SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 334 - Jun/18/24

Jun/18/24 6:31:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there are a lot of issues in this budget that we do not have time to touch on, but I am very grateful he raised that one because the spirit of volunteerism in this country and the things that bind communities together, particularly in rural Canada, deserve to be recognized. This budget would do that by doubling the search and rescue and volunteer firefighter tax credit from $3,000 to $6,000 in recognition of the essential role and sacrifices of these volunteers in keeping Canadians safe. I hear a lot of rhetoric from the Conservatives about public safety. They are going to vote against a budget that would put money in the hands of the people in our communities, the men and women who volunteer in their communities to help keep their neighbours safe in times of strife. That goes back to what I said at the beginning of my speech about values. The New Democrats believe that government can pool resources and use them to help make communities better in this country, to make Canadians safer, more secure and healthier and to give them greater opportunities. The Conservatives do not share that view of government. They think government needs to shrink, get out of the way and cut taxes and services. Where will that leave people in rural communities? I wonder. It will leave them less safe, less secure, less healthy and with fewer opportunities. That is not the Canada that I want for my children.

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Ms. Lindsay Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP)

Jun/18/24 6:32:50 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, to build off that, when my hon. colleague talked about values, he spoke about the disability benefit. I too am very disappointed. A lot of people in my riding were counting on the Liberals to come through on that promise and unfortunately they are not. Could the member talk about the value-based system through which consecutive governments legislate poverty, what it means to ensure that people have a livable income they can rely upon and what they give back to society when that occurs?

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Mr. Don Davies

Jun/18/24 6:33:25 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I yearn for the day when we can bring in an authentic New Democrat federal budget in this country to deliver those values. We do not share the values of the other parties in this House. We believe that no Canadian should live in poverty and that positive measures and policies can realistically achieve that. For instance, my hon. colleague from Winnipeg Centre has a bill in this House for a guaranteed livable income. That is a creative idea. Frankly, the New Democrats have been the driving force for creative ideas in this country since 1960. Health care was a system we created. Pharmacare was a system we created. Dental care is a system we created, along with guaranteed livable incomes and social welfare supports. Everybody in society should be able to get a public post-secondary education and free education in universities, colleges and trades. These are the ideas of the New Democrats. They will share the bounty of this country and make sure that the wealth created by Canadians from coast to coast to coast is shared equally so that everybody has a fair chance to get ahead. I would like—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Jun/18/24 6:34:34 p.m.
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The hon. member's time is up. Resuming debate, the hon. Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.

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Hon. Dan Vandal (Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, Lib.)

