44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 8, 2022 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, I am happy to be sharing my time with the very hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.
I am very pleased to join in today's debate on the issue of the higher cost of living. It is one that is top of mind for our federal government and also for the residents of my riding of Davenport. It is also the top economic challenge facing our country right now.
We have been speaking with Canadians and know the real uncertainty they are feeling today. First, we have experienced a once-in-a-generation pandemic. We turned the Canadian economy off and then turned it back on. Then Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. Now we are dealing with inflation. All of these things are related, of course. Global inflation has not been created by the decisions of any one government alone. Global inflation has been created by the combined aftershocks of two and a half years of historic tumult.
Fortunately, Canada is faring better than most other G7 countries in these very difficult times. However, that reality does not change the impact on Canadians when they are looking at their grocery bills or their gas receipts. Our federal government knows how challenging these past several months have been, and while inflation is down to 6.9% from a peak of 8.1% in June, it is still too high. It is also no comfort that Canada's inflation rate is one of the lowest of all G7 countries.
Affordability and covering the costs of everyday living will continue to be a top issue. It will continue to be a difficult time for a lot of Canadians, friends, families and neighbours. Our economy will slow, the same as economies around the world, as central banks continue to act to tackle inflation, as we heard from the Bank of Canada yesterday. There will be people whose mortgage payments will rise. Businesses will no longer be booming in the same way they have been since we left our homes after the COVID lockdowns and went back out into the world. Our unemployment rate will still be low but will not be at its record low.
We know that Canadians are worried about the higher cost of living and are also wondering when it will all end. For the Canadians who need it the most, namely those who are the most vulnerable and those who feel the bite of rising prices most acutely, our federal government is there with measures in our affordability plan right now, this year.
Our affordability plan has been providing up to $12.1 billion in new supports throughout this year, with many measures continuing after this year to help make life more affordable for millions of Canadians. Let me go through some of those measures.
We have doubled the GST credit for six months, which is providing $2.5 billion in additional targeted support to roughly 11 million individuals and families who already receive the tax credit, including more than half of Canadian seniors. Many received this additional payment last month.
The second thing we are doing is enhancing the Canada workers benefit to put up to an additional $2,400 into the pockets of low- and modest-income families, starting already this year.
We also increased, on a permanent basis, old age security by 10% for seniors over 75. That began in July. This increases benefits for more than three million seniors and provides more than $800 in the first year to full pensioners.
In addition, we have a $500 payment this year going to 1.8 million Canadian low-income renters who are struggling with the cost of housing through a one-time top-up to the Canada housing benefit.
We are also cutting regulated child care fees by an average of 50% by the end of this year. I am delighted that we have introduced Bill C-35, legislation that will protect access to affordable, inclusive, high-quality early learning and child care now and ongoing. This legislation will make it harder for any future government to cancel or cut any child care in the future. I am very happy that this is happening and is currently under way.
We are providing dental care for Canadians without dental insurance who are in households earning under $90,000 and have children under the age of 12. They are getting up to $650 this year and up to $650 next year.
We are also indexing benefits to inflation, including the Canada child benefit, the GST credit, the Canada pension plan, old age security and the guaranteed income supplement.
All of these measures mean that Canadians are getting more money back in their pockets when they need it most. Also, when it comes to pollution pricing, we know a national price on pollution is the most effective and least costly way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and putting money back into the pockets of most Canadians.
I would like to take a moment to further highlight two other measures in this plan in more detail.
First, in the fall economic statement, we set out a plan to further improve the Canada workers benefit, in addition to already expanding and enhancing it in budget 2021 to reach up to three million Canadians who do important jobs but do not get paid very much. The federal government currently delivers the Canada workers benefit through tax returns. That means eligible Canadians need to wait until the tax year is over to receive the money they have already earned.
However, bills need to be paid throughout the year. That is why in the fall economic statement, we set out a plan to further improve the Canada workers benefit. With the changes proposed in the fall economic statement, the Canada workers benefit will reach up to 1.2 million additional hard-working low- and modest-income Canadians through advance payments that would be made in July, October and January based on a worker's income in the previous year. This means that in total, the Canada workers benefit would top up the income of up to 4.2 million Canadians. They are among the lowest paid Canadians, and no one who works 40 hours a week should have to worry about paying the bills or putting food on the table.
The second measure I would like to underscore is our federal government's investments to support early learning and child care. Child care is not just a social policy; it is an economic policy too. Affordable, high-quality child care will grow our economy, will help give every Canadian child the best start in life and will allow more women to enter the workforce.
I call this policy a game-changer. In fact, just last week, Statistics Canada reported that almost 82% of women in their prime working years had jobs in November, the most on record, as our implementation of the Canada-wide early learning and child care system continues to close long-standing gender gaps in conjunction with a tight labour market. At a time when the cost of living is top of mind for so many, the investments we have made are having a real, tangible impact on what is often one of the biggest monthly expenses for a family.
