44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 17, 2023 11:00AM
- Apr/17/23 12:04:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, within the budget, there has been great recognition of the significant achievement of the dental program and the expansion of the dental program, which is going to cover more Canadians in 2023. However, I want to add to that the grocery rebate program, which is going to help a good number of Canadians deal with the cost of inflation specifically for groceries. The Minister of Justice was recently in Winnipeg. We went to a local grocery store and experienced first-hand the degree of inflation on groceries. This aspect of the budget is very important for people of low income.
Would the member provide his thoughts on both those things?
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- Apr/17/23 12:10:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we spent two weeks in our ridings, and now we are back in the House for a long stretch together. When I met with the people of Laurentides—Labelle, I saw that they are worried about access to affordable housing. I would like to hear my colleague's views on that because, in my riding at least, people have been talking about the housing crisis for years. For more than 10 years, community organizations have been predicting what would happen. The Quebec organization FRAPRU has been saying the same thing. I do not know if the situation is the same in my colleague's riding, but I would like to know what he thinks of what is in the budget for housing.
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- Apr/17/23 12:14:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the point I take my colleague to be making there is that if we judge the success of housing policy by how much money developers are making, that is not the same as Canadians getting access to housing they can afford to live in. We need to drop this metric as the principal metric and adopt Canadians actually getting into housing they can afford.
One thing I have not had much of a chance to talk about that I want to mention briefly is employment insurance. When interest rates go up and for-profit building stops, people get laid off. Right now, they do not have an employment insurance system that they can count on to support their mortgage payments, rent or groceries for their families. That is why the Liberals had better act with a sense of urgency that we have not seen.
A major disappointment with this budget is that the Liberals continue to promise employment insurance reform, but it is not coming. They warn of a recession. That is coming; it is why we need the EI system to be fully reformed, and we need it now.
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- Apr/17/23 12:26:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, Liberal members of Parliament leaned in very hard on this budget. There is money in this budget for the Lake Simcoe watershed. There is a whole Great Lakes strategy that is part of this budget.
We take our healthy ecosystem and healthy water systems seriously, whether it is tourism, growing the economy, welcoming new businesses, or quite frankly, making sure that there are clean waterways for our residents to enjoy in Ontario, British Columbia or Atlantic Canada. Our clean water agency, the Canada water agency, is going to be set up coming out of this budget, and there is going to be money for Lake Simcoe.
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- Apr/17/23 12:40:46 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, obviously, there are some worthwhile measures in this budget. We are not going to say no to a good thing. However, I wonder whether some steps are being skipped in implementing these procedures. I would like my colleague to tell us more about two aspects.
First, I see that $31 million will be allocated to establish a national counter-foreign interference office. Obviously, we agree with the idea. However, does my colleague not think that the commission of inquiry we have been calling for for months should take place before the national office is established, since the commission would obviously have some useful findings to contribute?
Second, there is something in the budget that is dear to my heart, and that is the issue of planned obsolescence. The budget states that the government plans to work to implement the right to repair. How will it ensure that goods purchased in Quebec and Canada can be repaired when they break or require fixing?
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- Apr/17/23 12:42:38 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, would the member be able to advise us on the debt service interest and he how he sees it going forward? It would be nice to know the exact number based on the budget. How does he see things developing further in the future?
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- Apr/17/23 12:42:57 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would say that, within our fiscal framework, this budget moves us forward.
We would still maintain our AAA credit rating. We would be making strategic investments into our economy while continuing to grow our economy and create those good middle-class jobs that Canadians depend upon day in and day out. Also, it would ensure that our fiscal framework remains strong, and that is very important to someone like me.
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- Apr/17/23 12:43:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have to speak to the missing part of the budget, which is any real investment in housing. In a release today, the National Housing Council is saying that the national housing strategy is not working.
We are seeing very little investment in housing in the budget. Could the member speak to why?
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- Apr/17/23 12:45:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canadians are struggling worse than anyone has in generations. With the Liberal government’s 2023 budget, I cannot help but think it is missing some pages. I looked, and there must be pages missing. It has to be the case because there is no vision for the country. Where is the plan to make things more affordable? Where does it show that the Liberals are focusing on priorities that matter most to Canadians?
