44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 5, 2023 11:00AM
- Jun/5/23 2:42:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure my hon. colleague asked a question there, but I do not mind enlightening him on the measures that we have taken to help Canadians with the high cost of living.
For example, we brought forward the Canada housing benefit that helps millions of Canadians who are low-income renters. We brought forward the Canada dental benefit that has helped over 300,000 Canadian children access the dentist, and the Canada child benefit, which is now up to almost $7,000 a year per child under the age of six for the lowest-income Canadians.
I would also mention the grocery rebates, which would be going out to 11 million Canadians this July.
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- Jun/5/23 2:43:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Liberal deficits drive inflation and Canadians are paying the price.
John Manley said that government fiscal policy is making it harder to contain inflation, and Stephen Poloz said that government deficits last year made the Bank of Canada raise interest rates higher, which means Canadians are paying a higher price for government spending. Just last month, inflation went higher when the Minister of Finance said Canadians should expect inflation to go lower.
Is there a plan to end inflationary deficits and spending to bring down inflation and interest rates?
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- Jun/5/23 2:44:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I also do not mind providing a bit of a history lesson to Conservatives, because, in fact, when the Liberals left government in 2006, they left the Conservatives with a big, healthy surplus. What did the Conservatives do? Well, they actually brought in years of deficits while cutting services and going through a global recession.
On the other hand, what did we do? We invested in Canadians. We have supported Canadians. In fact, we know that inflation is high, but when it comes to food inflation, a new report today actually announced that Canada is the second-lowest in the world when it comes to food inflation.
We know there is more to do. We know we need to support Canadians. We are doing the right thing.
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- Jun/5/23 2:44:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are proud of a record that, during the last recession, cut taxes for Canadians.
However, let us talk about energy and food costs, which are some of the biggest contributors to inflation. It is puzzling that the government continues to increase taxes on both fuel and food and making them more expensive by continuing to increase the carbon tax. These carbon taxes, as the central bank says, are inflationary, and this government wants to impose a second carbon tax, which will just make food and fuel more expensive, because we have to ship the food to the table and farmers use fuel in their operations.
When will the government realize that its policies are making inflation worse?
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- Jun/5/23 2:45:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 2016 was the worst year for forest fires in Alberta, and already we are on the verge of surpassing this on June 4. We have just seen the worst forest fires in the history of Nova Scotia, and this is only June 4. Quebec asked the federal government over the weekend, because it said it could not handle all the forest fires it is seeing, and it is only the beginning of June.
What is the response from the Conservative Party of Canada? It is to let make pollution free again. Let us allow the largest polluters in Canada to pollute as much as they want. Let us stop using the most effective tool to fight climate change, which is carbon pricing—
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- Jun/5/23 2:46:17 p.m.
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The hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie.
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- Jun/5/23 2:46:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, people across the country are hurting because of the housing crisis. They are paying exorbitant prices or are being forced to move. The Liberals are not building enough social or affordable housing and are not investing enough to maintain existing housing.
Yesterday, the NDP leader and I visited an affordable housing complex in Notre‑Dame‑de‑Grâce that had to condemn and close entire apartment units for lack of money to maintain and renovate them. That is ridiculous.
When will the Liberals wake up and make serious investments in accessible housing for everyone?
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- Jun/5/23 2:46:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
We agree with him that housing is currently difficult to find and that it is much more expensive. We created the first national housing strategy, which invested in affordable housing and recognized the right to housing, because we need legislation to tackle market speculation. That is exactly what we are doing.
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- Jun/5/23 2:47:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the raging wildfires in Alberta have left countless communities devastated. As families were allowed to return home, I joined some in the East Prairie Métis Settlement to witness the destruction and mourn the loss of their homes, cultural heirlooms and family memories.
Despite being hit the hardest, first nations and Métis settlements have only received lip service from both the provincial and federal governments. Will this government take its relationship with first nations and Métis settlements seriously and provide immediate housing supports to those who have lost everything?
