Debates of Jan. 29th, 2016

Income Tax Act

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

Madam Speaker, although I did not sit in the House of Commons, I am a Canadian who watched what happened in the House of Commons, and as well, I worked for a previous MP for 11 years. I have worked with constituents and I have worked with Canadians.

As the critic for families, children, and social development, I have taken it upon myself to do pre-budget consultations. Through them, I have had the opportunity to speak to many people regarding homelessness as well as affordable housing. One thing that I continue to hear back in meetings and briefings and through the ESDC is that housing first, the initiative we put forward for homelessness, works. That is why today I continue to ask the Liberal government to ensure that our vulnerable people be cared for with programs like this, which our Conservative government introduced and which had excellent benefits.

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

Madam Speaker, some members today have already done a good job of elucidating how odd it is to have a so-called strategy for the middle class that especially targets and benefits people making well into six figures. It is a strange definition of the middle class. There have been some allusions by members opposite, as well, as to how it is meant to help.

One of the big struggles for the middle class right now is job loss. We have seen that across the country from coast to coast to coast. Would the member agree that it would have been a better prioritization and better for the economy to put the same priority, which the Liberals have put on these tax cuts to help Canadians who overwhelmingly earn six figures already, on amending and fixing what is broken with EI? That would ensure that workers who are getting laid off right now across the country could access EI when they need it. Also would it have been a better prioritization and better for the economy to help people living on CPP, who are not getting enough money, and put money into their hands right now—the ones who really need it and would spend it—instead of people making over $100,000 a year? I would like to hear her thoughts on that.

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

Madam Speaker, I truly respect where the member is coming from. I myself have worked for 11 years for a member of Parliament and have worked for all Canadians. I believe that job creation is the number one thing that we need to continue to focus on, to help our country. Yes, we must help our seniors. We must help those who are the most vulnerable. Job creation is one of the biggest things and should be our priority in doing so.

When it comes to CPP, that is a very important program. I will continue to support the Canada pension plan, allowing people to put it into their investments. However, I also think that investments made into the tax-free savings account are an excellent way for seniors to save as well. It does not just need to be the government that assists them with saving; it allows all Canadians to have accountability and choices as to how they wish to save their money.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have already committed the cardinal error of public speaking, which is following a terrific speech. I want to thank my colleague for her wonderful maiden speech. She is a welcomed addition to the Conservative family in the House. I think we will all have to run like crazy to keep up with her, and that is a good thing.

Before I talk about the subject at hand, I would like to refer to something that came up in question period, which quite vexed me.

The member for Prince Albert talked about Ukraine and said that the government was crying crocodile tears for Ukraine. I remember in November 2014, I had the honour of accompanying the then prime minister to the G20 meeting in Brisbane, Australia. At that particular meeting, the prime minister had to shake hands with Vladimir Putin. He said to Mr. Putin, “...I'll shake your hand...”, and then he looked him right in the eye and said, “You need to get out of Ukraine”.

Imagine those on the other side, with the leader they have, ever doing such a thing, standing up for Canada, standing up for principle. He would probably want to take a selfie.

As well, the other side downplays the human tragedy that is occurring because of the economic downturn. Often anecdotes and personal experiences are as important or more important than numbers and statistics.

There is a gas station just outside of Winnipeg that I stop at when I drive back and forth between Winnipeg and my constituency. I chat with the proprietor. We have become friends. We were talking about the low price of gas and he was quite worried about it. I asked him why. He said that every day there would be a person or a family stop at the gas station. These people were heading back home to the Maritimes. With the Alberta economy collapsing, they have lost just about everything and their only alternative is to return to the Maritimes. The Maritimes are a wonderful part of the world to be sure, but they are economically stressed. However, these people have to pack up everything, leave secure, well-paying jobs, and go back home to live with mom and dad, trying to rebuild their lives.

The Liberal and NDP war on the resource industries is a war on rural communities as well. These have real and dire human consequences that we lose sight of at our peril.

On the topic at hand, I would like to point out that the Conservative approach is very much one of encouraging personal growth and development through our taxation and financial policy systems. Our goal is to ensure that people are as independent as they possibly can be, that they have fulfilled their ambitions, and that they are allowed to chart their lives in a way they choose. Government policies can encourage that kind of independence or can discourage it.

