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Kevin Vuong

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
Independent

Spadina—Fort York
Ontario
Voting Attendance: 62%
Expenses Last Quarter: $144,966.01

Government Page

Context: House Hansard - 128 - Nov/16/22

Nov/16/22 7:13:13 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I have two questions. One, does my hon. colleague believe that the government should be instituting a comprehensive plan to help Canadians cope with the record food costs and the high interest rates? Two, given how there are other metrics that lag, I would suggest that food bank usage is as close to a real-time indicator that really demonstrates or illustrates, quite frankly, how Canadians are doing, particularly those who are most vulnerable. It should be monitored and used to inform public policy. Would my hon. colleague agree that food bank usage is a metric the government should begin monitoring?

103 words

Context: House Hansard - 128 - Nov/16/22

Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.)

Nov/16/22 7:07:29 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, in my question on September 28, I pointed out to the government that in Restaurants Canada's annual report, over the last 12 months 43% more restaurants had closed than opened. Additionally, the Business Development Bank of Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada report that our nation’s small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, are responsible for 10 million jobs in our country. Like all SMEs, restaurants help to employ 88.3% of Canada’s private labour force. However, all is far from well. In August 2022, for the first time in history, there were over 180,000 client visits in one month to the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto. In prepandemic times, just to put it in context, it would have had 60,000 client visits. If we fast-forward to January 2022, with the increases in inflation, there were 120,000 visits and, as mentioned earlier, in the most recent reported figure in August, that number has tripled, from 60,000 prepandemic to 180,000 client visits in one month. There is serious hardship here. Many Canadians face a really harsh winter. This reality is not some partisan thing; it is a very serious situation. It is one thing for a senior minister to suggest that it is not going to be an easy time for Canadians, that it is not going to be an easy time for Canada and that we have to make do with today’s realities. Does the government have any other viable plan, and if so, what is it?

265 words

Context: House Hansard - 104 - Sep/28/22

Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.)

Sep/28/22 3:16:15 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, according to Restaurants Canada, over the last 12 months, 43% more restaurants have closed than opened. In my riding, restaurants are paying as much as three times more for food and materials. Prepandemic, vegetable oil was only $16 for 16 litres. Today, it is $53. With businesses fighting to survive and with few tourists brave enough to visit a Canadian airport, what is the government's latest answer to curbing rampant inflation and soaring food prices, beyond reannouncing programs that may or may not come into existence in this decade?

92 words

Context: House Hansard - 82 - Jun/6/22

Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.)

Jun/6/22 3:08:58 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I recently met with the secretary general of the Polish Red Cross. She indicated that their need right now is for money or food. They can no longer help Afghan refugees destined for Canada. There is also a global food shortage on the horizon, a product of Russia's blocking of Ukrainian grain exports. Chad has announced it is facing catastrophe, and other African nations will soon follow. Does the government have any plan to assist Poland and address the emerging food crisis? Will it move to increase the availability of Canadian wheat, or as with Afghanistan, is the government's head buried in the sand while people are facing death?

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Member of Parliament

Kevin Vuong