Bill C-4

Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act

An Act respecting certain affordability measures for Canadians and another measure

Part 1 amends the Income Tax Act to reduce the marginal personal income tax rate on the lowest tax bracket to 14.5% for the 2025 taxation year and to 14% for the 2026 and subsequent taxation years.
Part 2 amends the Excise Tax Act and other related Regulations to implement a temporary GST new housing rebate for first-time home buyers.
Part 3 repeals Part 1 of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act and the Fuel Charge Regulations .
Part 4 amends the Canada Elections Act to make changes to the requirements relating to political parties’ policies for the protection of personal information.

Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

moved that Bill C-4, An Act respecting certain affordability measures for Canadians and another measure, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Madam Speaker, I would first like to thank my colleagues. I also see a big smile on the opposition side.

Congratulations on your election. I am pleased to see you presiding over our meetings. I appreciate the work you are doing and the professionalism and honour you bring to this position.

It is my privilege to rise and take part in today's debate as we begin the very important second reading of Bill C-4, the making life more affordable for Canadians act.

I would note that the House has voted unanimously for the ways and means motion. This is a good start. It is a new Parliament, a new government and a new era of doing big things quickly.

Canadians asked for a serious plan to change how we address the rising cost of living, which has eroded their quality of life over the past few years. They are calling for change that will put more money in their pockets, build the strongest economy in the G7, build one Canadian economy, not 13, and build a more affordable Canada. With Bill C‑4, our government is delivering on this mandate for change.

Bill C‑4 will implement the middle-class tax cut our government promised. It will give more than 22 million Canadians a tax break. It will save two-income families up to $840 a year, starting in 2026.

With the adoption of the legislation, the lowest marginal personal income tax rate would be reduced from 15% to 14% effective July 1, 2025. This is great news. I can hear my colleagues cheering because they reflect the Canadians who are cheering at home for that. I see the same thing from the Conservatives. They are cheering silently on the other side of the House.

The tax cut would help hard-working Canadians keep more of what they earn and build a strong future for themselves, their families and their communities. The benefit of the tax cut would go to those hard-working Canadians who need it most. This means that the bulk of the tax relief will go to those with income in the two lowest tax brackets, with nearly half of the tax savings going to those in the lowest bracket.

What is more, Bill C-4 would start delivering tax relief almost right away. With the announcement of our middle-class tax cut, the Canada Revenue Agency can update its source deduction tables for the July 2025 to December 2025 period so pay administrators are able to reduce tax withholdings as of July 1.

That means that individuals with employment income and other income subject to source deductions could begin to have tax withheld at the lower 14% tax rate as of July 1. That is excellent news.

This middle-class tax cut is expected to provide $2.6 billion in tax relief to Canadians over the next six months and $5.4 billion in 2026. The middle-class tax cut is expected to deliver over $27 billion in tax savings to Canadians over five years starting in 2025-26. That is just the first step in putting more money back in the pockets of Canadians.

We have more good news. This is a great day to be a Canadian, because the next aspect of the bill is eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes up to $1 million.

There is a lot to be cheering for. I can see, in the smiles of my colleagues, that they are cheering. It is a great Friday for the opposition as well.

It used to be that the federal government helped build the housing that our growing population needs in this country. The last time we faced a housing crisis on such a broad scale was after the Second World War. In the face of crisis, Canada did what we do best as a nation: We came together, got to work, and put a roof over the head of tens of thousands of families.

Canadians want their government to get back to the business of building homes, and that is what we are going to be doing. That is why one of the first decisions of our government was to eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers on the purchase of a new home valued up to $1 million. The new first-time homebuyer GST rebate would mean upfront savings of up to $50,000 on the purchase of their first home.

That is not all. There is really great news in the bill: The rebate would also lower the GST on homes between $1 million and $1.5 million for first-time homebuyers. There is a lot to celebrate in helping Canadians.

As my colleagues in the House know, buying a home is often the largest purchase most Canadians will make in their lifetime. Purchasing a home is more than just a financial investment. Often, it is an investment in their future and their family. It is an investment in their retirement, their peace of mind and their comfort. It is an investment in the Canadian dream.

By supporting Bill C-4, we would be providing a significant increase to the already substantial federal tax support available for first-time homebuyers through programs like the first home savings account, the RRSP home buyers' plan, and the first-time home buyer's tax credit.