With this budget, it is clear that the ordinary people, who are in truth extraordinary people, but the everyday people who live in the small towns and suburban communities, just like those I represent in York—Simcoe from places such as Ansnorveldt, Bellhaven, Cedarbrae, Pefferlaw, Willow Beach and Bradford, are once again on the outside looking in.
At 5.2%, inflation is still the highest it has been in 30 years. Prices for everyday items, including groceries, electricity, fuel and other necessities, continue to skyrocket. It is no wonder 68% of Canadians are concerned they may not be able to afford gasoline and 60% are worried they will not have enough food to feed their families.
This might not mean much to the Liberal government members and their friends on Bay Street, who profited from the pandemic and who have been well insulated from the increases to the cost of living. They will say, “Is meat too expensive? Let them eat lentils.” They will respond to higher gas prices by telling Canadians to just go buy an electric car. They do this in complete ignorance of the economic realities working families are facing in Canada.
There are Canadians who have resorted to feeding their children Kraft Dinner day after day, with no end in sight. The newest vehicle most people in my riding can afford is a 10-year-old car. It is not a shiny new EV right off the lot. All of this has become heartbreaking and depressing for Canadians who want so much more for themselves, their children and their grandchildren.
While the Prime Minister and his cabinet jetted across Canada trumpeting this budget and telling people to wrack up more debt on their credit cards, I was in my community of York—Simcoe doing what I normally do, which is speaking to the everyday residents who live there about what matters most to them. I spoke to a clerk in a hardware store in Sutton who told me she is retired now but had to go back to work and is working two jobs just so she will not go hungry.
I spoke to a senior in Baldwin who worked hard her entire life as a personal support worker. She dedicated all of her years toward caring for the vulnerable. This senior has now become vulnerable herself, spending the final years of her life in a trailer park with almost no pension and barely getting by each and every month. She cannot afford to put food on the table or pay for hearing aids, glasses and other necessities. Desperately, in the face of these struggles, she asked me whether medically assisted dying was available to her, simply because the cost to live has become so expensive.
These stories are becoming all too common. How is it acceptable that Canadians, people such as the senior in my riding, would consider euthanasia as a better alternative to the poverty and hardship imposed on them by the Liberals’ fiscal irresponsibility? Sadly, reports in the media over the past year have confirmed this desperation. Many Canadians have taken this option. What does that say about the Liberal government? What does it say about our country when it is easier to access assisted dying in Canada than it is to secure affordable housing or afford groceries and other essentials?
With the state of the economy, far too many Canadians are losing hope. They no longer see this country as a place where they can own a home, start or maintain a business, or raise a family. Instead of the Liberals’ deflections and false narratives, Canadians from all walks of life in every industry and in every sector across Canada require real solutions to tackle skyrocketing inflation and the cost of living crisis.
When we look at the 2023 budget promises and the commitments by the Liberals to correct their many failures, those solutions are just not there. In fact, the 2023 budget will make matters worse. With this budget, the Liberals are continuing their war on work by increasing taxes and driving up the debt.
Under the Prime Minister, Canada's federal debt for 2023-24 is projected to reach $1.22 trillion. That is nearly $81,000 per household in Canada, $10,000 more than the income of most families in York—Simcoe. The amount the government is spending on servicing the debt is almost as much as it is sending to the provinces as health care transfers. It is no wonder that, in my riding of York—Simcoe, we have few doctors, no hospital and no physical hospice. It is completely outrageous.
This speaks to one of the problems with the budget and with the Liberals’ approach to the economy in general. Instead of addressing the wider issues, the government will point to the narrowly applied measures they are funding and say that the job is done.
We can take the completely unattainable housing market, for instance. The Liberals’ only plan is a flawed tax-free home savings account. How does this out-of-touch government expect new and young Canadians, already struggling with inflation, wage stagnation and the cost of living crisis, to dedicate $8,000 of their income per year to this scheme?
With the minimum down payment in Canada exceeding $122,000, the FHSA limit of $40,000 is almost laughable, even if aspiring homeowners could afford to put away $8,000 over five years. The Liberals may say that they have now solved the housing affordability crisis, but Canadians can see that this budget will not result in any additional houses being built or a family affording a home who otherwise could not.
