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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 81

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 3, 2022 10:00AM
  • Jun/3/22 11:27:28 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, it has been seven years and still Veterans Affairs has not met its service standard for processing disability claims. This week, the Auditor General's report told us what veterans have been saying all along: that they are waiting far too long and it is causing suffering to the veterans and to the people who love them. Weak data collection means that Veterans Affairs cannot provide reliable, truthful information about their numbers, while internal human resources issues are leaving veterans behind. How many reports are required before the government looks after veterans?
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  • Jun/3/22 11:28:18 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to start by thanking the Office of the Auditor General for her report and by letting the House and all Canadians know that we have accepted all four of its recommendations. We have invested $340 million to hire new staff and speed up processes, and we have seen a decrease of over 50% in the past year and a half. We will continue to do what we need to do to ensure that veterans and their families receive the supports and benefits they need.
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  • Jun/3/22 11:28:49 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, three years ago, the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls released its report. For three long years, this crisis has continued while the Liberal government has failed to implement the calls for justice and save indigenous lives. In Winnipeg alone, five indigenous women have been murdered in just the past few weeks. My colleague for Winnipeg Centre has been urging the government to deliver funding for more low-barrier safe shelters. How many more years will families have to wait for the government to finally implement the calls for justice?
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  • Jun/3/22 11:29:28 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, in Canada, indigenous women are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered. This is shameful. This is why our government put $2.2 billion forward over the next five years for missing and murdered indigenous women. We know we have to move faster. We know we have to do better. We know we can do better. We will do better.
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  • Jun/3/22 11:30:01 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the last time Prince Edward Island had inflation as high as 9%, it was in the 1980s when there was also a big-borrowing, tax-and-spend, inflationary Liberal prime minister in office. The regional breakdown is even worse in Charlottetown and Summerside, clocking in at a breakneck speed of 9.5%. The rising cost of fuel is only outpaced by this “always be spending” Prime Minister. Will he stop taking Islanders and their MPs for granted, and give them and all Canadians a break on GST at the pumps?
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  • Jun/3/22 11:30:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to congratulate the new finance critic for the Conservative Party. It is just unfortunate that he campaigned on a $168-billion deficit. That was 50% more than our last budget. It is also unfortunate that the previous finance critic for the Conservative Party was summarily fired for having criticized the fact that the member for Carleton was impugning the independence of the Bank of Canada. Of course, the previous finance critic was the member for Carleton himself, who is now doing a leadership campaign based on advising Canadians to use crypto—
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  • Jun/3/22 11:31:15 a.m.
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The hon. member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington.
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  • Jun/3/22 11:31:18 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canadians are at their breaking point due to financial stress. This entire nation is in trouble. It is no longer paycheque to paycheque to make ends meet. Many are in a mode of survival. On top of maxing out credit cards, people are transferring balances from one credit card to another just to avoid insolvency. Out-of-control spending, a record-high cost of living and empty platitudes from the indifferent government are getting old. Does the government actually have a plan to stop this cycle of destruction?
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  • Jun/3/22 11:31:57 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would invite the member opposite to read the budget and our plan. She mentioned paycheques, and I could not agree more. Jobs, jobs, jobs: We have created over 3.5 million jobs over the past two years. Unemployment is at its lowest level in over 50 years. Well-paying jobs are putting good paycheques in the pockets of Canadians, and that is our focus.
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  • Jun/3/22 11:32:22 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the cost of food has risen 15%, gas is over $2 a litre, and what the government has done to our seniors is shameful. Public transit is non-existent. For many people, the hospital is over a two-hour drive away. My constituent Dave Kendall wrote and said, “I am slowly going broke, and my savings are disappearing.” He had one question for the government, so I will ask it for him. “How do they expect seniors to live?”
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  • Jun/3/22 11:32:52 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we are doing everything possible in order to support Canadians through this difficult time. We understand that the cost of living is rising. It is due in large part to the war begun by Russia. I would urge the Conservatives to please reconsider. Last night, they filed 62 different motions that are essentially going to delay or gut the budget implementation bill. It is a budget that includes support for seniors and includes support for vulnerable Canadians. I urge the Conservatives to help support Canadians.
