House of Commons Hansard #106 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was cpp.
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I thank the member for bringing that up.
Often in the House members bring up different areas and make a roundabout way back to the topic at hand. Therefore, I will allow the hon. member to keep going. She has eight minutes left in her speech. I think it is appropriate that she be given a chance to show how she is going to relate it back to the topic at hand.
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of big expenses looming in the face of young people these days.
I am proud of the work our government has done to help kids with the repayment of student loans. That makes a real difference for students once they graduate. However, there is still significant work to be done to get young people saving for the future. It needs to be part of the system. They need to have that money going into a reliable, secure place, where it will be there for them once they need it.
Financial experts have been saying for years that financial literacy is important for young people. I would like to commend the Ontario government for making financial literacy part of the high school curriculum and congratulate the Ontario Young Liberals on their work in putting that forward.
Each year, fewer and fewer Canadians have workplace pensions to fall back on. The private sector needs to do its part to support a strong pension system as well.
Seniors receiving CPP put that money back into the economy and into the brands and businesses in their communities.
We all must do our part, public and private, to make Canada a prosperous place for everyone and make meaningful changes to the CPP that will allow Canadians to retire with more money in their pockets.
We have been talking about the baby boomers and the generational shift under way for decades. We always knew that this massive portion of the population would retire, and we knew that we would have to take action to make the system sustainable for them and their children too.
The bill addresses those on their way to retirement by doing more to ensure that they have dignity, security, and stability.
The more than one-quarter of Canadian families nearing retirement, or 1.1 million families, who are facing a drop in their standard of living will be able to retire in dignity as a result of this enhancement.
The revisions in Bill C-26 are designed to help Canadians in every step of their lives: grandparents, parents, and children.
The deal will boost how much Canadians get in their pension from one-quarter of their earnings now to fully one-third. To make sure that these changes are affordable, we will phase them in slowly over seven years, from 2019 to 2025, so that the impact is small and gradual.
When l was going door to door in Brampton South in the last election, I met many seniors. I met seniors who were concerned about themselves but more concerned about their families' futures. They wanted to know if their grandchildren would have the chance to go through life with the same security that was there for them.
That is why the bill is important to me. When we talk about evidence-based and long-term growth, I think of the effects for Canadians tomorrow and five years from now. In both these scenarios, Canadians will be better off.
At the core of our plan is investment. Investment in the future is what past generations did when they built transport corridors that moved countless goods and people every day. Investment in the future is what donors to universities and colleges have done for decades. It is about giving back so others can follow.
Investment in the future is what the government did in the post-war years after World War II in building a system that is envied around the world.
In Brampton, while most of my constituents were born in Canada, there are those of us who were not. We came to Canada with our eyes on the system of compassion and mutual support.
That is why investing in the Canada pension plan matters today more than ever. We cannot wait, as some of my colleagues across the aisle might suggest. If past generations had thought to wait and save their pennies instead of investing them in the Canada around us today, we would be less well off.
Every Canadian deserves a secure and dignified retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Through this enhancement, we have taken a powerful step to help make that happen.
This investment is in the people of Canada and the public system that makes us more equal and more united. That is why I will be voting for Bill C-26, and I encourage all my colleagues from all parties to do so as well.
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but ask whether the member who was speaking is going to be voting for Bill C-29, because that is actually what we are debating.
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
Mr. Speaker, even though it is Bill C-26, it is related to the budget, so I will answer according to that.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments from my colleague when she is talking about the importance of Canada's pension programs. We are talking about the CPP, which the member spoke so well about, but we also have the guaranteed income supplement. As she knows, the Government of Canada is substantially increasing the guaranteed income supplement. The government also reduced the age of retirement from 67 to 65. It is something the Conservatives raised from 65 to 67.
Given the member's obvious interest in the pension issue, I wonder if she could provide some comment on how important all three of those pension programs are: the OAS, the GIS, and the CPP.
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
Mr. Speaker, as we know, this is the Canada pension plan. It has an effect on Bill C-29. The Canada pension plan provides payments to beneficiaries who are hard-working Canadians. With over $45 billion contributed last year, it will allow demand to increase. There is also a big impact on small businesses. Small businesses will grow, and if they grow, our economy will grow, so of course, it impacts our economy. If our economy is lavish, then Canadians' lives are also going to be lavish.
