44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 24, 2023 10:00AM
- Nov/24/23 11:30:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yes, it is true that Canada is in the midst of a housing crisis. What approach is our government taking? I believe it is an example of co-operation.
It is co-operation with the parties across the way that want to do something on housing, with provinces, with municipalities and with the not-for-profit sector.
To take an example, the national housing strategy is getting people housed. Thousands of people across the country who did not have a home have a home now. Those who were homeless are now able to access the wraparound supports they need in order to have something better. We have more work to do and we are going to get it done.
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- Nov/24/23 11:31:20 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, pretty words like that do not put a roof over the heads of the thousands of Canadians sleeping out in the streets of our country tonight. Seniors are there too. A retired couple in Holyrood, Newfoundland, with teachers' pensions, were just forced to sell their home. They spent their whole lives working to teach our kids, but they cannot afford to live there anymore.
Food price gouging is hurting them badly and their pension cannot keep up. Will the Liberals support the NDP's plan to lower food prices by stopping price gouging, to give seniors like them a needed break now?
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad that we have the NDP's support on Bill C-56. As we know, there are competition measures in it that would hold grocery chains to account.
On the question of housing, the more we build, the more we ensure that costs come down. I have good news for the member. Right across the country, we see residential construction up. In Manitoba, it is up 34%; in Saskatchewan, 25%; in New Brunswick, 23%; in Alberta, 11%; in Newfoundland, 10%; in Quebec, 9%; and in my province of Ontario, 7%.
It is working. We have a plan. We are going to get it done, as I said.
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- Nov/24/23 11:32:43 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, rent is up. Interest rates are up. Mortgages are up. Groceries are up. Taxes are up. Debt is up, and Canadians are fed up.
The Bank of Canada governor and Scotiabank economists are all sounding the alarm bell. The NDP-Liberal government's massive borrowing is making everything more expensive for Canadians.
With two million people using food banks now, we know the Prime Minister is just not worth the cost. When will he stop the inflationary borrowing that is hurting so many Canadian families?
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- Nov/24/23 11:33:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is up? Let me tell members what it is up. Jobs are up. Foreign direct investment is up. Homebuilding is up. Support for Canadian families is up. Women's labour market participation is up.
Let me tell members what is down. Inflation is down. Food prices are down. Unemployment is at a historic low. The cost of child care is down. Canada has the lowest deficit and net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7.
Conservatives want to cut and move to austerity while we continue to invest in Canadians.
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- Nov/24/23 11:33:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, housing starts are actually down in Canada, so I do not know what fiction the member is listening to. Perhaps it is from the Minister of Finance, who thinks the dream of home ownership has never been so good in this country.
The NDP-Liberal government will spend more on interest on the debt next year than on health care, so my question is simple. When will the Prime Minister stop abusing the national credit card, cancel his $20 billion in extra inflationary spending and borrowing, balance the budget and bring down interest rates so that Canadians can afford to live in this country?
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- Nov/24/23 11:34:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I recognize that Conservatives want to try to claim that we are fiscally irresponsible. What I say is irresponsible is downplaying our economy when we are faring better than any G7 country in the world. What is irresponsible is voting against the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement and abandoning Ukrainians in their time of need. What is irresponsible is calling an incident at the border a “terrorist attack” without having the facts.
Do members know what that shows? That shows a lack of judgment. It shows risky and reckless behaviour. That is all I have to say.
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- Nov/24/23 11:35:20 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight long years of the Liberal government, Canadians by the millions are depending today on food banks. However, on Tuesday, the NDP-Liberal government released its mini-budget, adding another $20 billion in inflationary spending.
The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. When will the government cut the line of credit so that Canadians can afford to heat, eat and keep a roof over their heads?
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- Nov/24/23 11:35:57 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while our government has stayed steadfast in our commitment to support Canadians with affordability challenges, evidenced by budget 2023 and now the fall economic statement, we have seen the Conservatives this week flip-flop multiple times and showcase their risky and reckless behaviour and judgment. They say they are committed to supporting Ukraine but then they abandon them in their time of need. We have also seen Conservatives stand up and oppose the affordability act, yet last night they all stood up and voted for it.