Jun/18/24 6:34:53 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-69

Madam Speaker, it is a great honour to rise in this chamber to talk about Bill C-69, the budget implementation act, which is focused on strengthening the foundations for a good middle-class life, especially for young people so they do as well as or even better than their parents. This is our commitment to Canadians, and we are committed to doing it in a fiscally responsible way. I will get into a bit about the structure of Canada's economy, the bones of our economy. The economy in Canada is resilient, and we will deliver the strongest economic growth in the G7 next year. Despite everything we have been through, with almost four years of the pandemic and the disruptions it has caused, like supply chain disruptions and inflation, Canada will continue to lead the G7 in growth. Our debt-to-GDP ratio is among the best within the G7, and more than 1.1 million more Canadians are employed today than before the pandemic. If we let that sink in, we realize that it is an incredible statistic. Our unemployment rate remains at record lows, and with our fiscally responsible approach to the budget, our AAA credit rating is assured. At the same time, too many Canadians are not feeling this growth. Too many Canadians are struggling with inflation, the high cost of everything, like groceries, and the lack of housing, which they cannot afford. Our growth is undoubtedly a strength, but we need to follow a responsible path to ensure that everyone benefits from this growth and that young people can get ahead and find their place in the world. As I mentioned, one of our biggest challenges is the housing crisis. Most people will agree that the best way to bring home prices back down within reach is to focus on increasing supply and to do it quickly. That is exactly what we are doing. This budget would enable significantly more apartment blocks to be built across Canada. In fact, our caucus was in Winnipeg recently to announce $120 million for the City of Winnipeg from the housing accelerator fund. We are cutting red tape to help homeowners get shovels in the ground quicker, and we are unlocking public lands for residential housing. Budget 2024 has a long list of targeted relief to make housing more affordable. By collaborating with builders and leveraging the resources of the federal government, in partnership with provinces and municipalities, we will build close to four million new homes by 2031. We are addressing the housing crisis head-on, with solutions to build homes faster, while continuing our commitment to Canada's middle class. Inflation has fallen dramatically over the last two years. In fact, inflation went down several weeks ago, the Bank of Canada announced. Two years ago, remember, it was 9%, and the Bank of Canada predicts that we will return to the target rate of 2% by 2025. While the numbers on paper are positive, our government knows that affordability is still a real issue for Canadians. To lower costs for families, we have expanded our social safety net. Our $10-a-day child care will save Manitoba families over $2,600 a month per child this year alone. Also, we are bringing in dental care. It will save families hundreds of dollars every year. In fact, in Manitoba alone, in 2023, 28,300 children benefited from the Canadian dental care program. The next time the Leader of the Opposition says this program is not real, that it does not do anything, we have to call him out on that. By the summer, people aged 65 and up and those under 18 will be covered by the dental plan. By 2025, nine million uninsured Canadians will be covered. We also know that too many kids go hungry at school, which is a barrier to their success. Our government is launching the national school food program, which will help 400,000 more children have the food they need to succeed in school. This is how we support fairness for every generation. The Conservatives have already voted against this. They will continue to vote against this. Our government understands that we need to look ahead to the future and keep supporting families. I want to focus on the Prairies, as minister of PrairiesCan. We know that the $23 million of direct funding from budget 2024 to the department of PrairiesCan will support completion of the world-leading research infrastructure at the University of Saskatchewan's centre for pandemic research, the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, in the great city of Saskatoon. VIDO is getting $23 million. The result will be better preparedness to tackle the next pandemic, with expertise from Saskatchewan. Budget 2024 will also invest $20 million over three years to support performing arts organizations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and it proposes another $3 million over two years for the operations of the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina. The Conservatives, of course, will vote against all of this, but the result will be a more vibrant cultural industry in communities all across western Canada. The regional development agencies, including PrairiesCan, would share over $200 million over five years to build on Canada's AI advantage. The result will be more real support to help start-ups across the Prairies to bring new technologies to market, something that will benefit key sectors like agriculture, the clean-tech economy and manufacturing. We also have critical investments for innovative housing solutions, such as the design and upscale of modular homes, the use of 3-D printing, mass timber construction and panelized construction. The result will be more targeted funding for PrairiesCan to invest in more innovative homebuilding in communities big and small in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This all means new possibilities. Our government is also empowering entrepreneurs to take their space in Canada's economic success. I am particularly proud of the work PrairiesCan is doing with regard to inclusion in the small business sector, ensuring that no one is left behind as we move forward. Take our Franco-Manitoban community, for example, which is a major contributor to Manitoba's prosperity. PrairiesCan is actively engaged with 15 bilingual communities in Manitoba, building strong relationships and helping them develop their economic opportunities. In Manitoba, it pays to be bilingual. With the support of our government, PrairiesCan helps develop and implement funding programs and develops projects that have an impact on Franco-Manitobans. Part of PrairiesCan's role as an investor and facilitator is to create opportunities and provide financial support to for-profit and not-for-profit organizations facing economic challenges in Manitoba. For example, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities received funding to provide services that help with training, access to capital, mentoring or information services, networking and marketing advice. Another important project is the $1.2 million in funding that PrairiesCan is giving to the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities to strengthen the labour market in Manitoba's rural municipalities. There is much for the north as well. Budget 2024 would provide $23.2 million this year for the nutrition north subsidy program to lower the cost of healthy food and other essential items that people use every day. Food security is key in the north and the Arctic. That is why we are committing over $100 million to support the harvesters support grant and the community food programs fund to promote indigenous communities in implementing locally led solutions to food insecurity. Nutrition north will be further expanded to include the market food component, called the community food programs fund, with an additional $20 million per year over three years. Based on feedback from indigenous partners, recent improvements have transformed nutrition north into a broader and more inclusive program that respects and responds to the unique food security issues of indigenous and northern communities. By the way, indigenous and northern communities co-developed the harvesters support grant, something that provides country food and traditional food to Inuit and northerners in the Arctic. We know nutrition north alone will not solve food insecurity in northern communities, but it is constantly evolving with feedback from northerners from across the region, and we are committed to making it more efficient and effective. Another one of my priorities for the north, which is covered by budget 2024, includes measures to help clarify and reduce timelines for major projects by advancing the principle of one project, one review. It commits to engagement with partners, northern premiers and indigenous governments. The budget is about how government can do great things for the people it serves. To me, the bottom line is that we are driving economic growth across the country, including for northerners and people living and working on the Prairies, to ensure that every generation of Canadians can reach their full potential. That is why we must pass Bill C-69 and continue the momentum.

