Debates of April 27th, 2015

The Budget

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, as a result of our government's actions since we were first elected, Canada has the strongest job creation record in the entire G7. Economic action plan 2015 will help create even more jobs, reducing the small business tax rate, ensuring that training reflects labour market needs, investing in federal infrastructure. We know that with all of these measures, the NDP and the Liberal Party would only reverse the measures that would create jobs. They would increase tax rates. They would put a higher tax on middle-class Canadians. We will not let that happen.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the House that the manufacturing sector has lost 400,000 jobs because of the Conservatives. Last fall, the Conservatives said it would be too expensive to help Ford create 1,000 jobs in Windsor, and yet they somehow found $525 million to help Volkswagen create jobs in Mexico.

Why does the Conservative budget contain millions of dollars to move jobs to Mexico and nothing to create jobs for the middle class here in Canada?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. This agreement with VW would create jobs and opportunities for Canadian manufacturers by providing them with access to supply chains of a large multinational company. It is already doing lots of business in Canada selling to domestic auto manufacturers. We want to open the world to our auto product manufacturers.

On this side of the House, we believe in supporting our Canadian manufacturers, opening up opportunities all around the world for trade, for investment. That is what our government is getting done.

Social Development

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last fall, 11,000 Canadians who were refused disability benefits by the government were still waiting to go before the Social Security Tribunal of Canada. The Minister of Employment boasted about setting up a top-notch team to eliminate the backlog by this summer. Since December, these so-called reinforcements have only processed the claims of 428 Canadians.

Why do the Conservatives bend over backwards to please the wealthy while breaking the promises they make to middle-class families?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, my predecessor put in place a plan to task government officials with clearing up the backlog of people waiting for benefits. We are making progress. Public servants are trying to deal with files even before they go before the tribunal. We will continue to move forward with this plan in order to make decisions more quickly for people in need.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, thousands of Canadians living with disabilities, some of them mentally ill, have been waiting years without income for a hearing at the Social Security Tribunal. The Conservatives promised to clean up the mess and to resolve these cases quickly, but now we learn that was just another broken Conservative promise. Only a fraction of them have received a settlement, while the rest are still waiting.

These Canadians need help now. How much longer will the most vulnerable Canadians have to wait for Conservatives to clean up their mess?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, my predecessor put in place a plan to deal with this backlog. Officials within the employment and social development department are reviewing the cases on the waiting list in order to find settlements for them so that they do not even need to go before the tribunal. That will reduce the backlog, and we continue to be on track to having the backlog eliminated by the end of summer.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about people who are desperate. They have serious health issues; some of them are depressed and suicidal. These problems are made worse by the lack of income, and yet there have been nothing but delays and broken promises from the government. Vulnerable Canadians are being made to pay the price for Conservative incompetence. They deserve better.

Will the Conservatives finally clean up the mess they made and give these Canadians fair and speedy hearings?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Our hope, Mr. Speaker, is to resolve many of these cases before they even have to go to a hearing. That is why doctors and other disability experts within my department are reviewing these cases and offering settlements to disabled people in order to resolve the matters and get rid of the backlog before the end of summer.

The Budget

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Michael Kinsley defined a gaffe as the moment when a politician accidentally tells the truth. That is what happened when our usually invisible Minister of Finance said that the high cost of doubling the TFSA limit will be a problem for the Prime Minister's granddaughter. His remark revealed the Conservative government's profoundly cynical and short-term approach to economic policy, and its utter lack of a long-term vision for Canada.

Why are the Conservatives building up billions of dollars of debt for all of our grandchildren with this $10,000 tax break for the already wealthy, and where is their plan for long-term growth and jobs?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, maybe the member could explain something about gaffes. She is the one who said amen to higher taxes. Her leader said that budgets balance themselves. On the day of the budget, her leader said that he would raise taxes on small businesses, the very same day as our Prime Minister was cutting them.

On this side of the House, we are more concerned with ensuring that taxpayers have money in their pockets. They are worried about whether government bureaucracies and politicians will have enough money 40 years from now. We are cutting taxes today.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that we are worried about long-term solvency for the Government of Canada, and we are worried about jobs and growth now.

According to Carleton University economist Jennifer Robson, the Conservative income splitting plan “will only reach, at most, 12.9% of all Canadian households and a maximum of one third of families with children”.

