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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 201

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 29, 2023 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • May/29/23 8:08:01 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, we absolutely understand the importance of program integrity. It really matters to Canadians. I also want to point out, and let us remember, that COVID was an unprecedented economic emergency. We took unprecedented—
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Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • May/29/23 8:09:20 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, we believe that integrity of all of our programs is important, and that is what we are pursuing. We are pursuing it in a compassionate, reasonable way. I want to remind people: eyes on the prize. The important thing is we needed to take emergency action during COVID.
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Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • May/29/23 8:10:00 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, our government absolutely understands the importance of the EI system. That is why, during COVID, we contributed an additional $27 billion to the EI account to support EI, so EI could support Canadians in this—
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Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • May/29/23 8:10:49 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I am afraid that that is simply an inaccurate explanation of what has happened with the EI account. EI supported Canadians in a significant way during COVID and in the aftermath, and that is why the government transferred $27 billion to the EI account to support EI. Whenever the country goes through an economic downturn, whether it was 2008 or the COVID recession, the EI account needs to move back into balance—
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Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • May/29/23 8:33:55 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, the debt-to-GDP ratio went up strongly during COVID, and that was because we had to spend significantly to support Canadians. It was the right thing to do, and we are seeing the results with a very strong job market.
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Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • May/29/23 9:00:52 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio went up during COVID, and that was natural. We did an important job in supporting Canadians and the Canadian economy. It was the right thing—
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Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Mr. Francesco Sorbara
  • May/29/23 9:25:21 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, we know that the issues with COVID and the impact of the supply chain bottlenecks caused a great amount of inflation, not only here in Canada, but also globally. We know that inflation is on a moving average downward trajectory here in Canada. We understand that. We know it will take time. With that, our government has put in place a number of affordability measures to help the constituents in my riding. I was at a seniors function on Sunday with over 500 seniors, and I was able to tell them that they were going to have dental care by the end of the year, and that they are also going to be receiving a payment on July 5. Can the Deputy Prime Minister please inform the House as to how we are helping Canadians deal with inflation?
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Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • May/29/23 9:25:55 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, as my colleague from Vaughan—Woodbridge has pointed out, it sounds as if for him, and this has certainly been the case for me, and I bet for many MPs here, one of the most painful things has been hearing from vulnerable Canadians about how tough the COVID economy has been on them. I think all of us have talked to people who told us those stories, so I think that it is really important, and really good news, that we are able to get the grocery rebate out to Canadians on July 5. I know my colleague from Vaughan—Woodbridge has been sharing that good news with his constituents, and we have just heard from him what a relief it is for them to hear that. We know that the grocery rebate is not going to cover the cost of everything for everyone. That is not possible and not what it is designed to do, but for the people who need it the most, 11 million Canadians and Canadian families, it is going to provide really needed relief at an important moment.
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Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Hon. Chrystia Freeland
  • May/29/23 9:38:32 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the Bank of Canada, together with the government, supported Canadians during COVID. We did what we had to do, and it worked.
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Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23
Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • May/29/23 9:56:12 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I want to start with a heartfelt tribute to my colleague from Kingston and the Islands. We have been talking a lot about COVID and the COVID recession, and that is appropriate, because we are still dealing with the consequences of that economic and physical trauma to Canada and Canadians. My colleague, the member for Kingston and the Islands, played such a huge role in the work of our government and the work of our parliamentary caucus in that incredibly difficult time, and hearing his eloquence this evening reminded me of that, so I am glad to have the opportunity to publicly thank him very much.
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