SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23

Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)

May/29/23 7:25:55 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is nice to have applause from the opposite benches. I am glad they enjoyed that. I certainly did. I enjoyed reminding them about their promises from the last election. The Canadian economy has had a remarkable recovery since the recession caused by COVID‑19. Today, 907,000 more Canadians are working than when COVID‑19 struck. In the first four months of 2023 alone, the Canadian economy created nearly a quarter of a million jobs. We have now recovered 129% of the jobs lost in the first months of the pandemic, compared with only 115% in the United States. Supported by our Canada-wide system of affordable early learning and child care, the labour force participation rate for Canadian women in their prime working years hit a record high of 85.7% in February, compared to just 77.2% in the United States. Today, more Canadians have good jobs than ever before and at just 5%, our unemployment rate is near its record low. Inflation has fallen from 8.1% last June to 4.4% last month. The Bank of Canada predicts it will fall to 3% this summer. Since February, the average wage for Canadians has been growing by 5% or more. That means paycheques have been outpacing inflation, which means more money in Canadians' pockets after a hard day's work. At 3.4%, we had the strongest economic growth in the G7 over the course of last year. Our deficit is down from a projected 1.5% of GDP last year to 1.4% this year. In April, S&P reiterated our Triple A credit rating and we have both the lowest deficit-to-GDP and the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, lower also than other major Triple A-rated economies such as the Netherlands. Thanks to these remarkably strong economic fundamentals, our 2023 budget comes at an important time for the country. In the short term, we have to deal with the global economic slowdown and high interest rates around the world. We also need to strengthen our universal public health care system so that it delivers the quality public health care that Canadians deserve in a timely manner. In the months and years to come, Canada must seize the remarkable opportunities arising from two fundamental shifts in the global economy: the race to build the clean economies of the 21st century and our allies' accelerating efforts to friendshore their economies by building their critical supply chains through democracies such as Canada's. Our budget is a direct response to the challenges and opportunities we face. First, our budget includes a one-time grocery rebate that will deliver targeted inflation relief to those who need it most. On July 5, 11 million Canadians and Canadian families can expect to see the grocery rebate arrive in their bank accounts or their mailboxes. A couple with two children will receive an extra $467 and single Canadians without children will receive up to an extra $234. Second, we are delivering a $198-billion investment in public health care that we announced earlier this year. Our plan will help ensure Canadians have access to a family doctor. It will tackle the backlog of surgeries and combat the opioid crisis that has devastated so many families. Also, even as we reinforce the public health care system we have today, we are also expanding its reach. By 2025, the new Canadian dental care plan will provide dental coverage for up to nine million uninsured Canadians. That will mean no Canadian ever again will need to choose between taking care of their teeth and paying the bills at the end of the month. It means one will no longer be able to tell how much money a Canadian makes, or how much money their parents make, by their smile. These are significant and necessary investments, because a strong and effective public health care system is essential for a strong and healthy Canadian workforce. We need a strong and healthy Canadian workforce now more than ever because, these days, the whole world is making massive investments in their clean economy of the 21st century. At the same time, our democratic partners are trying to move away from their economic dependency on dictatorships and form closer ties with democracies like ours. Our allies need the expertise of our workers, the ingenuity of Canadian businesses and the resources that Canada is fortunate enough to have in abundance. Our country must live up to this historic moment or it will be left behind while democracies around the world build the clean economy of the 21st century. That is why our budget makes transformative investments to build Canada's clean economy, fight climate change and create new opportunities for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses. This includes major investment tax credits for clean electricity and clean technology manufacturing, adding to major investment tax credits for carbon capture, utilization and storage, clean hydrogen and clean technology adoption that we announced last year. We are going to make Canada a clean electricity superpower by building a national electrical grid that connects Canadians from coast to coast to coast and delivers cleaner, more affordable electricity to Canadians and Canadian businesses. From energy to critical minerals to electric vehicles, we are going to ensure that Canadian workers mine, process, build and sell the goods and resources that our allies need. We are going to deliver investments to put Canadian workers and Canadian businesses at the heart of essential global supply chains and we are going to build big things here in Canada, from a Volkswagen battery plant in St. Thomas to the Galaxy Lithium mine in Quebec, to the Trans Mountain expansion in Alberta, to the Atlantic Loop, to the LNG terminal in Kitimat, B.C. Our plan seeks to create well-paying jobs, good careers for everyone across the country. It seeks to invest in such a way that all Canadians can benefit from incredible opportunities across the country and take part in the new era of prosperity that we will all build together.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

