44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 29, 2023 11:00AM
- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- May/29/23 7:43:53 p.m.
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The hon. member for Mirabel.
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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- May/29/23 7:45:38 p.m.
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The hon. member for Mirabel.
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- 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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- May/29/23 7:46:07 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, the pandemic was truly a crisis for the entire country. That being said, I think that we as Canadians and Quebeckers can be proud, in general, of our national response. If we compare Canada to the United States—
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- May/29/23 7:46:39 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, during the pandemic, we saw significant gaps in the social safety net, especially Canada's social safety net, which led to the use of a set of temporary measures. Naturally, all parties quickly agreed to them. One temporary measure after another was implemented. Ultimately, these measures were poorly targeted and very costly.
Although it does not want to do so for China, does the government plan to launch a public inquiry into the reasons for these gaps in our social safety net so that, in the event of another crisis, we need not reintroduce the temporary measures one by one, since we know how costly they will be for taxpayers and future generations?
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