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, when the member ran in the last election for the Liberal Party and there were big promises made about investing in public infrastructure, was she aware at the time that $15 billion of that money was actually going to be used as a pool to attract foreign investment that would then partially or wholly own that important public infrastructure the Liberals ran on a promise to build? If she was aware of that, where in the Liberal platform was that written down? Perhaps the member could enlighten the other members of this House.
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
Mr. Speaker, yes the Liberal Party had a big platform, and we made promises, and we are fulfilling the promises step by step.
Regarding the CPP, it is a universal system, one that is available to everyone who works. We need to be invested in that investment so people can retire to a dignified life. The CPP Investment Board is very strong, and its management ensures that the funds Canadians depend on in their retirement are secure. This is a type of investment that is required to be collected for future retirement. That is what we promised in our campaign, and we are going to fulfill that promise.
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, I will try to get the debate this afternoon back to the bill that we are supposed to be debating, the budget implementation act, Bill C-29.
This is about the third or fourth time now that I have had the opportunity to speak to the budget since it was introduced by the finance minister in the spring, and it does not get any better when I speak to it as we go forward. The financial situation just seems to be getting worse. In fact, we are debating a budget implementation bill that has already been effectively ripped apart by the minister's economic statement here a couple of weeks ago. It is a budget that fails to create the jobs and the growth promised by the government. The finance minister stood up in the House and said that the modest little deficit that was promised in the election campaign is going to bloom to some $30 billion and that the government is not going to give any indication as to when it can balance the budget again.
I will save the deputy government House leader from asking the question that he always asks when we make these relevant points, which is: Did the Conservatives not run a deficit at one point in time? The Conservative government did run a deficit because it was dealing with the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. However, the difference was that the Conservative government had a plan to get back to a balanced budget while the Liberal government has shown us it has no plan to get back to a balanced budget despite the fact that it was left with a balanced budget when it took office.
Lately, I have not heard the government saying that it did not have a surplus when it took over. I have not heard that lately from my colleague from Vaughan. All he has talked about this afternoon is the infrastructure bank that was in the Liberal's election platform. Not a word was mentioned in their election platform about the infrastructure bank. When those members stand up here and start talking about fulfilling their election promise, we all know that is not the case.
This budget has failed to address what it actually set out to do. It was set out to go deeply into debt so that jobs could be created. About two weeks ago the September-October Statistics Canada job numbers came out and the top line looked pretty good. It talked about 44,000 net jobs having been created, but then some Liberal math kicks in, because despite the fact 44,000 net new jobs were created, the country lost 23,000 full-time jobs while creating 67,000 part-time jobs. The group that was hit the most is who the government always talks about, the so-called middle class. Working men between the ages of 25 and 54 have suffered 63,000 lost positions since the Liberals took office a year ago. That is shameful. The government is not fulfilling its promise for why it is going into debt. There is no plan to get out of debt. There is no indication that going into debt is actually working.
We hear a lot about infrastructure. The budget was supposed to create infrastructure projects. I asked the Minister of Finance when he appeared before the finance committee about this, because a Bloomberg report said that out of some 860 projects that had been approved, only one has actually broken ground.
During our constituency break last week the infrastructure minister was running around the country spending other people's money. I saw he was in Edmonton announcing a $30 million flood mitigation program. I guess we will see how many jobs that flood mitigation program creates. It is ironic that it happened to be in Mill Woods, which, if we check, is the riding that this particular infrastructure minister represents. Not only is he spending taxpayers' money to redo his office, he is also spending taxpayer's money in his own back yard.
It reminds me a bit of the move that the immigration minister made, closing down the office in Vegreville, which happens to be, by the way, a Conservative-held riding and has been since the beginning of time. He moved it into a riding in the centre of Edmonton that a Liberal member happens to represent today. He will be a one-term member, because this is another effort by the Liberals to try to shore up their shaky ground in Alberta. Albertans are not going to be fooled again by this particular government.
Instead of the infrastructure minister running around the country handing out cheques that taxpayers are footing the bill for, he should be spending some time convincing his cabinet colleagues that there are other ways to create jobs in this country, indicated by one simple word: “pipelines”. The Minister of Infrastructure and Communities should convince his cabinet colleagues. All of the studies that have been done around Kinder Morgan, and everyone else, have recommended that the Kinder Morgan pipeline be approved, and yet his cabinet is sitting on that decision.