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- Jun/5/23 2:48:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with the member that, last week, the Prime Minister and several of us met with the Métis National Council, for example, and talked about working with the Métis National Council to actually implement a priority on emergency management. I also want to assure the member opposite that Indigenous Services Canada and the Government of Canada have been working closely with first nations and Métis communities impacted by these fires, and we will continue to support them in every way possible.
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- Jun/5/23 2:48:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, June marks National Indigenous History Month, which is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions of first nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada as well as their culture, languages and heritage. It is also an opportunity to reflect on historic wrongs, how they have impacted relationships with indigenous people and the ongoing work to advance reconciliation.
The reality of Canada's colonial history, including dispossessing indigenous people from their lands, continue to be felt to this day. Can the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations please update this House on the work Canada has been doing to advance reconciliation to address past harms—
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- Jun/5/23 2:49:17 p.m.
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- Jun/5/23 2:49:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last year, we resolved a record number of 56 specific claims for $3.5 billion in compensation. In addition, this past April, we reached a historical settlement with Treaty 8 first nations, which will return just over 44,000 hectares of land to those communities. We are also addressing a number of past harms, namely the harms caused by the tragedy of residential schools and the destruction of language and culture, with the Gottfriedson settlement earlier in January for $2.8 billion.
While National Indigenous History Month is the occasion to reflect on everything that is going well in this country for indigenous peoples, it is also a reminder that we—
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- Jun/5/23 2:50:01 p.m.
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The hon. member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington.
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- Jun/5/23 2:50:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on July 1, the Liberal government is introducing a second carbon tax, an additional money grab from the pockets of cash-strapped Canadian families. With people already struggling to put food on the table, keep the lights on and make rent, how can the government justify yet another hurdle for them to overcome?
Running historic deficits and racking up reckless debt may be desirable for the government, but for many Canadians it is not an option. Will the government do the right thing and cancel its planned carbon tax increases?
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- Jun/5/23 2:50:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for Calgary Nose Hill for her comments earlier in this House. She actually talked about climate change, which her leader has never done and very few of the members of the Conservative Party have done. She begged us to do smarter things like public transport. Well, every time we have proposed public transport, they have voted against it. She said, “building more emissions-free electricity plants”. That is exactly what we are trying to do with our clean electricity regulations, but the Conservative Party opposes them.
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- Jun/5/23 2:51:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, clearly the members opposite are not listening to the people who have put them here.
Canadians are going to be hit by an average of $1,500 annually under carbon tax 1, and under carbon tax 2 it is an additional $573. That is over $2,000 for an average family. The Liberal government needs to reduce interest rates and get inflation under control. It could start today.
I will ask this again after being given such a lacklustre answer the first time. Will the government exercise some common sense and cancel its planned carbon taxes, yes or no?
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- Jun/5/23 2:51:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that in their 2021 platform, the Conservatives were proposing to put in place carbon pricing. It was not a plan for the environment, but at least they was talking about it. It was a plan to encourage people to pollute more. That is not the polluter pays principle, but we are getting there. They even refused last week to let us table their own platform in this House. They are so ashamed, yet it is not the first time they have told Canadians they were going to put in place carbon pricing and then walked back on their promises.
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- Jun/5/23 2:52:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we know, the Minister of Finance said last November that deficits fuel inflation. What happened after that? A few months later, Liberal Party supporters told her they wanted deficits.
That is certainly not good news for someone who dreams of becoming the leader of the Liberal Party, but that is how Liberal supporters responded. What is especially bad news for all Canadians is that there is going to be a second Liberal carbon tax.
Will the Minister of Finance confirm the Parliamentary Budget Officer's conclusion that it will cost families in Quebec an extra $436, on average?
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- Jun/5/23 2:53:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that, in his party's election platform during the last campaign, the Conservatives proposed introducing a clean fuel standard. The difference between them and us is that, when they come to power, they do exactly the opposite of what they said they would do.
We on this side of the House are doing exactly what we said we would do. We are committed to fighting climate change, creating good jobs and supporting the economy. That is exactly what we are doing.
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