44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 24, 2023 10:00AM
- Oct/24/23 2:40:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I really have to reiterate that there is no federal carbon tax in Quebec. The Conservatives' campaign platform included a clean fuel standard that was almost identical to the one our government put forward. Now they are against it. On top of being hypocritical, that attitude shows they cannot be trusted to keep their word on climate action.
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- Oct/24/23 2:40:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there must be a limit to the federal government's intransigence. We are talking about 250,000 businesses that could go bankrupt as early as 2024 if the government does not postpone repayment of the CEBA loans. That is 250,000 bankruptcies and countless job losses. No government in the world would stand for that. That is why, on Friday, the premiers of Quebec and the provinces demanded that the repayment of the CEBA loan be deferred for one year.
Will the government finally offer our businesses some flexibility?
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- Oct/24/23 2:41:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are offering additional flexibility to small businesses in repaying their Canada emergency business account loans. This includes a full one-year extension of the term loan repayment deadline, more refinancing flexibility and more time to access the loan forgiveness, which is both a balanced and fiscally responsible approach.
The Bloc Québécois did not vote to lower credit card fees. We are always prepared to work with the Bloc Québécois, because our main objective is to help small businesses across the country.
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- Oct/24/23 2:42:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, no one is satisfied with that answer. The premiers of Quebec and the provinces and territories are all calling for a one-year extension. All parties in the Quebec National Assembly are calling for an extension. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is calling for an extension. The Bloc Québécois wrote to the Minister of Finance today calling for an extension. It is unanimous. Everyone understands that we cannot afford a wave of bankruptcies and job losses in this economy. It is so obvious.
When will the government finally understand?
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- Oct/24/23 2:43:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. As she is well aware, 99% of Quebec's economy is made up of small and medium-sized businesses. We know that the global inflationary environment is difficult. That is why we are offering additional flexibilities for small businesses to repay their CEBA loans.
We have been there, we are there, and we will be there. On Friday, I was in Bromont to give funding to Stûv America, a company that will create new jobs and promote growth. Canada Economic Development is helping many businesses in Quebec. We are talking about 1,300 projects since last year.
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- Oct/24/23 2:43:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our farms are among the 250,000 SMEs at risk of shutting down. High interest rates, the price of fuel, the damage that climate change is doing to crops, and I could go on, have left them teetering on the brink.
If the federal government tops it all off with the Canada emergency business account, it will force them into bankruptcy. The government must postpone repayment of emergency business account loans for a year. Our farmers need this flexibility.
Will the government finally do what everyone is asking it to do?
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- Oct/24/23 2:44:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that our government was there to help people and businesses during COVID‑19. Nine out of every 10 aid program dollars came from the federal government.
We have already granted one extension and provided clarification to ensure that businesses subsequently made sound decisions. Together with Economic Development Canada and the other regional development agencies, we are there to support them.
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- Oct/24/23 2:45:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of an incompetent government managing Canada's real estate market, more and more Quebeckers who are struggling to make ends meet are being forced to live in their cars because they cannot afford their rent. These are the repercussions of a Liberal government that is mismanaging our finances.
The Bloc Québécois's endorsement of the Liberals' plan to radically increase the carbon tax will make Canadians' financial difficulties even worse. Voting for the Bloc is costly.
Why is the Liberal government always taxing Canadians more and more?
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- Oct/24/23 2:45:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that inflation has come down yet again in Canada.
If he wants to talk about taxes, I will remind him that it was our federal government that lowered taxes not just once, but twice, for the middle class. Once again, both times, the Conservatives voted against a tax cut. That makes no sense. The Conservatives are not worth the risk.
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- Oct/24/23 2:46:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec was the province most affected by inflation for the fourth month in a row, yet the Bloc Québécois continues to support a radical increase in the Liberal government's second carbon tax. It is costly to vote for the Bloc when we are at a point where people are sleeping in their cars.
After eight long years of disastrous Liberal mismanagement, backed by the NDP and now the Bloc, Quebeckers want the chance to choose a new Prime Minister.
When will we get to bring back common sense?
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- Oct/24/23 2:47:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that the Conservative Party is a world expert in the art of speaking out of both sides of its mouth.
In 2012, the current leader of the Conservative Party led the charge in the House of Commons to eviscerate the Canadian Navigable Waters Act, while claiming that it would not hurt the environment. We know what he thinks about the problems with greenhouse gas emissions and the environment in Canada.