This is very popular among residents in my riding of Davenport. They love this national child care plan. They are absolutely using it. They very much appreciate the additional dollars, especially during months like December, when there are some additional family gatherings and they need additional dollars.
In budget 2021, our federal government has made a historic investment of $30 billion over five years to build a Canada-wide early learning and child care system. In less than a year, we have reached agreements with all 13 provinces and territories. As I mentioned earlier, by the end of this year, regulated child care fees will be reduced by an average of 50% by 2025-26. Child care fees will average $10 a day by then for all regulated child care spaces from coast to coast to coast.
Today, that means parents across British Columbia can now save on average up to $550 more per month for each child they have in licensed child care, representing up to an additional $6,600 annual savings. This is on top of the existing savings of up to $350 per month introduced by the ChildCareBC plan in 2018, for a total of almost $900 in savings per month on average.
As we continue to work with the provinces and territories on the implementation of agreements, we are also creating an early learning and child care infrastructure fund. Through an investment of $625 million, this fund will enable provinces and territories to make additional child care investments, including for the building of new facilities, all with the goal of making high-quality child care across Canada more accessible and more affordable.
When it comes to ensuring Canadians will get through this challenging economic time, we are providing inflation relief, through our affordability plan, to Canadians who need it the most: the most vulnerable, who are most exposed to inflation. We, of course, cannot support every single Canadian the same way we did with emergency measures at the height of the pandemic. To do so would only make inflation worse and more persistent. In saying that, I note we have been responsible with our spending, we are being compassionate and we are going to continue to have the backs of Canadians who need it the most, both now and moving forward.
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- Dec/8/22 1:53:01 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Davenport, because she just admitted at the end of her speech that the more the government spends, the higher inflation goes. She just said it. She said that we cannot spend as much as at the height of the pandemic because it makes inflation go up.
I will get to my question for her, now that she was honest about that.
In listening to her speech, Canadians would think they have never had it so good, yet 1.5 million Canadians use the food bank every month. Does the member think this is a statistic that shows her government is doing well, yes or no?
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- Dec/8/22 1:53:41 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on the first part of the member's question, I said that we had to be very responsible in our spending, and that is exactly what we have been. We have been very responsible in our spending in our fall economic statement, in which we were very targeted in how we would actually spend money. We wanted to ensure we were providing targeted funding to those who needed it the most. I provided a number of those examples of how we were targeting that funding. None of that will add to us increasing inflation.
With respect to food banks, it is a very serious situation, something I definitely worry about in my riding of Davenport. All the measures we have put into place will continue to help the most vulnerable and will put additional dollars into their pockets. We are hoping that the use of—
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- Dec/8/22 1:54:32 p.m.
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The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Jean.
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- Dec/8/22 1:54:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, what is unfortunate is that, because of the government's inaction on climate change, the Conservatives have come here today with a populist motion saying that the carbon tax does not do anything to fight climate change since Canada is ranked 58 out of 63 and is among the worst countries when it comes to climate change performance. It is a good thing there is a carbon tax. Without it, I think we would likely be ranked 122 out of 63.
At a time when Quebeckers and Canadians are struggling to put food on the table, big oil companies, banks and major food corporations are making record profits. Meanwhile, the government is allowing oil projects to increase their production when every international body is calling for a reduction in oil production around the world. To me, it seems absolutely insane to think that Canada is bragging about being good at fighting climate change when it is ranked 58 out of 63.
My question is as follows. When is the government going to start taking money out of the pockets of big oil, big banks and major food corporations and give it to citizens who are working hard to live a decent life?
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- Dec/8/22 1:55:46 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do think oil and gas companies are raking in the profits. They need to be using their profits and putting them toward reducing their emissions, to decarbonizing, to a just transition plan to help their workers continue to have well-paying jobs as we move forward to decarbonize and achieve our net-zero-by-2050 targets.
I do not agree with the hon. member that we have not done enough as a government. We have put in over $100 billion. We have introduced over 100 actions to ensure we achieve our Paris accord targets and that we meet our net-zero targets by 2050.
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- Dec/8/22 1:56:33 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague just read off a long list of NDP proposals that are there to help Canadians, such as dental care, doubling the GST tax credit and the rent benefit. We are glad to see that.
Many Liberals have read off lists of jurisdictions and countries that have a price on carbon. We are glad to hear that as well.
However, I have a list of countries that have an excess profit tax: Belgium, Czech, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, U.K., Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and I could go on. They have had the courage to go after CEOs.
The member has said that the Liberals cannot help Canadians like they did in COVID, but they are helping CEOs like they did in COVID. They are helping shareholders like they did in COVID.
When is Canada going to make the list of countries that are taking on greedflation and excess profit from oil and gas companies?
