44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 19, 2024 02:00PM
- Jun/19/24 2:56:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have demonstrated over the past nine years that investing in the middle class and people working hard to join it can create growth for the country. That is why we are continuing to step up to put back growth for work by putting more money in the pockets of Canadians, whether it is through a plan to fight climate change that puts more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadian families across the country, or whether it is by moving forward on asking the wealthiest who are selling off profitable investments to share a little more of those profits with Canadians who need it, by countering the housing crisis by investing in young people.
Once again, Conservatives stand with the wealthiest. We stand with the middle class.
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- Jun/19/24 2:57:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, he is countering the housing crisis? He doubled housing costs. He is helping young people? Seventy-six per cent of them who say they cannot afford a home after nine years of the Prime Minister, but it is getting worse. The Prime Minister gave half a billion dollars to the Liberal-NDP mayor and council at Toronto City Hall, supposedly to accelerate homebuilding. What is the consequence? Since that money was handed over, Toronto City Hall has increased wait times and costs for building permits by 50%.
Why does the Prime Minister keep forcing taxpayers to bloat the gatekeeping bureaucracies instead of doing what we want: build the homes?
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- Jun/19/24 2:58:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the challenging fact that the Leader of the Opposition is trying to avoid is that just last week it was demonstrated that housing starts are up across this country. That is part of where we have been investing with communities across the country in the housing accelerator fund that is delivering more homes built faster. Indeed, we are going to see close to four million new homes in the coming decade because Canadians know that more density, better use of public lands, better protection for renters and better math for home builders to be able to build more affordable homes are the things that are going to make a difference in Canadians' lives.
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- Jun/19/24 2:59:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, well, I think we can all agree that the Prime Minister needs better math.
However, here is the math. The Altus Group says that Canada's development charges are significantly higher and our wait times for getting building permits are the second-slowest in the entire OECD. What is the Prime Minister doing? He is giving half a billion dollars to the City of Toronto, which has just increased its development charges and its permit wait times by 50%.
Once again, why does the Prime Minister keep funding the gatekeepers instead of removing them so we can build the homes?
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- Jun/19/24 3:00:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here is a concrete example of how one makes the math work to build more homes.
Last year, we made a decision to take off the GST on purpose-built, middle-income apartment buildings, the kind of apartment buildings we need more of right across the country. Within a few days after having announced that we would no longer be charging the GST on new apartment buildings, thousands of new units were being announced by developers across the country, because, suddenly, they were able to bring projects onto the table that had not been on it before. That is how to invest in housing. That is how we deliver for Canadians.
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- Jun/19/24 3:00:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, permits take three times longer to get in Canada than in the U.S. and in the U.K. In the last two years, in Toronto, the wait time has gone from 21 months to 32 months, all while the Prime Minister has given that bureaucracy $500 million to subsidize its building-blocking bureaucracy.
Why will he not follow my common-sense plan to require municipalities to permit 15% more housing completions as a condition of getting their federal funds?
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- Jun/19/24 3:01:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. The Conservative leader has no plan to address the housing crisis. When he was housing minister under the Harper government, he had no plan to address the housing crisis. That government decided to get out of any federal engagement in housing, and we are seeing those consequences even 10 years later.
The reality is that his plan to reimpose GST on apartment building construction would slow down apartment building construction. His plan to withdraw funds that are needed for densification of permitting would slow down housing construction. That is not what Canadians need.
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- Jun/19/24 3:02:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with some help from the Conservatives, the woodland caribou is at risk of extinction. That must not happen. However, thousands of forestry jobs are also at risk of extinction, with some help from the Liberals. Our forests are one of Quebec's most ecological and important assets.
I cannot accept either prospect. Does the Prime Minister agree that the woodland caribou issue is a test of our ability to reconcile the creation of wealth with the environment? Does he agree to let Quebec, the forestry industry and indigenous peoples negotiate a solution together?
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- Jun/19/24 3:02:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past 10 years, from the time before we took office, the Government of Canada has been working hard to help the Government of Quebec come up with a plan to protect the caribou and achieve our common objectives of protecting the environment and jobs.
The federal government remains ready to work with and assist the Quebec government while it implements measures to ensure the species' recovery as part of a comprehensive strategy.
We remain ready to support local communities, jobs and, of course, Quebec's dynamic economy.
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- Jun/19/24 3:03:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the government imposes decrees, that will lead to economic disaster for the forest industry. If Quebec does not reach an agreement with the industry, environmentalists, indigenous peoples, unions and municipalities, the woodland caribou will disappear.
