44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 25, 2023 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, of course, any government needs to be continuing to plan for our future, build infrastructure and plan for where technology is taking us. However, I look back to what my constituents have told me in a recent survey we finished in March, in anticipation of what the budget could be.
We asked what the government should focus on to support long-term economic growth and job creation. Here is what they told me: The number one thing my constituents said, at 21%, is that we need the natural resources and energy sector. Number two was agriculture, number three was small business, number four was manufacturing and number five was new technologies. There was then a three-way tie among tourism and hospitality, the service sector, and green technology and renewables. My constituents have made it very clear what they expect from the government.
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Mr. Speaker, not once in my speech did I mention government debt or deficits. I focused on our declining standard of living.
In the five-year period from 2017 to 2021, economic output per capita was flat. We have not had any per capita growth, and that is why Canadians are struggling to pay the bills. The government has focused its economic agenda on consumption rather than investment. In the long run, only through investment, whether private sector investment or government investment in public infrastructure, are we going to get to higher levels of productivity, with the attendant increases in wages and prosperity for all Canadians, but the government has not been doing that.
In fact, it has been doing the opposite, which is why our per capita GDP is now much lower than that in the United States. Per capita GDP here is $44,000 U.S., while it is $61,000 U.S. south of the border. The American economy now has fully 40% higher output, per capita, than we have here in Canada, and that is affecting our ability to pay for social programs, such as health care and education.
That is what the government does not get and is incapable of addressing.
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- Apr/25/23 2:54:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Richmond Centre for his advocacy. Last week, the Minister of Natural Resources and I announced that it is in our national interest to increase the capacity of the Port of Vancouver by 50% by approving the Roberts Bank terminal 2 project.
The port will have to abide by 370 conditions, and we will continue our work with indigenous peoples, environmental stakeholders and unions to ensure the expansion and resilience of our supply chains. We have always said that our environmental plan is an economic plan. We are getting the job done.
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- Apr/25/23 3:06:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue to talk down the Canadian economy, but I have some good news. Last week, S&P, the ratings agency, published an economic analysis in which it reaffirmed Canada's AAA rating with a stable outlook. S&P concluded that Canada's AAA credit ratings “reflect the country's strong institutions; credible monetary policy; sound net external position; and wealthy, export-oriented economy.”
Our government is providing dental care, investing in health care, providing grocery rebates and being fiscally responsible.
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Mr. Speaker, to echo what my colleague said earlier, one would think that everything is going great for this government. Everything is just fine and dandy.
On the ground, we are hearing from desperate people, destitute fishers, who are under the thumb of bureaucrats and technocrats who have never consulted in the field. This is just in the fishery. What about employment insurance, which is a major lever for economic development?
Business owners and workers alike agree with the Bloc Québécois's position that EI must be adapted for seasonal work done by people in the regions. If that does not happen, seasonal work will cease to exist.
How can the government tell me that everything is fine and that the government supports the regions?
That is not what I am hearing in my region.
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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?
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