Debates of Dec. 7th, 2015

The House resumed from December 4 consideration of the motion for an address to His Excellency the Governor General in reply to his speech at the opening of the session.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by recognizing that yesterday was the anniversary of the Montreal massacre. It is a day that we should never forget because it reminds us all of the need to work together to end violence against women. There is still much work to be done, and our party wants to work with all members in this area.

I want to welcome back to the House my colleagues in all parties and acknowledge that despite the disagreements we have had in the past, and I am sure that we will have in the future, we all share a deep and abiding love, a true patriot love, for our country.

We wish our colleagues across the floor well and we respectfully remind them that in their new role they must govern responsibly for all Canadians, not only for the millions who voted for them but also for the millions who did not.

On a personal note, I want to thank the voters of Sturgeon River—Parkland for their vote of confidence in me on October 19. I love the region that I represent and I love the people who I represent, many of whom are going through tough times right now. I want them to know that the challenges they face are top of mind for me. I will be pressing the government on finding solutions to help the thousands of Albertans who are going into Christmas without a job.

As Her Majesty's official opposition, our role in Parliament is to hold the new government to account, particularly with regard to its management of the public purse. We will be the taxpayers' watchdog.

It is already abundantly clear that we have our work cut out for us.

If there is a common thread woven throughout everything that we heard on Friday, it is that the Liberal devotion to big activist government is alive and well. We on this side of the House find this disturbing for the following two reasons.

First, big government is expensive government. It makes an assumption that runs counter to one of the most deeply held beliefs we have as Conservatives. We trust Canadians and the money they work so hard for is better left in their own pockets than in the hands of politicians here.

Second, activist government is often intrusive government. It restricts our personal and our financial liberty. It operates under the assumption that important decisions, decisions about everything from how we raise our children to how we go about our business, to how we spend our golden years, are best made by the state rather than by an individual. We disagree with that.

Therefore, we will be steadfast in our efforts to hold the government to account and we will be generous with constructive and respectful advice when we see it going astray. We hope in turn that the government will listen.

An example was the plans for resettling refugees. We are encouraged that Canadians were able to convince the government of the errors in its original plans, that it was willing to embrace a more sensible approach that reflected our ability to help the most desperate people from a war-torn region, while minimizing the risks of the safety and security of Canadians. So many questions still remain about this process, and let us face it, the Liberal Party had a promise but not a plan. However, as I said, we are encouraged that it listened and it has revised its approach.

We would like to think that the same is possible when it comes to the government's election promise to remove the Royal Canadian Air Force and our CF-18s from the bombing mission against ISIS.

It is alarming that the threat of ISIS, as well as the men and women who are putting their lives on the line in the fight against ISIS, did not warrant a mention in the throne speech.

Unlike the Liberal government, President Obama did talk about the threat of ISIS last night.

He told the American people:

In Iraq and Syria, airstrikes are taking out ISIL leaders, heavy weapons, oil tankers, infrastructure. And since the attacks in Paris, our closest allies—including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—have ramped up their contributions to our military campaign, which will help us accelerate our effort to destroy ISIL.

President Obama did not mention Canada because it is clear that we have scaled back our contribution since November 4.

The Prime Minister has told our allies that we will be pulling out our CF-18s in the fight against, what President Obama called “cult of death”, ISIS.

While on the international stage we saw leaders of the western world come together, coalescing around the fight against ISIS. The impression that was left with Canadians and the international community was that our prime minister was consumed with taking selfies. I mention this because it was mentioned to me many times by constituents. It was not that we had a leader who was going to step up and stand resolutely shoulder to shoulder with our allies, but one who consistently reminded Canadians of an election promise, even after that attacks in Paris and Beirut.

The Prime Minister has offered no sensible argument for pulling our air force out of this fight because, frankly, there is not one. Meanwhile, President Obama made clear last evening that the reasons for remaining part of the bombing mission were clear and unambiguous.

It is not too late for the Prime Minister to change course. The reality is that when we talk about Canada's new approach to fighting ISIS, Canada is not back, Canada is backing away. Our offer stands. Should the government change its position and allow our air force to continue bombing ISIS along with our allies, it would have our full support.