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Mr. Marty Morantz (Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, CPC)

Jun/18/24 6:46:55 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I know the member opposite, my colleague from Manitoba, was talking about how great the economy is. In front of me, I have a document showing data published by the International Monetary Fund in April. It is a table entitled “The U.S. Economy is Outperforming Those of Other G7 Countries.” The United States, from 2019 to 2024, is up 8%. Second is Italy, third is Japan, fourth is France, fifth is the U.K. and sixth is Germany. Madam Speaker, guess which one is dead last. Canada's GDP per capita shrank by 2%. Where is all the economic growth the member spent the last 10 minutes talking about?

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Hon. Dan Vandal

Jun/18/24 6:47:41 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the simple facts are that there are 1,100,000 more people working in Canada now than there were before the pandemic. Our unemployment rate has been and is at record lows. That is really something that is unheard of during these times of disruption and difficulty. Liberals know inflation is too high. I believe we have turned the corner on the rate of inflation. The Bank of Canada predicts that, within another year, or another year plus a few months, inflation will be near 2%. We will continue the growth. It is well known that our debt to GDP is the lowest in the G7. We are proud to roll out programs that help Canadians, such as dental care, pharmacare and $10-a-day day care. They are all programs the Conservative government, and my colleague from Winnipeg, voted against.

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Mr. Mario Simard (Jonquière, BQ)

Jun/18/24 6:48:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in his speech, my colleague referred to investments in clean energy. We know that, in Alberta and western Canada, those investments are mainly being made in carbon capture and storage strategies. However, many experts have said that these strategies are a big waste of money. What is more, a Deloitte report commissioned by the Alberta government was just published today, and it found that, if we want to meet our greenhouse gas emissions cap targets, the best solution is not to invest in carbon storage strategies, which are far too costly, but to reduce oil production. Does my colleague not think that the investments in the budget for carbon capture and storage are just an exercise in futility and a waste of money?

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Hon. Dan Vandal

Jun/18/24 6:49:46 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is a very important question for the future of Canada. We know that the three prairie provinces are very strong in energy development and always will be. The question is what sort of energy they will develop. Obviously, the transition to a green economy will require a lot of technology and different approaches. What matters to us the most is ensuring that people keep their jobs in their own industry. We are going to make a transition that makes sense.

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Mr. Kelly McCauley (Edmonton West, CPC)

Jun/18/24 6:50:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague across the way talked about the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio, but that only matters if the government is including the assets of the CPP, the Canada Pension Plan, but excluding the liabilities for future payout. When one looks at the gross debt, we are actually the 22nd worst out of 29 in the entire OECD, and we are near the bottom of the G7. Could the member across the way commit to using the real numbers instead of the dodgy fact or the dodgy misinformation he is using today?

