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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 13

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 8, 2021 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Randy Boissonnault (Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Dec/8/21 8:43:27 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is nice to see you in the chair again. In the member's area, represented by the ACOA, a regional development agency, the regional relief and recovery fund provided more than $225 million to businesses in Atlantic Canada going through difficult times. It helped protect more than 16,000 jobs and supported close to 2,500 businesses. Our message to small businesses, including in the tourism sector, is clear: We are here for them now and we will work with them to help relaunch the economy. The Canadian economy will not fully recover until the tourism sector has recovered. As my hon. colleague knows, and as we are encouraging all members in the House to recognize, we need support for Bill C-2. It is what operators in the tourism sector are asking us for. Bill C-2 would help hotels, motels, cottages, B & Bs, youth hostels, restaurants, food trucks, caterers, cafés, tour operators, theatres, music halls, charter buses, dinner cruises, holiday horse carriages, museums, heritage sites, zoos, botanical gardens, gyms, sports centres, ski resorts, leisure boat docks, amusement parks, dance halls, kids camps, hunting camps, fishing camps, cinemas, drive-in theatres and much more.
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Mr. Darren Fisher
  • Dec/8/21 8:44:54 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I often hear the Conservatives say that we have invested too much in taking care of Canadians. I think about that cost versus the cost of inaction. I wonder if the minister could talk about what this scenario might have been like if we had not invested in Canadians and Canadian businesses.
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Hon. Randy Boissonnault
  • Dec/8/21 8:45:20 p.m.
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Madam Chair, during the course of the pandemic, it was clear that the Conservatives wanted to embrace a policy of austerity, and they really believed that the COVID lockdowns were a time for cutting back. They thought that in this time of crisis, the government should have told Canadians to just stick it out on their own. Well, that is not our approach, and it is not the approach we took. We chose a process of investment and an approach of compassion, and that is why we have had one of the fastest recovered recessions in Canadian history, with 106% of jobs recovered since the base of the pandemic.
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Mr. Darren Fisher
  • Dec/8/21 8:46:00 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I might be a little biased, but Nova Scotia is the most beautiful part of the country. There is so much to see. We need to make sure that tour operators, for instance, have what they need to get through these challenging times. Perhaps my hon. colleague could highlight the government's latest support measures to help keep this particular type of business afloat.
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Hon. Randy Boissonnault
  • Dec/8/21 8:46:26 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would like to highlight for my hon. colleague our $500-million tourism relief fund, which started in July. We are encouraging members from all parties of the House to get people to apply for grants of up to $100,000, with 50% matching, or for repayable loans of up to $500,000, representing 75% of a project, to make their tourism asset more attractive.
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Mr. Darren Fisher
  • Dec/8/21 8:46:55 p.m.
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Madam Chair, our government has moved at lightning speed throughout this pandemic to get support to people, organizations and businesses that needed it the most. We have listened to the incredible feedback that our constituents provide to us on a regular basis to make sure that we close the gaps and do our very best to make sure that no businesses are left behind. Businesses that are struggling the most must have the support they need. I would ask the hon. minister to please explain more about how our government's support measures moving forward will help businesses make it through this challenging time and keep—
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The Deputy Chair
  • Dec/8/21 8:47:30 p.m.
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I am going to allow the hon. minister to respond.
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Hon. Randy Boissonnault
  • Dec/8/21 8:47:35 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would like to thank the great staff at ACOA for the work they are doing to help people in the hon. member's part of the country. The regional development agencies from coast to coast to coast will continue to be there for businesses.
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Mr. Matt Jeneroux (Edmonton Riverbend, CPC)
  • Dec/8/21 8:47:54 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is a pleasure to be here, and I will let the House know that I am splitting my time with the member for Kildonan—St. Paul. To the minister, how does the government intend to increase housing supply in Canada.
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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos (Minister of Health, Lib.)
  • Dec/8/21 8:48:15 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will first mention that the national housing strategy is the first-ever housing strategy in Canada. We implemented it in 2017, and it led to other measures.
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Mr. Matt Jeneroux
  • Dec/8/21 8:48:29 p.m.
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Madam Chair, does the minister know we have been told that 1.8 million houses are needed in Canada. How does the minister intend to increase supply in Canada?
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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos
  • Dec/8/21 8:48:46 p.m.
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Madam Chair, one million is the number of Canadians who have been helped since the introduction of the national housing strategy in 2017.
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Mr. Matt Jeneroux
  • Dec/8/21 8:48:55 p.m.
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Madam Chair, let me help the minister out a little. His plan says they are going to create 100,000 houses. When are they going to do that? They will do it in four years. How is the minister going to get 1.7 million more houses in the next 12 months?
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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos
  • Dec/8/21 8:49:10 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I think the member may have misunderstood. I spoke about one million Canadians who have been helped with paying their rent since the introduction of the national housing strategy.
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Mr. Matt Jeneroux
  • Dec/8/21 8:49:23 p.m.
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Madam Chair, so we are still 1.7 million short. The Conservatives had a plan using federal infrastructure dollars to create more housing and off-load 15% of government assets. What do the Liberals think of that plan?
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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos
  • Dec/8/21 8:49:38 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am sorry to say, and I say it with some respect and regret, that what the Conservatives were proposing in the campaign would have helped rich landlords sell their stock of housing.
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Mr. Matt Jeneroux
  • Dec/8/21 8:49:53 p.m.
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Madam Chair, Canada owns 41 million hectares. I am trying to draw the connection here for the minister. How exactly will the Liberal minister create more housing supply?
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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos
  • Dec/8/21 8:50:09 p.m.
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Madam Chair, an example is the $4-billion accelerator fund, which we are going to invest in municipalities and provinces, because we know that to partner with them is key to solving the housing crisis.
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Mr. Matt Jeneroux
  • Dec/8/21 8:50:21 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the accelerator fund he speaks of creates 100,000 homes in four years. We went through that already. With 1.3 million empty homes in Canada, how do we solve this issue of getting more housing supply for Canadians?
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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos
  • Dec/8/21 8:50:40 p.m.
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Madam Chair, another example is the rental housing construction initiative, a $26-billion investment in support of housing builders in Canada. That is going to create tens of thousands of new homes.
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