44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 25, 2023 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, I think this particular Liberal government has a problem with railroading provinces and provincial jurisdiction, and respecting that. I really believe that if we had a different mindset coming to the table working with municipalities and working with the provinces, we would see a more collaborative approach and things would get done, as opposed to the federal government always wagging its finger and telling the provinces what to do.
71 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, as always, it is an honour to be able to enter into debate to discuss the issues that are impacting my constituents.
I would like to note, before I get into the substance of my debate, how ironic it is that the Liberals often claim that Conservatives are somehow holding up their agenda by simply doing our jobs, and I would like to highlight how yesterday was a clear example of how that is a falsehood in every way imaginable. Yesterday, Conservatives were ready to debate the budget. In fact, we even moved a motion, in a procedural manner, to help ensure we could get to debate the matter. What did the Liberals do? They wanted to dither and delay, and the consequences are that now we have some late-night sittings. I fear that, in the not-too-distant future, we will see time allocation moved, where once again the Liberals will shut down the ability for us to meaningfully debate the important issues, like budget 2023 and, specifically, the bill we have before us today, one of the budget implementation acts.
I will share a few observations before getting into what my constituents have shared with me about this matter. There are big costs and big announcements, but few results and even fewer benefits. The consequences of that are that Canadians from coast to coast to coast are feeling the effects of now nearly eight years of Liberal mismanagement of our economy, Liberal mismanagement of the federal government and Liberal mismanagement of virtually everything the government touches.
More and more Canadians are losing confidence in the ability to receive even the most basic services, the most basic things a government should be able to accomplish. Canadians are losing faith in those institutions. Instead of the government being able to focus on things like governing, instead of it being able to focus on things like signing a deal with public servants that is two years late, we see the Prime Minister, time and time again, embroiled in scandal.
My advice to any Liberal in this place is to cut that guy loose. He is damaging their credibility to accomplish anything and is damaging and eroding the trust Canadians need to have in their institutions.
When we look at budget 2023, the big picture is not that rosy. We see the fiscal and economic outlook of our country increasingly discouraging for so many. Nowhere is that more clear than in the fact that we are likely going to see a recession. The definition of a recession is a contraction of the GDP over two consecutive quarters. That is the economic definition of what a recession is.
I would expand that a little to include what I would call a “functional” recession. If we take into account the per capita GDP, Canada would have been in a recession for many of the last quarters, certainly the last years, with a few exceptions as we saw rebounds from COVID. It certainly was not just because of COVID. The economy was not doing well prior to COVID. Even though the government pumped out hundreds of billions of dollars of cash, deflating the value of the Canadian dollar, we are seeing Canadians who are not getting ahead.
We see a deficit of $40.1 billion, and the budget will not be balanced for years and years. We see a massive deficit, to the point where the debt-servicing costs, if one can believe it, are greater than the deficit itself. Canadians are needing to borrow to even be able to keep up with the extreme spending of the Prime Minister, who, I suspect, does not know how to balance a budget in his own life, but certainly not that of the government.
We see $43 billion in net new spending. We see $63 billion in gross new spending. The impact per Canadian household is absolutely astonishing, as is the debt, which is rising to well over a trillion dollars. The consequence is that it is not the government's debt. The Prime Minister may have that illusion. In fact, he said during the COVID pandemic that the Liberals took on debt so Canadians would not need to.
Here is a reality check for the Liberals: It is Canadians who carry that debt. The consequences of that have hit the pocketbook of every single Canadian, and the failure to recognize that has devastating consequences on Canadians. The impacts of this budget and the overall fiscal mismanagement are certainly severe.
It is interesting to look at the polls over the last while. Generally, when big dollars get spent in Ottawa, there is a bump in the polls. We have not seen that. Some would suggest it is because of the Prime Minister's scandalous behaviour, and some would suggest it is because of some of the absurdity that members opposite often spout out, but I suspect that Canadians are getting wise to the fact that, time and time again, the Liberals are just tired and have no new policies.
