44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 9, 2023 10:00AM
- Feb/9/23 2:19:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, inflation is at a 40-year high.
After eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, half of Canadians are cutting back on groceries.
After eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, 20% of Canadians are skipping meals.
After eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, the average rent in Canada’s 10 largest cities has doubled.
After eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, half of variable rate mortgage holders say they will have to sell or vacate their homes this year because interest rates are at a 23-year high, and nine out 10 young people think they will never be able to buy a home.
After eight years, a bunch of random Liberals, including Mark Carney, Bill Morneau and John Manley, blame the government’s spending from before, during and after the COVID pandemic for the inflation crisis we are in right now.
After eight years, there is hope. Conservatives are ready to form a new government to clean up this mess.
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- Feb/9/23 2:20:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a horrifying and unprecedented tragedy occurred in my riding. A Société de transport de Laval bus crashed into the Garderie éducative Ste-Rose on Terrasse Dufferin in Laval, killing two young children and seriously injuring six.
This is so, so sad, and the children, their families and the day care workers are in my thoughts. I am deeply distressed. I want to thank the first responders—the firefighters, police officers and paramedics—as well as the people who were on the scene.
I thank my many colleagues of all parties for their sympathy and condolences following this devastating tragedy. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families affected.
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- Feb/9/23 2:22:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this week, the Parliamentary Budget Officer is slamming the government for deciding that it was not worth trying to recover the $15 billion that was overpaid to large corporations in wage subsidies. This is money that they should not have received and that comes out of the pockets of Canadians. That is the equivalent of $1,000 for every Canadian family.
When will the Prime Minister finally go after the money that was illegally given to these big companies?
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- Feb/9/23 2:23:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will remind the hon. member that he has access to it, as it is the public record. Last week, at the public accounts committee, the commissioner of revenue made clear that verification work on determining eligibility for the various COVID emergency programs is ongoing.
It was the CRA public employees who, in a very focused way, helped to administer the various programs that were put in place during COVID. They are now carrying out the vital verification work. This work is taken seriously. It is a fiscally responsible approach. The member voted for it. Let us continue.
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- Feb/9/23 2:23:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's top tax collector, Bob Hamilton, the commissioner of revenue, said, “it wouldn't be worth the effort” to review and recover the $15.5 billion paid out illegally to these corporations. He said that it would not be worth the effort.
Fifteen billion dollars equals $1,000 for every single household in Canada. It is money taken from working-class single moms who cannot feed their kids and given to wealthy corporations with connections to the government. Why will they not take back the money that was illegally taken and give it back to Canadians?
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- Feb/9/23 2:24:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition leader talks about Canadians. Where was he at the height of the pandemic? When Canadians needed their government, he was talking about an austerity agenda, he was talking about cuts and he was not behind the various programs that helped to sustain this country.
The work of the CRA continues, as I mentioned before. It is ongoing. It is serious, and it is focused. In fact, the member should check the record. In November 2020, it was he and his party who voted to stop that work on the part of the CRA.
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- Feb/9/23 2:24:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely false. Where was I? I was in the House telling the government that it should not pay wage subsidies to corporations that were wealthy enough to pay out dividends, bonuses and share buybacks. That is where I was.
Now, we find out that it gets worse and that there were 37 corporations that received wage subsidies worth $81 billion that paid out dividends to their wealthy shareholders. This was not money for workers. It was money for the wealthy. Why is it that the government always gives more to the “have yachts” by taking from the have-nots?
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- Feb/9/23 2:25:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, when it comes to vital COVID programs that helped to keep businesses going, the member was against all of that. The key fact about the wage subsidy is that small and medium-sized businesses in particular were kept going throughout the pandemic. That is what we have to keep in mind.
In fact, when it comes to the vital avoidance and evasion work carried out by CRA, the Conservatives had cut the CRA budgets and it could not do that work effectively. In 2015 and onward, we have invested in CRA to carry out avoidance work and evasion work. Investigations are up, as are criminal convictions and time spent in jail among those convicted.
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- Feb/9/23 2:26:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely true that we were able to collect taxes from powerful corporations while having less bureaucracy at CRA. We delivered more for less. By contrast, the Prime Minister's top tax collector says he does not have the resources to go after the $15 billion the Prime Minister gave in illegal wage subsidies to these powerful corporations.
This is an agency that has added 10,000 additional tax collectors. What are they doing? They are going after the little guy. Why will they not go after the Prime Minister's corporate friends instead?
