House of Commons Hansard #136 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was jobs.
Nycole Turmel NDP Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, income splitting is a regressive model that encourages women to stay at home.
That is the last thing we want to do when our country is in desperate need of workers and the labour force is aging. Furthermore, the wealthy are the ones who will benefit from this. Why are the Conservatives proposing a model that is so unfair and paternalistic and puts additional barriers in a woman's career path?
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the member could not be further from the truth. If the New Democrats had their way, they would spend $5 billion creating a massive new bureaucratic one-size-must-fit-all child care program.
We are providing cash back directly into the pockets of Canadians so they can make their own child care choices. Our government is expanding the universal child care benefit to provide $720 for every child from six to seventeen years old. This will be a huge relief in the daily pressures ordinary Canadian families face.
Nycole Turmel NDP Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' proposed income splitting plan is costly and ineffective. It will benefit few families, and only well-off families will be able to take advantage of it. This plan is based on a paternalistic and regressive ideology that does not consider the realities facing women and the labour market in the 21st century. Even the former finance minister said that this plan was unfair and too costly.
Why do the Conservatives insist on continuing down this reckless path?
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, our government has committed to bringing in income splitting of $50,000 for families. This is precisely what we are doing. It is good policy for seniors, and it will be good policy for families to help make life more affordable. The measures we have introduced will benefit low- and middle-income families the most. A promise made, a promise kept.
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in a fundraising email, the member for Durham bragged about how great this tax cut would be for him. He forgot to mention that as a parliamentary secretary, he earns $180,000. That is twice as high as the median family income.
Why is the government proposing to help the wealthy instead of addressing the real problems facing the middle class?
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, he could not be further from the truth. Our government is fulfilling its promise to balance the federal budget. We are now in a position to fulfill our promise to help Canadian families balance theirs.
All families with children will benefit from the new measures introduced by our government yesterday. The average tax relief and benefits for these families will be $1,140 in 2015 alone. Two-thirds of the benefits will go to low- and middle-income families.
The Liberals and the New Democrats will reverse these measures. Only our Conservative government believes that Canadian families know how best to spend their hard-earned money.
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Speaker, there was no answer, so I will try again.
Last night the member for Durham bragged in a fundraising email about how great this tax cut would be for him. He neglected to mention that as an MP and parliamentary secretary, he makes $180,000 a year, which is more than twice the median family income.
Why do the Conservatives insist on helping well-off Canadians instead of addressing the real needs of the middle class?
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, two-thirds of the benefits will go to middle- and low-income Canadians.
Under our government, middle-class Canadians are better off under our Conservative government. The median net worth of Canadian families has increased by 45% since we have taken office. For the first time, middle-income Canadians are actually better off than Americans. The average Canadian family paid nearly $3,400 less in taxes two days ago. Now it is more than $4,500 less in taxes. Canadian families are better off with a Conservative government.
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Speaker, even if they include these other measures, the Conservative plan gives middle-class Canadians a small fraction of what it gives to the member for Durham.
What do 85% of families get from income splitting? Nothing. Single parents? Nothing. Two teachers in the same tax bracket? Nothing. Seniors with older children? Nothing. Young people? Nothing. The member for Durham? It is $2,000. Is that fair?
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, our government is moving back to a balanced budget while creating jobs and economic growth. The Liberals have been clear that they will repeal our tax cuts and take money back from Canadian families to pay for their reckless spending schemes.
Only our party understands that Canadians want their lives to be more affordable. Our plan would help families pay for priorities like groceries, after-school activities for their kids, and saving for post-secondary education.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are pushing an income-splitting scheme that helps the wealthiest families, actually discourages women from working, and fails to help low- and middle-income families. It is a scheme that was panned by conservative thinkers at the C.D. Howe Institute and the late Jim Flaherty. This was an awkward photo-op designed to bury their unfair scheme.
Conservatives are keeping their promise to help wealthy families with income splitting but breaking their promise to all Canadians to create 125,000 child care spaces.
When will the Conservatives stop picking winners and losers and withdraw this wasteful and ineffective income-splitting scheme?
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, under our plan, every Canadian family with children will have more money in their pockets to spent on what is important to those families. That is over four million families. Canadian families will see an average benefit of over $1,140 due to these measures. Two-thirds of those benefits will be for middle- and low-income Canadians. Our plan will help families pay for priorities like groceries, after-school activities for their kids, and saving for post-secondary education. I recommend the member opposite get on board and support this plan.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, I notice that they really cannot talk about income splitting all that much anymore, because they know what the facts actually tell us, which is that it is an unfair scheme that helps the wealthiest families in Canada.
Here is the difference between us and them. The Conservatives broke their promise to create 125,000 child care spaces. The New Democrats will bring in a plan to create up to one million affordable child care spaces for all Canadians. The New Democrats believe in fairness and universality. The Conservatives push an income-splitting scheme that does absolutely nothing for up to 85% of all Canadians.