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Hon. Dan Vandal

Jun/18/24 6:51:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, with all due respect, that is a bunch of baloney. The member talked about the Canada Pension Plan; let us talk about the Canada Pension Plan, old age security and the benefits they bring to Canadians. Let us talk about medicare and dental care. Our government is investing in Canadians. If one factors in all those benefits in the economic formulas, however one wants to organize them, one will realize that Canada is the best country in the world to live in.

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Mr. Mario Beaulieu (La Pointe-de-l'Île, BQ)

Jun/18/24 6:52:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his French, and I salute all Franco-Manitobans. We have heard several Liberal ministers say that they are going to take action to protect French in Quebec and that they recognize that French is in decline in Quebec. However, an analysis of the public accounts reveals that 94% of official language funding programs in Quebec are used to strengthen English and are paid to anglophone institutions and lobby groups. Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed in the action plan for official languages 2023-28. Does my colleague think that continuing to contribute to the anglicization of Quebec will strengthen French outside Quebec?

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Hon. Dan Vandal

Jun/18/24 6:53:00 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canada is undeniably a bilingual country. I am proud to represent francophone and Franco-Métis communities in Saint-Boniface and Saint-Vital. That said, it is hard to make sure that the French language progresses in Manitoba. We need schools and early childhood education. We need more investments to ensure that the francophone community can continue to grow and contribute to our society. I am not very familiar with the reality in Quebec, but I do know that the French language is under threat across Canada and that we need to make a concerted effort to expand the francophone space.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Jun/18/24 6:54:01 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I wonder if my colleague could provide his thoughts on an important issue. The Prime Minister came to Winnipeg on three different occasions. He came to visit a north end school; we talked about the national nutritional food program for children. We had the Prime Minister come and work on the issue of housing in the Transcona area. We also had the Prime Minister come to talk at the Grace Hospital about the investment in generations of health care. Could the member just provide his thoughts in terms of how the different levels of government came together, working in co-operation, to deal with those types of issues?

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Hon. Dan Vandal

Jun/18/24 6:54:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North is absolutely right. The Prime Minister has been to Winnipeg several times over the last few months to make incredible announcements about investments in Canadians, such as a new health care agreement with the Province of Manitoba, as well as investments in nurses, doctors and the many hospitals that serve Manitobans and Winnipeggers. Fortunately, we have a provincial government in Manitoba that was at the table, that was not fighting us. It was contributing its own dollars to keep Winnipeggers and Manitobans healthy. The school food program is an incredibly positive program that was launched, at least in Manitoba, in Winnipeg, in a school with hundreds of kids who were energetic and enjoyed the nourishment. We know that Canadians are feeling the struggle. Inflation is affecting Canadians. That is why we are investing in Canadians on so many fronts. For the life of me, I do not understand why the other side, the Conservative opposition, continues to vote against everything we are doing.

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Mr. Kelly McCauley (Edmonton West, CPC)