We heard a long list of promises on Friday, but where are the plans for fulfilling them? We certainly heard nothing about an economic plan.

The government was silent on support for private sector businesses and industries, which actually create the good, stable, well-paying jobs on which Canadian families depend. There was no mention of the auto, forestry, or energy sectors. There was no mention of a plan to help the more than 60,000 Albertans who would be facing Christmas without a job. It was silent on the role of the agricultural industry and farmers from coast to coast in Canada. It was silent on whether it would leave us on the outside looking in when our friends and partners ratify the trans-Pacific partnership, the biggest trade deal in history.

What we did hear was a recipe for big government and big spending. Therefore, the question that every taxpayer wants us to ask the government is where the money will come from to pay for all of this. It comes from one place, and that is out of the pockets of Canadians.

We know that the government plans to grab as much money as it can by ending tax fairness for families with its plans to take away the universal child care benefit and income splitting for couples.

All of that will come out of the pockets of hard-working Canadians.

We have no indication to date that the Prime Minister and his Minister of Finance have a plan beyond hoping that the budgets will finally balance themselves after years of high spending. Rather, if left unchecked, every indication is that the Liberals will run massive deficits, raise taxes, and in the end will cut programs and benefits because they cannot tax their way to prosperity and spend their way out of debt. This is the choice facing all governments: responsible fiscal management in the present or painful austerity in the future; living within our means today or leaving our children and grandchildren to pay the bills for years to come.

In conclusion, we will continue to demand at every turn a fiscally responsible approach that is fair to all Canadians. We will be a voice for taxpayers as we believe, and we are confident most Canadians share this belief, that is the best path forward for our country.

We believe and we are confident that most Canadians share the belief that Canadians know how to manage their money. They know how to go about their lives, how to manage their own families and businesses, and how to achieve their goals. They do not need the government to do it for them. They want their government to create an environment in which all Canadians can turn their dreams into reality.

These are our Conservative values. They have always been our values and they will continue to guide us as we fulfill the time-honoured responsibility of our current office as Her Majesty's loyal opposition.

Given our values and our position, the official opposition cannot support the throne speech as it is presently written.

With that, I propose the following amendment to the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne. I move:

That the motion be amended by adding the following: “And regrets to inform Your Excellency that your government has not acknowledged that many of its promises do not provide transparent cost estimates, implementation plans, or consider cost burdens to the provinces, and as such your government should put the best interests of Canadians first by reversing its plan to deliberately put Canada back into deficit, since such a move would ultimately lead to a higher tax burden for Canadians, just as it reversed its unrealistic promise to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada before the end of 2015; and

further regrets to inform Your Excellency that your government has failed to outline a plan to create jobs in Canada's private sector, and has ignored important economic drivers such as the agricultural, energy and manufacturing sectors, despite the billions of dollars in economic activity they produce every year; and your government has also failed to mention Canada's responsibility to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies against ISIS at a time when they are stepping up their fight against terrorism.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The amendment is in order. Shall I dispense?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

[Chair read text of amendment to House]

Questions and comments, the hon. President of the Treasury Board.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her speech here today. She used the term “big government” repeatedly during her speech. I find that curious, given that she was part of the biggest cabinet in Canadian history. In fact, that cabinet had the biggest ministerial office budget of any cabinet in Canadian history.

The government of which she was a member spent more on advertising. It was the biggest advertising budget of any government in Canadian history, almost $1 billion, much of which was on quasi-partisan advertising. As a result, that government added $150 billion to the national debt.

My question is, how could she speak about big government when she was part of a government that was one of the biggest spending and most wasteful governments in Canadian history?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I think it has been 25 minutes and the sunny ways are over. Let the record show that at 11:26 a.m., the sunny ways were over.

The member brings up a good point, but in terms of what is important to Canadians and to taxpayers, under our watch the size of government spending shrunk as a percentage of GDP. That is what Canadians care about. That is what Canadians are watching for, and we will be holding this new government across the way to account.

The Liberal government has promised a $10 billion deficit. Apparently it is already backing away from that. Of course it is, because within the first 30 days it has already blown that budget.