Budget 2023 also fails our Canadian farmers, who provide our food security. Our country should be a global leader in agricultural production. I have always said that one can move a General Motors plant, but one cannot move a farm. Instead, the Liberals have stacked the deck against our farmers with fertilizer tariffs, carbon taxes and lack of energy infrastructure, such as natural gas or upgraded hydro infrastructure.
This has made it a struggle for Canadian farmers to compete in the global market while ensuring our own food security here at home. The meagre proposals in budget 2023 do little or nothing to mitigate these challenges and support the people who grow our food.
Finally, I note that budget 2023 contains a promise for some small funding for Lake Simcoe, which is shared between all the Great Lakes across Canada and most major freshwater lakes and rivers in Canada. This is the fourth promise of funding for the lake from the Liberals since they cancelled the Lake Simcoe clean-up fund in 2017.
Residents who live in the watershed or rely on the lake for drinking water are sick and tired of the broken promises. They know that the Liberals are all talk and no action when it comes to the environment. Band-aid solutions and microtargeted measures might sound good at the podium at the Empire Club or at the WEF, but they do not result in any meaningful relief for Canadians carrying the financial burden of the Liberals’ economic failures.
The Prime Minister is spending more than $120 billion in budget 2023. What do we have to show for this out-of-control spending? What is the result of the Liberal spending after eight years? Members can ask themselves that. Any Canadian who has had to sit in a hospital waiting room, try to buy children’s medication, buy or rent a house, renew their passport, take a flight or pay their taxes will tell us that the result has not been much, sadly.
We have no domestic manufacturing capacity here, and across every sector, growth is in decline. Where is the productivity? Members can think about this: After ballooning the size of the federal government by 30%, there is a bigger and costlier government with more red tape, but there are worse outcomes for Canadians.
Fundamentally, the most important purpose of this budget was to restore the formula that worked in this country for the better part of 156 years, which is that, if one works hard, one should be able to provide for one’s family, work toward one’s dreams and give back to one’s community.
The fact is that this budget is not actually missing pages, but it is missing meaningful action to fix that broken formula, and I will be voting no to this budget.
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- Apr/17/23 12:56:14 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is no surprise: We knew the member was going to be voting no to the budget even before the budget was tabled. There are so many inaccuracies and misinformation within what the member is suggesting. The member says that the government is spending too much money and that we have too much debt. Then he goes on to say that we are not doing enough and that we should be spending more.
Let me use a specific example. The member talked about a senior who is living in a mobile home and he talked about the tragedy and said we are not doing anything for that senior. That particular senior is getting the grocery rebate, and that particular senior is getting the dental benefits, both of which this member is voting against. That senior is getting the 10% increase if he or she is over 75 and, if not, the GIC has been greatly enhanced, all of which Stephen Harper would never have done.
Why should anyone believe the Conservatives of today when they have absolutely nothing when it comes to a plan for Canadians?
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- Apr/17/23 1:01:21 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, once again, it is a privilege for me to rise in the House to speak for the people of Lévis—Lotbinière, whom I proudly represent. From the outset, I would like to say that back home, we do not have the same definition of the word “budget” as the Prime Minister, nor the same approach to budgeting.
On March 28, the Minister of Finance and this spendthrift Prime Minister proved to us for the eighth time in a row that the Liberals are incompetent and that their only talent is keeping us in the financial hole we have fallen into, in spite of ourselves, with debt interest payments we will never see the end of in our lifetime.
The Prime Minister is proud to wear the same rose-coloured glasses as the Minister of Finance, but even worse is that he is out of touch with reality in Canada. He sees us as a country to be envied within the G7.
I am going to show the House that we are getting poorer all the time, that we are living in poverty.
To talk about this budget, I will begin by saying that I am very annoyed by all the words that ring false coming from the Prime Minister, starting with the words “budget” and “economy”.
This brings me to an important question: Does the Prime Minister know what a piggy bank is? When the Prime Minister appeared on Tout le monde en parle on April 2, he talked about a large pot of money that certainly should not be saved for tough times or for a contingency. It is a big pot of money that could be used to balance the budget within five years, if only the Prime Minister knew how to count. I believe that he views it as a huge pile of cash or an unlimited jackpot for him to spend.