The Conservatives claim to be fixing this, but in a year and a half, businesses will already be closed, the species will be more at risk and jobs will be lost.
I do not know what the Prime Minister will say, but I will say this. The Bloc Québécois and I will commit to finding negotiated and agreed-upon solutions to support the Quebec government, which has exclusive jurisdiction over forestry.
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- Jun/19/24 3:04:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we agree that we need to work hand in hand with Quebec. That is exactly what we have been doing for years. Various federal governments over the past 10 years have been committed to protecting the woodland caribou, while also protecting communities and jobs.
We are here to work in partnership with Quebec, but after so many years, we had to demonstrate that we are a state governed by the rule of law and that we respect our own laws on the protection of species at risk. That is what all Quebeckers and all Canadians expect.
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- Jun/19/24 3:04:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is rather ironic to see the Bloc Québécois looking for the federal government to play a role in an area of provincial jurisdiction. The Bloc MP from Matane said that the federal government has the right to get involved and to sacrifice forestry jobs. What is more, if the Bloc Québécois had not voted confidence in the government and kept this Prime Minister in power, this decree would not have existed in the first place.
The Conservatives are going to reverse this decree to protect the jobs and to allow the government to protect nature and the industry. That is common sense to us.
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- Jun/19/24 3:05:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, day after day, the Conservative Party is showing us that it does not understand that the only way to build a healthy economy for Canadians for years to come is also to protect the environment. It refuses to accept any responsibility for protecting the environment.
The other parties in the House and the vast majority of Canadians understand very well that we have to work to protect the environment and work to protect the economy. It is just the Conservatives who made the choice to abandon the environment and Canadians' future.
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- Jun/19/24 3:06:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Quebec nation is capable of protecting nature and jobs without interference from this incompetent Liberal Bloc government here in Ottawa. We believe that we can do both, but it is up to the Government of Quebec to decide how to protect nature. There are now 30,000 jobs at stake.
Will the Prime Minister rescind his Liberal minister's radical decree?
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- Jun/19/24 3:06:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this so-called radical decree is based on a bill proposed by the prime minister that all experts say did the most to protect the environment in Canada. I am talking about former prime minister Brian Mulroney, a Progressive Conservative. It is unfortunate to see the Conservative Party abandoning something that the Progressive Conservatives understood very well. They understood that we can only build a strong economy by protecting the environment. Brian Mulroney demonstrated that time and time again over the course of his career. Now, the Conservatives have forgotten all that and are attacking the planet and our future.
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- Jun/19/24 3:07:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Brian Mulroney knew that protecting the environment had nothing to do with raising taxes and eliminating jobs.
Moving on to the Liberal scandals, the RCMP commissioner just confirmed that there are now six active criminal investigations into contracts awarded by the NDP-Liberal government. That is on top of the $60-million arrive scam app, which saw $20 million go to two contractors who work out of their basement and do not even do IT work.
Will the Prime Minister promise to personally co-operate with this criminal investigation so that Canadians can know where their money went?
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- Jun/19/24 3:08:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the situation is obviously unacceptable, which is why authorities are looking into the procurement process. Anyone who took advantage of our COVID responses to save Canadian lives should face consequences. All federal contracts with these companies have been suspended as the investigations continue.
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- Jun/19/24 3:08:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the pandemic and the war in Europe have caused a global inflationary crisis. Our government has endeavoured to curb inflation, and our plan is working. Canada was the first G7 nation to lower its interest rates. The only thing that the Conservatives know how to do is make cuts.
Can the Prime Minister tell us our plan for making life more affordable for Canadians?
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- Jun/19/24 3:09:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Ottawa—Vanier for her question and for her hard work.
Too many Canadians are struggling with the cost of living. That is why Canadians need a government that has their backs. That is why we are investing in programs like dental care, pharmacare, child care, and the Canada child benefit, which is going out to millions of families tomorrow.
Every step of the way, the Conservatives have tried to stop us from supporting Canadians. Despite their empty slogans, they do not care about Canadians, just themselves.
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- Jun/19/24 3:10:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, speaking of taking care of their friends, the Prime Minister has literally doubled the amount spent on outside consultants, all the way up to $21 billion a year. That works out to $1,400 per family in taxes, just to fund federal government consultants. One of them is $200 million to the Prime Minister's famous consulting firm, McKinsey. It is no wonder that Canadians are forced to pay higher taxes. Will the Prime Minister finally put an end to this costly, self-licking ice cream cone and stop sending the bill to Canadians?
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