44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 14, 2022 11:00AM
- Nov/14/22 2:36:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me tell the House what is really out of touch. It is an economic plan which would eviscerate the EI system, endanger seniors' pensions, make pollution free again, claw back climate cheques from Canadian families, leave Canadian children without dental care and deprive low-income renters of the support they urgently need.
Our plan is responsible and compassionate. The Conservative approach is neither.
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- Nov/14/22 2:37:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when the Liberal government takes money from the pockets of Lac-Mégantic's citizens and puts it in its own pockets, that is called a tax. When the government wastes this money lining the pockets of Liberal friends like Frank Baylis or creating an app like ArriveCAN, that is called a scandal. When the costly coalition wants to triple the carbon tax on gas, groceries and heating, that is called making families poorer.
When will the government finally show some compassion and scrap its plan to triple the carbon tax?
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- Nov/14/22 2:37:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our plan is both compassionate and responsible. The day we released our economic update, Moody's affirmed Canada's AAA credit rating with a stable outlook. The next day, Canada released an excellent jobs report, with Canadians adding 108,000 jobs in October. Canada has now recovered 116% of the jobs lost compared to 104%—
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- Nov/14/22 2:38:32 p.m.
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The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.
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- Nov/14/22 2:38:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a mother of six told me she can no longer afford to feed her family. The Minister of Finance suggests she should make a choice: Disney+ or Netflix. In reality, she has to choose between hamburger and bologna. That is the reality of life in Canada.
This costly NDP-Liberal government is attacking the least fortunate. Why does it want to force this family to pay more tax next year?
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- Nov/14/22 2:39:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what my hon. colleague said is absolutely false. Our government is actually supporting Canadian families. Thanks to the Canada child benefit, that mother of six gets thousands of dollars a year to support her children.
What is the Conservatives' plan? Cuts. What will they cut? They are not telling, but it will no doubt be something that will hurt Canadian families.
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- Nov/14/22 2:39:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health insulted Quebec and the provinces by saying that their demand for increased health transfers was futile. That is outrageous. Quebec spends more than 40% of its budget on health care. Allocating forty percent of a budget is not futile. That is not futile, especially when we know that, even with 40% of the budget, our system is depleted and out of resources because his government is not contributing its share. When will the minister realize that the only thing that is futile is his stubborn refusal to give money to our hospitals?
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- Nov/14/22 2:40:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member ended with “giving money”. Giving money is what we have been doing for several years now. We certainly did that when we invested $72 billion to fight COVID-19. Those investments continue because COVID-19 is unfortunately still around. In the last budget, we invested $2 billion to reduce the backlogs in surgeries and diagnostics. We also invested $3 billion in mental health, $3 billion in long-term care and $3 billion in home care. I could go on and on, but I know I do not have much time. If the member wants to know more about the money, another question would be helpful.
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- Nov/14/22 2:40:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, why not just increase transfer to 35%, then?
I will quote the minister. When leaving the meeting on health transfers, the minister said, “My job is not to send dollars to finance ministers. My job is to make sure that whatever we do helps my colleagues, health ministers, do the difficult and important work that they are doing.”
Quite rightly, all his health minister colleagues clearly told him that the way to help them do their difficult work is to send money. If the Minister of Health cannot send money, why does he not let the Minister of Finance take over instead of wasting everyone's time?
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- Nov/14/22 2:41:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, congratulations to the member for another excellent question.
My responsibility, as Minister of Health, is to not send money without conditions to the finance ministers. I like the finance ministers, but my job is to help the health ministers. Sending money without conditions to the finance ministers may please the finance ministers, but that is not what the health ministers need. What we are going to continue doing is focusing on what the health ministers must do amongst themselves and in co-operation with one another.
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- Nov/14/22 2:42:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health's fight against funding comes at a cost. It is not just the patients who are paying the price, it is every taxpayer in Quebec.
