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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 14

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 9, 2021 10:00AM
  • Dec/9/21 2:20:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. We are the party in government that brought federal leadership back into the housing issue by bringing in the national housing strategy. We have committed to implement a $4 billion housing accelerator fund. We will also make enhancements to the first-time home buyer incentive and put in a rent-to-own program to turn more Canadian renters into homeowners.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:20:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, national leadership? We are the only country with housing price increases approaching 40%, and food inflation is the worst it has been in more than a decade. Next year, it is going to take another $1,000 out of every family's budget. Canadians are going to be paying more for everything from bread to vegetables, and paycheques are already being squeezed to the breaking point. My question is pretty simple. Maybe that minister will answer, after the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have refused. Will the Liberals finally start thinking about monetary policy?
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  • Dec/9/21 2:21:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member across the way knows that the Bank of Canada mandate is reviewed every five years. This process is under review right now. The bank has undertaken an extensive process on this matter. There have been good conversations between the government and the Bank of Canada. We look forward to announcing the results of that review in due course.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:21:37 p.m.
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“We are increasingly concerned that the BoC’s mandate may change.” Mr. Speaker, that is a quote from one of Canada's leading economists, and that quote should have all Canadians concerned. Young Canadians are already priced out of owning a home. All Canadians are watching their grocery bills go up by thousands of dollars and the Liberals want the bank to stop trying to control inflation. The Prime Minister was asked 11 times yesterday and did not answer, so maybe the new minister will answer. Why is the Liberal government going to abandon the Bank of Canada's 2% inflation target?
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  • Dec/9/21 2:22:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. Leader of the Opposition knows that the Bank of Canada is independent and has been so since 1991, when monetary policy became its province. Canada was the second country in the world to establish an independent central bank, an approach that has become an international best practice. Canadians quite rightly expect better from all MPs than taking cheap shots at the strong, independent institutions that have served the national interest with so much predictability and good service.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:22:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all parents want to give their children a better future. The dream of owning their first home is out of reach for young people because of this government. The Liberals want the Bank of Canada to stop controlling inflation. Why is this government abandoning future generations?
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  • Dec/9/21 2:23:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all Canadians deserve safe and affordable housing. The fact of the matter is that we brought federal leadership back into the housing market. Every single time we proposed more investments in affordable housing, the leader of the official opposition and his party voted against that. When we brought in measures to bring in the first-time home buyer incentive, they voted against that. Even today, there is no mention of affordable housing in their motion. They have no credibility on this issue.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:23:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve the truth. Prices are going up but wages are stagnant. Inflation is out of control and the Liberals are doing nothing. Canadian families are watching their grocery bills get higher every week. The necessities, like food, are not affordable. Why are the Liberals doing away with the Bank of Canada's 2% inflation target?
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  • Dec/9/21 2:24:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that inflation and affordability are pressing issues for Canadians. We know these are global phenomena, not a problem unique to Canada. I also want to reassure Canadians that we are working hard to make life more affordable for them. Our child care plan will reduce family expenses significantly. We are determined to make the cost of living more affordable.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:24:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, travel is complicated. After going through 108 steps at the border, travellers have to go home and take a COVID‑19 test. Then they have to quarantine and wait for the results. Some time later, having heard nothing, they figure they do not have COVID‑19. They go out in the community. They go to restaurants. The thing is, not getting results does not mean they do not have COVID‑19, because the government loses 30% of those tests. That is what the Auditor General told us today: three of every 10 tests go missing or are incorrectly identified. When will the government start doing its job properly?
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  • Dec/9/21 2:25:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for giving me the opportunity to thank the Auditor General, who plays a fundamental role in our democracy and in Parliament. We greatly appreciate her review, and we will take her perspective and her findings into consideration as we look forward and continue to protect the health and safety of Canadians.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:25:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, travellers go home, take a COVID-19 test, quarantine themselves and wait for the results. After a while, they do not hear back so they assume they do not have COVID-19.They start going out into the community and going to restaurants. If they never hear from the officials, it may be because 14% of those who tested positive were never contacted by the feds. That means 1,156 people had COVID-19 and did not know they had it. I do not even know whether to laugh or cry. How could such a fiasco have happened?
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  • Dec/9/21 2:26:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this gives me the opportunity to remind people that COVID‑19 is not over. Just this morning, we heard the health minister in the United Kingdom say that in the next few weeks or months, there could be one million cases of the omicron variant in that country. In Canada, that would be the equivalent of 20,000 cases of that variant a day, or twice as many as the highest case number we have seen in the past 20 months. That is why we must continue to work together to protect people's health here in Canada.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:26:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary budget office released a report today, which makes it clear that inequality is growing in Canada. Wealth is being concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. Workers struggling on lower incomes have fewer and fewer resources, which is not surprising. We also know the pandemic has probably made all of this even worse. As we know, the pandemic has hurt working-class people and lower-income folks more than those at the top. All of this underlines how important it is to have a fair taxation system. Why does the Prime Minister continue to refuse to tax the super wealthy and invest those resources into making life more affordable for people?
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  • Dec/9/21 2:27:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us review some of the ways that we are making life more affordable for Canadians: A single mom with two kids will receive $13,600 from the Canada child benefit; the average family in Saskatchewan will get almost $1,000 back with the carbon price rebate; seniors received $500 this month; we are increasing OAS by 10%; and a student will save more than $3,000 with the changes we made to the program. That is how we are making life more affordable. We will continue to do so.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:28:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that does not change the reality. Inequality is growing in Canada. The Parliamentary Budget Office released a report that clearly shows inequalities are on the rise. It is quite likely that the pandemic has aggravated the situation. This is another reminder of the importance of having fair and equitable taxation. Why is the Prime Minister refusing to bring in taxation that would see the ultrarich pay their fair share, which could be invested in people and make their life more affordable?
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  • Dec/9/21 2:28:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to asking those who prospered during the pandemic to help a little more for those who did not. Our platform committed to raise corporate income taxes on the largest, most profitable banks in the country, as well as insurance companies, and introduced a temporary Canada recovery dividend given that they have recovered faster. We are also working to implement a global minimum tax and 136 OECD/G20 inclusive framework members have signed up.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:29:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, amidst the cost-of-living crisis, hard-working Albertans are being forced to pay more and more for everyday goods. For example, I recently heard from a constituent who had to pay more than $77 for two small cuts of beef, and yet the Liberals seem content to just dismiss the real-life implications of this crisis as simply a global issue, but that does not help my constituents afford the products they need every day. Does the government really believe it is just inflation or is the Prime Minister just incompetent?
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  • Dec/9/21 2:29:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since taking office, this government has been focused on making life more affordable for Canadians. The very first vote I took in this place was to lower taxes on the middle class. We introduced the Canada child benefit to support families. We increased supports for seniors, lowered small business taxes, increased the Canada workers benefit, increased the Canada student grant, all making life more affordable. In Alberta, thanks to the child care deal, Albertans will save thousands of dollars a month starting January 1. Life will be more affordable for Canadians. That is what we will do.
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  • Dec/9/21 2:30:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in my riding, there are entire areas in towns like Canmore where people are living in their vehicles. What does the member say to them? There are parents who have to make a decision about whether they are going to give their kids lunches for school or a Christmas gift. What does he say to them? There are people who cannot afford gas to drive to work. There are seniors who cannot afford to eat. What does he say to them? They do not want to hear about all the money the government can spend. They want to hear about actual results and they are not seeing anything from the Liberal government. What is the government going to do about it?
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