If cabinet said tomorrow that it would approve Kinder Morgan's pipeline, it would create thousands of jobs, not only on the construction of the pipeline but in Alberta for revitalization. Many of the full-time positions that the Liberals have lost over the last year are in Alberta in that particular industry. It could also get the process under way for the energy east pipeline. Despite some of the musings about our friends from Quebec, located next to us, who shake their heads and smile when my colleague from Calgary Shepard talks about jobs lost in the industry, energy east could save some of those jobs. That is a project that absolutely needs to go ahead and the process to get it approved has to move quickly.
Of course, now we are left with the much improved possibility of Keystone being approved by the new president-elect, once he takes office in the United States. I know the Liberals worship the outgoing president, whom we saw here in the House when he visited, but I think a lot of the things that the liberal president of the United States implemented in the last few years will be undone pretty quickly, although it is hard to come up with many accomplishments of his in the last eight years, whatever they were.
I will conclude my remarks with a couple of comments. As I said, the Conservative government left the Liberal government with a surplus. It is not even denying that any more. This is a budget that is out of date before it even passes the House. The finance minister acknowledged that in his economic update. The election campaign promise about modest deficits has now ballooned into a runaway budget deficit, and for that reason, I would like to move the following subamendment. I move:
That the amendment be amended by adding after the words “exemplified by” the following: “a stagnant economy”.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
The subamendment is in order.
Questions and comments, the hon. member for Eglinton—Lawrence.
Marco Mendicino Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Mr. Speaker, my colleague across the aisle spent considerable time talking about the legacy that his party left. On that same note, the last time the Liberal government was in power for a sustained period was between the years 1996 and 2005. During that there was not a single trade deficit and there were nine straight fiscal surpluses. In the period after 2005, it left the Conservative opposition with a record $13 billion surplus, which was completely eradicated within two years on the basis of a program of austerity and cuts, and that was two years before the great recession hit.
Canadians rejected that in 2015, thankfully. They rejected trickle-down economics, which does not work. The way we are going to get ourselves out of debt is by investing in the middle class.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
Excuse me, the hon. member for Eglinton—Lawrence, I am having a hard time from some buzzing in my left ear. Could the hon. members maybe keep it down while the hon. member for Calgary Signal Hill answers the question, if they do not mind.
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, if we go back and look at the record of the previous Liberal government, it ended up balancing that budget on the backs of the provinces. If we look at transfer payments to the provinces, these went down every year. I know that for a fact, because I was a minister in a provincial government in Alberta during that time. The Liberals were cutting transfer payments to the provinces on an annual basis. When the Conservatives took over, the Conservative government reinstated those transfer payments. Look what is happening with the health care transfer payments right now. We are seeing it happen all over again.
It is one thing to balance the budget on the backs of the provinces. It is another thing to balance the budget by watching the spending. That is exactly what the Conservative government did when it left these guys with a balanced budget a year ago.
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Mr. Speaker, my political career began in local government. During the 1990s, the Liberal government at that time did the same thing. It cut $30 billion in transfer payments to local governments and the provinces. Instead of the federal government doing its fair share, the local governments had to increase taxes. The federal government did not directly but indirectly caused this massive tax increase across Canada in the 1990s.
I have also heard recently that Canadians are saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, it isn't going to happen again”. The government of the day has fooled Canadians and it is doing the same thing the government did in the 1990s. I would ask the member to comment on that. Is this another fool me twice?
Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2Government Orders
November 14th, 2016 / 4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, obviously, my answer to the other member's question was along the same lines as my colleague's question. However, the other thing the member alludes to is, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice and you'll pay the price”. We are seeing that.
If we recall, prior to our government's taking office, we had one of the largest scandals ever in government under the Chrétien-Martin Liberals. It was called the Quebec issue. What we are seeing now with all of these fundraisers, as a result of Kathleen Wynne's Liberal advisers now advising this government, is the same kind of scandal, which will bring down this government three years from now.
Adam Vaughan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Intergovernmental Affairs)
Mr. Speaker, I would just ask members of the House who keep standing and saying that the infrastructure bank was not part of our campaign platform to please go online. It is still there. They should read the section on affordable housing. I would ask them to reflect on the words, “We will direct...the new Canada Infrastructure Bank to provide financing”. Is that good enough for them to admit that it was actually in our platform?