Quebec invests more than 40% of its budget in health. Even with 40%, we know that expenses are going up in a hurry. All that money is money that is not going to our overflowing classrooms, it is money that is not being redirected to the less fortunate in the social safety net, and it is child care spaces that will never exist.
There is a major hole in Quebec's social safety net. Does the minister know that he is the one making it bigger?
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- Nov/14/22 2:42:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I commend the member for putting more focus on results, on the things that actually need to be done, such as reducing wait times for surgeries and diagnostics; increasing access to family doctors, especially in rural areas; increasing access to mental health care; ensuring that home care and long-term care are accessible and distributed fairly; and supporting health care workers who need it so much and who need us to help them take care of one another.
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- Nov/14/22 2:43:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, we heard that the Liberal government has been strong-arming the Government of Nova Scotia to prevent it from reducing provincial fuel taxes. With the cost of living at an all-time high, Canadians could use any help, but thanks to the Liberal government, absolutely none is forthcoming.
Why is the minister pulling out all the stops in a concerted effort to hurt Canadians more and more by tripling the carbon tax?
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- Nov/14/22 2:43:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is beyond disappointing to hear from the hon. member. Many weeks after hurricane Fiona, the hon. member wants to take an important measure off the table that will help reduce pollution and put more money in people's pockets.
We are there with $300 million to help Atlantic Canadians rebuild. We are there with $120 million to help them transition to cleaner forms of energy. We will be there for Atlantic Canadians, ever and always.
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- Nov/14/22 2:44:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us be clear: The majority of Atlantic Canadians still have not seen a penny for the cleanup of Fiona, and the mess is still there. I want to read a quote: “provinces and territories must not implement measures that directly offset, reduce or negate the price signal sent by the price on carbon”. The Liberals want Canadians to pay more at the pumps, and shame on any provincial minister of finance who would dare try to reduce the tax. This is the attitude we are dealing with.
Why does the Liberal government refuse to allow provincial governments to reduce taxes on gas, groceries and home heating? They are the essentials.
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- Nov/14/22 2:45:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my hon. friend, colleague and neighbour in Nova Scotia, I point out to him that governments from Newfoundland to Ontario of different partisan persuasions have done exactly what he has just declared is not possible. The facts tell a very different story.
What is most important is that we actually address climate change. There is a cost to my community. If we talk to any dairy farmer and try to find one who has lost less than $100,000 in crops, I bet no one can. I have spent time on the ground actually talking to them about what their losses are. I have viewed my neighbours' fences be turned into splinters, and I continue to want to support our community by putting more money in their pockets by making sure this—
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- Nov/14/22 2:45:48 p.m.
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The member for King—Vaughan.
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- Nov/14/22 2:45:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's seniors are struggling to survive. Denise, a senior living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been employed since she was 16 years old. Denise's income includes a job, old age security and her Canada pension, yet Denise is forced to live in her car as she is unable to afford housing.
When will the Liberal government show some compassion, give our seniors some relief and cancel its plan to triple the taxes on gas, groceries and home heating?
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- Nov/14/22 2:46:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for Denise's sake, I really hope she did not follow the Conservative leader's advice to invest in crypto as a way to avoid inflation. If she had done that, at best she would have lost 65% of her savings. She may well have been entirely wiped out had she listened to the Conservatives and invested in a crypto platform. It is time for the Conservative leader to take responsibility for this reckless advice and apologize.
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- Nov/14/22 2:47:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the last year, Canadian family wages rose less than half as fast as inflation, yet the Liberals recently had the gall to say that higher wage pressures are causing inflation, all while major grocery chains make huge profits and pay millions of dollars in compensation to their shareholders and CEOs. Just like the Conservative leader, the Deputy Prime Minister refuses to acknowledge the full extent to which corporate greed and profit-seeking are driving inflationary pressure on Canadian household budgets.
My question is simple. When are the Liberals going to stop blaming workers and tackle the real causes of inflation by forcing CEOs and their corporations to pay their fair share?
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