Why do they not come clean and let Canadians know where they stand?
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- Nov/24/23 11:36:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member should know that Conservatives were the ones to successfully negotiate the current Canada-Ukraine trade agreement. A common-sense Conservative government would modernize the existing agreement without the expensive Liberal carbon tax. Ukraine does not need this woke agenda.
The Prime Minister has added more debt than the previous 22 prime ministers combined. When will he put the chequebook away?
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- Nov/24/23 11:37:19 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we hear more and more that the leader of the Conservative Party is just not worth the risk. The bottom line is that the Conservatives might have supported the free trade agreement with Canada and Ukraine years ago, but just the other day, every one of them, with the leader of the Conservative Party leading the pack, voted against the Canada-Ukraine trade agreement.
There is no way they can get away from that fact. That is the reality. You have betrayed Ukraine and it is shameful the way you have conducted yourselves in the last couple of days.
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- Nov/24/23 11:37:55 a.m.
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I would like to remind all members that comments are to be brought through the Chair.
The hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis.
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- Nov/24/23 11:38:08 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past eight years, this Prime Minister has added billions of dollars to the debt, more than the other 22 prime ministers combined. Let that sink in for a moment. Next year, he will spend more on servicing his debt than he has on health care transfers to the provinces. Clearly, this Prime Minister is not worth the cost.
Why are the Liberals ignoring our calls to present a plan to return to a balanced budget in order to lower interest rates and lower inflation?
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- Nov/24/23 11:38:41 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader has called our plan “disgusting”, yet he is hiding his cuts from Canadians. What would the Conservative leader cut? Would he cut EV factories for Windsor, St. Thomas and Quebec? Would he cut CCUS investment tax credits for projects in Alberta? Would he cut clean hydrogen investment tax credits for projects in Newfoundland?
Our government is delivering an economic plan that is balanced and fiscally responsible. Conservatives should come clean with Canadians and let us know where they are going to cut.
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- Nov/24/23 11:39:24 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are not enough hours in the day to talk about how wasteful they are. The numbers are undeniable: two million Canadians use food banks every month; a family of four will spend an additional $1,065 on groceries this year; students are sleeping in shelters; and mortgage payments have doubled. The Prime Minister signed off on this mess. He is not worth the cost.
Does he at least have the humility and decency to admit that the country is in such a deplorable situation because of his inflationary spending?
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question. I even have an idea for her. Christmas is coming. If she is so concerned about affordability, she can give Canadians a gift by voting in favour of Bill C‑56.
Why? With this bill, we are going to reform competition. This is a reform that has been needed for the past 30 years. We are going to have fewer mergers, more competition and better prices.
My colleague should convince all of her colleagues to pass this bill as soon as possible to help Canadians before Christmas.
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- Nov/24/23 11:40:40 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, less than a month ago, Québecor announced it was cutting 547 jobs, a third of its staff, but the fact that our television is in crisis does not seem to bother the Minister of Canadian Heritage. There is nothing in the economic statement, not one red cent, for our television and radio.
The media crisis is a crisis of democracy. Access to information is under threat, especially in the regions. What is really under threat is the advancement of our culture and our sense of belonging. The minister, who sees perfectly well what is going on, is doing nothing.
Why?
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- Nov/24/23 11:41:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague on the fact that the media is in crisis.
That is why we have been there since day one, bringing in new programs to support our news media. We have also modernized the Broadcasting Act. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission—
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- Nov/24/23 11:41:29 a.m.
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Excuse me.
Could I ask members on both sides to stop having discussions with each other? It is hard to hear the answer from the Speaker's chair, and I cannot imagine that the member for Drummond, who is on the other side of the House, can hear the answer.
I invite the minister to repeat her answer from the beginning.
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- Nov/24/23 11:41:50 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, since taking office in 2015, our government has been there to help the entire cultural sector deal with the crisis and the disruption that foreign platforms have brought to the market.
That is why we modernized the Broadcasting Act, and the CRTC is currently consulting broadcasters, platforms and people in the cultural industry to see how we can better help our television and radio stations deal with today's reality.
This modernization will pay off in the coming weeks and months. We will continue to work with my colleague on these issues.
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