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- Dec/8/22 1:57:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, fist, the supply and confidence agreement between the Liberals and the NDP was about us coming together and working on the things that we both believed in, such as the environment, housing, indigenous reconciliation, dental care and pharmacare. These are important priorities for Canadians and I am really glad we are working very hard together on achieving these objectives.
With respect to going going after oil and gas companies and profit-making, we have already raised corporate income tax rates. We have increased it by 1.5% on Canada's largest and most profitable banks and insurance companies—
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- Dec/8/22 1:58:12 p.m.
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Resuming debate, the hon, member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.
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- Dec/8/22 1:58:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I know that all my hon. colleagues in the House are very excited for question period to begin so I will just say a few remarks and then turn it back to you.
As many of us in the House know, the early learning and national child care agreement has come into application across the country. I know my family is quite blessed in many ways. The impact for us is a positive one. Our little one, who is 13 months old, just started day care this week. We received notification about the fees for that day care, which has been in existence for about 30 years.
First, I want to give a shout-out to all the early childhood educators taking care of kids across the country. I would also like to give a shout-out to our government. This accord is so transformational for families across the country.
We are very blessed as a family and we can cover our fees without issue, but the fees have gone down 25% and there will be a further 25% reduction. For families across Canada, these reductions in child care fees and the after-tax savings for families is because of the child care agreement that our government negotiated with all provinces and territories. This is transformational for families and it is transformational for our economy, participation rates and so forth. I wish to applaud the government. I am very proud that our government was able to sign these agreements.
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- Dec/8/22 2:00:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to mourn the passing of a great woman whose impact will not soon be forgotten. Liz Byrd, who passed away in November at the age of 81, was the sort of community leader who was never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get to work.
Liz was a long-time councillor for the West Vancouver Council and a founder of the prestigious Collingwood School. Self-describing as “a bit of an activist”, Liz led a nationally publicized protest to protect the ecologically fragile Eagleridge Bluffs from destruction. She raised $8 million for community initiatives and was a key advocate that led to the setting up of the Kay Meek Arts Centre.
Liz’s contributions have led to countless recognitions, including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, and she played a defining role in shaping West Vancouver as we know it. West Vancouver will forever be indebted to Liz for everything she has done and our thoughts and prayers are with Liz’s family and friends.
I thank her. May she rest in peace.
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- Dec/8/22 2:01:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in 2016, the government legalized medical assistance in dying for adults who had an incurable illness that was irreversible and caused intolerable pain. Many of us warned that we were now on a slippery slope, which would lead to many others being offered assisted death. We were assured that assisted suicide would never be expanded, yet a short six years later, it is being offered to those who give mental illness as their sole reason for ending their lives, and there are plans to extend this scheme to minor children.
Now we are hearing terrible stories of veterans being encouraged to end their lives rather than receive the mental health supports they need. Assisted suicide is even being approved for those who cannot find adequate housing or have fallen through the cracks of our social support system. The government has moved too fast and too far. Life is a beautiful gift.
Before we move from a culture of life to a culture of death, let us reconsider the precarious path we are on and pause any further expansion of assisted death.
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- Dec/8/22 2:02:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to commend several constituents from my riding of Cape Breton—Canso who are truly making a difference for their community this holiday season.
For the past 15 years, Inspector Billy Turner, Sergeant John Anthony and Constable Marvin MacDonald of the Cape Breton Regional Police Service have volunteered their time toward the department’s “Shop of the Class” initiative. Shop of the class is a program that pairs local elementary students with a Cape Breton Regional Police officer, an officer who volunteers his or her time to help that child fulfill his or her holiday wish through donations and sponsored activities.
Thanks to the work of dedicated officers like Inspector Turner, Sergeant Anthony and Constable MacDonald, 278 local children have incredibly had their spirits brightened so far.
This goes far beyond the call of duty. From the bottom of my heart and the hearts of my constituents, I am proud to thank these officers for all they do.
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- Dec/8/22 2:03:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend the striking United Steelworkers employees from Océan Remorquage of Sorel-Tracy. That company is a federally regulated business that provides port services. Workers demonstrated yesterday in Quebec City to demand decent working conditions and wages, as well as anti-scab legislation.
These workers have been on strike for more than five months and are dealing with a bad faith employer who chose to take advantage of the weakness inherent in the Canada Labour Code to hire scabs, thus allowing the dispute to drag on.
I would remind the House that the Minister of Labour has been mandated to introduce a bill to ban this practice, which greatly affects workers' bargaining power. He will not do so until December 2023. There is no justification for this delay. He must act now.
The Bloc Québécois has introduced 11 bills to correct this injustice, and today we reiterate the importance of this issue by showing our support for these striking workers.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to highlight the importance of hunting in our rural communities. Although I am not currently a hunter, I do enjoy wild game meat. Venison and moose meat are my favourites.