Two-thirds of families with children will not save even one dollar from these so-called family tax cuts. When will the Conservatives start giving help to those who need it rather than to those who do not?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative family tax cut and benefits will help 100% of families. It will allow income splitting for couples to save up to $2,000 a year, and it will increase the universal child care benefit to $2,000 a year for kids under six and $720 for kids six through 17.

The Liberals are already admitting that they would raise taxes on millions of Canadian families and take away the universal child care benefit. We will not let them do that.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance says that he has no idea how many jobs his budget will create. That is understandable because most of the country has no idea why he is the finance minister. I am wondering even if he is the finance minister.

The reason that he has no real job numbers is because the budget has no real numbers. For example, none of the so-called new infrastructure money will even arrive this year, which means no new bridges, no new water plants, no new transit, no new housing. None of them will get built, thanks to the minister's inaction.

Why will the minister not fight unemployment? Why will he not help vulnerable Canadians? Why will he not invest in cities now?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, let me quote Mayor John Tory: “a major step forward” for Toronto and for the country.

It is good news for Toronto and good news for cities across Canada. The federal government committed to establishing a dedicated fund to invest in public transportation. Very well done.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jonathan Genest-Jourdain, NDP, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are failing another generation of aboriginal children with their latest budget.

Every child in Canada, regardless of where they live or where they come from, deserves a high-quality education. However, instead of being part of the solution, the Conservatives would rather be part of the problem, by blaming aboriginal communities for their own failure with Bill C-33.

Why does the Prime Minister refuse to honour his pledge to invest $1.9 billion to address the underfunding of aboriginal education?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, our government believes that first nations students, like all other Canadians, deserve access to a high-quality education system.

That is why our government has invested over $10 billion since 2006 in elementary and secondary school education for more than 117,000 first nations students living on reserve. Last week, in the latest budget, we announced a $200 million investment to improve the education system, and we will continue in the same vein.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is not just in first nations education where Conservatives have dropped the ball. When it comes to health services, it is as if indigenous peoples are actually living in a different country than Canada.

Despite first nations and Inuit having higher rates of chronic disease and infant mortality, the current government has cut basic services and made them harder to access. The Conservatives' latest budget offered next to nothing on aboriginal health.

Why has the Conservative government abandoned its responsibility toward indigenous peoples health care?

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and for Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to the health and safety of all Canadians, including our aboriginal communities. We provide over $2.5 billion toward programs and services with aboriginal health. This includes 24/7 access to nursing services in 80 remote communities, home and community care, and $34.5 million to improve the quality of health services in aboriginal communities. Those are just a few of some very important measures that we are doing in terms of aboriginal health.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, to add insult to injury, the minister would like first nations to believe that he is actually doing them a favour by cutting services. He is targeting the poorest of the poor in this country by cutting welfare rates for New Brunswick's first nations.

Does the minister really believe that the only reason for keeping first nations on welfare is their “passiveness”, or perhaps it has something to do with high unemployment rates in the region.

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, our government believes that income assistance in first nations communities all across Canada should be consistent with provincial rates. We have been working with Atlantic first nations on aligning government assistance program policies with the national policy.

As the hon. member very well knows, this is before the courts, and I will not comment further.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is simply disgraceful, but nobody is surprised to hear that kind of thing from the Conservatives.

According to Chief George Ginnish, the anticipated cuts mean that a family of four will receive about $908 per month, which is well below the poverty line, yet the minister would have us believe it is for their own good.

Does the minister really think that New Brunswick first nations receive welfare because they are too passive?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, my answer will be the same.

We are implementing the national directive that welfare rates for first nations members in the provinces should be comparable to those provided in the given province. As the member is well aware, this matter is before the courts, so I will not comment further.

Foreign Affairs

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are ready to respond to the disastrous earthquake that struck Nepal and northern India this weekend. The loss of life and the ensuing humanitarian crisis are unimaginable. I know that all members of this House will extend their deepest sympathies to all those affected.

Canada is always at the forefront when it comes to aiding those in need. Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs please update the House on the actions that our government is taking to respond to this natural disaster?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all Canadians, I extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the people affected by the earthquake in Nepal and northern India.

Canada is responding, as we always do. We have deployed the DART assessment team. A C-17 Globemaster is bringing supplies and equipment to the region; and, as we heard from my colleague, we have also announced $5 million in assistance and deployed additional consular staff to assist Canadians. We will continue to work with our international partners and stand ready to take all necessary action to help those in need.