Jun/18/24 6:56:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, to start, I will mention that I am sharing my time with my colleague from Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke. I am pleased to rise to talk to budget 2024, which the government has labelled “Fairness for Every Generation”. We can quite easily say the government is inflicting its Liberal version of fairness on every generation. I am sure Liberals are sitting there on the other side saying, “Why let just boomers suffer through high rent, high food inflation and high crime?” Under the Liberals, the idea is to be fair and make gen X and millennials suffer as well. Churchill commented, “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” That is what Canadians are suffering under the Liberal government: the equal sharing of miseries. Now, I want to look at some of the sharing of miseries under the Liberal-NDP government. We will start with rent. We have a crisis across the country of skyrocketing rent. Rentals.ca reported, “Average asking rents for all residential property types in Canada hit an all-time high of $2,202 in May, surpassing the $2,200 level for the first time.” That is up 9% from last year. In 2015, when the Liberal government took over, the average rent in Canada was $966. That is a 128% increase in rent. I do not think any Canadians have been receiving a 128% increase in their family income since 2015. Now, even adjusting for the out-of-control Liberal inflation, that is still 28% higher than the inflation-adjusted total compared with 2015. I want to talk about a couple of examples across the country: In Burnaby, B.C., the average is $2,500, up 8%. In North York, it is $2,300, up 4%; that is the average rent for a one bedroom, by the way. In Ottawa, it is $1,884 for a one bedroom, up 7%; and in Kingston, it is $1,800, up 8.4% from last year for a one bedroom. Now, luckily for the people in the prairie provinces, those provinces had been spared the high rent increases. However, this is the case no more, thanks to the Liberal government. In Calgary, a one bedroom is up 6% from last year; Winnipeg is up 9%. Edmonton, my own hometown, is up 16% from last year; Regina is up 16.7% from last year. Saskatoon is up 13% from last year for a one bedroom. Finally, Fort McMurray is up 13%. That is the reality and the so-called fairness under the Liberal government. Fairness of access to misery is basically what the government has delivered. Mortgage payments have doubled since the government took over. Housing prices have doubled. I want to read a quote from Bloomberg, the business magazine: “Canada [is] likely sitting on the largest housing bubble of all time”. It is not the largest housing bubble in Canadian history, but of all time. The article argues that “inflated home prices in Canada are a result of...easy money supplied under the [government's] monetary policy.... At the present moment, [there is] risk in mortgage rates climbing”, which we are seeing, “as Canadian bond yields are dragged up, particularly at a time when debt-to-income ratios are sky high.” Canadians, as we are aware, probably have the highest consumer debt-to-income ratio in the world. The article goes on to say, “The worst part for a housing bubble is when you have [a] credit bubble underneath it”. Again, we have such a high debt-to-income ratio right now. It continues, “The amount of Canadian leverage into the system versus incomes is pretty astronomical — and we’ve seen debt servicing going up dramatically.” In addition, “There is definitely a risk here that if mortgage rates go higher or unemployment were to rise or we hit the next recession, then this thing does end up in a deleveraging cycle.” What does the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation have to say on this topic? It says that, this year and next, 2.2 million mortgages, worth over $675 billion, will be facing interest rate shock as they come due for renewal. That 2.2 million households is 45% of all households in Canada, and they have mortgage rates coming up for renewal shortly. CMHC continues, “Most of these borrowers contracted their...mortgages at record-low interest rates and, most likely, at or near the peak of housing prices”. In this country, 45% of mortgages are probably at about the 1.5% to 2% mark, and they are going to have to renew at 5% or 6%. Mortgage “shock”, as CMHC calls it, is hopefully not leading up to what Bloomberg is forecasting, which is a collapse in the housing bubble. If we remember back to July 2020, the Governor of the Bank of Canada said, “Our message to Canadians is that interest rates are very low and they're going to be there for a long time”. He then said, “If you've got a mortgage or if you're considering making a major purchase, or you're a business or you're considering making an investment, you can be confident rates will be low for a long time.” Maybe Webster's dictionary needs to update its definition of a “long time” to say that it is less than four years. Of course, we all remember the Prime Minister trotting out in front of his cottage for an interview. When asked about the risks of this massive borrowing and perhaps rising costs to service it, he said, of course condescendingly, “Interest rates are at historic lows, Glen.” Guess what? They are not at historic lows. If one wishes to have an example of how out of control things are, how fast things can change and how poor the government is at planning and how it hurts Canadians, the supplementary (A)s, which we debated just recently, showed an added $1.9 billion of needed taxpayers' dollars to pay for interest on the debt. This is $1.9 billion more than the calculations the government did just in February when it was doing the main estimates. The main estimates are of course the cash authorizations required for the entire year. That was done in February. Between February and May, when the supplementary (A)s came out, interest rates were up, resulting in needing $1.9 billion more than the government thought it would have to ask for in February. We often hear the government talk about the pharmacare plan. Of the 9,000 different available drugs in Canada, it would only cover birth control and diabetes medication. That plan is $1.9 billion for five years. If we think about that, just the government's mistake in February on what interest would cost Canadians on the national debt was off equal to the value of its so-called pharmacare plan for five years. On taxes, in this budget there is $498 billion projected to be raised in taxes. That is up $166 billion from 2019, which the government is taking from Canadian taxpayers. That is $216 billion more in taxpayers' money being taken by the government since 2015, or 76%. That is up $50 billion from just two years ago, yet somehow we have the government telling doctors, small businesses and farmers that they need to cough up a little more, less Canada slips into some dystopian hell. Again, it is $216 billion more than when the government took over. That is 76%, yet if we do not not get a bit more, Canada will fall into dystopian hell. The Deputy Prime Minister said, “What kind of Canada do you want to live in [without this extra few billion dollars]? Do you want to live in a country where a teenage girl gets pregnant just because she doesn't have the money to buy birth control?” Apparently, over the last nine years they did have money to buy birth control, but somehow, after $216 billion more in tax hikes against Canadians, now teenage girls are facing this. Interest on the debt is $291 billion for the next five years. That is equal to an entire tax haul when the Liberals came to power. If one thinks about that, just the interest for five years will be equal to our entire tax haul in the year 2015. I will end with another quote from Churchill: “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.” I think we can very easily substitute the word “socialism” with “Liberal government” when we look at this budget.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Jun/18/24 7:06:00 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my question is on the capital gains tax. I am wondering if my colleague from across the way could explain to Canadians why, when the Liberal government makes the decision to have a fairer sense of taxation, the Conservative-Reform party say no, it is a bad idea, yet Brian Mulroney, the former Progressive Conservative prime minister, not only raised it but raised it to a higher level than we are raising it. If the Conservative Party today is arguing that it is going to cause so many problems, what does it think happened when Brian Mulroney, the then Progressive Conservative prime minister, raised it? There seems to be a double standard, and maybe there is not a double standard. Maybe it is because it is really and truly a Conservative-Reform party being given direction from the far right.