The C.D. Howe Institute recently said that the Liberals' new tax measures will cost Canadians. Only the Liberals could have a tax cut that costs people money. We are now up to $14 billion and counting, and we will be holding them to account.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the new interim leader for the Conservative Party. I was enjoying the image of small town Conservative values being presented here, and thinking that it does not remind me in one degree of the last ten years of a big, intrusive, nasty, mean government.

We will set aside the record deficits for a moment, and the profligate spending on cronies and patronage, but with regard to this word, “intrusive” that I heard again and again, what about the tracking of people on the Internet without warrants? Remember Vic Toews? What about Bill C-51 and its outright attack on basic Canadian civil liberties?

In this new sunny Parliament, let us shine a light on the issue of the Conservatives' track record on intrusive government. Will they work with New Democrats to restore basic notions of civil liberty and the right to privacy in this country, which was taken away under her government?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I think I heard the New Democrats say that they want to work with the Conservatives. We are off to a good start.

It is a new Parliament. I will say to the member that I have always been an advocate of civil liberties. What we saw under the Conservatives was a balance between that and the real threat of terrorism in this country and abroad, and a government that brought forward solutions to balance civil liberties.

I hope that the NDP will work with us. I assume that they will press the government across the way for bigger and bigger government. I can assure the member that we will be pressing in a different way. We will be asking the government to reduce its deficit. We will be asking the government to bring in tax cuts for Canadians. That is exactly what our government did for 10 years, to the point where we had the lowest tax burden on Canadians in 50 years. As they watch their spending go up, their taxes go up, deficits increase, and their benefits being clawed back, they will remember the lowest tax burden in 50 years, brought to them by the Conservative Party of Canada

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this is a great pleasure. This is my first question in this House, and it is to my leader.

I am very glad that my colleague mentioned natural resources and the energy sector in her speech; there is at least one party in the House that recognizes the vital role that they play in our economy.

Canadians know that the previous Conservative government stood up for our energy sector. It kept taxes low and enticed and attracted investment. It supported new pipeline projects, got better prices for our energy, and it kept the economy as its number one priority.

The Speech from the Throne failed. It failed to even mention this important economic engine, which creates hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs. Many of these jobs are in my riding of Calgary Shepard. It ignored the thousands of people who were recently laid off across Canada—many of whom I met while door knocking in my community—and it promised to run massive deficits.

Can the hon. member please share with the House the fears and concerns she has heard from workers and businesses throughout the country regarding the lack of a plan from the Liberal government?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Calgary Shepard for his hard work and for representing his constituents. I know that his constituents, like mine, are suffering.

Mr. Speaker, in my first conversation with the Prime Minister, we spoke about working together to find solutions to the job losses in Alberta. I will be holding him to that.

The estimate is that there could be close to 110,000 direct and indirect job losses in Alberta and Saskatchewan in the energy sector. I hope that everyone in the House recognizes that if 110,000 job losses had happened in the manufacturing sector, the auto sector, or the aerospace sector, it would have warranted a mention in the Speech from the Throne. However, there was not a word. There was not a word in the Speech from the Throne. In fact, there has not been a word out of the government to date.

However, I will be patient. I hope that the government will work constructively with us, and the people of Alberta and Saskatchewan, to find solutions for the thousands of families who are going into Christmas without a job.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my constituents, and I do have a question. The interim leader talked a great deal about deficit, but what she did not tell Canadians is that the Conservative government created a huge deficit. It took the surplus from the Paul Martin era and turned it into a multi-billion dollar deficit.

Now she has the tenacity to say that the Liberals are going to have a deficit this year. Will she, at the very least in her maiden speech, make true comments about how Liberal governments have demonstrated time and time again that they know how to manage—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member from “sunny ways” for his question. I will remind him that while we were also struggling against a recession—and yes, we did invest in Canada—we never made cuts to health care. In fact, we increased funding to health care.

We will be watching the new Liberal government to make sure it does not act like the last Liberal government, which when it did need to cut, it cut health care.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to respond to the first Speech from the Throne presented by this government. I also want to congratulate you on your election. Through you, Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate all members of the House of Commons.

