44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 21, 2023 10:00AM
- Sep/21/23 2:35:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what I heard from Canadians, what every member of our government heard from Canadians, is that they want lower rent and lower grocery and food prices.
Today we introduced legislation that will help do just that. The affordable housing and groceries act will remove the GST from the construction of rental housing in order to build more homes in this country faster. It also strengthens Canada's competition laws in order to help stabilize prices for all Canadians.
We are laser-focused on the needs of Canadians and we are responding substantively. What are the Conservatives doing?
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- Sep/21/23 2:36:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the problem is that their inflationary spending is evaporating any benefit that Canadians might hope for. The Prime Minister admitted in this House that any benefit their programs might have provided Canadians was completely wiped out by higher inflation and higher interest rates.
The former Liberal finance minister knows this. John Manley said, “This is a bit like driving your car with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake generally.... That’s not a good plan for controlling the direction of your vehicle, not a good plan for controlling the direction of the economy either.”
This reckless driving is forcing Canadians out of their homes and pushing food off their table. When will they stop the inflationary deficits so that Canadians can stay in their homes?
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- Sep/21/23 2:37:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if we want to talk about affordability, just this week, up to $619 has arrived in Canadian families' bank accounts. That is $619 to help with groceries, school supplies and new sneakers. The Canada child benefit has helped lift literally hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. We will continue to do all we can to support Canadian families.
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- Sep/21/23 2:37:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, news reports this morning show that in all of Canada, Quebeckers are struggling with inflation the most. Housing costs have climbed by 16.7%, while mortgage interest costs have jumped by 37% and gasoline by 51.5%.
The Prime Minister seems intent on making things worse with his ongoing inflationary spending and gas tax hikes.
Will the Prime Minister put an end to his inflationary policies to give Quebeckers a break and keep mortgage payments from going up again?
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- Sep/21/23 2:38:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know why the Conservatives are having a hard time connecting with Quebeckers. Quebeckers simply do not buy their policy of fiscal restraint. The Conservatives want to cut employment insurance, cut seniors' pensions and cut child care subsidies.
We sent $6 billion to the Quebec government for child care, and the Conservatives want to cut that too.
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- Sep/21/23 2:39:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is just a load of hogwash. People in Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles understand that being a Liberal is not all it is cracked up to be.
The Bloc Québécois and the Liberals know that the carbon tax is driving up the cost of goods and contributing to inflation. The Bloc members are claiming to be the adults in the room, but do they know that the children of Quebeckers are the ones who will have to pay the price?
As we saw again today in the media, voting for the Bloc Québécois is very costly.
Can the Prime Minister confirm that he does not intend to listen to the Bloc Québécois and that he will abandon his plan to drastically increase the gas tax?
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- Sep/21/23 2:39:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my colleague from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.
He was talking about today's news. I am sure that he saw the news that we introduced the act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act, which will do three things for people in his riding. First, we will deal with the issue of competition in Canada, the first reform in decades, which will bring about less consolidation and more competition at lower prices. Second, we will reduce the GST on housing. Third, we will extend loans for small businesses.
When my colleague reads the news, he should read all of it because that will help the people of Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles and Quebec.
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- Sep/21/23 2:40:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister would no doubt have gotten a better reception at the World Petroleum Congress in Alberta than he did at the Climate Ambition Summit in New York. The United Nations Under-Secretary-General introduced him for who he is: the leader of one of the largest expanders of fossil fuels in the world.
Quebec comes across as a hero in the fight against climate change, while Canada comes across as a zero, a climate hypocrite.
When will this government start taking the climate crisis seriously?
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- Sep/21/23 2:40:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.
We are seeing the effects of climate change across the country, and we know that we have to do more. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge an important announcement that the minister made yesterday about methane emissions. He said that Canada will exceed its target of reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 2030.
We are reducing pollution and creating good jobs in a clean economy.
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- Sep/21/23 2:41:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment, Mr. Bay du Nord himself, found a way to be the only person in New York putting Quebec's environmental policies down. Seriously.
If the government had invested as much money in the fight against climate change as it did in Trans Mountain, we might believe it is serious about this. Frankly, it should start throwing more tree seedlings in the ground before it throws Quebec under the bus because Quebec is serious about climate change.
When will this government start being part of the solution, instead of the problem, in the fight against climate change?