By so doing, we will enable more young people and families to make their dream of home ownership come true, and we will enable more Canadians to begin investing in their future, their family, their retirement, their peace of mind and their comfort.

Bill C-4 is just the first step in our ambitious plan to build more homes and ensure that the housing market serves Canadians, rather than vice versa. We will build on our GST cut for first-time homebuyers with a credible plan to build more homes, a true team Canada approach that will build the future of this country and help build the strongest economy in the G7. I want to applaud the work of my colleague, the Minister of Housing, who is going to do a great job in helping to build more homes in this country.

I see that my Conservative friends are very excited, because there is a third measure that I am sure they are going to be cheering in their hearts and minds, and they are going to put it in their householder to make sure all Canadians are aware. We are going to be removing the consumer carbon price from Canadian law. In their hearts, I am sure they are going to be cheering, silently I must say this morning, but silently cheering because, as we know, the first thing that the Prime Minister did upon assuming his responsibilities was to suspend the application of the federal consumer carbon tax, effective April 1 of this year.

This was a moment for this country. Cancelling the consumer carbon tax was the first step in our government's plan to ensure that Canadians can keep more of their hard-earned money. While it was effectively accomplished through government regulations, Bill C-4 would take the necessary step beyond regulatory suspension of the fuel charge by completely removing the consumer carbon price from law.

At the same time, we will refocus federal carbon pollution pricing standards on ensuring carbon pricing systems are in place across Canada on a broad range of greenhouse gas emissions from industry.

This means that a price on pollution for large emitters will continue to be a pillar of Canada's plan to build a strong economy and a greener future for our kids. We will ensure a system that is fair and effective. Industrial carbon pricing is one of the most important greenhouse gas emissions reduction policies in the government's comprehensive emissions reduction plan to bend the emissions curve and meet our 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target.

Overall, the measures included in this bill will pave the way for economic growth in Canada. Our government has a plan to help Canadians keep more of their hard-earned money. It is a plan to protect them from the worst effects of the unjustified trade war, a plan to build the strongest economy in the G7, a plan to build more than anyone could ever take away from Canadians.

Our plan is based on a new approach, where we spend less on government and invest more in the people and businesses that will grow our economy. Canadians elected the current government to stand up for our country and to build a strong economy that works for everyone. Canadians voted for change.

Change means adjusting the way we do things, taking advantage of new technologies and saving money so we can invest more.

It means focusing on results for Canadians and making sure that they get what they expect from their government. It is time for Canada to have a government that focuses on maximizing investments that drive growth and deliver results. Excellence and efficiency must guide all government actions.

Canada is the best country in the world. America's unjustified trade war is an attempt to weaken us, and our sovereignty is under threat. We will not let that happen. We will fight it every step of the way. We will stand up for Canadians, our industries and our workers. It is time to build a future that makes Canada strong, and Bill C-4 is the first step in doing that for our nation.

I encourage all of my colleagues to support the first steps of our plan to build a strong Canada by voting in favour of this bill.

We are the true north strong and free, and we should all be proud to be Canadians.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Madam Speaker, with this, the Liberals have turned themselves completely inside out. Every Canadian knows when they fill up at the pump that if they are not paying the carbon tax today, it is thanks to Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative team that rallied against it.

I do not often visit it, but I am on the Liberal Party website, and it says, “When Conservative politicians [like Pierre Poilievre] railed against putting a price on pollution, [the Liberals] did it, while putting more money back in the pockets of families.”

Does the minister have a contact at the party so we could update their website?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to hear that the Conservatives are spending their time on the Liberal website. They can, in fact, register as a member. It is free, and they can join this great party that has changed the lives of Canadians for decades and decades. It is very interesting that the Conservatives would want to look at our website; it is a great website actually, and I am pleased to hear that they are watching the policy that is going to build Canada strong.

However, this morning is not about the Conservatives. It is not even about our website. It is about Canadians. What we are going to do today is change the lives of Canadians, because by building Canada strong, we give hope to the next generation. We give hope to the workers in Hamilton, in Shawinigan and in Cape Breton. We give hope to this country because we are the best country in the world.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, I have two questions in one for our esteemed Minister of Finance, the member for Saint-Maurice—Champlain.