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  • Jun/3/22 11:33:26 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the cost of living in Canada is crippling small businesses. In the words of my constituent David, who owns a small business, it is also pushing middle-class workers close to the poverty line. David has 30 individuals and 16 vehicles on the road on any given day. His fuel costs have doubled in the past month. This means that projects he bid on a month ago he will have to pay to complete. His question echoes what many other Canadians want to know, and it is very simple. What is the government going to do about rising fuel costs and the out-of-control cost of living?
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  • Jun/3/22 11:34:02 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite raises the importance of our small businesses. Small businesses are indeed the backbone of the Canadian economy. In our budget, what we have done is expand the possibility for even more small businesses to be able to use the small business tax rate. It essentially lowers the tax rate for our small business owners. All of that is in jeopardy now that the Conservatives have filed 62 different motions to gut the budget implementation bill. For the sake of our entrepreneurs and small businesses, can the Conservatives finally support the budget?
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  • Jun/3/22 11:34:39 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, with the way it is going, there is not a chance. It is a devastating time for farmers, ranchers and Canadians. This week, a rural municipality in my riding told me about a perfect storm that is brewing at home. Their ratepayers are already maxed out with paying for groceries and fuel, driven by the government's reckless monetary policy. Now, another severe drought looming means that crops will fail and ranchers are going to have to sell off their herds. That is on top of the higher input costs already faced by our producers. Do the Liberals know what happens when taxpayers and people who produce our food go out of business?
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  • Jun/3/22 11:35:17 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as you know, we are extremely concerned about the situation of rising input prices. That is why we are working closely with the various agricultural industries to help our farmers. For example, we made changes to the advance payments program so that farmers can access advances and loans with an interest-free portion. We continue to work with them in a variety of ways. I would like to point out that last year the budget for the agricultural sector was over $4 billion. This shows how committed we are to helping our farmers.
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  • Jun/3/22 11:35:56 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, according to the thinly veiled words of former finance minister Bill Morneau, the Liberal government's spending spree has contributed to inflation in Canada, taking money out of the pockets of thousands of Canadian families because everything costs more. This is further evidence of Liberal incompetence, as this government has totally lost control of spending. What do the Liberals think about what Bill Morneau said? Is he right?
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  • Jun/3/22 11:36:30 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member who asked the question campaigned on a proposal to spend far more than the Liberal government. They proposed a deficit of $168 billion. On this side of the House, we are focused on prosperity and economic growth. That is why experts predict that this year and the next, Canada will have the highest growth rate in the G7.
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  • Jun/3/22 11:37:04 a.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-19 
Madam Speaker, the luxury tax in Bill C-19 misses the mark. Rather than targeting wealthy people who are buying private jets, it taxes Quebec's aerospace industry. My Liberal colleague knows this. Two weeks ago she promised “to ensure that this does not hurt our manufacturers”, but since then, her government has voted against all of our amendments that would fix the problem. Taxing the rich is fine, but taxing the flagship of the Quebec economy instead is out of the question. When will the Liberal members from Quebec get to work and protect our aerospace sector?
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  • Jun/3/22 11:37:38 a.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-19 
Madam Speaker, I completely agree that the aerospace sector is absolutely crucial to our economy. It is indeed a flagship of our economy, especially in Quebec. As I said last week, we will ensure that our manufacturers will not be paying the price for this luxury tax. A luxury tax is so important. Everyone needs to pay their fair share, especially now with the rising cost of living.
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  • Jun/3/22 11:38:09 a.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-19 
Madam Speaker, Bill C‑19 is about to be passed. It will hurt the aerospace industry. That is why the Bloc Québécois is reaching out to the government. We suggest passing Bill C‑19 but not applying the luxury tax to aircraft right away. The government does not realize how much its ill-conceived measure will impact our businesses. It should, at the very least, take the time to study that. Will the government agree to this reasonable compromise on behalf of our businesses and their workers?
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