In fact, we see that they have nothing new to offer, by the fact that one of the keynote commitments in this budget is not even a new rebate or a new benefit for Canadians, but is, rather, simply a renamed one within the increase for which we have ensured an expedited passage through the House because we see the value in Canadians having a few extra dollars to be able to afford things like groceries or home heating. The irony is that they simply renamed the GST rebate as the grocery rebate. They are functionally acknowledging that Canadians cannot afford their groceries. The reality is that the Prime Minister and the Liberals have created economic circumstances in which Canadians are suffering in ways that are absolutely astounding.
I had the honour of having dinner with some beekeepers from my constituency. Although I cannot reference whether they are or are not present here, it was an honour to talk about some of the issues our nation is facing and to hear from individuals who are facing the consequences of some of these things.
Like many in this place, I ask my constituents questions on a regular basis, whether that is through town halls or surveys and different things like that. I would like to read into the record, in the time I have left, some of the responses I received from a recent mail-out. I got about 700 or 800 responses, so it is a pretty good representation of the folks in rural Alberta. These are regular, hard-working folks who received my survey, which went out, on paper, to every household in my constituency, plus a whole bunch of emails I was able to send out as well.
Let me say that the picture is not very rosy when we see the consequences of the Liberal economic mismanagement. There were 97.5% of people who said that inflation has directly impacted them, and close to 90% of people have seen their grocery bills grow by $100 or more on a weekly basis. That so-called grocery rebate, the renamed GST rebate because they could not even come up with a new idea, is not even close to covering what Canadians are paying. There were 89.2% of my constituents who told me that their utility bills have grown by $100 or more every month.
Let us get into the just transition. I have a suspicion that the members on this side probably know how my constituents would feel about this. When I asked my constituents, 94.3% of respondents said no, 2.5% of respondents were uncertain, and 3.2% said they supported the just transition. Only 3.2% of those in east central Alberta support the Prime Minister's attempts to take over the energy sector.
There is a whole host of other things. One of the questions I asked was about the need to ensure that fiscal policy is a priority within government. Two-thirds of constituents said that it needs to be a priority and that they do not see that under the management of the current Prime Minister. We are seeing huge costs that are of not even a little benefit, but are pain being inflicted upon Canadians. I would note as well that, in the back of this omnibus budget bill, which the Prime Minister, in another broken promise among many, said he would never introduce, we see that the Prime Minister is unilaterally extending the equalization formula.
Once again, the elitism demonstrated by the Prime Minister is devastating the unity of this country. The number one job of any prime minister should be to unify this country, yet the current Prime Minister has done nothing but divide it for his personal political gain, and the consequences are devastating.
I would simply conclude by saying—
1490 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/25/23 7:58:06 p.m.
- Watch
Questions and comments, the hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader, Senate.
13 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, what an absolute load of revisionist history that was. The member said that the economy was not doing well even before COVID. We had the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, and we still do, by the way. We had an AAA credit rating. We had the lowest unemployment rate since we started recording it in the 1960s. To suggest that the economy was not absolutely booming in Canada before COVID is absolutely ludicrous, but I am not surprised to hear it from that member.
What I find even more interesting from Conservatives is that they seem to be really hung up on the idea that we are branding a GST rebate as a grocery rebate. Who cares what we call it? At the end of the day, the Conservatives are voting against it. They are voting against Canadians' getting more GST back to help them with the rising costs that have been affected by global inflation.
161 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, that member is unequivocally incorrect. Conservatives allowed that measure to be expedited, so he should apologize and retract that statement, because it is untrue. If we want to talk about revisionist history, it was the finance minister on those Liberal benches who said, only last year, that we would never see an increase to the debt-to-GDP ratio in this country. What happened? Obviously, they were either untruthful or they did not understand the economic reality. Canadians can judge for themselves. When it comes to the reality Canadians face, they were not doing well before COVID, they suffered during COVID, and they continue to suffer now. For the Liberals to suggest otherwise is untrue.