The only problem is that there is no more money. All these investments he is announcing are being made on credit. I cannot even fathom the amount of interest that will have to be repaid. I am picturing a big warehouse filled with pallets laden with bundles of money. It is really outrageous.
The exceptionally spendthrift Prime Minister is the perfect example of someone who never had to save up their hard-earned pennies in a piggy bank as a child.
For ordinary people, a dollar is still a dollar, because loonies are not made of gold. I say that as a reminder to the Prime Minister, who is about to shell out $43 billion on a new spending spree with the unconditional support of our NDP friends. Theirs is a beautiful love story, but it is costing us very dearly.
Currently leading Canada is a Prime Minister who has never had to make tough choices, as thousands of families are doing right now. We are not talking about choosing between buying a huge TV on credit and subscribing to cable TV channels. We are talking about choosing between buying groceries and paying the electricity bill or making car payments to be able to get to work.
With the Liberal-NDP coalition, we are not dealing with two teams that decided to pool resources in order to be able to offer Canadians more money. Instead, we have two political parties that have joined forces to find ways to spend even more of Canadians' money, because their own pockets are now empty or, even worse, because they are actually spending the future savings of generations yet to be born. Simply put, the big pot is broken and is now empty.
The Liberal-NDP coalition is undermining democracy in Canada and in our institutions. Canadians did not vote for this hypocrisy in the last election. However, this is not the first time in Canadian history that a party that will never have a chance to be in power has resorted to scheming with the Liberals to achieve its ends with no legitimacy.
I would like to talk about another word that I heard on April 2 that the Prime Minister does not seem to know the meaning of, and that is the word “austerity”. When did being reasonable and fiscally responsible or using good judgment and common sense become synonymous with austerity in Canada?
Even more serious than austerity, in my opinion, is the fact that people can no longer make ends meet, even by tightening their belt or earning a higher salary. Inflation keeps driving up the price of housing, mortgages, groceries and all the basic necessities. Before this Liberal government came to power, it took only 39% of the average wage to make the monthly payment on an average home. Today, that number has increased to 62%.
Just last week, my heart broke once again when I had to help a family with three children in my riding who could no longer afford food and shelter. The pandemic, coupled with the cost of living, is putting the squeeze on millions of Canadians who have no savings and no available credit. They have nothing left. Many are skipping a meal every day, and people are increasingly using food banks on a weekly basis. Where and when will this end?
I am not knocking the green energy sources of the future, quite the contrary. They are what we are all hoping for. We, the Conservatives, were the first to offer energy efficiency tax credits. I predict that more and more people will turn to solar energy, but not for the right reasons or the same reasons. They will do it because they no longer have the ability or the opportunity to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Basically, they will be out on the street. That is so sad.
Canada has the lowest number of housing units per 1,000 residents of any G7 country. Because of strong population growth, the number of housing units per 1,000 Canadians has been dropping since 2016, a date that makes me think of the 2015 election. An additional 100,000 homes would have been required to keep the ratio of housing units to population stable since 2016, which still leaves us well below the G7 average and well under what the Liberal government promised. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Canada now needs 3.5 million more housing units than planned to restore affordability.
I see the Prime Minister cockily saying that we will bring in foreign workers to deal with the labour shortage, even though we already have trouble providing decent housing for homeless people, Canadian families and seniors. Will the government tell us where these missing affordable housing units are going to come from, when we know that mortgages and rent have almost doubled since the Liberals took office?
Stress and anxiety have now become an inherent part of life for millions of Canadians. Parents, children and grandparents are worried because they know that opportunities are dwindling in Canada. Not so long ago, many people never would have thought they would end up in this precarious situation. They are living a nightmare, with no chance of waking up. In eight years, the Liberals have brought us to a nightmarish reality.
Legalizing marijuana did not help at all. Written briefs to the House and the work of committees can attest to that. Countries that legalized marijuana saw an increase in crime. Surprise surprise, that is what we are seeing now too: a 32% increase in crime. They also reported an increase in mental health problems. We too are seeing an increase in the number of people who are facing mental health challenges. We are also seeing increased substance abuse and a rise in deaths related to drugs, the hard drugs that the Liberal Party wanted to legalize at all costs. That is the Liberal legacy, or should I say, the Liberal investment in our society. For shame.
