Hon. Victor Oh: Honourable senators, I rise today in commemoration of Asian Heritage Month.

May is a special month in the Asian Canadian community. This is a time for our country to celebrate the contributions and recognize the sacrifices of Canadians of Asian descent and to reflect on the many challenges faced throughout our nation’s history.

With the one hundredth anniversary of the Chinese head tax and Chinese Exclusion Act this year and the influx of anti-Asian sentiment since the COVID-19 pandemic, this community has not only persevered but thrived and significantly influenced Canada into the prosperous nation it is today.

I was honoured to attend the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs’ twenty-sixth awards gala in April. This annual event recognizes the significant contributions of nine forward-thinking pioneers of entrepreneurial spirit who have exemplified business success and contributed enormously to the community in service and philanthropy. As they told of their many hurdles, I felt proud to know that we live in a nation that nurtures the spirit of innovation that contributes to job creation and economic growth.

Colleagues, in my closing, I would like to reiterate that Canada would not be the country it is today without the contributions of the Asian Canadian community. However, I stand here proudly to acknowledge that Canada is a beacon of hope and light on the global stage in such a time of fear and uncertainty. It is a haven of multiculturalism and cultural inclusivity as we all strive to commend the contributions of our diverse citizens.

This Asian Heritage Month, let us honour Asian Canadians’ resilience and celebrate our nation’s multi-ethnic mosaic by participating in and supporting our local Asian heritage celebrations.

Thank you. Xie xie.

Hon. Victor Oh: My question is for the government leader in the Senate.

Senator Gold, a recent report from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada details the struggles that many Canadians are facing just to pay for their daily life. Their report entitled Consumer Vulnerability: Evidence from the Monthly COVID-19 Financial Well-being Survey shows that 38% of Canadians say they have to borrow money to cover their daily expenses — up from 26% in 2020.

The use of online moneylenders or payday loans by Canadians to manage daily expenses has more than tripled, and almost a third of Canadians reported that they are short on money at the end of the month. Leader, recent immigrants, Indigenous people and women were particularly vulnerable in each of these findings.

In light of this report, why did the Trudeau government believe that this was a good time to increase taxes?