May/29/23 7:33:42 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, there are many aspects we could talk about regarding how progressive the budget is in terms of supporting Canadians in a very real and tangible way. The minister referred to the dental program and how it will be expanded to incorporate seniors and people with disabilities. It has already had an impact on children under the age of 12. I am wondering if the minister could provide some sense of the number of children who have benefited to date under the program and the positive impact this program will have, much like the $10-a-day child care program, on our communities throughout Canada.

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Hon. Chrystia Freeland

May/29/23 7:34:31 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague from Winnipeg North for his hard work and collaboration over many years. As I have travelled the country talking to Canadians about the budget, one of the most touching things for me has been hearing directly from people about how much our dental care plan means to them. People at entirely unrelated events have come up to me, sometimes hiding their faces a bit with one of their hands, saying they are so glad we are doing this, that when they were children their parents could not afford to take them to the dentist and they are ashamed of their smiles today. I am really glad that is not going to happen to Canadian kids anymore. One of the most important things we have done collectively in this House, at least some of us have, is support a plan that is really going to mean, for the first time in Canadian history, that we will not be able to tell how much someone makes by their smile. I am glad we are able to do that.

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Ms. Rachel Bendayan (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Lib.)

May/29/23 7:35:56 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, in response to some of the Conservative leader's questions, the Minister of Finance spoke about the importance of tackling the climate crisis, particularly for Quebeckers. I would like the minister to tell us more about this priority in Quebec and for her to tell us how the acceleration of the green transition, as set out in our 2023 budget, will meet the needs of Quebeckers.

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Hon. Chrystia Freeland

May/29/23 7:36:35 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I would also like to thank my colleague from Montreal who works with me and the deputy finance minister on our larger finance team. Of course, she is right. Quebec is a leader when it comes to child care centres, and it is also a leader in terms of climate action. That is why the people of Quebec, the leaders of the province of Quebec, including the Premier of Quebec and Quebec businesses, were pleased with the green plan in our budget. They understand that this plan will help attract investment from Canada and abroad to create the good jobs of today and tomorrow.

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Mr. Gary Anandasangaree (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)

May/29/23 7:37:43 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the Minister of Finance for her budget and also for her hard work. I want to talk about an announcement that was made today by the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations with respect to the National Family and Survivors Circle, which was given almost $97 million for support for survivors of trauma, stemming from the MMIWG report. Can the minister tell us how important this is in terms of healing, as well as our path toward reconciliation?

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Hon. Chrystia Freeland

May/29/23 7:38:22 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague from Scarborough—Rouge Park for his hard work. He and I have spoken many times about the work he does on reconciliation. One of the things he has talked to me about, which I have found very moving, is that in his riding, which is a very diverse riding with many new Canadians, he has found when talking to his constituents that reconciliation is incredibly important to them. They see reconciliation as a fundamental part of their responsibilities and their duties as proud, new Canadians. I know that my colleague understands that very well. Our government understands that very well. We still have a lot of work to do as we walk the path of reconciliation. We need to keep investing in it every single year.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

May/29/23 7:39:27 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, can the minister provide her thoughts regarding how important it was for Canada to work with Volkswagen? We were able to land something that is going to make such a profound, positive impact, not only for the community of St. Thomas, but for all of Canada, as a direct result of the government taking the initiative and securing such a wonderful plant going forward.

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Hon. Chrystia Freeland

May/29/23 7:39:55 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, our government understands that there is a window of opportunity right now to be the country where the clean economy of the 21st century is built. That window is open today, but it will not be open forever. That is why, in our budget, we announced really significant investments in the clean economy. Our total clean economy investment is about $120 billion. As I said earlier, TD Economics now ranks Canada head to head with the U.S. as the world's most attractive clean economy investment destination. That is really important today and it is really important for tomorrow.