I look forward to working with all members, a group as diverse as Canada itself, in this 42nd Parliament.

In his address last week, His Excellency presented the government's agenda for the upcoming session. It is an agenda endorsed by Canadians, who on October 19 gave our government a strong and clear mandate to make real change happen. Canadians elected this government to do different things and to do things differently. Many of those changes are already under way.

Our first substantive bill, the tax cut for the middle class, will be introduced in this House on Wednesday.

Also this week, the first flights carrying Syrian refugees from camps in Jordan and Turkey will land on Canadian soil.

The mandatory long form census has been restored and will be implemented next year. In addition, federal government scientists can once again speak freely about their work. Furthermore, for the first time in Canadian history, we have gender equality in cabinet.

Other changes mentioned in the throne speech will begin to take shape in the weeks and months to come, as the House resumes and as the committees resume the important work they do.

Today I would like to expand on the government's broader mandate to develop the five things that Canadians expect us to do, and the steps we will take to ensure that we meet those expectations.

First, we will invest to grow our economy, create a strong middle class, and provide help for people working hard to join it. That is what Canadians voted for, and that is what we will deliver.

We will grow our economy by making significant new investments in public transit, green infrastructure and social infrastructure, creating jobs and economic growth now, and making our economy more productive over the long term.

We will strengthen our middle class by putting more money in Canadians' pockets. As I have said, that starts with Wednesday's legislation, which will deliver a tax cut for the middle class.

We believe that everyone deserves a fair and real chance at success. Canadians believe this too. We will do more to help those in need by giving less to those who are not. That is the basic principle behind our tax cut for the middle class and the new Canada child benefit, which will be introduced in our first budget.

This new benefit will give nine out of 10 families more money than they are receiving right now. That is the type of real change that can be made when a government puts the interests of Canadians at the top of its priorities and in its plans.

Second, we are committed to delivering real change in the way that government works. It means setting a higher bar for openness and transparency, something that is needed if this House is to regain the confidence and trust of Canadians.

One thing is very clear. We will not be able to meet the challenges that we are facing, from growing our economy to responding to the threat of climate change to keeping our citizens and our communities safe, unless we have Canadians in our corner.

People want a government that is honest and open, transparent and accountable, and relentlessly focused on those it exists to serve. We will be that government.

Canadians want a government that acts honourably and treats all others with respect, both inside and outside this House. We will be that government.

Canadians are tired of the cynicism and distrust that have defined federal politics for far too long. They are ready to trust the government again, but that trust does not come for free. If we want Canadians to trust their government, the government must trust Canadians.

We are going to work hard every day to earn and keep Canadians' trust. This Parliament belongs to Canadians and must continually prove that the voices of all Canadians matter.

Third, we will keep proving to Canadians and the rest of the world that we can have both a healthy environment and a strong economy. That is true when it comes to investing in and supporting clean technology, something our government is determined to do. It is also true when it comes to climate change. The changing global climate is a major and immediate challenge, but it is also an historic opportunity. We have an opportunity to build a truly sustainable economy based on clean technology, green infrastructure, and green jobs.

There are billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of good jobs on the table for the countries that get this right. As I told our international and domestic partners in Paris last week, building a clean economy will create growth, not sacrifice it. Our ambition cannot end with making sure that Canada makes the most of a challenging situation. As we know, the atmosphere does not care where carbon was emitted. That is why we will invest $2.65 billion over the next five years to help the developing world grow in a cleaner, more sustainable way.

Here at home, we will protect the environment with new environmental assessment processes, respect for science and scientists, and more public input, including greater engagement and respect for indigenous peoples.

Canadians are smart, practical people. They do not expect us to solve all the world's problems. All they ask is that Canada do its part and lead by example when it comes to protecting the environment and growing the economy. Our government will do just that.

Fourth, we will continue to work with Canadians to build a more peaceful and prosperous country, one that is strong not in spite of our differences, but because of them. Canada's success culturally, politically, economically, proves that diversity and inclusion work, but we still have much more work to do.

