diapers. That is because the people who used to donate food are now lined up for food. This is actually Canada after eight years of the corrupt, incompetent NDP-Liberal government.
Will the Prime Minister finally show he has even a modicum of compassion for Canadians and pass Conservative Bill C-234 to take all carbon taxes off all farmers, so that Canadians can once again afford food?
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- Apr/10/24 2:35:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important for this country to address the climate crisis that is facing us, and certainly Canadians understand that. There are significant costs that we are facing, including issues around wildfires as we move forward, if we do not address climate change. However, it is also important that we do that in a manner that is affordable.
Eight out of 10 Canadians get more money back from the carbon rebate than they pay in the price on pollution. If that is taken away, as the Leader of the Opposition would like to do, that would actually be attacking the poorest members in our society. Shame on them.
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