I would assume that, as a seasoned parliamentarian, he has a solid understanding of the value of Parliament and the importance of respect and consideration for Parliament. His government was pretty pleased with itself for getting the throne speech and the ways and means motion adopted. I wonder if he intends to respect what Parliament added to the Speech from the Throne, that is, the request that a budget, or at least an economic update, be presented before the summer. That is my first point.

I will now turn to the bill we are debating today. The member is also a member from Quebec, so I would assume that Quebec is important to him. He may be aware that $3.7 billion was paid out in carbon tax rebates to the rest of Canada, but not to Quebec. That means we handed over $800 million for Canadians, even though no money was being collected. In short, money was paid to Canadians, even though they did not pay either. This is a serious problem.

As a Quebecker, does the member opposite think it is right that Quebec is not getting its fair share?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Madam Speaker, I welcome my colleague's question. First, I have a great deal of respect for him.

Like most Quebeckers, I was pleased to see the Bloc Québécois vote in favour of the motion. The Bloc Québécois has voted for a strong Canada. It is not very often we see the Bloc Québécois stand up for that.

We have been saying for a long time that building a strong Canada is obviously good for Quebec. I am pleased to see that the member is just as concerned as we are about the future of Quebec, and at the same time, interested in building Canada strong. It was refreshing to see the Bloc Québécois support the government on this initiative to reduce taxes for so many Canadians across the country.

We are always willing to collaborate with the Bloc Québécois because, as Quebeckers, we know in our hearts that Quebec's future depends on a strong Canada.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna, BC]

Madam Speaker, congratulations on your appointment.

The minister talked about the industrial carbon price as being fundamentally important. What is really important, especially when our steel industry and our aluminum industry are under attack, is the price itself. Is the minister going to tell us here today what the price per tonne will be, or is he going to simply put it in the Canada Gazette?

This is about accountability. This is about letting Canadians know what the industrial carbon price will cost them.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Madam Speaker, that is a member for whom I have a lot of respect. We have seen that our steel and aluminum industry is under threat. We are really in a trade war, and it is time that we, as Canadians, stand up together. This is the role of not only the federal government but also the nation. This is the time to stand up for our workers, for our industry and for Canada.

That is why yesterday I was with the CEOs of the major steel companies in this country. Many of my colleagues represent communities that would be affected. It is all-hands-on-deck at this time, and I am happy to see that the member is willing to support the bill, because he knows that putting more money in the pockets of Canadians is a way to help them at a very difficult time.

I am confident about this nation because, when Canada is under threat, we put the elbows up, and together, we win.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. minister for his presentation today.

I know that people in Hull—Aylmer and across Quebec are truly worried about this trade war and the unjustified tariffs that have put our aluminum and steel industries under added strain.

I would like my colleague to tell us how this tax cut will help all Canadians, especially Quebeckers, who are concerned about this tariff war.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Madam Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleague for his service in the House of Commons. All parliamentarians have seen the work he has done. On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to commend him and thank him for his work.

He raises an important question. The measure at the heart of the bill that was introduced this morning is a tax cut. That tax cut will benefit 22 million Canadians across the country. It comes at a time when many industries and communities are facing hardship, and there is a lot of anxiety and fear about everything that is going on. We have seen that things change quickly when it comes to tariffs.

This morning, what we can do as parliamentarians is tell Canadians that we will be there for them and that we know that things are difficult. One of the best ways to help people is to put more money in their pockets, so that families can have a little extra money to deal with the challenges that are coming in the days ahead.

I have hope for this country's future. Canada is a strong country.

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley Township—Fraser Heights, BC]

Madam Speaker, the minister says he wants Canada's economy to be the strongest in the G7. He must realize that we are lagging way behind our trading partners. The OECD report says, “The level of Canada's labour productivity lags its peers”, and Carolyn Rogers of the Bank of Canada said just last year that our productivity metrics is in crisis: “it's an emergency—it's time to break the glass.” The minister's predecessor, back in 2022, said that Canada's productivity challenges are an “insidious” problem.

Does the minister really think that, after 10 years of recycled Liberal ideas, they finally they have the solution?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Madam Speaker, the member is a very experienced member of the House, and I have had the pleasure of hearing him for many years, but there are facts that he is avoiding.