117 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, our emotional colleague gave a very interesting speech.
He told us that Canada is not yet in a recession because the GDP is going up. He is inventing some sort of recession that he calls a “functional” recession, where he tells us the per capita GDP is going down. That means, in his opinion, that the Canadian population is growing too quickly.
First, if we receive too many immigrants, it is likely a sign of economic success. Then, according to the calculation he pulled out of thin air, is he not saying that he thinks Canada's immigration targets are too high?
106 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, let us look at the facts. Canadians are suffering, and here is the reality: The Liberals have destroyed confidence in so many aspects of our institutions, including the immigration system. We see that there are longer lineups than ever. Now that there is a general strike on, I shudder to think how many people are trying to pursue a better life, people who want to become Canadians and are going through the lawful process but are being denied that ability because of the government's mismanagement. Nonetheless, we have the government also encouraging lawbreakers, encouraging what is called “irregular immigration”, which affects the member's province specifically, as well as all border provinces across the country.
I think it is rich that the government claims to be standing up for the middle class when, in reality, it is diminishing it and diminishing the prosperity Canadians, including new Canadians, should be able to attain.
157 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, the member spoke about the fiscal and economic outlook of our country, but also about how Canadians are struggling, and I want to raise one issue that impacts seniors in particular. I was disappointed, because the budget made no mention of pharmacare. Right now, one in five Canadians is not taking the medicine they need, because they cannot afford to pay for it. This disproportionately impacts seniors. Seniors are skipping their doses, cutting pills in half and ending up in the hospital because they cannot afford essential medication.
The member also spoke about reducing government spending. The national single-payer pharmacare program would save government money. The annual savings would be incredible. Within a few years, it would save an estimated $5 billion per year. It has been over two decades since the Liberals promised Canadians pharmacare, so does the member agree that the government should stop putting the profits of big pharmaceutical companies ahead of what Canadian families need, and deliver single-payer universal pharmacare?
168 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/25/23 8:02:36 p.m.
- Watch
Resuming debate, the hon. member for Saskatoon—Grasswood.
9 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I have two points. First, the irony of a member of the socialist New Democrats suggesting that somehow there is something wrong with the budget they have said they support no matter what happens, outside of a few rather vague commitments made in the so-called “confidence and supply agreement”, is somewhat rich.
The second point is that we have a Prime Minister who has refused to take seriously his obligation to work with the provinces to ensure that the provinces can deliver the health care Canadians expect. We have seen that time and time again, and now we are seeing it with a unilateral extension of the equalization formula as a little side item in the budget bill. The reality is that Canadians deserve better, certainly better—
133 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure and honour to rise in this place, even when it is time to speak on yet another poorly prepared Liberal budget, as I am here to do tonight.
Budget day used to be the most exciting day of the year in the House of Commons, but it fell flat. It was ridiculous. The finance minister stood up, green dress, saying everything is fine in Canada. Well, this just in: It is not fine in Canada. To the contrary, this country is in massive trouble and a difficult economic position. Canadian families are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet, and businesses are struggling every day just to keep their doors open because of the carbon tax, which is one of the reasons I am hearing in my province of Saskatchewan.
I will agree that 2022 was a year of high inflation, massive deficits, a rising cost of living and tax hikes, and 2023 looks like it will be much of the same. I remember that not a long time ago, the finance minister said we would have deficit inflation. The member for Carleton, in the House, for over two years, signalled there was going to be massive inflation. The member for Carleton was right. When we continue to spend and spend, as this government has done, we are going to get inflation trouble, and that is what happened in 2022.
We are in an economic crisis that has impacted Canadians across regions and all age groups. As we have mentioned in the House a lot, one in five Canadians is skipping meals. The average rent in this country has nearly doubled in the last eight years. The down payment needed to buy a house has now doubled, and inflation continues to drive grocery prices higher and higher. For young Canadians, the dream of starting a family or even owning their own house is getting further and further out of reach.
