House of Commons Hansard #5 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was chair.

Topics

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order, please. It is hard to hear the answers. I know all members want to hear the questions and the answers, and I know we are all anxious to show respect for each other and show Canadians we want a good atmosphere in this place. I know it is Wednesday.

The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Jean.

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Conservative

Denis Lebel Conservative Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

Mr. Speaker, Canada's history shows that when a government wants to change the building blocks of our country, it consults Canadians. A significant majority of the population must agree to the changes, and the Liberals have shown in the past that they agree with that way of doing things.

However, now the government wants to change things based on just a few words in an election platform, when less than 27% of Canadians voted for that government.

Will the Prime Minister hold a referendum to ask Canadians what they think?

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, obviously, we think it is very important to consult Canadians and let their voices guide our actions. That is what we are going to do. That is what led to the patriation of the Constitution without a referendum in 1982, for example.

We have the capacity to consult and do the right things in the right way. We are going to continue to consult Canadians, and we will present an electoral system that works for all Canadians.

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Conservative

Denis Lebel Conservative Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

Mr. Speaker, we will stick to the topic at hand. We will get back to Canada's history in due course.

I am not surprised by the Prime Minister's comments today, since last June an article said that Liberal strategists had already decided, behind closed doors, that there would be no referendum to review the electoral system.

Can the Prime Minister confirm today that he plans to make this important decision about our country's future on his own, with unelected advisors who are not accountable to the public, instead of holding a referendum to consult all Canadians?

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear and we continue to be clear about the fact that we will consult all Canadians, starting with the elected members of the House of Commons, to create a system of electoral reform that works for the whole country. We will do this right, based on what Canadians have to say, not what the Conservatives have to say.

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party's tax cut is leaving out millions of Canadians. The Prime Minister's parliamentary secretary, who earns $184,000 a year, will get the maximum tax cut. A single senior earning $30,000 a year will not get one cent. The NDP put forward a proposal to give the tax break to the first level of income earners in Canada. That would have helped millions of more Canadians.

Why did the Prime Minister vote against helping the most needy?

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party is proud of the throne speech that the Governor General read last week, and that is why we are supporting that throne speech. We encourage all members in the House to do that because it is a reflection of what Canadians asked for right across the country: investments in our future and in our communities, and help for the middle class by lowering taxes on the middle class and raising them for the wealthiest 1%. It is what Canadians have asked us collectively to do, and it is what we are going to do.

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister knows full well that his so-called middle-class tax cut is actually excluding 70% of Canadians. That is not a middle-class tax cut. It gives the maximum benefit to an executive earning $190,000 a year, though.

The real question is, why are the most needy in Canada left off his Christmas list? Why do they get a lump of coal when he gives the maximum benefit to CEOs?

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we are raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so that we can lower them for the middle class. It was in our platform. It was what we put forward.

The member opposite did not choose to raise taxes on the wealthiest 1% in his electoral platform. He did not choose to lower taxes on the middle class in his electoral platform. We made that commitment, and that is exactly what we are doing.

Canada PostOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Actually, what the Liberals are doing, Mr. Speaker, is giving a tax break to people who earn $200,000 a year and leaving out a family with two kids earning $45,000. They are the middle class. They are the ones who should have help. The rest is a chimera.

I have a quote to read to the Prime Minister about Canada Post. He promised to, and I quote, “save home mail delivery”.

Yesterday he told us to visit his website. His website was not elected. He was.

Will he restore home mail delivery, yes or no?

Canada PostOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect to receive quality service at a reasonable cost. We committed to stop installing the mailboxes that the former Conservative government started installing, and we also committed to working with Canadians, Canada Post and other organizations and groups to ensure that Canadians get the postal service they deserve.

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, he made a solemn commitment to restore the service. Now he is going back on his word.

Let us look at another promise he made. Once again, I am quoting the leader of the Liberal Party. In a speech to the Montreal chamber of commerce, he promised to immediately reinstate the Fonds de solidarité tax credit in full.

We have just learned that instead of fully reinstating it by January 1, he plans to reduce it.

Why is he once again going back on his word?

