SoVote

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Apr/27/22 3:03:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we thank the environment commissioner for his latest reports. His work shows how far we have come and how much more we can do. After a decade of inaction under the former Conservative government, we have made tremendous progress, whether it is building the green economy of the future, putting a price on pollution across Canada, or protecting an unprecedented amount of our lands and waters. We are ready to do even more to keep our air clean, create jobs for the middle class and grow a strong economy.

91 words

Context: House Hansard - 59 - Apr/27/22

Mr. Gary Anandasangaree (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)

Apr/27/22 7:23:53 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the pressures created by supply chain disruptions and by the shift from buying services to buying goods are real. We are monitoring that situation very closely. As it relates to inflation, there are other structural costs that make life less affordable for Canadian families, and chief among them are housing and child care. That is why our government has a robust national housing strategy and a child care plan that is covering Canadians from coast to coast to coast. The average Alberta family will save $5,600 this year. I would like to thank the hon. member for raising the question of inflation and its impacts on small businesses. It is an important issue that is top of mind for our government. In fact, the issue was top of mind when the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister presented the federal budget a few weeks ago: our plan to grow our economy and make life more affordable. Our government understands that the current inflation crisis is making it harder for Canadians and small businesses across Canada to make ends meet. Increases in prices for a variety of goods are a global phenomenon driven by the unprecedented challenge of restarting the world's economy, as well as the instability of global markets as a result of President Putin's barbaric invasion of Ukraine, which has jolted commodity markets with a surge in prices particularly for oil, natural gas and wheat. Even in that context, I would point out that Canada's inflation is lower than that of the United States, as well as the averages of the G20, the Eurozone and the OECD. Our government is taking meaningful actions to make life more affordable in this country and to support small businesses as they grow. For example, in budget 2022 our government is proposing to cut taxes for growing small businesses by phasing out access to the small business tax rate more gradually, with access to be fully phased out when taxable capital reaches $50 million rather than $15 million. It would deliver an estimated $660 million in tax savings over the 2022-23 to 2026-27 period that could be reinvested towards growing and creating jobs. This is concrete support for Canadian small businesses, and there is a lot that we can be proud of in our budget. As well, our government has cut taxes for the middle class while raising them for the top 1%, and we are working to address housing affordability. We have now signed agreements with all provinces and territories to implement a Canada-wide $10-a-day community-based early learning and child care system that would make life more affordable for families, create new jobs, get parents back into the workforce and grow the middle class, while giving every child a real and fair chance at success. As we can see, our government is already working hard to make life more affordable for Canadians and to help small businesses make ends meet.

500 words

Context: House Hansard - 59 - Apr/27/22

Mr. Gary Anandasangaree

Apr/27/22 7:28:12 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I used to serve with the member across the floor on the heritage committee, and I am reminded of how enigmatic he can be. Let me just say that we are already hard at work to make life more affordable for Canadians and help small businesses across the country. In fact, we proposed a number of measures in budget 2022 that would do just that. I would like to remind my hon. colleague that our government's economic plan is working. Since the depths of the pandemic recession, the government's focus on jobs, on keeping Canadians employed and on keeping their employers afloat has ensured that Canada's economy has seen the best jobs recovery in the G7, having recovered 115% of the jobs lost and with an unemployment rate that sits at just 5.3%: lower than the 5.4% low of 2019 that was Canada's best in five decades. We will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure Canada's economic recovery leaves no one behind—

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