We have no lessons to learn from a party that speaks out of both sides of its mouth.
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- Oct/24/23 2:47:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government, Canadians have lost hope in owning a home and having enough money to raise their families and pay their bills. Hope has given way to worry and despair. A new Angus Reid survey reveals that almost 80% of Canadians are worried about rising mortgage interest rates.
The Prime Minister is just not worth the cost. When will the NDP-Liberal government end its inflationary spending so that Canadians can fix the housing market?
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- Oct/24/23 2:48:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it seems the Conservatives understand the cost of everything, but the value of nothing.
We continue to make the investments necessary to build homes for Canadians, which the Conservatives decry as inflationary spending. They oppose spending on affordable housing. They oppose investments that are going to change the way that cities build homes. When we cut taxes to make it cheaper to build homes for Canadians, they propose to put them back on.
Canadians have two very clear choices: to make the investments necessary to address the housing crisis or to cut, cut, cut. I know where I stand. The Conservatives are not worth the risk. We will make the investments necessary.
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- Oct/24/23 2:49:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost. After eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, small businesses are struggling to survive. Increased payroll taxes, a punishing carbon tax, red tape, and labour shortages are crushing them. It is no wonder that Restaurants Canada reports that one-third of restaurants are operating at a loss.
Will the government stop its attack on restaurants, rein in inflationary spending and end the punishing tax hikes so restaurants can keep their doors open?
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- Oct/24/23 2:49:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, speaking of entrepreneurs, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for joining me in attending events for programs our government has funded, which Conservative colleagues have voted against. He was able to see the real, live, tangible examples of success stories.
Our government believes in empowering young entrepreneurs and has committed nearly $60 million to future entrepreneurs who provide loans, mentorship and education to Canadian entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 39.
Now that my hon. colleague has witnessed the benefits of our investments, perhaps he and the Conservatives can stop voting against support for young entrepreneurs, which will take Canada backward.
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- Oct/24/23 2:50:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Winnipeg Salvation Army announced 60 urgent shelter beds to meet the needs of refugee claimants. Winnipeg Centre is where most refugees and refugee claimants first settle in Manitoba, and there is a severe shortage of rent-geared-to-income homes to house refugees and their families.
While the Liberals fail to act, newcomers in my community are sleeping in shelters or on the streets. Will the Liberals make major investments in deeply affordable housing so that everyone has a roof over their head?
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- Oct/24/23 2:51:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when we have debates in this chamber around housing policy, it is really important. I thank the hon. member for her focus on continuing to support some of society's most vulnerable.
We work with different populations who are struggling, including vulnerable newcomers, including women fleeing domestic violence, including other people who simply cannot find a place to stay. We have doubled the funding for homelessness support through the Reaching Home program and will continue to make the investments necessary to protect some of the country's most vulnerable people as we approach the winter months.
It is important that we take care of our most vulnerable, and I appreciate the NDP's support in this regard.
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- Oct/24/23 2:51:58 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, in Nunavut, one bottle of orange juice is $24 and one can of chicken soup is $10. Nutrition north is subsidizing corporate greed. It is not lowering grocery prices.
Last weekend, the NDP leader and I heard from Nunavummiut. They said they can barely make ends meet. Meanwhile, the North West Company continues to report sky-high profits.
When will the Liberals introduce an excess profits tax and reform nutrition north so it can help people, not CEOs?
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- Oct/24/23 2:52:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for that very important question. Nutrition north is an important program. That is why we announced $163 million of new money for nutrition north in the last year. Of that, a significant amount of money will go to the harvester support grant, which encourages people in the north and indigenous nations to do traditional harvesting, hunting and food sharing. This year alone, the grant supported 15,000 harvesters, 410 hunts and harvests, and over 717 food-sharing initiatives.
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- Oct/24/23 2:53:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is already well on its way to becoming a global leader in the production of electric vehicles and EV battery manufacturing. Unfortunately, the Conservative Party has its eyes closed to this. Just last week, the Conservative member for Sarnia—Lambton repeated the absurd myth in this House that EVs routinely catch on fire and do not work in the winter. Meanwhile, in eastern Ontario, we recently saw one of North America's largest investments in EV battery manufacturing.
Can the minister tell us why the government sees these investments as being so important for Canada?
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