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Mr. Jaime Battiste (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Lib.)

May/29/23 7:40:42 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, can the minister talk about some of the things we are doing to mitigate the climate crisis we have? We are seeing fires and hurricanes. We are seeing, all across Canada, the impact of climate change. Can the minister talk about what our government is doing to address that?

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Hon. Chrystia Freeland

May/29/23 7:41:01 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, it is really appropriate for us to have a question from one of our Nova Scotia MPs about that issue, because wildfires are now burning there. They were burning in the home province of my colleague, the Associate Minister of Finance. This is more proof that we do need to act on climate, and we are.

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Mr. Jean-Denis Garon (Mirabel, BQ)

May/29/23 7:41:25 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, this is the first government budget that we could describe as a postpandemic budget. Obviously no one here in Parliament is to blame for the virus. However, the programs that might have helped us to get through the pandemic at the time are the responsibility of this Parliament. We need to learn important lessons and make corrections. We also need to prepare for the next crisis that could arise. The government boasts about having signed agreements with the provinces on health. These agreements were imposed. Out of the demands that were made by the provinces and Quebec, only $1 out of $6 was granted. Before the Liberals came along, the transfers covered 24% of provincial health costs. Now they cover just 22%. With these new agreements, which are not real agreements, we are back to 24%. They are perpetuating the chronic underfunding of health. Does the minister recognize that the federal government's chronic underfunding has left us short on hospital beds and that the measures to counter the pandemic, which hurt our economy, had to be excessively extended?

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Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)

May/29/23 7:42:38 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I agree that health care is a priority for Quebeckers and for all Canadians. That is why we made a historic investment of almost $200 billion for health care in the budget. That is really a lot of money. However, we know that it was the right thing to do because for Quebec and for all the provinces, health care is essential. That is why we made this investment. We also made huge investments during the pandemic. We supported the provinces and territories, including Quebec, obviously. Nine out of 10 dollars spent during the pandemic were spent by the federal government. It was the right thing to do, but the result today is that some provinces, including Quebec, are in a position—

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The Chair

May/29/23 7:43:53 p.m.
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The hon. member for Mirabel.

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Mr. Jean-Denis Garon

May/29/23 7:43:56 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, the minister confirmed that she supports the ongoing underfunding and that she also borrowed on behalf of the provinces. This is not a gift from the federal government. The money that the federal government sent during the pandemic was borrowed money. Now there is no money for health care, but there is money for a dental plan. This is being done with the help of the federal spending power, which is the instrument of the fiscal imbalance. The federal government is going to expand this program. The Government of Quebec and the Quebec National Assembly are unanimously calling for Quebec to be given the right to opt out with full financial compensation. Will the Liberal government give Quebec the right to opt out with full financial compensation?

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Hon. Chrystia Freeland

May/29/23 7:44:32 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, we came up with a good solution with Quebec regarding day care and our national system. We understood that Quebec's approach was different and we came up with a good solution. I am absolutely sure that my colleague, the Minister of Health, will also find a good solution for Quebec regarding dental care. We understand that the situation in Quebec is different.

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Mr. Jean-Denis Garon

May/29/23 7:45:07 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I like clear answers. Do the minister and her government plan to offer the Government of Quebec the right to opt out with full compensation? Yes or no?

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Hon. Chrystia Freeland

May/29/23 7:45:19 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, relations between the federal government and the provinces are complex. Health care and dental care are complex. I will clearly repeat that we are sure that we can find—

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The Chair

May/29/23 7:45:38 p.m.
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The hon. member for Mirabel.

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Mr. Jean-Denis Garon

May/29/23 7:45:39 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I notice that the longer the answers are, the more they seem like a “no” in disguise. We know that during the pandemic, health care was underfunded, that there was a shortage of hospital beds that led to people being turned away, and that the pandemic measures needed to be extended. If, during the pandemic, we had had a dental plan like the one the minister is planning, how many more hospital beds would Quebec have had as a result of that dental plan?

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