Finance Committee on Dec. 7th, 2023

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

—respect and decorum.

You have a point of order, MP Lawrence. Please don't crosstalk.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

I raised my voice at a reasonable tone and you did not recognize me at the last meeting, so that's why I have to raise my voice. It's because I'm hoping you'll hear me, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

I can hear you, MP Lawrence.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Chair, with respect, I'd like to move on to my next question.

We can agree that Canadians and your own housing agency don't have faith in your government, which they've already outlined. That's why, after your government spent $89 billion on photo op funds for housing promises that have not been actualized, rents and mortgages and the down payments needed on a house have all doubled in just eight years. This was never there before your government and it certainly won't be there afterwards.

Canadians are living in a housing hell and a cost of living crisis. Two million Canadians are going to a food bank in a single month in just eight years. There's a 100% increase in food bank usage, and a third of those are kids who are starving because of high taxes like the carbon tax and other factors caused by your government. The number one reason for food bank usage is the housing unaffordability that your government has created. There are tent cities across this country. There are nurses living in their cars. There are students living under bridges. That's eight years after your government.

Why should anyone believe that anything your government has done is actually helping to address the affordability crisis?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Thank you for the question.

Let me start by saying that Canadians know that Conservatives cannot be trusted when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable people in Canada. Since we formed government, 2.3 million Canadians have been lifted out of poverty.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Two million are going to a food bank—

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Our government has particularly—

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

—in a single month.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

I'm sorry, Mr. Hallan. I'm speaking about poverty in Canada, which you purport to care about and which you purport to have addressed in your question. I'd like to finish my answer, please.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

It was about food banks.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

The Canada child benefit has had a huge impact on Canadian families. It's having an impact today in lifting millions and millions out of poverty. The statistics show that. Our early learning and child care program—

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Minister, the question was clear. I'll have to move on because I have a limited amount of time.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

No, I'm sorry. You haven't given me a chance to answer, and that is not only rude but also inappropriate at committee.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

With all of that, two million Canadians are still going to food banks.

I'll just ask my last question because my time is limited.

Your government promised that by Thanksgiving, the price of food would go down. A scathing report came out this morning on the food index, saying that food costs are going up, driven up also by your carbon tax because you're taxing farmers and those who are shipping the food and storing the food.

The number of people going to a food bank is increasing because of food costs and housing costs caused by your government. Eighty-three per cent of those going to food banks are working families. That's a phenomenon that we've never seen in this country before.

You promised that food prices would go down by Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving went by, and food prices didn't come down. We thought that maybe you meant the U.S. Thanksgiving. That went by as well, and nothing happened. It's almost Christmastime, and there are kids in this country who are literally asking Santa not for gifts but just for food that they could put on their table.

On what date will food prices actually come down so that Canadians can afford to eat, and when will you axe the tax so that people can put food on their tables and heat their homes?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Let me just be clear. I've been repeatedly interrupted, and what we see is that Conservatives are interested in posturing. They're not interested in asking actual questions.

However, let me be clear. Canadians know that Conservatives believe only in cuts, cuts, cuts, particularly for the most vulnerable among us. That is why our government is so committed to supporting the most vulnerable, to supporting children. There are 2.3 million Canadians lifted out of poverty. The Canada child benefit is money directly for the most vulnerable children in our country.

When it comes to housing, the purported subject of this meeting, let me just be clear that the purported Conservative scheme actually would go backwards on housing. It would actually put the GST back on the construction of the rental housing that we need—

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

The time is up, isn't it, Mr. Chair? The six minutes is up—

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

This is not a scheme; this is putting Canada into reverse when what we actually need to do is build more homes faster.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Thank you, Minister.

The time is up now.

With regard to the timing, as members know, each party has six minutes. If a question is asked at the five-and-a-half-minute mark or at 5:40 and the witness, then, is answering, the time will go over the six minutes. That is the practice that we have kept here on this committee, and that's what we will continue to keep doing unless the members decide otherwise.

Now we are moving to MP Dzerowicz, please.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

I have a quick point of order.

I've known the Conservatives for a long time. I know because I've supported these calls and have wanted to see the minister come here, not on a government bill but as part of one of our studies. What I didn't realize was that Mr. Hallan wanted her here to perform a monologue, in fact, and not to actually have a conversation. I wonder, perhaps, if the committee—

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

I have a point of order.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

This is not a point of order.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

—Mr. Chair, could invest in some gold stickers or something to assuage Mr. Hallan's ego so that the next time—

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

This is not a point of order. Come on, now. This is not a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Fonseca]

Thank you, MP Blaikie.

We do have the minister here.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

I am calling a point of order. You have to recognize me.