44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 30, 2021 10:00AM
- Nov/30/21 2:33:39 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, here are the facts: In our six years of being in government, we have spent $4.5 billion a year to build more housing in this country for Canadians. The Conservative record is $250 million a year. Those are the facts—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
49 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:34:00 p.m.
- Watch
I want to hear the answer because it was a good question. Maybe the minister could start over, right from the beginning. This way we will be able to hear it.
31 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:34:11 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, in our six years in office, for every year that we have been in power, we have spent $4.5 billion investing and providing more housing for Canadians. What is the Conservative record? It is $250 million a year.
Second, when we brought in the Canada housing benefit to put money directly into the pockets of Canadians so they could pay their rent, Conservatives voted against it. When we brought in help for co-ops, the best form of housing for middle-class Canadians, they voted against it. When we put forward rapid housing initiatives for cities to build permanent housing solutions for the most vulnerable, they voted against it.
112 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:35:00 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, let us get this straight. When Conservatives were in power, according to him, we spent $250 million on housing, and the average house cost Canadians $450,000. With Liberals now in power, they are spending 27 billion tax dollars, and the average house costs $720,000. Housing is now not just more expensive for taxpayers, it is more expensive for home buyers. Failing is bad. Failing expensively is even worse.
Why do we have the second biggest housing bubble in the world?
84 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:35:45 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Canadians can see through that partisan rhetoric. The fact is that Conservatives invested zero dollars in co-ops, and they unloaded housing costs to municipalities and provinces. The reason we have a housing crisis is because they had no leadership in housing for their time in office.
Here are some more facts: We brought in federal leadership in housing. We introduced the national housing strategy. We are working more than ever before with municipalities, and we are bringing in a first-time home buyer incentive to make sure we are turning Canadians into home buyers.
97 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:36:21 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, he seems to be bragging that he is the most expensive housing minister in Canadian history. Not only are Canadians spending more when they buy a house, now they have to pay more on their taxes for the failed programs that this minister and the government put in place to inflate the housing bubble to begin with. Canada has the second biggest housing bubble in the world, behind a tiny island in the South Pacific called New Zealand. Every other country has less housing inflation.
What is causing this massive bubble? Is it just inflation?
97 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:37:01 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, since the member for Carleton has referred to inflation, let us do a little fact checking of what we heard in the House earlier today. The member for Louis-Saint-Laurent referred to Germany having higher inflation than Canada. I would urge the hon. members to check their facts before they come into this House because this morning Germany reported 6% inflation. The eurozone this morning reported 4.9% inflation.
Even the Leader of the Opposition has admitted he understands that inflation is a global phenomenon. I wish other members of his party would listen to him sometimes.
100 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:37:46 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, maybe the Prime Minister will listen to the Deputy Prime Minister's book, and in that book she could explain how she has managed to create the second biggest housing bubble in the world. In fact, Vancouver has the second highest home prices on earth. Toronto is number five. They are more expensive than Manhattan; San Francisco; London, England; and other places with far less land, far more people and far more money. This is housing inflation that has resulted since the government unleashed a torrent of money printing.
Will the finance minister finally tell us what is causing this housing bubble? Is it just inflation?
108 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:38:33 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives really disagree with Stephen Poloz, appointed by Stephen Harper as governor of the Bank of Canada, and they really believe that COVID was the time for austerity, then it is time for them to come clean with Canadians and talk about what they would have cut.
Would they have cut the CERB, which supported nine million Canadians who lost their jobs? Would they have cut the wage subsidy, which supported 450,000 employers and kept 5.3 million hard-working people on the payroll? Would they have cut CEBA, which supported nearly 900,000 businesses? Canadians need to know.
104 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:39:28 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the fossil fuel industry plans to drill 1,363 new wells in 2022. Most of them will be for oil. However, Canada is fully supplied; there is no demand for more oil. Clearly, that oil must be intended for export, and a pipeline will be needed to reach global markets. However, the only new export pipeline project is Trans Mountain, which is owned by the government.
