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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 114

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 20, 2022 10:00AM
  • Oct/20/22 2:27:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what I heard the member say is that swearing an oath to the King of England is like swearing an oath to a symbol and a democratic institution, even though the king is in fact an actual person. Now I have heard it all. This is not a trivial thing. We are in a country where no one can tell me who the head of state is. That is quite something, yet they are saying that it is normal. A democratically elected prime minister is encouraging an oath to a foreign king. I would like someone to explain that to me.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:28:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, everyone has their own priorities. Here on the government side, we are concerned about the rising cost of living, access to decent housing for Quebeckers, access to child care for our Quebec children and housing assistance. We are there for our youth, for our workers and for our families. I do not understand the Bloc Québécois's priorities. In the beginning, the Bloc was here for their passion. Today, we are coming to realize that they are here for their pensions.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:29:44 p.m.
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Order. I am not sure what is going on today, but there is a lot of chatter. It is nice to see people getting along, but I want to remind people that we want to hear the questions and the responses.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:29:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the cost of living is still going up. The inflation rate at the grocery store is a record-high 11.4%. People are finding it harder and harder to pay for food. We forced the Liberals and the Conservatives to adopt our plan to help families. When will the Liberal government implement our plan to help people?
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  • Oct/20/22 2:30:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we laid out our affordability plan, and the first step is to double the GST credit for 11 million Canadian households. That money will flow in early November, which is very soon. We introduced a proposal to help low-income Canadians pay their rent and to subsidize children's dental care. I hope that all parties in the House will vote in favour of these measures.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:30:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, without a question, the Rogers-Shaw merger will be bad for Canadians, for people and for our country. There is no question this will result in job losses. We know the Competition Bureau is also opposed to this decision. When will the Liberal government finally stand up for people, stand up for Canadians, and oppose this merger?
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  • Oct/20/22 2:31:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that greater affordability, competition and innovation in the Canadian telecommunications sector are important to us as a government, as they are to all Canadians concerned about their cellphone bills and connectivity. Our government will ensure that consumers are protected and that the broader public interest is served. These goals remain front and centre as we analyze the implications of this proposed deal.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:31:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the finance minister had an epiphany after listening to the new Conservative leader's plan for ministers to find savings if they want to spend any new money. The only problem is that before COVID her government ran up $110 billion in debt, and before the Russian invasion added a half-trillion dollars to the debt. Of that, $200 billion was not even COVID spending. The government would rather blame everyone else than take responsibility for its homegrown inflation issue. How can any Canadian trust the government to fix the inflation crisis it created?
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  • Oct/20/22 2:32:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to address that member's question. For weeks now, the Leader of the Opposition has considered our pandemic spending frivolous. I respectfully disagree. I think the millions of Canadians who kept their jobs and stayed employed because of the CEWS disagree. I think the millions of Canadians who were able to feed their children because of the CERB disagree. I think the hundreds of thousands of businesses whose doors are still open today because of our investments would disagree. Thank goodness we were here, because the Leader of the Opposition does not want to lead.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:32:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals will continue to blame everyone else for their homegrown failures, and these failures are driving Canadians deeper into debt. They cancelled good Canadian energy projects, attacked our farmers and hit Canadians with a job-killing carbon tax. They drove up inflation and made groceries, gas and home heating more expensive, driving more Canadians to food banks and homeless shelters at an alarming rate. How can anyone believe that the same government that is pile-driving more Canadians into insolvency will give this economy a soft landing?
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  • Oct/20/22 2:33:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the context of a country where fires, floods and hurricanes are already devastating and in the context of a time when there is a scientific deadline and timetable to when we must address climate change, we must make sure we take these actions so that we do not put future generations of Canadians at risk. I call on that member and the entire opposition to come with us, together in this place, and figure out a plan, like we have, to grow the economy, create jobs and fight climate change.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:34:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government increased the debt by over $100 billion before COVID and then increased the debt another $500 billion during COVID, half of which it did not even spend on pandemic measures. Now we are supposed to believe the government has a new-found religion called fiscal restraint. If the government has not shown Canadians any fiscal responsibility in seven years, why should we trust it now?
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  • Oct/20/22 2:34:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are a fiscally responsible government. Every single year over the last seven years we have been in government outside of the pandemic, the debt-to-GDP ratio has gone down. That is while we have invested in Canadians. In fact, the poverty report came out in October. We have lifted millions of Canadians out of poverty. Today, 25% fewer seniors live in poverty than when we took office in 2015, and that is because we are supporting Canadians.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:35:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the government wants to run on its record, it is going to have to own up to its spending having helped drive inflation to 40-year highs. Canadians are having a hard time putting food on the table. Even the Bank of Canada says that inflation is a homegrown problem. The Liberals promise to keep spending increases to 2% a year. Has the Deputy Prime Minister told the rest of cabinet about this new fiscal plan?
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  • Oct/20/22 2:35:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that inflation is a global problem. Inflation in Canada has come down from its peak to 6.9%, but we know it is 8.2% in the United States. It is over 10% in the euro area. It is over 10% in the OECD. It is important that we continue to focus on affordability measures that are going to make life easier for Canadians, like we did by doubling the GST benefit, which is going to 11 million Canadian families that need it and over 50% of our seniors.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:36:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to our great surprise today, the Minister of Finance is now taking inspiration from the Leader of the Opposition's speeches. She realizes that budgets do not balance themselves and is asking ministers to find savings before proposing new programs. Hallelujah. The problem is that she should have listened to the member for Carleton much sooner. The Liberals added $100 billion to the national debt before COVID-19, and they added $500 billion to the national debt before Russia's war on Ukraine, $200 billion of which was completely unrelated to COVID-19. How can they be trusted to manage the inflation they themselves have created?
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  • Oct/20/22 2:36:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the Conservative member is so interested in the correspondence between the finance minister and her colleagues. There is no question that our plan is based on fiscal responsibility. We delivered a budget that has been recognized by all the experts as fiscally responsible and we are seeing the results. Our inflation rate is much lower than that of our partners around the world. We will continue to make sure we spend responsibly.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:37:33 p.m.
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Yes, Mr. Speaker, let us talk about fiscal responsibility. The Prime Minister said in his inaugural speech that interest rates would remain low for decades to come. I remember that the Liberals promised to run small deficits because we had the means and said interest rates were going to remain low and that it was no big deal to continue to rack up debt. The Liberals added $100 billion to the debt even before COVID-19. That is the reality. Today, they are asking Canadians to take them at their word when they say that they are going to manage inflation and lead them out of this crisis. No, Canadians no longer trust them. The Liberals are not capable of managing the crisis. When will you abandon your plan to hurt Canadians by raising taxes yet again?
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  • Oct/20/22 2:38:21 p.m.
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I would remind members that they need to ask their questions through the Chair not directly to the Chair. The hon. parliamentary secretary.
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  • Oct/20/22 2:38:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think my Conservative colleague is too excited about attacking the Bank of Canada and the independence of our financial institutions. We, on this side of the House, believe in the independence of our institutions. It was a Conservative government, led by Brian Mulroney, that set the Bank of Canada's targets. We think that was a good idea.
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