As Conservatives, we firmly believe that government's role is to enable self-sufficiency and reduce the reliance on government so people can chart their own course, and TFSAs are exactly in that mould.

I hate to say it, but I think it is true, and the record bears it out, that both the Liberals and the NDP on the other hand want more people dependent on government, and I am not sure why. The policies and programs that Liberal and NDP governments have put in place at both the provincial and federal levels across the country result in more and more people becoming dependent upon government. The creation of that kind of dependence, in my view, creates grave problems for society.

Canadians have a lot of pride, and charting one's own path in life enhances that pride. Government has a role to provide mostly a hand up as opposed to only a hand out.

Again, I would like to bring in the personal here. When we brought in our last budget with income splitting, the universal child care benefit, and all those great benefits for families, I received an email from a single mother from the town of Swan River in my constituency, from Ms. Mackenzie Danard, and she gave me permission to use her name.

She wrote to us to thank us for our tax policies. Keep in mind, this is a single mother on a very low income. She wrote, “This helps a lot for single parents”. She also added, “Thank you for helping us raise our children”. So much for the idea that Conservative budgets are for the rich. As I said in my speech yesterday, Conservative members of Parliament are the party for the working people of the country. No one should ever forget that.

TFSAs, tax-free savings accounts, are exactly in line with our philosophy of promoting independence. Again, I am not one who thinks government does not have a role in society. It certainly does. I have never been shy to encourage the spending of government resources on projects and programs that help people. We certainly need tax resources to ensure the health of our society, but they should be kept at a minimum.

The tax-free savings account is kind of a companion to the RRSP. It helps people to become independent. TFSAs are open to all citizens over 18. Let us contrast this with the Canada penson plan. Many members opposite want to see the Canada pension plan contributions increase.

The Canada pension plan, in and of itself, is a pretty good program. However, it is a matter of degree. TFSAs are complementary to the Canada pension plan. Unlike the Canada pension plan, tax-free savings accounts introduce choice in how one invests their money. They also accumulate in one's own personal account. If people contribute to CPP, even an added CPP, and they unfortunately happen to pass on before the eligibility date, there is nothing left for the family. At least with a TFSA a legacy is left that can be passed on to the next generation.

The attacks on the tax-free saving plan are completely unwarranted. My colleague who spoke before me listed chapter and verse the number of groups across the country, including seniors groups. I am in the over 60 club, if the truth be known . My generation is strongly supportive of the approach our government put in place.

I would like to go to the personal about TFSAs. On May 13, 2015, in Hansard, I quoted a constituent of mine who sent me an email. She gave me permission to use her name. Ms. Wendy McDonald is a hard-working wife from Newdale, Manitoba. Her husband farms, and they have children. They were visiting in Ottawa. They said:

The reason we were able to afford our trip to Ottawa was due to our income tax refund, which was larger than expected due to income splitting law...our family chooses to put the child care benefit money we receive directly into RESP for our 2 children, and I will be one of the Canadians that will benefit from the increased allowance on TFSA accounts because saving is important to me and allows me to be fiscally responsible in my own household

This is a family, the McDonalds from Newdale, that is charting its own course in life. These people are independent, saving money for their kids and for their retirement, using the tools our government put in place. These are tools the new government is trying to take away.

My last point is in regard to the so-called tax hike on the wealthy. A typical Liberal, NDP trait is to always penalize success, always envious of people who do well, always thinking that people who succeed in life are just lucky. Most people succeed in life because of hard work and governments should have policies in place that support and reward hard work.

I have The Fiscal Monitor from the Department of Finance. It is very clear. For the April to November 2015 period of the 2015-16 fiscal year, the government posted a budgetary surplus of $1 billion. What could be clearer than that? Our government left a financial legacy of which I am very proud. It is a government that I was certainly proud to be a part of, and in four short years we will be back.

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Kanata—Carleton, ON]

Mrs. Speaker, it is important that we all understand the fiscal situation we are in at the present time. The previous government had six consecutive deficit budgets from 2008 to 2014. We do not count deficits in half-year portions. We count a budget year as a budget year, and every indication is that 2014-15 will also be a budget deficit.

The previous government added $150 billion in additional debt to our national debt. It oversaw the loss of 400,000 good-paying jobs in manufacturing and heavy industry and now a further 70,000 in the oil sector. The previous government made a mess of our economic system.