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- Feb/9/23 2:27:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if they want to talk about the little guy, I have been talking to small business owners and charitable organization representatives across this country, and they say to me every time I meet with them, “Thank you for the Canada emergency wage subsidy. We would not have been able to keep our doors open, and we would not have been able to keep our people employed, had it not been for this vital and crucial support at the height of the pandemic.” Unfortunately, we have the Leader of the Opposition saying that it did not want big government and it did not want to help Canadians during that time.
We took a different approach. We were there for Canadians when they needed us, and we will continue to be there.
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- Feb/9/23 2:27:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member should talk to her colleague, who just admitted that I voted in favour of supporting small businesses during the pandemic. However, on this side of the House, we are against fraud. There has been $15 billion in overpayments given directly to the largest corporations, which should not have received it. Now, the Prime Minister's top tax collector says he is not going after the money. He will just leave it in the hands of those corporations. This money equals $1,000 for every household in Canada.
Why do the Liberals put the burden on Canadians who are drowning in debt rather than the powerful corporations that are swimming in profit?
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- Feb/9/23 2:28:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will absolutely say that our government is against fraud as well, and for every dollar we invest in the Canada Revenue Agency, we get five dollars back from people who have avoided their taxes. That is a fantastic return on investment.
Let us be clear: The CRA is working hard to get back the wage subsidies that were given to people in error. Our government also put in place regulations to make sure companies that put money toward profits have those monies clawed back. There is a windfall tax on the banks and insurance companies as well.
We are doing the right thing. We are sticking up for Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister refused to challenge the misinformation on the Charter of the French Language at the Standing Committee on Official Languages. He even refused to correct this misinformation to reassure anglophone Quebeckers about the real effects of Bill C-13 and Bill 96. He is not challenging the misinformation and he is not correcting it. If he is not denouncing and correcting it, then he must be condoning it.
At the end of the day, is the position held by the members for Saint-Laurent, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount and Mount Royal on French in Quebec also shared by the Prime Minister? Is that it?
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Mr. Speaker, we made ourselves very clear. Ours was the first government to recognize the decline of French across the country, including in Quebec. That is why we are moving forward with Bill C‑13.
We were clear about this in the throne speech. The Prime Minister also made it clear that we are moving forward with a bill to ensure we will help protect and promote the French language across the country and protect our official language minority communities.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is divisive. He is dividing Canadians and Quebeckers with Amira Elghawaby's appointment. He is dividing Quebeckers amongst themselves by sending his West Island gang to spread misinformation about the Charter of the French Language.
Yesterday, he tried to divide Quebeckers and francophones outside Quebec by casting aspersions about the Bloc Québécois's intentions. He even found a way to divide his own caucus on the protection of French. I am not making this up: The arsonist of strife even set fire to his own house.
Just where will it end?
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Mr. Speaker, as a proud Acadian who lives in an official language minority community, I know the importance of protecting and promoting French across the country, including in Quebec. That is why we are moving forward with an ambitious bill that will make a difference for our official language minority communities.
Once again, I hope that we will have the support of all colleagues in the House to ensure the passage of this bill, since stakeholders across the country have been telling us that they want it passed as soon as possible.
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- Feb/9/23 2:31:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, veterans and their families are concerned about the outsourcing of essential services to Loblaws.
My office has been hearing about treatments on hold while contractors re-evaluate veterans' injuries, significant delays in services and trusted providers blocked from delivering services to veterans who desperately need them. This contract is costing taxpayers 25% more and delivering less. Veterans deserve better.
When will the Liberals actually start serving veterans instead of greedy for-profit companies?
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- Feb/9/23 2:32:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have been, in the government here, supporting veterans since the beginning. Since 2016 we have invested over $11 billion to support veterans, including lots of different programs to support those veterans, whether it be a chronic pain centre for veterans or Pension for Life. We have been there since the beginning to support veterans, and we will be there as we continue as government.
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- Feb/9/23 2:32:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling with their mental health. Levels of anxiety and feelings of isolation are at all-time highs, but accessing help is nearly impossible. Costs for therapy are sky-high and out of reach. Publicly funded services have long waits. People have nowhere to turn, yet the Liberals' new health care deal with the provinces does not guarantee money for mental health. After two years, not a single cent has been spent on the Liberals' promised Canada mental health transfer. It is broken promise after broken promise.
Will the minister commit today to delivering on the Canada mental health transfer?
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- Feb/9/23 2:33:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians should be able to access timely, evidence-based, culturally appropriate and trauma-informed mental health and substance-use services to support their well-being.
Through the proposed bilateral agreements on the shared health priorities, we are working with the provinces and territories to integrate mental health and substance use as a full and equal part of our universal health care system. This will ensure provinces and territories provide transparency and accountability for access to the most appropriate mental health and substance-use services.
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