Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte.
Today we are debating the Liberals' irresponsible spending, leading to higher taxes for all Canadians. The promise of a modest $10 billion deficit has become an out-of-control borrowing scheme leaving no one but the taxpayer to pick up the tab, not only this generation but future generations to come.
The Liberals can repeat themselves like a broken record that they care about the middle class, but since being elected they have accomplished nothing for Canadians. We found out this past week that the finance minister does not even know what the middle class is.
I do, however, think that we could all agree that simplifying the tax system is a good thing, but improving the tax system should not mean more tax hikes to take money out of the pockets of families, workers, and of course, our job creators. Simplifying the tax system should not punish Canadians. It should assist them in making life more affordable.
We are here to debate the Liberals' attempt to tax absolutely anything they can, even our air, with their mandatory carbon tax. The Conservatives brought forward this motion to be the voice of the taxpayer and call the government out on its attempts to unfairly punish hard-working Canadians.
It is thanks to our Conservative Party that just yesterday we saw the Prime Minister apparently back away from his attempt to tax Canadians' health care and dental benefits. We stood up for 13.5 million Canadians who would have likely lost their benefits, all so the Liberals could generate $2.9 billion in revenue to pay for their reckless spending. While $2.9 billion in revenue may seem like a huge loss, this is in comparison to the $23 billion in needed health care delivered directly to Canadians.
I want to elaborate a bit on exactly what taxing these benefits would mean for Canadians. To start with, it would mean that workers who currently receive these benefits would be stuck with over $1,000 per year in taxes. It would mean a dramatic cut in employer health and dental coverage. Since 1990, we have seen an almost 30% increase in coverage by employers.
In contrast, if implemented, this new tax would see a decrease in employer coverage the same way Quebec saw a 20% decrease. This tax would not only have a huge impact on Canadians but also put pressure on the public health care system. Canadians would cancel their benefits due to high costs, thereby negatively affecting their overall health. This would lead to people no longer being able to afford their prescriptions and their dental and doctor checkups, because they would be forced to pay the high cost directly out of their own pockets. This means Canadians who need prescription drugs, mental health services, treatment for back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions, dental care, and preventive care would no longer be covered. As a chiropractor, I know how important it is for Canadians to have access to employer health insurance. Services that are not covered by the provinces, essential life-saving services, would become impossibly unaffordable for the average Canadian.
Liberals cannot be trusted when it comes to their budgets. The Liberals in Ontario promised not to cut health care but went ahead and cut benefits for chiropractors and physiotherapists. This affected patients of mine, patients who suffered.
It is clear to see that taxing health and dental benefits would have no benefits. It is not the way to address fairness and equality. All it would do is target the most vulnerable and add pressure on provincial health care systems.
When it was leaked to the public, the outrage was immediate. I received many calls and emails directly to my office. We brought this up in the House more than 20 times, and the Prime Minister waffled and the finance minister refused to answer. That was until yesterday. That is why we are ensuring they are clear with Canadians and making them vote on our motion.
Liberals have a credibility problem when they talk about balancing the budget. They promised a $10 billion a year deficit, and now we are looking at a $30 billion a year deficit. They promised to balance the budget by 2019, and unbelievably, that will not happen until 2055. Canadians know Liberal history.
The health and dental tax is just the cherry on top of all the other taxes the Liberals have implemented and all the benefits they have already cut. They put in a carbon tax. Look at the CPP. They removed income splitting for families. They also removed the children's art and fitness tax credit as well as the education and textbook tax credits.
They implemented new mortgage rules, making it harder for young people to buy their first homes. They reduced the tax-free savings account contribution amount, they cancelled small business tax credits, and they have eliminated hiring tax credits. This has taken place in one budget. Canadians are justified in asking, and rightly so, what is next. Now Canadians are preparing for another wave of new tax hikes in budget 2017, and Conservatives, as the only voice of the taxpayer, are calling on the Liberals not to raise taxes on working Canadians who cannot afford them.
I worry. I worry that the government is making Canada less competitive on the world stage. I am the member of Parliament for Oshawa and have been for 14 years. Oshawa is the home of GM Canada, which depends on our ability to compete for products internationally. I am proud of our auto manufacturing community, and everyone can rest assured that I will stand up for my constituents and all manufacturing communities across the country.
Irresponsible actions taken by the Liberals, like increasing the CPP and implementing a mandatory carbon tax at a time when the United States is putting its jobs and products first, is going to force businesses out of communities like mine and send them to the United States or Mexico. Recently, there were 600 job losses at the CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll because it is moving production to Mexico. The provincial and federal Liberals continue to negatively impact Ontario's auto sector with their risky economic policies, and it is only expected to get worse, unfortunately.
Yesterday's report from Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters stated, “Right now, Canada is not a competitive location for investment”. My gosh. “Increases in business taxes, regulatory demands, and energy costs...are making it more difficult and costly to do business in Canada”. There is a new carbon tax and more payroll taxes to come.
Canada went from the seventh most favourable manufacturing environment to the 10th. This is what is going to really kill us, while America is moving from third to first. Something is wrong. I have listened to the finance minister and his parliamentary secretary say that they are reviewing the tax structure. This is code for, “We are looking for ways to increase our revenue by making you pay out of pocket”. This is their hidden agenda.
With budget 2017 coming up, there is a list of tax credits the Liberals are likely to target, a list that I know many of my colleagues have already shared today, but I will share with the House to remind everyone of the damage that could be done. The list is as follows: non-taxation of employer dental and health benefits; pension income splitting; tax credits for employee stock options; a public transit tax credit for students; the Canada employment tax credit; the foreign employment tax credit; the volunteer firefighter tax credit; non-taxation of capital gains on principal residences; the dividend gross-up and tax credit; partial inclusion of capital gains; the mineral exploration tax credit; and tax credits related to charitable donations. They could go after charitable donations.
This list directly targets working and vulnerable Canadians. It is their pockets that will be emptied, meaning less money for groceries, mortgage payments, and savings. This is a $1 trillion debt in just 15 years, with no plan to return to a balanced budget until 2055. My daughter is 15 years old. That means under the irresponsible Liberal government, she will be paying off their debt until she is 53 years old. Is that fair? This should raise red flags for all Canadians, especially parents and youth.
The Prime Minister has appointed himself the voice for our youth, the minister of youth; so why is he making it impossible for them to get a job, to save for their future, and to buy a home? The impacts will be felt into the future, but they are already having negative impacts today. Taxes are already going up, and well-paying jobs are getting harder and harder to find. As a member of the only party that stands up for taxpayers by calling out reckless, irresponsible, and unnecessary spending, I ask the following question for the government. Will it prove to Canadians that it can, in fact, keep a promise, and support the Conservative motion to not implement another burdensome tax on Canadians?