We have a lot of work to do. We have committed to doing that work, and we are going to do it for the majority of Canadians.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Some mess, Madam Speaker. The OECD consistently rated Canada as having the best economy in the world under our government.

I was part of the minority government for a little while, back in the day of the so-called deficits the member talked about. We heard a lot of whining from the Liberals' and the NDP in those minority years. Their basic complaint was that we did not spend enough.

Paul Wells wrote an article in NewswatchCanada. In a quick summary, he said said that in this government's first 100 days,

some patterns have been set; Ministers talk to media anonymously, afraid to be quoted; trouble abounds and surrounds; from free-falling oil to terrorism, to shots in feet, the Liberal Govt faces both external and self-inflicted woes.

Has the government melted down so fast in so short a time? I do not think so.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague is defending the Conservative viewpoint quite well. He has made some interesting comments about what the Liberals and the NDP think about hard work.

I will bring the tone of debate up a bit.

Would my colleague support our notion to reward hard work by supporting an increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour? When I worked as a constituency assistant to a member of Parliament for seven years, I met so many families who were working way more than 40 hours a week just to get by. They cannot do it on the provincial minimum wage.

Would my colleague join us in supporting some real leadership with a federal minimum wage of $15 an hour so that Canadians who are working can get ahead?

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's sentiments, but I do not appreciate his lack of understanding of economics.

Study after study has shown that as minimum wages rise, jobs are lost. All one has to do these days is go to a supermarket and see the automated checkouts that are in place. They are there for a reason.

A government needs to put in place policies and programs that would enhance the natural resources sector and create those high-paying jobs that under the Liberal government are sadly being lost by the thousands.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Madam Speaker, I listened to the Liberals across the way, especially the member from Toronto, who is trying to play a shell game with where we are at financially, especially when the Conservatives handed over the government to the Liberals. I do not see how they can keep playing that game. We see documents even today. It is obviously a $1 billion surplus. That is what you received. That is the fact of the matter. Yet members in your government across the way are still trying to hide behind this shell game and are trying to say something different.

I would like the member to clarify something for me. Were we in surplus or deficit after the last election?

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I want to just remind the member that he is to address his questions to the chair and not directly to the government. When you are speaking you cannot say “your government” and point at them.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Madam Speaker, our financial plan worked perfectly. In 2008, we did what we had to do, with the concurrence of the other parties. We spent on infrastructure. The plan by the late Jim Flaherty, the finance minister at the time, was at that point to gradually reduce the deficit. In 2014-15, the deficit was to be at zero or we were going to be in a small surplus. That plan worked to perfection. That is exactly what happened. The member could look at the graph and at the “Fiscal Monitor” from the Department of Finance today, in black and white. We left the Liberal government a surplus.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development]

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time today with my colleague, the member for Honoré-Mercier.

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to be able to take this opportunity to speak about the government's middle-class tax cut, a tax cut that would provide needed tax relief to nine million Canadians.

First, I would like to elaborate on our government's ambitious economic agenda that sets Canada on the path of economic growth.

No one will be surprised to hear me say that the Canadian economy is going through a difficult period, some regions more than others. While there are encouraging signs with our biggest trading partner, the United States, which is facing an upswing in its economy in 2016, there remain concerns that slower growth in certain emerging markets such as China has the potential to stifle prosperity. Also, the Bank of Canada revised downward its economic forecast twice over the last 12 months and undertook two rounds of interest rate easing.

Nevertheless, in the face of this real challenge, there is a real opportunity to put in place the conditions to create long-term growth, growth that will create good jobs and help our middle class prosper, the lifeblood of our economy. Indeed, the good news is that we were elected on a plan to grow the economy, and we have already started.

In December, we introduced the middle-class tax cut. This amendment to the Income Tax Act is what we are to discuss in the House today.

After 10 years of weak growth, our government is redoubling its efforts to ensure that Canada is poised and prepared to compete and succeed in these challenging economic times. However, it is clear that we cannot go at it alone. It means that we need collaboration.

A key component of our plan is to work closely with provincial and municipal governments to deliver results for Canadians. From infrastructure projects to responsible environmental stewardship, we are providing needed leadership. Our government will work in a renewed spirit of collaboration with our provincial and municipal partners. That work has already begun, with the first ministers' meeting held by our Prime Minister shortly after our government was sworn in, as well as by the finance ministers' meeting just before the Christmas holidays.

