SoVote

Hon. Randy Boissonnault (Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Lib.)

Sep/20/22 2:33:01 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for Canadians. We are talking about helping Canadians with affordability and with the cost of living right now by having a $500 top-up to the Canada housing benefit, introducing a new Canada dental benefit plan and also making sure we double the GST credit. If we look at the 2020 budget, the 2021 budget and the 2022 budget, this Liberal government has been making life more affordable for Canadians, including child care and including the Canada workers benefit. The government is delivering for Canadians, and that is what Canadians expect.

98 words

Context: House Hansard - 98 - Sep/20/22

Mr. Terry Duguid (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Sep/20/22 2:35:14 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, we are fighting climate change, and we are delivering on affordability. The hon. member will recall that the Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed that the price on pollution will put more money in people's pockets. Eight out of 10 families will get more back than they pay, through the climate action incentive. This year, I would remind the hon. member that a family of four will receive up to $745 in Ontario, $830 in Manitoba and $1,100 each in Saskatchewan and Alberta. We are fostering affordability and fighting climate change.

94 words

Context: House Hansard - 98 - Sep/20/22

Hon. Randy Boissonnault (Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Lib.)

Sep/20/22 2:39:45 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, just today we introduced in the House two bills that will make life more affordable for Canadians. Specifically, we are providing a new dental plan for Canadians, topping up the housing benefit and doubling the GST/HST credit. This is in addition to all the measures in the 2022 budget. We are here to support Canadians. That is exactly what we are going to do.

67 words

Context: House Hansard - 98 - Sep/20/22

Hon. Randy Boissonnault (Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Lib.)

Sep/20/22 2:57:03 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, taken together, the measures we outlined today and in budget 2022 are aimed at helping Canadians who need it most. Let us look at the numbers. A family earning $70,000 will get $650 from the dental plan alone. Families that earn between $70,000 and $80,000 will get $390 per child per year. That is real money in the pockets of Canadians.

66 words

Context: House Hansard - 98 - Sep/20/22

Mrs. Stephanie Kusie (Calgary Midnapore, CPC)

Sep/20/22 7:00:50 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, on April 26, I asked a question in the House. I said, “Mr. Speaker,” because it was a “mister” at that time, “inflation hit 6.7% last month”. I wish that had been the worst of it, but unfortunately it went to 8.1% in June. I continued: ...a 31-year high and well above the Bank of Canada's predictions. Canadians are already struggling to pay their bills, fill up at the pump and put food on the table. Unfortunately, budget 2022 failed to provide any credible solutions, and with the extensive, unfocused spending, it is only going to get worse. The simple fact is that Canadians cannot afford this Liberal-NDP government. When will the minister acknowledge this cost-of-living crisis we are living in and work on real solutions? Five months later, I wish I could say things are better, but they are, in fact, worse. A story published today by CTV News indicates that nearly a quarter of Canadians are cutting back on food purchases amid high inflation, and that amid soaring prices at the grocery stores, a new survey has found that 23.6% of Canadians have had to cut back on the amount of food they are buying. This survey, as conducted by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab in partnership with Caddle, was conducted between September 8 and September 10 and involved 5,000 Canadians from coast to coast. Over the last year, 8.2% said they have had to change their diet to save money on food, and 7.1% said they had skipped meals because of the cost of groceries; 24% of Canadians are literally buying less food due to higher prices. Of that number, 70% are women, so it is highly likely that children are also impacted by what is going on with this high inflation. The survey also found that nearly three-quarters of consumers were changing their buying habits in order to snag better deals at the grocery store, and of the respondents, 33.7% said they were using more loyalty program points to pay for groceries in the last year. In addition, 32.1% said they were reading flyers more often, and 23.9% said they were using more coupons at the grocery store.

387 words

Context: House Hansard - 98 - Sep/20/22

Mrs. Stephanie Kusie

Sep/20/22 7:08:20 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I would point out that the affordability bill of 2022 has measures that are set to cost $4.5 billion. Of that $4.5 billion, $1.4 billion was previously announced in budget 2022. This bill actually adds another $3.5 billion on top of the $53-billion deficit projected in 2022. A rent subsidy of $40 would not pay for a tank of gas, let alone help Canadians afford a more secure place to live. Every province in Canada with the exception of Manitoba has existing dental support programs for children. Conservatives are concerned about the duplication of programs interfering with provincial jurisdiction. In summary, Conservatives are focused on fighting, not fuelling inflation, and are opposed to any new spending. I would encourage my colleague and his government that, for any new dollar in spending, it must be matched with a dollar in savings—

148 words

Context: House Hansard - 98 - Sep/20/22

Mr. Terry Beech

Sep/20/22 7:09:26 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, that is not the first time a Conservative has risen in this House to say that we were spending too much and not enough in the same sentence. By doubling the GST credit for six months, we would provide $2.5 billion in additional targeted support to the roughly 11 million individuals and families who need it the most. This includes about half of Canadian families with children and more than half of Canadian seniors. We are also creating the Canada dental benefit. I think we could both agree that it is important that kids can get their teeth fixed, and that there are affordability and economic benefits as well. We are providing a new one-time top-up to the Canada housing benefit, which would deliver a $500 payment to 1.8 million struggling renters, effectively doubling the commitment we made in budget 2022. Our government is focused on providing real solutions to make life more affordable. I look forward to working with the member opposite to find more ways to work together to make life more affordable for Canadian families.

184 words