Not so long ago, we could say that any problem could be solved through policy, but that was before the Liberal era. The best way to put an end to the Liberal government that is destroying our future has always been to show them the door. Since 2015, if the Prime Minister had been paying attention to his big pot of money, as he likes to call it when he talks about the economy, we would not be in this situation.
Everyone has heard the phrase “the sky is blue and hell is red”. As a result of this NDP-Liberal coalition, everyone will be smiling as they think about what they like, but the real truth that is now on the lips of all Canadian workers is that they are paying far too much in taxes right now because the Liberal government is wasting far too much money.
The 2023 budget continues the Liberal practice of depending on tax increases and inflationary deficits. That is why I will be voting against the budget, to honour those who work hard for their money and know how to count.
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- Apr/17/23 1:11:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, when I look at the budget, I see a budget that very much reflects what Canadians want to see. We get a first-hand look at that. In the past week, we have had the Prime Minister touring the country and having town halls. In Winnipeg, he was relatively close to the north end. He met with tradespeople. The feedback we are receiving is very encouraging. We realize there is still more work to be done; we will continue to work to ensure the budget and legislative measures brought forward in the House reflect what Canadians' expectations are.
Can the member explain to Canadians why the Conservative Party committed to voting against the budget even before it knew what was in the budget?
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- Apr/17/23 1:12:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the answer is relatively simple. Canadians are all struggling to find a home to rent or buy. There is absolutely nothing in the budget to ensure a future for Canadians who need housing. It is going to be very expensive. Over the past eight years of Liberal rule, the cost of housing has doubled and almost tripled. The cost of home ownership has truly outstripped the incomes of most Canadians. It is truly shameful that this government is letting Canadians sleep in the streets.
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- Apr/17/23 1:15:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Milton.
I am proud to rise in the House of Commons today to speak on budget 2023, our government's plan to build a stronger, more sustainable and more secure Canadian economy for everyone.
Budget 2023 is a made-in-Canada plan that builds a stronger middle class, an affordable economy and a healthy future from coast to coast to coast. Canadians have demonstrated their strength and resilience over the last few years as global economies have moved towards recovering from the COVID recession. In Canada, we have seen 830,000 more Canadians employed than before the pandemic, unemployment near a record low and a record 85.7% labour force participation rate for Canadian women, which has been supported by our Canada-wide system of affordable early learning and child care.
In budget 2023, our government is responding to global economic challenges by delivering new targeted inflation relief to the Canadians who need it most, strengthening our universal public health care system, rolling out a new Canadian dental care plan for millions of Canadians and making transformative investments to build Canada's clean economy and create good middle-class jobs across Canada.
We understand and recognize the importance of investing in affordable housing, which is why our government is committed to ensuring that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home. I have met with my constituents in Surrey Centre, who expressed their concerns with the rising costs of housing and the barriers to being a first-time homeowner. To confront these barriers our government has announced significant investments and support for the reallocation of funding, which will amplify the construction of new affordable homes for the Canadians who need it most. To support our communities' most vulnerable and those experiencing homelessness, budget 2023 will deliver over $500 million to achieve our goal of ending chronic homelessness through Reaching Home, Canada's homelessness strategy.
In budget 2022, our government committed to introducing a tax-free first home savings account; the implementation of this plan would provide prospective first-time home buyers the ability to save $40,000 with the benefit of a tax deductible. Budget 2023 has delivered on this commitment, and we are happy to announce that as of April 1, financial institutions are now able to start offering the tax-free first home savings account to Canadians. In fact, I was in the elevator today, and I saw the first ads going up for this first-time home savings account for Canadians.
In addition to affordable housing, the rising costs at the grocery store have affected many Canadians. The increased prices on essential goods have caused many to go without. Budget 2023 is committed to providing new, targeted inflation relief to the Canadians experiencing food insecurity. Budget 2023 proposes to introduce a one-time grocery rebate, providing $2.5 billion in targeted inflation relief for 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians and families. The grocery rebate will provide eligible couples with two children with up to an extra $467, single Canadians without children with up to $234 and seniors with up to $225.
COVID-19 created and exacerbated challenges for Canada's health care system. We recognize that many Canadians do not have a family doctor and that health care workers are still recovering from their tireless efforts during the pandemic. We recognize how crucial our universal health care system is for the well-being of Canadians and the importance of supporting provinces and territories in delivering better health care results, regardless of where people live.