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- Sep/21/23 2:42:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the truth is that the Government of Canada has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 62 megatonnes since 2019. That is one-quarter of the target we set for 2030.
Yes, we still have a long way to go. We still have work to do. We will do that work in partnership with Quebec, with the provinces, and with the territories. We will achieve our objectives because we are determined to secure a better future for our children.
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- Sep/21/23 2:42:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned world leaders that humanity is at the “gates of hell”. Meanwhile, big oil defenders like Canada are sitting in the ticket booth, ready to make money.
There is often talk of protecting the environment for future generations, but those days are over. Forest fires, floods, marine heatwaves, biodiversity taking a hit: all that is happening now. We are seeing it every day, around the world. We need to change course now.
What is the government waiting for? When will it take the climate crisis seriously?
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- Sep/21/23 2:43:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.
We are eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and encouraging smart government investments to increase Canada's competitiveness.
In budget 2023, we also announced our $120‑billion clean economy plan to grow Canada's clean economy and create good-paying jobs.
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- Sep/21/23 2:43:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a couple from Langley, British Columbia, who were interviewed said their mortgage payments went up $2,700 a month to $6,300 a month. Now the Liberal finance minister is trying to convince Canadians that her plan to bring down inflation is working. It is not. It just went up again.
After eight years, the NDP-Liberal government's spending has driven up inflation, which has driven up mortgage interest costs by 31%. The Prime Minister is just not worth the cost.
When will the Prime Minister stop his inflationary deficit spending so Canadians can keep a roof over their heads?
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- Sep/21/23 2:44:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I share my hon. colleague's concern about the real, serious pain that families are feeling across this country, but let us not ignore the sources of some of these challenges: global inflation as a result of the war in Ukraine, as a result of climate change and other global factors. We are going to support Canadians through these times, including by helping them with the cost of housing.
One of the major initiatives that we launched last week is to remove federal tax on home building in Canada. This is the kind of thing that will add to Canada's national housing supply and reduce inflation when it comes to the cost of living for many Canadians.
I hope the Conservatives will join us by advancing a full measure, not a half measure that tinkers around the edges.
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- Sep/21/23 2:45:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is serious is that Canadians are seriously worried about losing their homes, and the government continues to take zero accountability.
It is also former Liberal finance minister John Manley who said that the NDP-Liberal government's deficits pressed on the inflationary gas pedal which forced the Bank of Canada to press harder on the brakes with higher interest rates. He says that like driving a car, this is “not a good plan for controlling the direction of the economy.”
After eight years, Canadians are losing hope and they are hurting. When will the Liberal-NDP government stop the inflationary spending so people will not lose their homes?
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- Sep/21/23 2:45:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague opposite that Canadians are hurting, and that is exactly why I do not understand why the Conservatives do not want to help Canadians.
The legislation that we tabled today will help build more homes for Canadians right across the country, and that will lower rents and mortgages for all Canadians. The legislation that we tabled today will also strengthen Canada's competition laws, which will help keep prices, such as for groceries, lower in the country.
I certainly hope that the Conservatives will support this bill. Will they?
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- Sep/21/23 2:46:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is how bad it is. Last week, I met a senior named Don in my Barrie—Innisfil office. He told me that when he renews his mortgage, he will be left with just $600 a month from his pension because of the increases in interest rates caused by this NDP-Liberal government's inflationary spending. In fact, recent CMHC data shows 24% of people with mortgages are struggling to make their monthly payments, and it is getting worse. Don, like many seniors, now realizes that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.
Will the Prime Minister finally stop his inflationary spending so Canadians can keep a roof over their heads?
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- Sep/21/23 2:47:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one of the first things we could do to help seniors is to make sure that the age of retirement, when they receive OAS, is 65 and not 67.
We have increased OAS and helped over 3.3 million seniors. We have increased the GIS that is helping 900,000 seniors. We have lifted 45,000 seniors out of poverty. We will keep going.
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- Sep/21/23 2:47:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this week, as wildfires continue to burn across northwest B.C., the Prime Minister is in New York at the UN General Assembly where he is being called out for allowing the massive expansion of fossil fuels. Meanwhile, we have the CEOs of Canada's richest oil and gas companies telling us they are going to double down on what they do best: profiting and polluting.
The minister promised the rules for a hard cap on oil and gas emissions would be out months ago. The clock is ticking, our children are watching. Where is the emissions cap?
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