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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 329

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 11, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 329 - Jun/11/24
Mr. Gabriel Ste-Marie
  • Jun/11/24 12:40:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her thoughtful comment. I would say to her that, after the Quiet Revolution, Quebec started developing a social model, Quebec's social-democratic model. This model continued to develop while the governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin slashed transfers to the provinces, particularly for social services, in order to balance their budgets. We saw poverty shoot up and the wealth gap widen significantly in the other provinces. Meanwhile, Quebec used the means at hand to implement various measures with the help of community and social groups, people who believe in the redistribution of wealth and equal opportunity for all. Everyone tightened their belts to implement these measures. That is when the family policy, including child care centres, was rolled out, allowing more women to join the workforce. That is also when we adopted a pharmacare plan that covers people without prior coverage. That is all very limited, but while the federal government was slashing transfers by 40%, we put this in place to preserve the social fabric. As expert studies show, at that time, the level of inequality in the other provinces began to look similar to that of the United States, while the conditions in Quebec began to look more like what is found in Scandinavian countries. There are a great many elements, and we always get community groups involved.
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Context: House Hansard - 329 - Jun/11/24
Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)
  • Jun/11/24 2:21:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, nine years ago, the Prime Minister promised that he would engage in out-of-control spending and that a rich guy on a hill, not the middle class, would pay for it. Nine years later, what is the reality? Nine out of 10 members of the middle class are paying more taxes. The wealthiest have doubled their net wealth, according to a video released by the Prime Minister a few days ago, and the majority of middle-class young people cannot even buy a home. Given that he has already broken this promise, why should we believe him now?
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Context: House Hansard - 329 - Jun/11/24
Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)
  • Jun/11/24 2:22:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what he said nine years ago, and the result, according to his own data published on his Twitter account, is that since he came to power, the wealth of the richest Canadians has doubled, along with the taxes paid by the middle class. The cost of housing has also doubled. Why is it that every time he promises to raise taxes on the rich, it is the poor and middle class who end up footing the bill?
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