Canada is one of the few countries of the G7 that has a AAA credit rating. Canada has the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio. The member comes from British Columbia, but just next door, we were in Banff with the G7 finance ministers and central bank governors, and the policies that have been adopted by Canada are applauded around the world.

People understand that this plan to build a country, increase our defence spending, meet the moment and make sure we build more housing, is the way forward, so the member should rejoice. I saw that he voted for the motion, but he should rejoice that together we are going to build Canada strong. It is going to benefit every region of the country, including the one that he represents in British Columbia.

We are proud to build this country together.

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Waterloo, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is a very exciting day for Canadians, and this is legislation that I know constituents within the riding of Waterloo have been waiting for. I also know that I am going to go home this weekend, and people are going to ask how quickly they can get this relief, so I just wanted to remind Canadians, and all members of Parliament, because many are new here, what the next steps that need to take place are.

The House has demonstrated that we can work together in the best interest of Canadians. How can we get this relief to Canadians, in their pockets, sooner rather than later?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Madam Speaker, the member for Waterloo is asking a great question. She has served with distinction, and the people of Waterloo are delighted. They should be proud of having her representing them, because Waterloo is at the centre of innovation in this country.

It is good news, as the member said, because if our colleagues on the other side are acting with urgency, we will be able to update the table, starting July 1 of this year, and adjust it so that people will pay less tax. This is what we want for Canadians, and that is what they are expecting from the House and the government.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Speaker, I rise today in the House on what is, in fact, a very sad day for our country. I am quite surprised, flabbergasted really, to hear members across the way say that it is an exciting day. Today is a very sad day with the devastating unemployment numbers that have just come out.

Statistics Canada released unemployment numbers for today showing that unemployment in Canada has risen to 7%. This is the highest unemployment that our country has seen outside of the COVID period since 2016, and it is part of a trend that has been chugging along under the Liberal government. We have seen, if we look at unemployment statistics over the last two years, this increase, particularly in youth unemployment. In unemployment in general, we are now at 7% unemployment.

Many experts expect these numbers to continue and to get worse. For example, a forecast from TD said that it expects 100,000 job losses by the third quarter of this year. The Governor of the Bank of Canada has warned us that “businesses are generally telling us that they plan to scale back hiring.”

If we delve a little more into these numbers, we will see just how painful the situation is for young people. For students looking for summer jobs, one in five Canadian students are now unemployed, which is extremely high. These are young people who are trying to get ahead, trying to pursue opportunities for the future, studying post-secondary, and trying to find jobs so they can sustain themselves and be able to continue their studies. However, one in five Canadian students, more than one in five, are unemployed. This is really a desperate situation for Canadian young people. We have 7% unemployment, and very high rates of unemployment for youth, in particular, for students.

I notice unemployment rates are particularly high in various major centres in southern Ontario. Unemployment is at 10.8% in Windsor, 9.1% in Oshawa, 8.8% in Toronto and 8.4% in Barrie. Toronto's unemployment rate is the highest it has been in over a decade outside of the COVID period. We have seen various sectors being particularly hard hit, with 25,000 manufacturing jobs lost in Ontario alone since a year ago.

Canadians are more desperate. They are searching longer for work. The data shows that, while the number of unemployed Canadians is increasing, the average duration of unemployment is also substantially up, to over 21 weeks. More Canadians are unemployed, in particular, more young Canadians are unemployed. Canadians are waiting longer, struggling more and getting more desperate as they try to find jobs.

As we were preparing for these numbers, I have been speaking to Canadians who are dealing with unemployment. In a number of cases, I talked to people who told me that they put in over 1,000 job applications. I talked to one software developer in Vancouver, for example, who told me his story. He is a young man my age, and a skilled professional. He had to go abroad for some health care that he needed, which he was struggling to get access to in Canada. He came back in the hope of finding a job, and has been struggling to find one for over a year.

I think we can expect Liberals to try to find excuses for this, as they always do, and they will try to point to external events that are beyond their control, but it is important to underline that this is the continuation of a long-running trajectory.

As we have been warning for years, Liberal policies have made it harder and harder for employers to hire people and for Canadians to find work. We have warned about that as these numbers have unfolded and as we have progressed into this unemployment crisis over, really, the period ever since we came out of COVID. I hope that today's dire unemployment numbers are a wake-up call to the Liberal government, a wake-up call that its policies are not working and that it is time to change course.

