Senator Gold: Canadians don’t have to wait because the government does take the economy seriously, as reflected not only in the details of the Fall Economic Statement, but also in the credit ratings of well-known and respected rating agencies.

Senator Gold: The government has no plans to “cancel their planned tax hikes.” The measures in place are responsible and prudent.

The government is also investing in Canadians, both in people and in our infrastructure, and in the future of our economy in a responsible and sustainable way.

[Translation]

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question.

The fact is that the benefits the government has announced — and that the minister has defended, ably and publicly, in recent weeks — is money that will go to the Canadians who need it the most: low-income, working Canadians. Indeed, the current benefits will benefit over 4.2 million low-income, working Canadians, which is up from previous numbers of about 3 million.

Again, in times of rising costs — an issue which has been, as I said, properly underlined and which we all should be preoccupied with — this is one example out of many of the responsible initiatives the government is taking to help Canadians get through this difficult period.

Senator Gold: The government is serious about inflation, and it is taking measures necessary to address it while helping Canadians weather the storm at the same time.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question.

The government respects the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer and its views, but the government, as Minister Freeland has stated publicly, doesn’t agree with that assessment. The government, through prudent management of the economy and the resources available to it, has made a responsible decision to invest some — although not all — in helping Canadians through the difficult times, properly underlined by you and others in this chamber, in the face of cost of living challenges for all Canadians.

This government is responsible. It takes its responsibility seriously. That means having to do many things at once, such as managing the economy in a fiscally prudent way — especially coming out of the extraordinary expenditures that we in this chamber authorized to help Canadians through the pandemic — while at the same time helping Canadians as they struggle with the inevitably higher cost of living that worldwide inflation, inflation in Canada and other measures impose.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The government takes this backlog very seriously and is applying itself diligently to address it. It is a real problem, and we understand the difficulty and hardship that it causes to people who cannot get answers as quickly as they would like and as they should.

The government remains committed and is continuing — and will continue — to address this problem to the fullest extent possible.

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. The government is committed to increasing immigration to Canada to address the labour needs of this country, our need for the economy to continue to grow and to continue to attract talented, competent, able people to enrich our society.

With regard to the immigration processes, again, the government acknowledges the backlogs are serious. The government is applying itself to them and will continue to do so, even as it seeks to welcome more immigrants to Canada.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you. The problems that Canadians are feeling, whether it’s expressed in insolvency, regrettable as it is, or in increased costs of living and housing, are a serious preoccupation of this government. Indeed, all governments — provincial, territorial and municipal — are addressing them to the fullest extent possible.

Canada has put in place a fiscal policy which includes both tax measures, incentive measures and benefits. It is a balanced and prudent one, and it is helping Canadians each and every day, and it’s helping our economy generally progress forward.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. As the government continues to develop Canada’s strategy for Africa, it also continues to work with key partners to advance our shared priorities, including peace, security and prosperity.

That is why the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs visited South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal and Nigeria this year to strengthen those ties. That is also why the government announced the opening of a new Office of the High Commission in Kigali and the establishment of a dedicated mission and permanent observer to the African Union. I’m told that the government will soon have more to say about the next steps in the Africa strategy.

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. As I said, the government is currently developing the strategy and will announce details soon.

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. This is very much still something that the government is committed to, and I’m told that the government is working on it in an ongoing fashion, and it looks forward to announcing further details in due course.