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Decentralized Democracy

Member of Parliament

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
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?
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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
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