The other thing we hear from Liberals, in response to bad economic news, is a promise to do the same thing even harder. They instituted bad economic policies that caused a housing crisis and an unemployment crisis, and now they say they are going to do more of the same thing again. They are going to increase taxes and expand spending. I think what Canadians actually want to see is the government change course, change its direction.

As it relates to unemployment, I think we can identify a number of concrete factors, factors that we have been talking about for a long time, that are driving up unemployment in this country. One, and it is very clear, is a lack of private sector job growth. We also had, earlier this week, numbers come out on labour productivity. Labour productivity is down in the service sector, and we are not seeing the kind of productivity growth across the board that would allow us to address these long-running problems.

We are not seeing investment because of barriers that the government has put up. Gatekeepers and obstruction are preventing small and large businesses from moving forward with creating jobs for Canadians. This is most evident in the area of major projects, projects such as pipelines, which are critical for fuelling job growth. Major projects in natural resources, mining and other sectors have been blocked by Liberal Bill C-69, as well as other legislation that undermines the ability of major projects to move forward. We have heard a lot of discourse about major projects from the government, but it continues to speak out of both sides of its mouth, saying it will keep Bill C-69 in place, while also saying it will only move forward with major projects if there is consensus.

We are never going to get everyone to agree on things getting built, on investments being made. If we wait for complete unanimity, then we are just never going to build anything, and that has implications on jobs and opportunities for Canadians, as we are seeing in today's 7% unemployment number and the jobs crisis that we are seeing across the board. Getting major projects by repealing Bill C-69, reversing course on the obstruction and red tape, is going to be critical for our future.

Also, small businesses face all kinds of barriers. We have had growing payroll tax increases that make it harder to hire Canadians, to hire new employees. We have seen a tax on small business over the course of the government's time in office, which is demonizing small business owners as tax cheats. These actions of the government have all had an impact on the escalating unemployment crisis we are seeing.

One thing that we need to do as a country to move forward with addressing this employment crisis is to reverse course on these Liberal antidevelopment, anti-investment policies that have made it so difficult for companies, large and small, to create jobs and employ Canadians.

Another problem that we are seeing is how the cost of living is forcing older workers to stay in the workforce for perhaps longer than they intended. The unemployment crisis is particularly acute for young people. We have had continuous growth in the unemployment rate for youth and, as I mentioned, it is particularly pronounced for students looking for summer jobs.

A contributing factor to that, as some experts have said, is that while Liberals had predicted a so-called grey tsunami of people in older generations leaving the workforce, what has happened is that there have been dramatic increases in the cost of living and the price of groceries. These things have hit seniors particularly hard and have impacted people's ability to retire on the timeline they intended. With the cost of living and obstruction of development, these policies that we have been talking about filter into the unemployment numbers, in which we are seeing this continuous growth.

Then there was, of course, immigration. The Liberals have made a mess of our immigration system, and the conversation around this has completely changed. I recall that 10 years ago there was broad consensus among Canadians about the levels of immigration pursued under the previous government, because there was always an emphasis on understanding what Canada's labour market needs were, viewing immigration through the lens of what is in Canada's interest and welcoming people to this country who could fill in skill gaps and catalyze job growth for Canadians. That was the prudent, effective and welcoming approach taken by the previous government.

It also included a major emphasis on rule of law and proper enforcement. Under the Liberal government, numbers have ballooned and there has been a complete failure of alignment, a failure to align immigration with our national interest and labour market needs. There are major problems, and levels need to come down. There is a broader failure of the government on immigration that is contributing to unemployment. For instance, if we have issues of fraud in the LMIA system, which The Globe and Mail has reported on, that has implications for people who are supposed to be coming here in cases in which there are not Canadians available to work but are actually coming when there are Canadians available to work. Conservatives will continue to hold the government accountable on all of these issues: getting projects moving forward; creating an environment in which small businesses can invest and grow; addressing the cost of living crisis that is affecting seniors and people of all ages, impacting retirement choices; and immigration.

We have talked about these policies; we have predicted these problems, and again we see them in the numbers today. The continuation of a long-running trend now reaches total unemployment of up to 7%. As I mentioned, there are some regional pockets of very low unemployment, but unemployment is particularly high, above the national average, in many of our major central Canadian cities. I know people in Toronto, in particular, are going to be looking at these numbers with great concern, given that they are the highest numbers we have seen in more than a decade.