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, if it were part of the platform, quite frankly, I have not spent any time looking at the Liberal platform because most of it is no longer relevant anyway.
If that were part of their election platform, why did they appoint this advisory committee they now are giving all the credit to when they had this in their platform originally? I challenge the member with that comment.
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to rise today and speak on the importance of Bill C-29, which seeks to implement key provisions of budget 2016.
It was seven months ago to the day that I rose in this place to address hon. members about the important impact that our budget would have on Canadians. Today, I am grateful to use the opportunity as a mid-term checkup to look back at what has been accomplished, how our budget has benefited my riding of St. Catharines and in fact all of Canada, and how it will continue to bring Canadians the real change we promised just over a year ago.
As I noted in my remarks on April 14, the shifting world economy resulted in many jobs lost in much of our heavy local manufacturing industry. Plants closed, thousands lost their jobs, and many more were forced to find new employment at significantly lower wages. These were unfortunate years to which I do not wish to see a return.
I also noted that there was light at the end of the tunnel. Little did I know at the time that our progressive and forward-looking budget would have such a positive impact for my riding and, in fact, for Canada.
I will start by discussing the centrepiece of our plan: the Canada child benefit. I cannot understate the significance and drastic impact that this benefit has had on families in St. Catharines.
St. Catharines is a perfect example of a middle-class community with a lot of individuals who are struggling. When we talk about the stagnating growth of the middle class, my community is an example of that. With the loss of jobs, we now look forward to regrowth.
The Canada child benefit provides nine out of 10 families across the country—and I believe that number to be higher in Niagara—with significant and much-needed assistance. It is a story I have told in this House before.
The first time I had an opportunity to rise in this place, I mentioned that 25% of the children in my riding lived below the poverty line. I received a call later that day from a poverty advocate who thanked me for speaking on the issue of child poverty, and mentioned that this number was a very conservative figure and was probably closer to one-third. In such a wealthy country, to have one-third of the children in my community living below the poverty line is unimaginable.
The Canada child benefit seeks to lift 300,000 children out of poverty, and independent analysis shows that it will; that is a 40% reduction. This really hit home again in July when my wife and I welcomed our first child. I should mention his name for the record of Hansard, Ethan. It really put into perspective the type of community I want to see for Ethan. Becoming a father strengthened my resolve to ensure that we do everything we can, so that each child in Niagara and across Canada has the same opportunities as my son.
As I mentioned, we said that the CCB would raise 300,000 children out of poverty, and I think we are safe to say that we are well on our way to delivering on that commitment. Giving families the financial assistance they need to get by is important, but more important is the need to provide jobs so that these families can continue to thrive.
I am proud of the work we have accomplished so far. Our commitment to building an innovative and forward-looking economy is the root of the success. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development has been diligently working to ensure that we continue to invest in key sectors of our economy, so that we deliver on our promises made in budget 2016.
The previous government spent 10 years focusing on natural resources, despite the loss of manufacturing jobs in Ontario, especially in southern Ontario. The telltale signs were ominous, and the shift was occurring not only in Niagara but across Canada and throughout the world.
I am proud of the commitment this government has made. One of the first announcements my colleague from Niagara Centre and I were able to make was on the creation of a foreign trade zone in Niagara. This was followed shortly thereafter by an incredible announcement for Niagara, the construction of a new factory, which has not happened in quite some time.
General Electric announced plans to build a $260 million facility in Welland, Ontario, creating more than 220 jobs, plus all of the incredible construction jobs that will happen over the next two years. This is policy that has led to concrete action, which will lead to significant benefits across the Niagara region.
Beyond that, in focusing on an innovative economy, I am proud that the minister has also allocated funds to post-secondary institutions. The Niagara region and St. Catharines are home to Brock University and Niagara College. Both are renowned post-secondary institutions that draw students from across Canada and around the world.
Niagara College is seen as a leader in advanced manufacturing, boasting thousands of square feet in lab space to train students in a hands-on environment. These labs also provide services to local small and medium-sized enterprises, giving them access to research and development labs as well as allowing them to access the brightest minds of today and tomorrow. This gives students essential first-hand experience in the rapidly changing workforce and is a draw for business both in Canada and across the world.
Not far away and within sight of my house is Brock University, which boasts a world-class biomedical incubator. It houses research and lab space and places students and researchers on the cutting edge of innovation. Like Niagara College, Brock leverages these labs and its students to help businesses across Ontario and Canada solve the problems of tomorrow.
