44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 24, 2023 10:00AM
- 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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- Nov/24/23 11:42:28 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the work started a long time ago. We should be seeing results by now.
This morning, I sent the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Canadian Heritage a bunch of reactions from people in the cultural sector. They are all livid. They are furious that the economic statement had nothing in it for them. Even the Fédération nationale des communications et de la culture, which is well known to the minister, joined us in criticizing the fact that the economic statement had completely sidelined the electronic media.
The Bloc Québécois was asking for a $50‑million emergency fund to help out the media while the Minister of Canadian Heritage wraps up negotiations with the web giants. For the federal government, $50 million is nothing, but for our media, it would be huge. Ottawa's reasons for refusing to create an emergency fund are political, not financial.
Why did the minister choose to turn her back on our news media, especially our electronic media?
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- Nov/24/23 11:43:13 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we did study the Bloc Québécois proposal and discuss it with certain stakeholders in the cultural sector.
Unfortunately, the $50‑million emergency fund that the Bloc was proposing will not solve the problem. What will solve the problem in the long term is modernized legislation, which we delivered. The enhanced labour tax credit program, which we modified in the fall economic statement, will also help our newsrooms.
We will continue to look at all the solutions. However, one thing everyone in the cultural sector knows is that the Conservatives would have done nothing. They also know that our government has taken action since coming to power in 2015.
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- Nov/24/23 11:43:55 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberal coalition's economic update is out. Prices are up, rent is up, debt is up, taxes are up and time is up for this costly coalition. Billions more in tax dollars will be spent, and Canadians will still be struggling. The Prime Minister is just not worth the cost.
Will the government adopt our common-sense plan to balance the budget or step aside and let a Conservative government clean up its mess?
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- Nov/24/23 11:44:26 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has actually been humorous to watch this week as Conservatives twist and flail like pretzels, turning themselves into things and trying to make people believe they are there for workers. Let us review what they have been doing.
Currently, they are filibustering the sustainable jobs act at the natural resources committee, a bill that gives workers a seat at the table in the clean economy. It represents 400,000 jobs before 2030.
They are opposing landmark legislation our government tabled to ban replacement workers, which is good for workers and enables them to sit at the bargaining table.
Not only do Conservatives have no credibility when it comes to standing up for workers and jobs, but they also have no vision for the future of our economy.
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- Nov/24/23 11:45:14 a.m.
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I think the only people who still believe these talking points are the Liberals.
Mr. Speaker, senators appointed by the Prime Minister shut down debate on a common-sense bill to axe the carbon tax for farmers. The NDP-Liberal coalition is blocking important tax carve-outs on grain drying and barn heating. Its actions, driven by failed policies, directly harm Canadian producers and increase food costs.
Will the government finally support hard-working farmers over their own political agenda and give them a tax break?
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