For many families, there is a growing reliance on food banks, and I see it in my city of Saskatoon. More and more families each month, unfortunately, arrive at the food bank looking for food to tide them over for a paycheque or at the end of the month. We have never seen the numbers so high in my city. Saskatchewan is the economic engine right now of this country, yet we have many families visiting the food bank in my city. It is really tough right now to put gas in vehicles or even sign kids up for sports. Many seniors living on fixed incomes are having to choose between filling the fridge and paying the rent.
We had a constituency week two weeks ago. I have the largest number of seniors facilities in Saskatchewan. That is right: Saskatoon—Grasswood is number one in Saskatchewan for seniors facilities. I spent a lot of time visiting them over the two-week period, and everything is going up: food, rent and heat. In fact, at one facility, which I will not name, during the round table, seniors told me that rent was going up $15 a month. Last year, that facility did not raise the price of rent, but it had to raise it this year, in 2023, by $15. For many, that is a drive-through trip at Tim Hortons. However, these seniors were stressed out over the $15 extra they are going to be paying next month on their rent. That speaks volumes about what has happened in this country.
We emerged from a financial crisis in 2007-08 with a stronger economy than any other country in the G7. Our economy was growing steadily because it was competitive. We were aggressively exploring international trade. We had a government focused on fiscal restraint. However, we have lost that. We have lost our competitiveness.
Just today, a story in a newspaper in Saskatchewan said that Vital Metals has halted construction of rare earths at the University of Saskatchewan. That is the same facility where, about six weeks ago, the Prime Minister was gladly sharing photos. He was there at Vital Metals. Well, now it is shut down. This is the sort of economy we are losing not only in Saskatoon and Saskatchewan, but certainly across the country.
What happened? What changed between 2015 and now that has led to the massive economic problems we see? Well, I think we can all point to 2015, when the Liberals came to power in October. Do we remember the early promise that they would just have small deficits that would be gone within three years? What has that turned out to be? It is massive deficits blown right out of the water.
We are eight years into the Liberal government's reign, and it has added more debt to the books than any other prime minister in the history of this country for over 150-plus years. It has blown that out in eight short years. Fiscal restraint, as members know, has been thrown right out the window, has led to record levels of inflation and has certainly driven up interest rates.
It was interesting listening to the finance minister as she was preparing for the budget, because a month before she made the announcement that everything would be fine and the Liberals would haul in their spending and control it, she was talking to the banks in the country. They all said she needed to reel in spending, so we were prepared for that. Wow, did Canadians get a surprise when she announced the budget that day in this House.
What does the finance minister propose to do to fix the problems her government has created? Unfortunately, it is more of the same, as we found out the day the budget came out.
This year, the minister proposed to tack on another $43 billion to the debt, with no path at all to balance the budget. When the Liberals came to Parliament as government in 2015, they said that after three years they would balance everything. However, eight years in and they have not even come close to balancing the budget.
The finance minister also proposed to continue to raise taxes, including the carbon tax. By 2030, which is seven years away, the government's two carbon taxes could add 50¢ per litre to the price of gas. Diesel in this country is roughly about $1.80 and is going to be over two dollars again this summer. Then we will all sit here and bark about why food prices have gone up. Well, it is because of the transportation costs the government is imposing with its carbon tax. As we have seen from coast to coast, the carbon tax is adding to everyday expenses.
What should we do? Well, any plan should focus on three pillars. On this side of the House, for the last eight years, we have talked about lowering taxes, tackling high inflation and removing the government gatekeepers that make it more difficult to get business done here in Canada. We have seen that. I just mentioned that Vital Metals is closing today in Saskatoon.
We need to lower taxes. At a time when so many Canadians are already struggling to make ends meet, the obvious first step is to make sure they have more money in their pockets. Then they can pay down their debt and maybe enjoy a vacation, something the Prime Minister casually goes on every two or three months. Normal Canadians are cutting back on vacations. In a recent survey, we heard that six in 10 will not be taking a vacation this summer as it is simply too expensive.