Our priority is to implement our agenda while pursuing a responsible fiscal plan suited to the challenging economic times. Indeed, we fully intend that our plan for economic growth will benefit all Canadians through targeted investments.

Let me reassure members that our government is not daunted by the challenges before us. We are cognizant of our fiscal realities and we know that our plan is more important than ever. We will work together with both the private sector and our provincial and municipal counterparts to advance our shared priorities across a range of fronts. Some of these areas include making targeted investments in public infrastructure that will grow the economy, get Canadians moving, and open up more cost-efficient trade options for our exporters, with the focus on public transit, green infrastructure, and social infrastructure.

Working together with all of the provinces and territories for a cleaner environment and to fight climate change, Canada has a plan to invest additional funds each year in clean technology producers so they can tackle Canada's most pressing environmental challenges and create more opportunities for Canadian workers. The government will also invest to support innovation and the use of clean technologies in the natural resources sector.

As our Prime Minister has emphasized, a strong economy and healthy environment go hand in hand. We are committed to leaving our children and grandchildren with a more sustainable and prosperous country.

The government's plan will be realistic, sustainable, prudent, and transparent. The plan will also include further details on measures that are intended to steer Canada toward a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable economic future.

Before turning to the contents of Bill C-2, I would like to mention that the government's plan includes proposals to create a new Canada child benefit. We aim to have payments under the new Canada child benefit begin in July 2016. The proposed Canada child benefit would simplify and consolidate existing child benefits. It would replace the universal child care benefit, which is not income-tested. The new Canada child benefit would be better targeted to those who need it most.

Our government will also be working collaboratively to implement the Canada child benefit, which will lift hundreds of thousands of Canadian children out of poverty and place them on a surer footing for a brighter future.

We are committed to a strong and growing middle class. We want to ensure that all Canadians have a fair and real chance to succeed. The legislation before the House today takes an important first step in this direction. Bill C-2 would cut the tax rate on income earned between $45,000 and $90,000 in 2016 to 20.5% from 22% and introduce a new tax rate of 33% on income in excess of 200,000. As of January 1, the government is putting more money in the pockets of about nine million Canadians each year through our middle-class tax cut. This is the smart and fair thing to do.

Recently, the Minister of Finance and the parliamentary secretary travelled across the country asking Canadians directly what our government can do to better support the middle class. They met with indigenous leaders, business leaders, cultural leaders, with the intent of putting Canadians' views front and centre and engaging in discussions to find practical solutions to the challenges and opportunities they are facing. These pre-budget consultations continue online. The response rate and comments received have been tremendous. With over 146,000 Canadians reached to date, this has been the largest pre-budget consultation on record.

Through these consultations, Canadians confirmed that they want a government that delivers on strengthening the middle class and helping those working hard to join it. The measures in this bill would help strengthen the middle class. That is a priority for the Government of Canada.

During the pre-budget consultations, it also became increasingly clear that Canada's economic outlook has changed since the election. This only reaffirmed the government's commitment to the path we were elected to follow, but, more importantly, by engaging with Canadians we have been able to consider new perspectives and refine our plans to be included in the future federal budget.

The government's approach to consultations recognizes that collaboration is essential to delivering real change. The government has committed to and already demonstrated its willingness to listen, engage, and collaborate with members from all parties to identify ways to find solutions and avoid escalating conflicts unnecessarily. Given what we have already heard from Canadians and many members of other parties, I look forward to discussing and debating how best to serve Canadians.

The tax relief proposal in this legislation would help millions of Canadians. It would give middle-class Canadians more money in their pockets to spend, invest, and grow the economy. I encourage all members of the House to vote for this important legislation.

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, the majority of TFSA accounts belong to low- and middle-income earners. In fact, two-thirds of TFSAs are held by tax filers with incomes of less than $60,000. How does the member opposite expect these Canadians to save for their future amid rising living costs?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I was knocking on doors for over a year and a half leading up to the election and if one thing became increasingly clear, it is that many people who are maxing out their TFSAs are not people who have incomes of $60,000 or less. Our middle-class tax cut will put money directly into the pockets of people in that bracket, giving them more money to put into savings if they so choose, if they need to, or to spend on making sure that the cost of living is more affordable for them and they can truly meet their needs.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Madam Speaker, an income tax reduction for the middle class should benefit a larger portion of Canadians. My riding is seeing an increase of seniors facing poverty and, in some cases, facing homelessness for the first time. I spoke with a senior who is now renting her living room to make ends meet.

