SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 322 - May/31/24

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

May/31/24 11:20:41 a.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, the member today talks about the Fraser Institute. I have heard him and other Conservative MPs in the past talk about Rebel Media and cite it, for example. They ought to expand their horizons and actually look at the IMF list on GDP per capita. The reality is that we actually lead. We, in fact, are ahead of Japan, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. The reality is also that the Conservatives want to cut pensions. Unemployment would be higher under them. It is an endless list.

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Context: House Hansard - 322 - May/31/24

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

May/31/24 11:22:06 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite is obviously from Ontario. What he just made clear and what the Conservative Party always makes clear is that they want to ruin the rebate for their constituents, a quarterly payment that disproportionately and positively benefits lower-income Canadians and middle-income Canadians. The member talks about, as he always does, GDP per capita. Again, I would refer him to the IMF list. We are ahead of powerhouses like Japan, Germany, the U.K. and France. It is a hard time. We have more to do, but we are going to approach this in a responsible way, not like the other party with its austerity agenda.

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Context: House Hansard - 322 - May/31/24

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

May/31/24 11:34:17 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as with some others, the member's math is off. The reality is that Canadians benefit. Eight out of 10 Canadians end up better off as a result of the rebate, where it applies, in the various provinces. The member talks about taxes, though. It is funny; I heard an interview where the Leader of the Opposition told a journalist from the National Post that bakers bake bread and Conservatives cut taxes. That is not exactly true. This government has voted to put in place measures to cut taxes for the middle class and to cut taxes for small businesses. The Conservatives voted against that every single time.

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Context: House Hansard - 322 - May/31/24

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

May/31/24 11:42:05 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague should check the record. Under Stephen Harper, housing costs doubled. When they talk about, for example, things like bureaucracy and use the term “gatekeepers” in the pejorative every time they get, what they are actually talking about is not working: not working with partners, with provinces and, in particular, with municipalities. We know that working with municipalities, mayors, councillors and public servants at the local level is fundamental because that is where zoning decisions are made. The housing accelerator fund is leading to zoning changes. We are going to get more homes built through that way and many others.

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Context: House Hansard - 322 - May/31/24

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

May/31/24 11:52:35 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives again use GDP per capita or per person. That is what the member is talking about as a measure of critique, which they can do. It is one measure but not a particularly useful one, as most economists will say. Let us look at that. On that particular list compiled by the IMF and other organizations, the country leads Japan, the U.K., Germany and France. We have a AAA credit rating reaffirmed by Moody's and the lowest debt and deficit in the G7. We are going to lead the G7 in economic growth going forward in the future.

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Context: House Hansard - 322 - May/31/24

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

May/31/24 11:53:51 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we have groundbreaking legislation to deal with the crisis that is climate change. We are the first government that has acted meaningfully on the issue of reconciliation. We lifted 2.3 million people out of poverty, hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. We are going to continue that record. What we do not talk about enough as a country is pensions. The Conservatives want to join Danielle Smith to deplete the Canada pension plan by 53%. We will not let that happen.

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Context: House Hansard - 322 - May/31/24

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

May/31/24 12:07:08 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, we have eliminated inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. We have introduced a tax on share buybacks. Throughout, we have made it a priority to focus on tax fairness at all levels, and that includes the corporate sector. We are going to continue to be there for Canadians. We are going to continue to make sure that those who are doing well are paying their fair share. It is important for the future of this country. There is so much at stake.

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