Budget 2023 delivers the government's plan to provide an additional $198.3 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new funding for provinces and territories. We believe that all Canadians deserve access to health care services. However, we recognize that many rural and remote communities lack access to primary health care because of a shortage of health professionals. Our government addressed this shortage in budget 2022, announcing a 50% increase to the maximum amount of forgivable Canada student loans for doctors and nurses working in underserved rural or remote communities. This year, our government has proposed $45.9 million over four years, with $11.7 million ongoing to expand this program to more rural communities. Our government is committed to retaining doctors from coast to coast to coast so that every Canadian has access to primary health care.
In 2021, it was my personal promise to the people of Surrey Centre that I would advocate and push to have a Simon Fraser University primary care medical school for Surrey, for the purposes of primary care, rural medicine and indigenous care. I am proud to say that it is moving ahead, with the provincial government already committing $6 million. It is expected to open and take in its first students in 2026, and in short order after that, have a full school thereafter.
An important component of our health is access to dental care. However, many children go without these critical services because of the cost. The Canada dental benefit is now providing eligible parents with direct, upfront, tax-free payments to cover the costs of dental care for their children under the age of 12. To date, our government has supported more than 240,000 children across Canada, who are now able to go to the dentist.
In budget 2023, we plan to expand this program to children 18 and under, seniors 65 and older and those suffering with disabilities. We plan to deliver a transformative investment of $13 billion over five years and provide $4.4 billion ongoing to implement the Canadian dental care plan. This plan would provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with an annual family income of less than $90,000.
Immigration has historically reunited families and contributed to the Canadian economy, and it continues to do so. The global pandemic changed how we could process immigration requests. Canadians and newcomers were forced to experience unacceptable wait times. To address this, our government has adopted new technologies, streamlined processing and made significant new investments, including $135 million in 2022-23 to address immigration application backlogs.
In doing so, 5.2 million applications for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship were processed in 2022. Our government committed to implementing these new technologies to move more key services online, including confirmation of permanent residence status, introducing online citizenship testing and ceremonies.
Our government recognizes that the cost of living has affected all Canadians and that students pursuing an education need support. Budget 2023 proposes to enhance student financial assistance starting August 1, 2023. This proposal includes increasing Canada student grants by 40%, which could provide up to $4,200 for full-time students; raising the interest-free Canada student loan limit; and waiving the requirement for mature students to undergo credit screening in order to qualify for federal student loans.
Budget 2023 would make life more affordable, provide improved health care services for all Canadians from coast to coast to coast, provide targeted funding for students and workers, and encourage investments in the green energy economy.
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- Apr/17/23 1:44:58 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government, we are facing some of the most difficult economic times our country has ever seen. In this budget, the Liberals have decided to continue increasing taxes and spending without limit. The budget contains $63 billion in new spending. That is an extra $4,200 of debt per household.
To add insult to injury, on April 1 the Prime Minister's carbon tax increased. The carbon tax now adds 14¢ per litre, which will cost the average Canadian family over $800 this year alone, even after the rebates.
Budget 2023 was an opportunity to give Canadians hope, but instead the Liberals chose to keep their hands in the pockets of Canadians with more inflationary spending and more taxes. The Conservatives cannot support this budget and will be voting against it.
After hundreds of phone calls, in-person visits, contacts and emails with people from Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, it is clear that the Liberal government is completely out of touch with Canadians. The Liberals have had no idea of the sacrifices Canadians have been making day to day since they came to power and cut their secret backroom deal with the NDP. Savings accounts are being depleted, credit cards are being used to purchase everyday items, home ownership is now a pipe dream for future generations and they will be on the hook for the Prime Minister's reckless vanity spending.
After listening to Canadians, the Conservatives had three key demands we wanted included in budget 2023 to restore hope to this country. The first was allowing Canadians to bring home powerful paycheques with lower taxes and scrapping the carbon tax.
With yearly increases to the carbon tax now in play, Canadians who are already in a desperate place are being squeezed again with little left to give. Frances, from Chatham, reached out and shared his family's situation with me. Here are his words: “We eat less, go out less and are stressed.”