Why is this tax reduction not benefiting seniors who need it most?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have also had a discussion with many seniors in my riding who are facing enormous financial pressures. This is something that our government has acknowledged during the campaign and will be working toward.

However, today we are discussing the middle-class tax cut and an even larger group, the nine million Canadians who will see a real impact on their bottom line. This is something we can be proud of. This is something we can all share and can work toward as the first step of our platform for encouraging more Canadians to be able to join the middle class.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in the House and ask this question of the hon. colleague across the way.

Again, the government continues with confusion and a shell game that is really challenging Canadians and the official opposition to find a plan. Could the member opposite please tell us the communities the government has gone into to consult Canadians and where the data on those consultations is coming from? Now we hear that 146,000 people were consulted, not 150,000. Where is that data coming from, from what geographic areas, and is it even Canadian data?

What does the plan call for in communities such as mine, Williams Laks, Prince George, Quesnel, Vanderhoof? Why can we not have a high-speed transit line?

It is a resource development community. Softwood lumber, mining, oil and gas, these are what matter.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I reiterate that the Government of Canada is the government of all of Canada and that when we think about consultations, we think about consulting the entire country. When we talk about 146,000 Canadians, those are the Canadians who have participated online in the Ministry of Finance's pre-budget consultation.

I invite, as I did in my speech, all members of the House to participate in that consultation, because we are here to work together. Our bottom line is to make sure that the bottom line of all Canadians is better.

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines, ON]

Madam Speaker, over the last 30 years, the middle class has been struggling. My home riding of St. Catharines historically has always been strongest when the middle class is strongest, like so many ridings across Ontario and across Canada. Is a middle-class tax cut not an excellent first step toward dealing with income inequality? Could the member advise us what the government's plan is going forward?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague. I think this is an excellent first step to addressing the income gap that we have in this country. It is the first step in ensuring that middle-class Canadians have more money in their pocket. As well, we will be introducing the Canada child benefit and other measures moving forward.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on her excellent speech.

I am pleased to participate in this debate on the middle-class tax cut that we announced in December. It is an important Government of Canada measure for Canadians.

I want to do two things today. First, I would like to give a brief overview of our economic and fiscal situation. Then, I will explain why the middle-class tax cut will help grow our economy.

There is no doubt that, as we begin to put our plan for economic growth and long-term prosperity into action, we are up against fierce headwinds. As we all know, we are still dealing with very difficult economic conditions.

In its January economic outlook, the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, projects that global growth will pick up modestly to 3.4% in 2016 and 3.6% in 2017. The IMF's October 2015 outlook for 2016 and 2017 was 0.2 percentage points higher. We all know that is not good news.

Although American economic performance is encouraging, and we are all thrilled about it, the European and Chinese economies remain a serious cause for concern. Global crude oil prices remain at less than half of what they were in mid-2014, mainly due to persistent oversupply and softening demand.

Clearly, what happens outside our borders has real and very serious consequences here at home. In Canada, our economic performance in the first half of 2015 was weak, and that was largely due to the collapse of oil prices in 2014. I will leave it to my colleagues to judge for themselves. Last April the federal government forecast that the price of oil would be approximately $71 U.S. a barrel by the end of the year. Right now, oil is trading at about $30 a barrel, which is a huge difference. We now know that growth will be weaker than what was forecast in the last budget projections.

The economic situation is therefore much more difficult than the previous government predicted. This will of course have important implications for our currency and our fiscal situation.

However, there is also some good news. The gross domestic product, or real GDP, growth resumed in the third quarter of 2015. In its economic outlook released on January 19, the IMF projects that growth in Canada will pick up over the next two years in relation to 2015. We are also in an enviable position because of our low debt-to-GDP ratio, not to mention our wealth of natural resources, or the fact that we have an extraordinarily skilled workforce, compared to what we see around the world.

A focal point of our economic agenda is to put the debt-to-GDP ratio on a downward track. In the end, we also want to return to a balanced budget, which is extremely important to us. To achieve these goals, our policies will strike a balance between fiscal responsibility and controlled investments that promote economic growth.

