44th Parl. 1st Sess.

December 7, 2023 10:00AM

Dec/7/23 12:52:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I sat and chatted with the member for Saskatoon—University for a good chunk of time last night during our session at the natural resources committee. I would like to remind my hon. colleagues that, since 2015, our government has spared no effort to make life more affordable for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. We have lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and, thanks to the guaranteed income supplement and the enhanced Canada pension plan, we are offering unprecedented support to our seniors. Indeed, 2.3 million fewer Canadians are living in poverty than before 2015. Whether we are talking about $10-a-day child care or the new Canada dental care plan, our government has made historic improvements to the country's social safety net. The reality is that our economic plan is fiscally responsible and it is delivering results for Canadians. We have strengthened Canada's social safety net while ensuring that the country maintains the lowest deficit- and debt-to-GDP ratios in the G7. I must say that our government has implemented several measures in the past year to support Canadians. For example, last summer, roughly 11 million low-income people and families received the grocery rebate. We are helping Canadians from coast to coast to coast deal with global inflation. We have their backs, and will continue to have their backs, as we go forward and as the economy turns and inflation continues to decline. That was a one-time payment that helped them deal with the rising cost of living and put food on the table. I am splitting my time, Mr. Speaker, with my friend and colleague, the parliamentary secretary from the wonderful riding of St. Catharines. What we are talking about here is up to $467 more for eligible couples with two children, and up to $234 more for singles with no children, including single seniors. I have talked about the measure with constituents in my riding, and I can confirm that it has been very popular. To help Canadians with the cost of living, the government also issues Canada workers benefit payments automatically now. This is the Canada workers benefit, which is transformational. This benefit has already helped lift thousands of Canadians out of poverty. We believe that these improvements will give low-income workers timely access to the funds they need to support themselves and their families. Since last July, eligible single workers have received up to $714, and families have received up to $1,231, spread over three advance payments. These are three payments during the year and then people files their taxes. The Canada workers benefit is a great way to lift low-income workers, hard-working Canadians, out of poverty and give them extra money during the year and at the end of the year to pay for necessities. As we also announced in the 2023 fall economic statement, we are going to amend the Competition Act to further modernize merger reviews, including by empowering the Competition Bureau to better detect and address “killer acquisitions” and other anti-competitive mergers. Our government is well aware of the fact that better competition means lower prices, more choices and more innovative products and services for Canadians. Our goal is very clear. We want to make groceries more affordable for Canadians. However, our government understands that many Canadians are still struggling to pay their bills right now and are under considerable financial strain. Obviously, it is important for us to help them. That is why we decided to temporarily pause the fuel charge on home heating oil for three years. This temporary pause will enable households that heat their homes with oil to save an average of $250 a year at the current rate. Meanwhile, the federal government is working with the provinces to incentivize the switch to heat pumps and gradually eliminate oil heating in the longer term. To support Canadians in rural areas, we are going to double the rural top-up for pollution pricing rebates from 10% to 20% of the baseline amount starting in April 2024. Our government is well aware that people who live in rural communities face unique realities, and this measure will help put even more money back in the pockets of families dealing with higher energy costs because they live outside a large city. However, as I said moments ago, we want to do even more to fight climate change by helping Canadians install more energy-efficient heating systems. An up‐front $250 payment will be available to low- and median-income households that heat their homes with oil and sign up for a federal-provincial program to install a heat pump. We are also working with the provinces and territories to strengthen the oil to heat pump affordability program. The amount of federal funding that eligible homeowners can receive for installing a heat pump will increase from $10,000 to $15,000, adding up to an additional $5,000 in grant funding to match provincial and territorial contributions via co-delivery arrangements. As a result, the cost of an average heat pump and its installation would be covered for low- and median-income households as we continue to minimize upfront costs and make federal programs even easier to access for all households. Obviously, this is a very important measure to help households in the long term. Homeowners who switch from oil to cold-climate heat pumps to heat and cool their homes save an average of up to $2,500 a year on their energy bills. These are substantial savings for Canadian families. In conclusion, since 2015, we have done a great deal to support Canadians in need. Whether it is dealing with global inflation or COVID, our government has always had the backs of Canadians. We will continue to do so, while remaining prudent in how we manage the public purse. That is always done in a fiscally responsible fashion. We are maintaining our AAA credit rating and the lowest deficit and net debt-to-GDP ratio. We are bringing that down and continuing to lower it so it is alway below 1%. The grocery rebate, the advance payment of the Canada workers benefit and our support for the purchase and installation of heat pumps are excellent examples of measures taken over the past year to help Canadians.

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