A University of Saskatchewan study reports that one in five Canadians is skipping meals, and Second Harvest reports that in 2023 there will be a 60% increase in food bank usage. That is a sombre statistic. Mothers are adding water to their baby formula, and I have heard from people in my own riding, and this is sad, that some seniors are even resorting to eating cat food to survive.
How did Canada, a once prosperous nation, turn into a country where Canadians are going to bed with empty stomachs? This is what happens when we have a Prime Minister who does not pay attention to monetary policy.
The government proudly proclaims that the budget includes a one-time grocery rebate, but news flash, it is all smoke and mirrors. It is the GST rebate branded as a grocery rebate. What the Liberals fail to mention is the rebate disappears thanks to their carbon tax.
The Liberal government gives little and takes more in the same breath and expects people to be thankful for it. Canadians are seeing through this Liberal charade. The Conservatives know that real people deserve a real plan to deal with the cost of living crisis and that no serious plan will be coming until we form government.
Restaurants, bars, wineries, distilleries and breweries are being unduly punished by the Prime Minister's tax plan. The 2% increase to the excise tax this year on alcohol will negatively impact an already struggling industry. The temporary cap on the increase of the excise tax is only for one more year, and we can be certain the tax will increase again after that.
The Conservatives fought to scrap this tax in its entirety. Unfortunately, there is nothing the Liberals will not tax. Hard-working Canadians should be rewarded for their labour. Under a Conservative government, we will make sure this becomes a reality again.
The Conservatives also demanded a budget that would help bring home lower prices by ending the inflationary debt and deficits that drive up inflation and interest rates. Last year, when budget 2022 was tabled, the MP for University—Rosedale said that Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio was Canada's “fiscal anchor” and must decline for the country's finances to be sustainable.
If budget 2023 passes, Canada will be without a fiscal anchor. Let that sink in. There will be no return to a balanced budget and no plan on reducing our debt load. According to a recent Angus Reid poll, nearly half of Canadians want the government to cut spending and present a plan to balance the budget.
The Conservatives agree. Under our leader, the Conservatives would bring in a dollar-for-dollar tax law that would require the government to find a dollar of savings for every dollar of new spending. That would curb spending significantly and bring accountability to government.
The Liberals are always looking for ways to spend more money at the expense of Canadians. They tax, they borrow and then they print more money. The Conservatives understand how hard Canadians work for their money. Budget 2023 continues to tax Canadians to cover for the Prime Minister's out-of-control spending. The taxation needs to stop. The Conservatives will not support this tax-and-spend budget.
The third thing that Canadians were looking for in budget 2023 was a plan to bring homes to Canadians that they can afford by removing government gatekeepers to free up land and speed up building permits. Home ownership has become a remote reality for Canadians wanting to enter the housing market. Nine out of 10 Canadians who do not own a home say they feel they likely never will. Under the Liberals, everything has doubled. Minimum down payments have doubled. Mortgage payments have doubled. Rents have doubled.
The Liberals have taken away what was once a proud milestone in the life of Canadians. Instead of parents visiting their kids' new homes, parents are moving their kids back home to their basement in the house where they grew up. This is what happens when we have a Prime Minister who does not do numbers, who thinks economic growth comes from using a credit card and who does not understand the real impacts of consumer debt. What is the Prime Minister's response? It is to keep drowning Canada. The dream of home ownership has been trampled thanks to the Liberals.
We also have a housing shortage in the country, and according to the CMHC, it is projected that Canada will need 3.5 million new homes to restore affordability. There is no plan in budget 2023 to address Canada's housing crisis. The Liberals have no plan to get homes built. Canada must bring homes people can afford by removing gatekeepers, freeing up land and speeding up building permits. A Conservative government would withhold federal funding from cities that refuse to remove gatekeepers. Affordable housing is not a priority for the Liberal government, and we cannot support a budget that does not address this.
On agriculture, a pillar of the Canadian economy, we see a Liberal government unwavering in its attempt to break the backs of farmers and compromise Canada's food security at home and abroad. The budget does nothing to address the rising cost of fuel, feed, fertilizer, transportation and the energy necessary to grow and produce food.
The sector has also been hit hard with the carbon tax, making food production more expensive and the cost of food even more unaffordable for Canadians. When the carbon tax triples by 2030, it will compromise a farmer's ability to make a profit, leading to bankruptcies and the exit of farmers from the industry. That is already happening. The budget confirms that the Liberals' plan to reduce fertilizer use, which will decrease food production, will jeopardize our food security.