For indigenous peoples, life in Canada has not been and is not today easy, equitable, or fair. Our history also shows that too often those who chose to come to Canada and build their lives here have been treated with indifference, or worse. Some Canadians who were born here have, at times, been the targets of hateful words and deeds simply because they look different, speak a different language, choose to wear different clothes, or practise a different faith. Painful as that may be, we need to acknowledge these truths. We are not well served by ignorance.

At the same time, it is important to remember that Canadians are good and decent people. Against the warm hearts and welcoming spirit of Canadians, intolerance stands little chance, because no amount of fear can extinguish the understanding that we are all in this together. No act of aggression can separate us from the deeply felt knowledge that wherever we come from, we are united in our struggles and in our dreams.

All efforts to close us off from others will be in vain because when Canadians have a choice, as they did in the recent election, they always reject attempts to divide them.

As I have said before, Canada’s success as a diverse and inclusive nation did not happen by accident and will not continue without effort. There should be no doubt that Canada and Canadians are worth the effort, and on this point, the government will not waiver.

Fifth, we will do everything in our power to ensure that Canadians are safe and secure at home by promoting Canadian values abroad. People need to realize that Canada is a safe and peaceful country, a country where it is possible and necessary to strike the right balance between our collective security and our rights and freedoms.

In part to ensure the security of Canadians, we must also export the ideas and the institutions that serve us so well here in Canada. We can show other countries and their citizens how to govern with respect for diversity, with openness and transparency, in peace and prosperity. We can and we will continue to co-operate with our allies in the fight against terrorism. We know what it takes to be an effective partner in international peacekeeping operations and, therefore, we can make a greater contribution to efforts to enhance peace and security around the world. We can and we will do so.

It has been just over a month since our government took office. In that time we have held bilateral talks with the leaders of all UN Security Council permanent members: the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, and China. We have also represented Canada at four major international summits. In Turkey we met with the G20 leaders. In the Philippines, with leaders of APEC nations. In Malta, with Commonwealth heads of government.

Last week, the premiers of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec, along with the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, the leaders of the NDP and the Green Party, and the Conservative environment critic joined our government in participating in the international talks on climate change in Paris. In other words, we have been busy. We have all been busy working together.

Personally, I love working long hours, spending sleepless nights, and dealing with demanding schedules, and I know that all my colleagues here in the House do as well because that is just the kind of hard work we have been sent here to do.

I am reminded of a quote by Nelson Mandela who said that he discovered that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

I have no doubt that we will encounter many such hills in the years ahead, but I also know that our success or failure as a government will be measured in more than recorded yeas and nays. We will succeed when we deliver an economy that works for the middle class, when we make government open and transparent by default, when we combine, for all Canadians, a clean environment and a strong economy. We will succeed when we affirm that Canada is a country strengthened by diversity, when we realize greater security and opportunity for Canada and for the world.

Those are the things that matter most to Canadians. That is the real change they desire and deserve.

When we asked them, Canadians told us that good enough is not good enough, and that they do not believe that it is impossible to do better. In fact, based on the confidence and ambition that have always defined our country, they know that in Canada better is always possible.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, throughout the campaign, the Prime Minister made reference to the Ontario retirement pension plan, known as the ORPP, as being the pinnacle of support for Ontario. He said he would do to Canada what the Wynne government has done to Ontario. I have spoken to many small-business owners in my riding of Elgin—Middlesex—London, and they are extremely concerned with these payroll tax hikes, which would result in staff cuts, loss of jobs, and a negative impact on the economy.

In the throne speech, the Prime Minister told us his plan to increase payroll taxes. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many jobs would be lost because of his job-killing taxes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Elgin—Middlesex—London for her question, and congratulate her on her election.

One of the things we heard many times from Canadians across the country, throughout the election and even before, is that people are worried about their retirement, they are worried about their security, and they are worried about their future. People are facing impossible choices between saving for their retirement or paying for their kids' education. We made a strong and clear commitment to work with the provinces to enhance the Canada pension plan.

The hon. member needs to be reminded that in order to change the Canada pension plan we need two-thirds of the provinces representing two-thirds of the population. That is why we will sit down and work with the provinces to ensure that we create a Canada pension plan that provides the retirement security that Canadians deserve.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the right hon. Prime Minister on his re-election as a member of Parliament, and congratulate him on his excellent speech in his capacity as Prime Minister in this chamber today.

