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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Apr/4/22 4:23:10 p.m.
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This is not a point of order. It is a point of debate. The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is rising on a point of order.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Apr/4/22 4:23:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on the point of order, there are 221 recommendations in this report that address just about every fiscal—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Apr/4/22 4:23:28 p.m.
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What the hon. member is trying to do is make a point of clarification and not a point of order. Again, I have already indicated that the other one was not a point of order. It is a point of debate, as is this other member's point. The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons has just a little over five minutes left, and then there will be 10 minutes for questions and comments. I would ask people to be patient. The hon. parliamentary secretary.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Apr/4/22 4:23:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I really believe I should get a bonus two minutes because I had to entertain points of order. Having said that, with respect to consultation, which is so very important, from the very beginning we have been working with Canadians in a very real and tangible way. An excellent example is what we have done with respect to seniors. In the first few months, there was a substantial commitment for the GIS increase. It was somewhere around $800 or $900 to max out. It literally lifted hundreds of people out of poverty in Winnipeg North. Seniors from Winnipeg North were lifted out of poverty because of that one particular initiative. I know members want to talk about something more recent. In the pandemic, we had one-time payments for both OAS and GIS. We also supported people by listening to the many different organizations that are out there to support seniors. We literally gave tens of millions of dollars to those organizations to enhance services for seniors during the pandemic. We have now brought forward a budget that is actually seeing a 10% increase in OAS for seniors over 75. We take the issue of consultation very seriously. We have a Minister of Finance and the finance department. As I have referenced before, the Prime Minister, over the years, has been very consistent in terms of his expectations of members of the Liberal caucus. That was to get the sense of, and be advocates for, the ridings that we represent and to bring the voices of our constituents to Ottawa. I believe that, in good part, we do that. We factor that in, along with the many different types of round tables, meetings and discussions that have been happening through a multitude of different ministers all focusing in with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. In a couple of days, we are going to see a budget that will reflect what Canadians really want to see. It is, first and foremost, going to be a team Canada-reflected budget on Thursday. I know to a certain degree that the far-right element within the Conservative Party, which has really raised its head in the last number of weeks, will likely be a little disappointed.

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Mr. Brad Vis

Apr/4/22 4:27:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on a point of order, the member is insinuating that there are members of the far right in the Conservative Party. That is completely false and inappropriate.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Apr/4/22 4:27:19 p.m.
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That is a point of debate. The hon. parliamentary secretary.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Apr/4/22 4:27:24 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do not mean to insinuate it. It is fact. That is the reality.

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Mr. Brad Vis

Apr/4/22 4:27:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on a point of order, that is completely inappropriate and it is not a fact. My family came to Canada. I am a member of the Conservative Party. One does not insinuate that I am a member of the far right. It is completely inappropriate and unbecoming of the member for Winnipeg North. I expect more from him.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Apr/4/22 4:27:57 p.m.
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Again, I just want to remind members to be careful. I know that one of the Speakers spoke to this last week and indicated that people should be judicious, and very careful, in some of the words that they are using. Again, I just want to remind the hon. member that it is still a point of debate. I do want to remind the parliamentary secretary to get back to his speech and to try to keep it focused on the debate that is before the House. He has two minutes left before there are 10 minutes of questions and comments.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Apr/4/22 4:28:38 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, maybe "Reformers” is a better word. There is a very strong Reformer element to the Conservative Party today. We can just look at some of the words we are hearing in their speeches, whether the words are inside this chamber or in what some of the leadership candidates are saying outside of the chamber. We need to recognize that Canadians as a whole see the true value of good governance and recognize that at times there is a need for government to develop social programs to really made a positive difference. There are Conservatives who will constantly talk about cutting taxes, and that is it: Cut taxes and deal with the deficit. That is their whole preoccupation. When I think of the people I represent there, I see there is more to being a member of Parliament than strictly fixating on cutting back on what the people of Canada need. There is a need, for example, to provide and support national health care, and now national child care. There is a need to support programs that put money directly into the pockets of people, such as OAS. There is a need to look at ways in which we can improve other programs to support people, such as an enhancement of the CPP, and to provide support through infrastructure dollars. Government has a role to play, and I am looking forward to a couple of days from now, when we will see a vision that is going to take us out of the pandemic and continue to put Canada on a road to prosperity.

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Mr. Scot Davidson (York—Simcoe, CPC)

Apr/4/22 4:30:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am looking for something to vote for. We have been waiting since 2019 in York—Simcoe for the Lake Simcoe clean-up fund. I know the members for Niagara Centre, Kingston and the Islands and Winnipeg North all know how badly that is needed. It was promised in 2019, and we are still waiting. I would also suggest to the member that I represent the Holland Marsh, again the soup and salad bowl of Canada. We are looking for programs for our farmers right now. Half of the farms are on propane; they want to move to natural gas, but there is nothing. Small businesses are on phase 1 hydro. They cannot move to phase 3 hydro. I would like the hon. member for Winnipeg North to comment on those points.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Apr/4/22 4:31:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, allow me to help my friend across the way. Bill C-8 takes a number of initiatives that the member is talking about. When he talks about helping small businesses, Bill C-8 does that. In talking about helping his constituents and again in the spirit of consultation, the member should take a look at what Bill C-8 does before he is obligated to vote against it. If he were to consult with his constituents, he would hear that there are a lot of positive measures in there, and I would encourage the member, not only on the concurrence motion but also on Bill C-8, to vote in favour. Better yet, let us pass the fall economic update report. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Apr/4/22 4:32:34 p.m.
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Before I go to the next speaker, I want to remind the hon. member and his colleagues that they had an opportunity to ask a question and they should be respectful when the answer is coming through, as opposed to talking and yelling across the way. Questions and comments. The hon. member for Berthier—Maskinongé.