Rather than a wasteful and ineffective $2.5-billion boondoggle that actually discourages women from working—
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, income splitting was good for Canadian seniors, and it will be good for Canadian families. In fact, I have had seniors come up to me in my riding of North Vancouver and say that income splitting was the best thing we have ever done for seniors.
Here is what people are saying: the family tax cut “levels the playing field” for Canadian families. That was the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada.
The NDP would reverse these measures and take money out of the pockets of hard-working Canadian families. Only our government can be trusted to stand up for Canadian families.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, income splitting is a terrible policy. Even the former finance minister disagreed with it.
The C.D. Howe Institute has found that this measure is too expensive, unfair and will benefit the wealthiest tax payers. What is more, it will act as a deterrent to women's participation in the workforce.
The parliamentary secretary knows full well that the only group that came to the Standing Committee on Finance to propose income splitting was the very right-wing Institute of Marriage and Family.
Why is the government so dead set on proposing income splitting, an expensive policy that will accentuate the inequalities between rich and poor, men and women?
Andrew Saxton ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I have another one as well. Income splitting, as I said, was good for Canadian seniors and it will also be good for Canadian families.
Here is what others are saying about it. “[The] strong majority of CFIB members...support income splitting. A good move”. Who said that? It was Dan Kelly of the CFIB.
The NDP will reverse these measures and take money out of the pockets of Canadian families. Our government can be trusted to stand up for Canadian families.
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives are happy to help the rich get richer, they completely abandon middle-class Canadians.
Four hundred thousand good manufacturing jobs have disappeared under the Conservatives, 4,100 in the city of Peterborough alone, yet they cannot seem to stir themselves to action. Last week we lost out on another 1,000 jobs because the government refused the investment needed to get another Ford assembly line in Windsor.
How many good manufacturing jobs do we have to lose before the Conservatives are going to do something about it?
Ed Holder ConservativeMinister of State (Science and Technology)
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to give some statistics to our hon. member so that she gets a strong sense of how good manufacturing has become in our country.
We have leapt from sixth to second place in ranking as one of the most attractive destinations for business. That is according to Bloomberg. Our manufacturing sales have bounced back and are 25% higher since the start of the recession, which was the worst recession we have all experienced in our lifetimes.
We understand well that manufacturing employs close to two million Canadians, and almost all of those are full-time jobs. That is a record that we are proud of.
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, let us talk jobs. Four hundred thousand lost manufacturing jobs speak for themselves. Eleven hundred jobs have been lost in Leamington, 600 lost in London, 550 lost in Bradford, 300 lost in Mississauga, 300 lost in Bramalea, and 525 jobs have been lost in Oakville. That is just part of the losses from last year.
Communities across southern Ontario are being devastated by these cuts. Families are struggling to pay the bills. Where is the Conservative strategy to create good manufacturing jobs?
Ed Holder ConservativeMinister of State (Science and Technology)
Mr. Speaker, I think there is some confusion on the other side, from this perspective: They believe it is government's responsibility to create the jobs. From our side, we believe that we need to create the conditions for business to create the jobs. That is, the full-time permanent jobs that matter.
It is those conditions for success that we are implementing: low taxes, global trade opportunities, investment policies, and a skilled workforce. When we get that, we get those good jobs.
Anne Minh-Thu Quach NDP Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Industry can hide behind statistics all he wants, but the sad reality is harder to hide.
In 10 years, under the Liberal and Conservative governments, Canada has lost nearly 600,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector. Six hundred thousand jobs means that 600,000 families have been affected by unemployment, hundreds of communities are getting poorer and municipalities are facing budget challenges.
What is the government waiting for? Does it want to see the entire manufacturing sector disappear before it takes action?
Ed Holder ConservativeMinister of State (Science and Technology)
Mr. Speaker, actually we do not mind relying on statistics from this side of the House.
However, there are a couple of things that they need to understand. Since the worst recession in our lifetimes, the business community has created more than one million mostly full-time, mostly permanent, jobs in the country. That is since the worst recession. That is a record that Canada can be proud of. I wish the member opposite would accept that as very good news.
Anne Minh-Thu Quach NDP Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Mr. Speaker, on another topic, Thursday, the Minister of Transport reiterated in the House that she was not aware of the Chevrolet Cobalt's ignition switch issue before GM issued the safety recall.
A Fifth Estate report clearly showed that Transport Canada was aware of the problem eight months before the recall. GM has admitted that 29 deaths were caused by the faulty switches in its cars.
Will the Minister of Transport do the same and assure us that this type of information will no longer be hidden from Canadians?
Jeff Watson ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, as the minister said, she found out about the notice of defect in February 2014 when GM issued the recall. Further, Transport Canada officials confirmed that it only became aware of the notice of defect in the same period, February 2014.
With respect to the accident in June 2103 in which an ignition switch was found to have moved after the collision, officials confirm that the investigation was reviewed in light of that notice of defect from February 2014. The investigation concluded that the ignition switch did not cause the accident.