According to a recent report from RBC and the University of Guelph, the industry is set to lose 40% of farm operators to retirement in the next 10 years. With all the farmers retiring and no one entering the business because they cannot afford to, we have a serious problem looming in Canada. Here is an equation I hope the Prime Minister will understand: No farms equals no food. More and more family farms are closing due to the excessive cost of running them.
Reducing fertilizer will surely boost the number of Canadians visiting food banks as their grocery prices continue to jump due to a shortage of food supply. According to a study by MNP, the proposed Liberal reduction in fertilizer targets will cost the Canadian economy $48 billion by 2030. This is what a Canada run by NDP ideology will look like: weak, gutted and hopeless.
I am sure everyone in the House has heard the phrase “actions speak louder than words”. The budget is full of words. How can Canadians trust a government with a long record of waste? We have the $15-billion arrive scam app, the $6,000-a-night hotel room for the Prime Minister, a cabinet minister giving her friend a government contract and $100 million to McKinsey. It does not stop. With government revenue expected to decrease, Canadians can expect a flood of new taxes for years to come under the Liberals.
A constituent reached out to me with her views on what her country has become under the Liberals. Delaney wrote, “We cannot afford our life. I don't spend any money beyond our needs, but it is to a point where I wonder how I will continue to heat my house for my family and provide healthy nutritious meals for my kids. There is something seriously wrong with this country and currently I am not proud to be a Canadian. It is an embarrassment.”
Empty stomachs, unaffordable housing and high taxes are what eight years of the Liberal government have done to Canada, and budget 2023 does little to address the real issues Canadians are facing. I will not support this budget, and I am proudly joining my Conservative colleagues in voting against it.
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- Apr/17/23 2:08:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this budget reflects in a very real way what Canadians expect their government to do. We can talk about the grocery rebate to support well over 10 million Canadians, or we can talk about the expansion of the dental care program to cover yet more Canadians.
I want to highlight the strong support in this year's federal budget for skilled trades workers. We are actually doubling the tradesperson's tool deduction. That is a significant commitment to people in the trades.
Further to that, the Prime Minister has been conducting town halls throughout Canada. Just last week, in the city of Winnipeg, at the Manitoba Building Trades Institute site on McPhillips Street, we had an open town hall to talk about the budget and ensure that ongoing future budgets reflect what Canadians expect.
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- Apr/17/23 2:36:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it seems as though my colleagues opposite have not looked at the budget we presented. What we did is listen to Canadians, and I would advise them to do the same if they want to be on this side of the House one day.
Canadians asked us to help them with groceries and the cost of living. The first measure set out in the budget is the grocery rebate. The second measure has to do with health care. Canadians want a family doctor. The third measure involves investing in the economy. This morning, Ericsson announced a investment of $470 million—
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- Apr/17/23 2:38:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will repeat a little bit of what my excellent colleague said earlier, because he answered the question from my colleague on the opposite side of the House.
We are listening to Canadians. We know that they are struggling to make ends meet right now. That is why our budget takes those challenges into consideration and provides assistance to Canadians across the country to help pay for groceries, make health care accessible and make dental care accessible for families.
All the Conservatives have to do is vote for our budget, and everything will get better for Canadians.
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- Apr/17/23 2:41:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we must recognize all the work that our farmers do. They work extremely hard and know that they bear the pressure for feeding us in these challenging times.
We want to help them in different ways. In the recent budget, we increased the interest-free portion of the advance payments program. They can receive up to $350,000 interest-free. We also clarified the intergenerational business transfer framework.
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- Apr/17/23 2:51:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to my great regret, I am afraid it is my colleague who is misleading this chamber and Canadians. It is the Prime Minister and the government that have continually said that we take foreign interference seriously. This is why we have put in place the people, the resources, the authorities, and in addition to that, the transparency to shine a light on the way in which we are protecting our institutions, our economies, and most importantly, Canadians.
I encourage my colleague to support the budget, which will also include more resources for the RCMP and other law enforcement agencies to protect Canadians from foreign interference. I look forward to that day when he supports the budget on this side of the House.
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