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Mr. Kelly McCauley

Jun/18/24 7:07:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague for Winnipeg North has, as usual, a nonsensical question. I was disappointed last week when we were debating the estimates that I was not able to take a question from him. However, now he is talking about something that happened 40 years ago. I suggest that he perhaps get into his probably government-subsidized DeLorean to go back to the future to today's date. The member talks about the capital gains tax. This government has increased taxes on Canadians by over $200 billion per year since it took over, yet somehow that $200 billion will not pay for this added little bit it is calling for. It is ridiculous to think that somehow, after raising taxes by $200 billion, now the real secret to success would be to get an extra couple billion from the capital gains. It is clearly not needed if the Liberals were able to raise taxes $200 billion just since they came to power.

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Mr. Larry Maguire (Brandon—Souris, CPC)

Jun/18/24 7:08:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in the Harper days, there was a recession in 2008, but $150 billion was put into the economy, and the budget was balanced in seven years. The Liberal government has had nine years. I wonder if the member could elaborate on the fiscal failure of the doubling of the debt and the tripling of the carbon tax, as well as what the carbon tax has done to initiate the cost of inflation that Canadians are seeing in their rents, mortgages and grocery bills today.

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Mr. Kelly McCauley

Jun/18/24 7:08:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is a valid question. Something that we do not often talk about in the House is how the government has increased the tax load on Canadians so much, with a 76% increase since 2015, which is 76% more taxes being taken in by the government, yet somehow the Liberals still missed balancing the budget by $50 billion last year. The money is coming in, and it is amazing that the money is going out at a faster rate. However, all we have from the government is failures to serve Canadians, failures to get passports done, failures to provide to the military, failures to provide housing and failures to work on the inflation front. The government is clearly a failure, which is why I will not be supporting this budget.

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