I was proud, with the member for Niagara Centre, to be with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development to announce $22 million for these two institutions to continue forward on their plan for innovation. Also as part of that, we were excited to see improvements to Brock University's co-generation facility, which will reduce greenhouses gases; so this is not only investing in innovation at Brock University but investing in a greener future for residents of Niagara and Ontario. Though the federal government committed $22 million to this project, it is a $64 million project that will again get the skilled trades to work. It will get construction workers back to work in Niagara, which is so desperately needed.
Another incredible aspect of our commitment to Canadians is our $20 billion investment in public transit. Niagara is a great place to live, but there are 12 municipalities within the Niagara peninsula, plus a regional government. Within that, there are eight transit commissions. For students at Brock University or Niagara College, which I just mentioned, who are looking to get around from one community to another, it can be a difficult experience. It is very difficult, and I have spoken to student union presidents at Brock University and Niagara College who told me about the challenges of trying to negotiate with so many different transit authorities. We have to get better in Niagara, and I am proud that the government has committed $20 billion, so that we can come up with a plan to integrate our transit in Niagara. It is a key focus.
I have heard far too often from individuals trying to escape the cycle of poverty, wondering how they get to a job in Niagara Falls if they live in St. Catharines and the bus runs infrequently. How do they make it to a shift if the bus only runs at limited periods of time? We want to help people. Not only does improved public transit help make for a greener economy and a brighter future, but it helps individuals and will help them break that cycle of poverty, which is so important.
Furthermore, we have a government that deeply cares about our veterans and respects the service and sacrifice our active and former military personnel make. We have a government that is willing to invest in them, and we have seen that in the opening up of those nine Veterans Affairs offices that were closed by the previous government, showing our commitment for our sacred obligation.
This has been an incredible year and incredible opportunity, and I thank the people of St. Catharines for that opportunity. There is a lot of work that is left to be done to improve lives in St. Catharines and across the country, but this is an incredible start and I am looking forward to a brighter future.
Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague across the way for his presentation on Bill C-29, budget implementation act, 2016, no. 2.
I want to reference something that was mentioned by earlier speakers about the infrastructure bank that is part of the commitment of the budget, $15 billion, plus another $20 billion of debt the Liberals want to fund this bank, for a total of about $35 billion.
Today the Prime Minister is in Toronto meeting with lots of institutional investors, and he is trying to attract them to invest $180 billion in Canada's crumbling infrastructure.
I do not argue whether that money is needed. We do have lots of infrastructure that needs upgrading, but when we attract private money to the tune of $180 billion, those investors will want a premium of 7% to 8% on that money.
Currently our Canada savings bond rate is at 1%, 20-year municipal debentures can be had for 3%. Even if we increased our Canada savings bond rates up to 3%, the difference between 3% and what those institutional investors will want of 7% to 8% is 4% or 5% on $180 billion. That is between $7 billion and $9 billion that will cost Canadians extra every single year to fund these infrastructure projects, and that is not included in your budget.
What are Canadians supposed to think of that extra $7 billion or $9 billion price tag that you are putting on to this?
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I am sure the hon. member did not mean my budget. He meant to speak, through me, over to the government.
The hon. member for St. Catharines.
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend brought up the fact that the Prime Minister is meeting with investors. I want to take this opportunity to highlight the work that not only the Prime Minister but many members of the cabinet have done over the past year.
I already mentioned General Electric, and even though provincial and municipal leaders put in a lot of work on the subject, the Prime Minister did meet with the head of General Electric to ensure and fight for a Canadian location, which will directly benefit Niagara and all of Canada.
We have heard positive announcements after meetings and consultations with Thomson Reuters, General Motors, and Amazon, so it has been an incredibly successful opportunity, and I look forward to seeing the results of this meeting with investors in Toronto.
Wayne Stetski NDP Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-29 fails on a number of levels: the broken promise to small businesses of reducing taxes from 11% to 9%, nothing for daycare, nothing in terms of capping credit card fees. However, I want to talk specifically about privatization of infrastructure.
By definition, the private sector will expect a return on their investments, which will lead to fees for use of public infrastructure.
I would like to hear from the member. How does having fees on public infrastructure help middle-class families and those working to become middle class, and those families living in poverty?