The path forward is clear. We need to remove barriers to work, reduce the tax burden on working Canadians and get government out of the way so that businesses can grow and hire, and the government must fix immigration. To deliver a government that works for those who work and for students and young people pursuing their dreams, these changes are vitally necessary. Despite talking the talk of change, we continue to see a government that doubles down on the policy failures that have gotten us to this point, a government that continues to talk out of both sides of its mouth on resource projects, a government that continues to allow extremely high levels of immigration. These are the policy choices made by the government that have not changed and that are leading to more of the same in terms of unemployment numbers.

In the context of this overall economic situation, we have Bill C-4 before Parliament. This is a piece of legislation that purports to be about affordability measures for Canadians. When it comes to what the government is talking about in the bill, Conservatives have been very clear that we do not think its proposed measures go nearly far enough in terms of providing Canadians with the tax relief they need.

Of course, Conservatives have for a long time talked about the need to get rid of the carbon tax, the consumer carbon tax and the industrial carbon tax. Liberals have, in the most hyperbolic terms, denounced that advocacy for 10 years. They continue to believe in a consumer carbon tax, as well as an industrial carbon tax, and they would bring it back and raise it if they were ever anywhere close to having a chance to do that.

However, the Liberals perceived that their political interests were at odds with their deeply held convictions, so they announced an intention to change course on the consumer carbon tax while leaving in place the industrial carbon tax, effectively leaving in place a structure that would see those costs passed along to consumers.

These failures of the government to fully address the barriers to opportunity and to investment, such as the industrial carbon tax, and these decisions of the government deter the kind of investment and job growth this country needs. It is about what the Liberals have done and what they have not done, which is leaving in place and continuing to raise taxes on various sectors, on small business, on large business, on companies and on Canadians. This is what is holding back jobs and opportunity.

We do not need to see more of the same. We need to see a change in course. I hope that today's job numbers will evoke some humility from the government members and that they will look at these numbers and say perhaps they need to do something different for the Canadians in their ridings who are struggling, perhaps they need to reverse course on these policies that have, in fact, prevented job growth and led to the increases in unemployment we have seen.

I want to drill down on one specific point, which is that we have seen, over the years, increases in taxes on businesses in the form of increases in payroll taxes. At a time when unemployment is rising, the government should not be planning to hike payroll taxes. Payroll taxes are a tax directly on employment, a tax on jobs, so when the payroll taxes individuals and businesses have to pay are increased, it makes it harder for them to choose to hire more Canadians.

As we go further into this unemployment crisis, as we reflect on the numbers that are in the StatsCan report today, we should remind the government of the importance of not further increasing payroll taxes in the year ahead. I want to very clearly call on the government to not increase payroll taxes in the year ahead.

In conclusion, we have before us Bill C-4, a bill the government says contains affordability measures. It is being debated on a day when we find catastrophic news in the space of unemployment. There is 7% unemployment, which is a number not seen since 2016, outside the COVID period. This is the third consecutive monthly increase in the unemployment rate.

Unemployment has been going up steadily for two years. Canada has had virtually no employment growth since January. Again, students are hit particularly hard, with more than one in five Canadian students now unemployed. This is the highest rate in decades, excluding the COVID period. There are some regional pockets of lower unemployment, but there is very high unemployment, above the national average, in many of our major cities. These unemployment numbers should be a wake-up call for the government about the need to change course and actually allow our economy to move forward.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, the member spent a great deal of his time talking about unemployment. I do not think there is anyone inside the House, definitely within the Liberal caucus, who is not sympathetic to the issue of an individual who does not have a job and is looking for employment. We will continue to work hard as a government to provide opportunity and hope.

I would remind the member opposite that Liberal administrations in the last 10 years have created literally hundreds of thousands more jobs than Stephen Harper created in his 10 years. The member should make note of that.

My question is with respect to the legislation itself. The Conservative Party voted against legislation to give a tax break before, but this is an election-mandated tax break. Will the member agree to see the legislation pass before we rise at the end of June, so Canadians will benefit from this tax break, which was assured to them during the last federal election? Does he support it?