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Mr. Yves Perron (Berthier—Maskinongé, BQ)

Apr/4/22 4:32:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his speech. However, I am rather tired of hearing the Liberals brag about how they have taken such good care of seniors. In his speech, my colleague once again reminded us that the Liberals increased old age security for seniors aged 75 and up. However, in doing so, they are creating two classes of seniors. When we ask them about that, we either get an interminable yet empty speech about how they are, have always been, and will always be there for seniors, or we are told we are trying to pick a fight. I would therefore ask the parliamentary secretary to give me a yes or no answer without giving me an interminable speech or telling me I am trying to pick a fight. Does he agree that OAS should be increased as of age 65 in order to avoid creating two classes of seniors, yes or no?

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Apr/4/22 4:33:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, at the end of the day, as I pointed out in my comments, we as a government have stepped up consistently to support our seniors in a multitude of different ways. I was able to touch upon a number of them. The increase in OAS for those 75 and older was an election platform promise that was made, and now it has been fulfilled. That promise was made in 2019. As a direct result, seniors aged 75 and older will get a substantial increase. The older one gets, generally speaking, the higher the need for supports. It was a positive policy move that was supported by Canadians, who gave us the mandate to increase it.

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Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)

Apr/4/22 4:34:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I listened closely to the parliamentary secretary's speech. I was particularly interested when he extolled his government's actions to address income inequality. It reminds me a little of the government's approach on climate: It does small, modest things to reduce emissions and then big things to increase emissions, and of course the net result is an overall increase. My question is quite simple. The Liberals have been in power for seven years, and I wonder if the parliamentary secretary can tell me if income inequality has become better or worse during that time.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Apr/4/22 4:35:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would reflect on the riding of Winnipeg North and say that literally hundreds of seniors have been lifted out of poverty, along with hundreds of young children. Readjusting the Canada child benefit program was quite significant. We no longer give millionaires money through that program, and there were substantial increases given. As I pointed out, there were increases to the GIS, which is for the poorest of seniors. There was the special tax on Canada's 1% wealthiest, while a tax break was given to Canada's middle class. We distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support organizations, in particular organizations that support youth, and there was enhancement to the summer youth program, which more than doubled, from what I understand, the total number of jobs. As a member of the government, I would challenge the member to tell me of another government, either provincial or federal, that has done a better job on income redistribution than this government has in the last six years.

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Mr. Kody Blois (Kings—Hants, Lib.)

Apr/4/22 4:36:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have to ask what we are doing here. Honest to God, what are we doing here? Yes, today we are debating a concurrence motion on a report from the finance committee. In three days, we are going to table a budget, and there will be a whole host of debates on the different elements in it.. Every time I have come into the House in the last two weeks and tried to figure out what is going on, it is a repeat of Bill C-8 continuously. We have debated this bill, and then the Conservatives bring this forward. They then stand and talk about measures that matter to their constituents, measures that the member rightly points out are in the legislation that they keep delaying. I love hearing from the member for Winnipeg North, but I do not need to hear him again talking about the government's good work. I do not. I want to hear something else. Can the member opposite at least talk about the delay? We need to get on with the legislative agenda of the government and this Parliament, and Conservatives need to stop delaying it.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Apr/4/22 4:37:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, to change focus a little, I would recognize that we are here today because the Conservatives continue to want to play a destructive force in the processing of legislation through the House of Commons. They do that by bringing forward, as they have done today, a concurrence report on something that is, quite frankly, just not warranted. We again started the debate on Bill C-8 earlier today, and the Conservatives are using this concurrence motion as a tool to frustrate the legislative process. We have seen that. One of the answers that was provided earlier today said a great deal. A Conservative member said Conservatives were expecting the government to bring in time allocation on Bill C-8, with the full expectation that if we did not bring in time allocation, they had no intention to pass the legislation, and if we do bring in time allocation, they will criticize us for bringing in time allocation. Go figure. It is Conservative logic, I guess.

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Mr. Eric Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, CPC)

Apr/4/22 4:38:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, after listening to the commentary and speech from my colleague across the way, I have to say that with respect to our responsibilities as members of Parliament, there are two things. One is to talk about all the things we would advocate with respect to spending, and the member went through a litany of what that would be. What was completely absent from all of that discussion was how we are going to pay for it. In these conversations we are having this week in the lead-up to the budget and in the report we have here from the committee and in numerous other factors, the government does not tell us how it is going to pay for that spending because it is not going to. It is adding to our federal debt and our annual federal deficit. We were already projected to have that before the recent NDP-Liberal deal or coalition agreement, whatever the budget may be this week. If the government is saying it is going to spend on A, B, C or D, I think it is important for Canadians to know how it is going to pay for it. The member has been quiet on that because there is no way to do it. It is adding to the country's credit card and letting somebody else have to deal with it down the road.

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