House of Commons Hansard #127 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was support.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Mr. Speaker, I think if you check the record, you will find I did no such thing.
The Liberal caucus knows—
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, after months of denials, the Prime Minister finally admitted what everyone knows to be true, that he discusses government business at his Liberal cash for access fundraisers.
Now that he has admitted to breaking the rules, will his ministers do the same? Will the justice minister tell us what government business she discussed with lawyers at the fundraiser last April? Maybe the finance minister can tell us what fiscal policy he discussed with bankers at the Liberal cash for access event in August. Can they please all get their stories straight, and can they please admit they all broke the rules?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism
Mr. Speaker, what every member of our government will say is, yes, we are engaging with Canadians. We are listening to Canadians, and everywhere we go we will tell Canadians that we are working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them. That is why we lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians. That is why we increased taxes on the 1% of wealthiest Canadians. That is why we are supporting and helping families with children that need it the most; and we will continue to do the good work we are doing.
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard said:
...our colleague knows very well that at events like this, government business is not discussed.
We all know now that this is completely false. Was the fisheries minister told by the Prime Minister to mislead Canadians? How long will Liberal ministers go along with the Prime Minister's corrupt and deceptive behaviour?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know very well that this government is working very hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them.
We will continue to engage and listen to Canadians. That is why we are consulting with them. That is the work we will continue to do when we are making decisions, because we know that we need to respond to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing.
Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, according to the minister of pipelines, the energy east assessment can resume once three new commissioners are appointed to the National Energy Board, the NEB.
What about the fact that the recusal of former board members undermined the process, that the Prime Minister promised the NEB a new process, that he approved Kinder Morgan with Stephen Harper's flawed process, and that he supports energy east?
Quebeckers deserve better than the 40 Liberal MPs who have forgotten Quebec's motto, Je me souviens, I remember.
Why does the minister not ask the Prime Minister to keep his promises?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that there is no minister by that name in this House.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the fall session is winding down and that is the only good news for the Liberal government, because it has been a tough road.
The Liberals are already embroiled in scandal and have been notably absent from files that are important to Quebeckers.
Do members hear that? Let's listen closely.
That is the sound of silence coming from the 40 Liberal members from Quebec.
Nothing for Bombardier. Nothing for the forestry. Nothing for SMEs. Peanuts for the cheese factories, and we have yet to hear anything about public transit.
What exactly are the Liberal members from Quebec doing? Where are they hiding?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his restraint.
I want to be very clear that the 40 MPs from Quebec, the Prime Minister, six ministers, and 33 members, are here to advance the interests of Quebec. That is what we have been doing since day one and that is what we will continue to do until the end.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister finally came clean yesterday. I now encourage him to come clean on something else, since the Prime Minister is so imaginative when it comes to finding new ways to tax Canadian workers.
He literally created a new charge on Canadians' pension plans. He also created the new Liberal carbon tax, the Liberal health insurance tax, and the Liberal dental care tax. The Prime Minister really is coming up with all kinds of creative ways to impose more tax on Canadians.
Is the Prime Minister ready to invent a tax on broken promises?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we are the government that reduced taxes for the middle class. That is the first thing we did.
We also introduced the Canada child benefit, which helps nine out of ten families by leaving more money in their pockets. The other parties were against that; they were against those cuts and against the Canada child benefit. We are confident that our measures are going to help the middle class.
Peter Van Loan Conservative York—Simcoe, ON
Mr. Speaker, today is one of those days when Liberals are trying to think up new ways to tax Canadians. By that, I mean a day ending in the letter y.
That has Canadians asking why. Why is the Liberal innovation agenda now being led by a new tax on hard-pressed middle-class Canadians for their Internet use? Last week it was a carbon tax on everything. This comes after tax hikes on textbooks, children's sports, music lessons, income taxes, and more.