One of the most important elements is to restore economic growth to the middle class, which is the backbone and the heart of our economy. That is why one of the first items on the government's agenda was to table a notice of ways and means motion to cut taxes for the middle class. This is the right thing to do and it is what we are doing.

The tax cut for the middle class and the accompanying proposals will make the tax system fairer and help Canadians succeed and prosper. Let us look more closely at what we are proposing. Specifically, the bill introduces the following measures: first, we will reduce the second personal income tax rate from 22% to 20.5%. Then, we will introduce a 33% personal income tax rate on individual taxable income exceeding $200,000 a year. Lastly, we will also lower the contribution limit for the tax-free savings account, the famous TFSA, from $10,000 to $5,500 and reinstate indexation of the annual contribution limit.

I would quickly like to explain these three points.

First, I will talk about the changes to personal income tax rates. The changes came into effect on January 1, and this measure is expected to benefit approximately nine million Canadians in 2016. For example, single individuals will see an average tax reduction of $330 a year. Couples can expect an average tax reduction of $540 a year.

Second, as I mentioned, the government adopted a new personal income tax rate of 33% that will apply to people who earn over $200,000 a year. That means that only those with the highest incomes will have to pay more taxes. Period. Like the other tax bracket thresholds, the $200,000 threshold will be indexed to inflation.

Third, the government dropped the TFSA annual contribution limit from $10,000 back down to $5,500 as of January 1, 2016.

However, to reassure those who are wondering, this change is not retroactive. The TFSA contribution limit for 2015 will remain at $10,000.

Restoring the annual contribution limit to $5,500 is consistent with the government's objective to make the tax system fairer and help those who need it most.

Combined with other registered savings plans, a TFSA with an annual contribution limit of $5,500 will enable most individuals to meet their ongoing savings needs in a tax-efficient manner.

The indexation of the TFSA annual contribution limit will be reinstated so that the annual limit maintains its real value over time.

Before closing, I want to highlight some other measures included in today's bill, because I think they are very important.

Today's bill proposes to change the current flat top-rate taxation rules applicable to trusts to use the new rate of 33%.

The bill would amend the charitable donation tax credit to allow higher income donors to claim a 33% tax credit on the portion of donations made from income that is subject to the new 33% marginal tax rate.

I could go on, but it is clear that the Government of Canada is committed to helping the middle class in a practical way, through this bill and other bills that will strengthen our economy, create jobs, and ensure that Canada has a better future.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

I invite him to come visit the regions, because there is theory, and then there is practice. If the government truly wants to move our economy forward, it could let the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec make the announcements it has had prepared since October. If we include the election period, officials at the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec have been waiting to get files signed for six months. There is currently no minister who can sign these files.

Is my colleague prepared to consult his own government, sign files, and make announcements? This is very important.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Madam Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague. I travel to the regions regularly. Last year, I went to his riding at least 12 times. I know the riding well and I am rather fond of it.

As I said earlier, the government is going to do what it takes to help the economy and Canadians. This will be done through the various departments and, of course, through the excellent work CED does in his riding and all across Quebec.

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Honoré-Mercier for his speech.

I find it interesting that the Liberals keep saying that we must give back to those in need. They are alluding to the TFSA, among other things, but also the tax cut they promised for the middle class. I have been trying since this morning to figure out what exactly the Liberals mean by the middle class.

We know that people earning $45,000 a year will not get a cent from this tax cut and that people earning $210,000 a year will get a $283 tax cut. In fact, as my colleague from Timmins—James Bay said, a parliamentary secretary will get the full tax cut, but a hairdresser or office employee will get nothing.

The Liberals respond by talking about their child tax benefit, which will benefit only families with children and not single people or seniors.

I will repeat my question: what is the Liberals' definition of middle class?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Madam Speaker, I invite my colleague to read the Liberal Party platform, which is an excellent platform that we were able to promote for over 80 days, thanks to the previous Conservative government. That was the longest election campaign in the history of Canada.

In that platform, my colleague would see not only the middle-class tax cuts and—my colleague will be happy to hear this—an additional benefit for families with children, but also investments in social infrastructure that will create more social housing, which will help seniors live in dignity.

The Liberal plan is about more than just a tax cut for the middle class. It is a global plan that includes tax cuts, benefits for families with young children, and infrastructure programs. That is what is needed to ensure that Canadians are better off in this century.