In the midst of a climate emergency, will the minister denounce the increase in oil production and confirm that his government will not promote it through its pipeline?
96 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:40:23 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, a global effort is under way to stop climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions. As Her Excellency the Governor General mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, our government will cap emissions from the energy sector in a way that will protect both jobs and the environment. We are committed to capping and reducing emissions in the energy sector by 2050, and the entire country will, of course, be carbon neutral.
76 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:40:53 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the government is defending the indefensible. I want to continue talking about Trans Mountain. The flooding in British Columbia unearthed entire sections of the pipeline and exposed them to debris. Trans Mountain is now at an increased risk of spills because of climate change. The project is doubly harmful. On the one hand, it is accelerating climate change and, on the other hand, climate change is increasing the risk of spills. It is a lose-lose situation for the environment.
How can the minister support an increase in dirty oil exports through his pipeline that is doubly harmful?
100 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:41:45 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the government is working with the industry, including Trans Mountain, to decarbonize the energy sector and cap emissions while still remaining competitive and maintaining energy security, affordability and market access. The Trans Mountain expansion allows us to use the resources we have now and the revenue they have generated to fund tomorrow's green energy solutions. We must work together with all Canadians and all regions across the country.
71 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:43:04 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, historically, Nova Scotia has been excluded from softwood lumber duties and tariffs imposed by the U.S. because any exemption earned in litigation is carried forward to future agreements. These exemptions have always been defended by Canada, until now. Nova Scotia has not received a firm commitment from the government that this exemption will be preserved.
Will the government commit to Nova Scotia's lumber workers that this exemption will be defended?
74 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:43:42 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, we will always defend the interests of the forestry sector and the workers it employs. In a relationship as large as the one we have with the United States, we will always work together to solve and resolve issues. I will be speaking to my counterpart, the U.S. trade representative, later this afternoon, and I am pleased that tomorrow I will lead a team Canada group, which includes members from all sides of the House, to Washington to continue our government's advocacy and to stand up for Canadian interests.
93 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:44:22 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Canadians were once again blindsided by the doubling of tariffs on Canadian lumber. This is another example of the Prime Minister failing Canadians and failing Canada's natural resource sector. In my own riding, there are mills that continue to suffer as a result of the Prime Minister's failure on international trade. Historically, New Brunswick has been exempt from these tariffs, and the operators believe they should still be exempt.
When will the Prime Minister get off the backs of Canadian workers, including those in the natural resource and forestry sectors, and stand up for their interests, including those in New Brunswick?
105 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:45:02 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Canadian softwood lumber is an absolute priority for our federal government. I am looking forward to tomorrow to take a team Canada to Washington, where we will stand up for Canada. We will continue to advocate for Canadian businesses, for the forestry sector and for the workers they employ. We have done this before and we will continue to stand up for Canadians.
65 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:45:31 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, U.S. trade representative Tai has been waiting since May to start negotiations on softwood lumber. Yesterday, the Minister of International Trade stated in the House that the softwood lumber industry will provide her with a mandate on negotiating with the United States.
U.S. tariffs on softwood have been in place since 2015. It has been six years. Please do not tell me the minister does not yet know what the industry wants.
76 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:46:00 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Canada has taken up this issue through CUSMA, at the NAFTA panel and at the WTO. In 2020, it was ruled that Canada was indeed a fair trading partner. We are going to continue to stand up for the rights of Canada's forestry sector and its workers.
I have shared with the U.S. trade representative and U.S. interlocutors that of course we would be open to an agreement that will bring predictability and stability, but we are not going to take any agreement. We are going to negotiate an agreement that is a good agreement for Canada.
102 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/30/21 2:46:39 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I think the agreement we have for Canada right now under the government is pretty bad. I mean, they doubled the tariffs.
Given that the most noteworthy trade event the minister has been involved in was an ice cream parlour in Beijing, can she please let the House know if she intends to give the Americans notice that we intend to litigate under chapter 10 of CUSMA regarding the tariffs, or if we intend to give notice on any other retaliatory measures and what those are? It has been six years. It is time to act.
98 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