Why do the Liberals now want to tax Canadians more just to use the Internet? Why is their Christmas gift to Canadians just sacks full of tax?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, we believe that the Internet is a key part of our innovation agenda that will focus on Canadian middle-class families, that will focus on the rural and urban digital divide, and that will focus on creating jobs and opportunities from coast to coast to coast.
We recognize that innovation is the key engine of our growth, and we are going to remain focused on investing in people, new technologies, and companies, because that is what is good for the Canadian economy.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, Postmedia revealed this week that the government was considering a new tax on health and dental plans that could hit 13.5 million hard-working Canadians. Such a tax might cause employers to drop the plans altogether, making it impossible for middle-class families to see a dentist or a psychologist. Only the super-rich, those who can afford Liberal fundraisers, would have that luxury.
Is this government so broke that it needs to tax Canadians out of their health plans?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we would like to be very clear in the House. We first introduced a reduction in taxes on middle-class Canadians. That was an important first measure. Then we moved forward to help nine out of 10 families with children with, on average, $2,300 more money, without paying taxes on that.
We are ensuring that our tax system is efficient, that it is fair and that Canadians can understand it. We will move forward with fair measures that will ensure middle-class Canadians are doing better in future than they are doing today.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, by middle-class tax cut, he means they gave $800 in tax relief to someone earning $150,000 a year, like a Liberal MP, and zero to someone earning $45,000 a year. Now that same person has to pay Liberal carbon taxes, Liberal payroll taxes. Those carbon taxes will raise the price of the very goods on which the lowest income people need to spend a disproportionately large amount of their income.
Why is the government so determined to hurt most those with the least?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have put in measures that will help Canadians along all sectors of the income stream.
For that family, the $45,000 that the hon. member mentioned, if it has children, that family is significantly better off. It is better of in the time when it is raising its children, being able to pay for the things it needs in its family life on a day-to-day basis.
We will continue to focus on how we can help middle-class Canadians and on how we can help families to raise their children. That is the mission we are on in this government.
Karine Trudel NDP Jonquière, QC
Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is not there for Quebec.
There is no softwood lumber agreement and no plan B. Our workers are going to pay the price as plants close, jobs are lost, and the regional economy weakens.
The Government of Quebec is grabbing the bull by the horns and announcing loan guarantees. The federal government should take its responsibilities seriously once and for all.
Quebec already has a plan B. Is the minister waiting for hell to freeze over?
Jim Carr LiberalMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we are prepared for any eventuality and we will continue to work with the Canadian forestry industry. The Minister of International Trade and I had a very productive meeting with our Quebec counterparts last week, and we will to continue to work with them and our provincial and territorial colleagues.
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill we are joined by laid off port workers who came all the way from Churchill to fight for our port. The closure of the port is devastating for Churchill and for our north. What is the Liberal record? The Liberals privatized it and are doing nothing to re-open it.
This is about standing up for our country. When will the Prime Minister stand up to the American billionaire who is holding Churchill and our north for ransom. When will he stand up for Churchill, for our north and for Canada?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important file. That is why I am working with my colleagues from Manitoba.
I visited Churchill. I had an opportunity to meet with the northern delegation and have a town hall session with members of the community to hear their concerns, and put forward a plan going forward. That plan includes $4.6 million for regional economic development. We are focusing on tourism, Arctic research. We are looking at ways to diversify the economy, create jobs and opportunities.
Churchill is important for the north and it is important for Canada. Our government is committed to that region.
Rémi Massé Liberal Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Mr. Speaker, consumers in my riding and across Quebec and Canada want to be properly protected.
Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he was going to ask the Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to engage with stakeholders and his provincial and territorial counterparts in order to examine and assess best practices in consumer protection.
Could the minister explain to the House the reason for that decision?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, consumer protection was a key component of our plan to support the middle class and promote economic growth.
That being said, we have listened to Quebeckers' concerns about their level of protection. That is why I asked the leader of the government in the Senate to remove division 5 of Bill C-29 so that we can reintroduce it following consultations on how to maintain a comprehensive and effective federal financial consumer protection framework.