This year, a family of four is going to spend over $1,000 more on food. A family will also pay between $402 and $847 because of the carbon tax, even after the rebate. The government says that it will all be revenue-neutral, but the Parliamentary Budget Officer knows too well that in my home province of Saskatchewan it is not revenue-neutral.
We are concerned in this country. We are concerned because of the out-of-control spending and the growing deficit we are seeing in this country of $1.22 trillion. I cannot add that up fast enough for every household. The average Canadian household share is now $81,000. How are we going to get this down? I think that is the biggest area of concern for the next Conservative government, because Canadians want to get the debt down and are looking forward to a new Conservative government to show them the way.
1443 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, in my colleague's speech, there were several instances where I think he shared with all of us in the House and with Canadians misinformation, perhaps, or was not clear on the facts.
There was one in particular where the hon. member referenced the idea that the Prime Minister goes on vacation every three months. With all of the research the hon. member has done, can he please share with us, in detail, and with his constituents, given that the Prime Minister's schedule is public, what vacations the Prime Minister has gone on? There should be four in the last year. Can he name all four vacations the Prime Minister has gone on?
116 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, the Aga Khan's island is one. He has gone to Tofino when he should not have done that. He just went to Jamaica for $9,000 a night, which he should be paying back out of his own pocket. He has not admitted to that in the House.
The Prime Minister, for the last week, should be paying $81,000 for his recent trip. He will not do it. It was a friend of the family for 50 years. That way, he does not have to pay for any rental on a $9,000—
98 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/25/23 8:14:44 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader is rising on a point of order.
16 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, he only named two vacations and one was in 2016. Could he actually answer the question?
18 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/25/23 8:14:55 p.m.
- Watch
That is debate.
The hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue.
12 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, it was a pleasure to listen to my colleague. We thought he was covering a hockey game, his voice is so pleasant to listen to. That being said, I thank him for his concern for the middle class.
I would like him to talk about an issue that is far from trivial but is not properly addressed in this budget; we are talking about measures for an air transportation security charge, which is going to be passed on to the consumer. The problem is that for us, even airplanes are no longer reliable. Air Canada no longer covers Abitibi—Témiscamingue and the regions in Quebec. There is a real problem with respect to air travel into rural communities.
What does my colleague think of this situation? What is the reality in Saskatoon? Should there be real reform to ensure that every rural destination in Canada is properly served?
153 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, yes, it is a big concern in western Canada with Air Canada. It seems to have pulled out. We only have two flights a day, hopefully, from Saskatoon to Toronto and from Vancouver to Saskatoon. It had many more. It is down to four flights for the Diefenbaker airport. That is all it does. We are concerned because Saskatchewan is the economic engine of this country right now.
For the mining companies, like Cameco, NexGen and others, for the university, for the rare earths and for agriculture, everything I have talked about, we desperately need more flights in and out of Saskatoon. We are not getting that. It is the same for Regina. We talked about it as a caucus in February, but what we are seeing is that Air Canada is leaving western Canada, and Westjet is trying to fill the void.
145 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague brought up the carbon tax a number of times. In my riding, the soup and salad bowl of Canada and home to the Holland Marsh, we are seeing onions come in from Egypt and Morocco. I talked to farmers and they tell me we are losing our competitive edge on pricing now with the carbon tax.
In my riding, we have no choice but to dry our beans and our onions with propane. We cannot even get natural gas lines in with infrastructure spending.
I am wondering if my colleague could comment further on the carbon tax and how it is affecting our agriculture.
109 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, we have lost our competitiveness in this country. It worries me. I am worried for vegetable farmers in the member's area, who are trying to get workers in to help out with planting and the harvest. We are about two to three weeks away from planting in my province of Saskatchewan. We are the breadbasket of the world right now, but the carbon tax is killing every farmyard in my province. Food prices are going up because of the carbon tax, and it will continue to go up and put tremendous stress on every food bank we have in this country.
104 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