For my Franco-Ontarian community, I know that the tradition of hunting is rooted in its way of life. Whether it is back home, in eastern Ontario, or in the north, when hunting season arrives, time stops and people head for the woods.
In 2012, the current Prime Minister declared in Hawkesbury, where I was born, that the long gun registry was a failure. We have never targeted hunters with our legislation, including Bill C‑21. It is not unusual for certain amendments to be debated at the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.
I salute the efforts of Liberal, Bloc Québécois and NDP members to ensure that hunters will not be mistakenly subject to this law.
Hunting is part of a legitimate way of life.
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- Dec/8/22 2:05:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to honour my Sindhi friends Sufi and Muzafar, and to recognize Sindhi as one of the ancient languages of the world and one worth preserving today.
While Sindhi is recognized as an official language in the province of Sindh, in Pakistan, it is not recognized as an official language by the Consulate of Canada to Pakistan, in Karachi, nor by the High Commission of Canada to Pakistan, in Islamabad. This lack of recognition of a prominent regional language is resulting in a barrier of communication between the Canadian consulate and high commission and the Sindhi people.
This needs to be changed. The Sindhi people deserve to have consular services in their native tongue. For this reason I am calling on the Canadian consulate in Karachi and the high commission in Islamabad to consider recognizing Sindhi as an official language and to provide their services to the people in the Sindhi language. Sindhi is a rich, beautiful language and it ought to be preserved.
Mehrbaani.
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- Dec/8/22 2:06:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to congratulate Roberto Luongo, former Florida Panthers goaltender, on his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
A native of my riding of Saint-Léonard who also grew up on my street, Roberto Luongo is known for his on-ice butterfly style of goaltending and remains one of only three goaltenders in history to have played over 1,000 games in the NHL. He is a recipient of multiple awards, mentions and trophies. He has appeared in three Winter Olympics and won gold twice, in Vancouver in 2010 and in Sochi in 2014.
Beyond his considerable hockey skills, Roberto Luongo is also a man with a big heart who has actively participated in multiple fundraisers for charitable causes and who has sponsored events for underprivileged children. Lou, as he is affectionately called by his devoted fans, continues to inspire our constituents who skate and hold their hockey practices in the arena that proudly bears his name.
Auguri to Roberto Luongo, our number one hockey player.
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- Dec/8/22 2:07:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on Monday, I was proud to announce a new investment of $25 million to revitalize the Jewish Community Centre in my riding of Vancouver Granville. For generations the JCC has been the centre of Jewish life, and it has been the place where people of so many different communities have learned to swim, have gone to day care and attended seniors programs.
The new JCC will be at the heart of Vancouver Granville with more than 500 units of affordable housing, expanded day care spaces, an aquatic centre, a theatre and so much more. It will also house the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, which, at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise, will be an important weapon in the fight against hate and ignorance.
The JWest will be a place of gathering, of learning and of helping us understand one another. Above all, it demonstrates the incredibly generous contribution of so many in the Jewish community in Vancouver in building a place where all of us can belong.
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- Dec/8/22 2:08:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Regina hosted two major events over the past month.
The 109th Grey Cup took place in the heartland of Canadian football. Even though Canada's team was not playing, Rider Nation still rolled out the red carpet and hosted an amazing Grey Cup week. It was a great game between Winnipeg and Toronto. Yes, Toronto still has a team. Over 33,350 fans packed Mosaic Stadium and watched the Argos squeak out a win over the Bombers. Sorry to the members from Winnipeg.
Next up was the 51st edition of the Canadian Western Agribition. People from across Canada and abroad came to see the best of the best of beef genetics, and the Maple Leaf Finals Rodeo was sold out every night. It was great to see the enthusiasm for Canadian agriculture, with over 100,000 people going through the gates at Agribition. It was a joy to walk through the barns and the trade shows and see the buzzing of activity. If they have never been to Agribition, I ask members to please make the time next year. It is a world-class show.
These two events prove once again that Regina is the best place in Canada to host a party.
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- Dec/8/22 2:09:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the amazing performance of the Sherbrooke CEGEP's Volontaires, who won the college football division 2 Bol d'or last month.
The team, which took home the title for the first time since 2010, played a great defensive game, as usual, and led a forceful offence. I congratulate all of the players and coaches.
Sherbrooke is making a name for itself on Canada's sports scene thanks to our athletes and sports teams.
Our government is taking action to make sports more accessible in Canada. Thanks to the leadership of my colleague, the Minister of Sport, our government is providing $25.3 million in financial support over three years for gender equity in sports. What is more, budget 2022 proposes an investment of $16 million over three years to support measures to create a safer sports system.
Together, let us continue to support our athletes by ensuring that national sport policies and practices reduce the risk of harassment, abuse and discrimination and create a safer and more inclusive sports system for everyone.
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