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the opposition members are frustrated because there were not enough details in our throne speech. The fact is that not only is there the throne speech, but we also made public every one of the mandate letters we issued to our ministers to clearly set out our priorities. Reinstating the tax credit for labour-sponsored funds was part of the mandate letter issued to our Minister of Finance.

FinanceOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Lisa Raitt Conservative Milton, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance knows that the Liberals made a commitment for a $10-billion deficit cap, and we and finance officials also know that the deficit is going to be higher. That is a broken promise.

The Minister of Finance has not answered my question in the House to date—although I have hopes for the rest of the week—of how big a deficit he will run.

FinanceOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Toronto Centre Ontario

Liberal

Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves in a more challenging situation than we expected. We were left with a deficit that we now need to deal with. Our plan for investing in Canada is now more important than ever. We made a commitment to invest in infrastructure. We made a commitment to reduce our net debt-to-GDP over time. We are going to do this in a fiscally responsible, prudent, and transparent way for Canadians to understand our plan.

FinanceOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

FinanceOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order, please. I know that all members are interested in hearing the answers, including the member for Peace River—Mackenzie, I believe it is. I am sure he wants to hear, so we are all going to listen carefully.

The hon. member for Milton.

FinanceOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Lisa Raitt Conservative Milton, ON

Mr. Speaker, we would like to get some answers as well, but they are not coming.

Another promise that was made, of course, was that the Liberal tax plan would be revenue neutral. We now know it is not revenue neutral; there is a $1.2 billion shortfall. However, lo and behold, the Minister of Finance is going to fill that gap by taxing small businesses, the veterinarians, the chiropractors, the doctors, the dentists, and seniors, through the TFSA.

My question is this. What other taxes will he continue to raise as he goes down this long road of long-term structural deficits?

FinanceOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Toronto Centre Ontario

Liberal

Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, our plan is focused on tax measures that would help the broadest cross-section of Canadians to do well. In a challenging economic situation, reducing taxes for the middle class, putting more money in their pockets, is absolutely the right thing to do—now more than ever.

We are on a plan to be prudent and fiscally responsible but to help the broadest cross-section of Canadians with tax measures that will help them.

FinanceOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Maxime Bernier Conservative Beauce, QC

Mr. Speaker, according to Morneau Shepell, the Minister of Finance's former firm, a tax-free savings account is a smart way to help seniors ensure that they have a stable retirement income.

Now the Minister of Finance wants to reduce the TFSA limit. He is rejecting the advice of his own experts and penalizing seniors.

How can the minister penalize seniors and not take his own firm's advice?

FinanceOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Toronto Centre Ontario

Liberal

Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we are focused on helping the broadest cross-section of Canadians. The Canadians who used and were eligible for the maximum of the TFSA were 6.7%. That means that 93.3% were unable to use the maximum. We will move forward with our tax cut for the middle which would help a broad cross-section of Canadians, and introduce a Canada child benefit that would help nine out of ten families to do better.

Small BusinessOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Maxime Bernier Conservative Beauce, QC

Mr. Speaker, during the campaign, the Prime Minister said that a significant percentage of small businesses were nothing but tax shelters for Canadians seeking to avoid paying tax.

I disagree. Canadian small businesses and entrepreneurs create wealth, and we should honour and support them rather than penalize them with tax hikes.

Will the Minister of Small Business and Tourism follow her leader's orders and penalize Canadian entrepreneurs and small businesses, or will she deliver on her mandate to protect small businesses?

Small BusinessOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Toronto Centre Ontario

Liberal

Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, that is a very good question.

We have a growth agenda. As we pursue our initiatives, we will, with each and every one of them, look at how they grow the economy. We will be focused on trying to help businesses, large and small, to pursue the opportunity for growth across our economy. Our investments will make an enormous difference in productivity, and they will help all businesses to succeed.

FinanceOral Questions

December 9th, 2015 / 2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Phil McColeman Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised Canadians a revenue-neutral tax cut, made possible by taxing high earners. However, just three days into this Parliament, the Minister of Finance admitted that they have the math completely wrong: a promise made, a promise broken.

Will the Minister of Finance make up for his $1.2 billion shortfall by raising taxes, or does he plan to tack another $1.2 billion onto the structural deficit that he is building?