I am extremely proud to be here and, since this is the first time that I have risen, I would like to thank the wonderful people of Windsor—Tecumseh for entrusting me with their voice here in Ottawa for the next four years. In light of the weekend that we have just had and the anniversary of École Polytechnique and that tragedy of our sisters, one thing that really resonated with me in the throne speech is the fact that we need an inquiry into our Canadian sisters, our missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

I would like to ask for some further clarity, more meaningful details about how we are going to get under way with the timelines for this.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Windsor—Tecumseh for her question and congratulate her on her election to this House. I congratulate her for bringing forward an issue that is extremely important to all of us in this House: to ensure that there is an inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

We need such an inquiry to provide justice to the victims, to provide healing for the families, and to ensure that as we go forward this tragedy is ended. The way to do this from a national level is to ensure that all the various initiatives that different groups have moved forward with already become folded into something that is both responsible and responsive, that is informed by all the broad stakeholders that are concerned about this, and that moves forward in a responsible way.

I am happy to say that our Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs has been working very hard with a broad range of stakeholders, and will have more to announce.

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if you read the Speech from the Throne carefully, you will see that it is economic suicide. The Liberals believe that the country will prosper if they spend more money, but that is absolutely false. An increase in spending will not stimulate the economy; it will sedate it.

What Canadians do not realize is that the people who will benefit the most from the tax cuts are the members of the House of Commons who earn between $89,000 and $200,000 a year. That is the most discouraging thing about the tax cuts for the middle class outlined in the throne speech.

I am therefore asking the Prime Minister why he will not really help the middle class by cutting taxes for the real middle class. Why will he not manage the economy properly by cutting spending and giving people more leeway? That is what will allow Canadians to generate wealth in this country.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Beauce for his question.

The fact is that we have proposed a plan to help the middle class and to help the people who need it by investing in our communities, because we know that a confident country is not afraid to invest in its future. That is what we will do, by putting more money in the pockets of the middle class, by asking the wealthiest 1% to pay a little more, and by making significant investments in our communities, in green infrastructure, in social infrastructure, and in public transit.

Such investments will create the kind of economic growth that we frankly have not seen in ten years.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the first thing I would like to do is thank the good people of Eglinton—Lawrence for providing me with the mandate. I am very honoured to be here among a very strong Liberal caucus. It is nice to see them all, as well as the members of the opposition.

My question is for the Prime Minister. We campaigned on a theme of real change. Canadians awarded us with that mandate. Would the Prime Minister share with this House his thoughts about the importance of the cut for middle-class Canadians and why is it he feels inspired that is the right way to go, from this point forward?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one of the things all of us in this House heard as we went door to door, across the country, is that Canadians need help. The people are worried that it is getting harder and harder to get by and that the middle class, which has always been at the centre of our economy's success, is not drawing upon the same kinds of benefits from growth that other segments of society have.

Therefore, we made a commitment to help the middle class and help those working hard to join the middle class. By asking the wealthiest 1% to pay a little more in taxes and lowering taxes for the middle class, not only would we put more money into the pockets of people who need a little extra help, but we would actually put more money into circulation, as well. Investing in the middle class is good for our economy. It is money that would be spent, that would help local consumers and small businesses, and that would be a piece of how we create greater prosperity for all Canadians in the coming years.

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government says it campaigned on real change. Yet, we just heard of all the job losses at the De Beers mine in the Northwest Territories, and we also heard about a loss of more than 400 jobs, as well, in Hornepayne, Ontario.

I wonder whether thePrime Minister would tell us what the government is going to do for these communities and how it is going to protect jobs, because we are seeing the same thing we saw under the Conservatives?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we are always concerned at job losses across the country, wherever they happen, and that is why we put forward a commitment to Canadians to work to grow the economy and create job growth and not job losses; to invest in clean technology and renewable resources; to make sure that we are actually able to export our natural resources by getting the balance right between the environment and the economy; to not pretend that we can build a strong economy and ignore the environment, that they go together—