House of Commons Hansard #355 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pilots.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives still, stubbornly, do not get it.
Every year, we decrease the debt-to-GDP ratio, while at the same time grow the economy and create jobs for Canadians. We are living up to the commitments we made to Canadians. They are stuck in Stephen Harper's past.
Lisa Raitt Conservative Milton, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is true, we are stuck on the fact that Canadians were told that the budget would be balanced in 2019, and we are here to ask questions of the government.
If we are stubborn, then the arrogance being displayed by the Prime Minister with respect to breaking promises to Canadians is absolutely shameful. The reality is what he said several times, including to Mr. Mulcair in a debate, was that he was:
....looking straight at Canadians and being honest the way I always have. We said we are committed to balanced budgets, and we are. We will balance that budget in 2019.
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to have an opportunity to remember the 2015 election campaign, where Canadians were given a clear choice of a government that was willing to cut, to balance the budget at all costs versus the Liberal Party that was willing to invest in Canadians, to grow the economy in ways that the Conservatives had not been able to over the longest time.
Under Conservatives, wages were stagnant; under our government, wages are rising at a rate of 3%. Under Conservatives, GDP growth was 1%; under our government, GDP growth is 3%. We are delivering.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. The hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton seems to think that he can speak and even bellow in this place without being called upon. I would ask him to reconsider that opinion, or else he will not be speaking for a while.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, page 12 of the Liberal Party's election platform states, “...our investment plan will return Canada to a balanced budget in 2019.”
Today is November 21, 2018, and they have so far racked up $80 billion in debt. Our children and grandchildren are the ones who will end up paying.
I have a simple question for the Prime Minister. Can he rise and tell us when we will return to a balanced budget?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear the member talk about our children and grandchildren, because in his riding of Richmond—Arthabaska we are helping 20,490 children with the Canada child benefit, for a total of $6.5 million a month in his riding.
We are investing in families across the country, and we are growing our economy, which the Conservatives never managed to do.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, the reality is this.
While this government spends Canadians' hard-earned money, while it plays the same old tune, our energy sector is stalling. Liberal decisions are driving away foreign investment, which has declined by 50% so far, businesses are less competitive because of bad tax reforms, and 80% of Canadian families are paying more taxes today than three years ago under the previous government.
The question I want to ask the Prime Minister is simple and the answer was in his election platform: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, $6.4 million are sent to his riding, Richmond—Arthabaska, every month to help more than 20,000 children.
We are investing in Canadians and in their future by investing in public transit and support for businesses, families and seniors. We are contributing to economic growing, which the Conservatives were unable to do, by investing and putting our trust in Canadians.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, here is a quote from 2015: “the Harper Conservatives have rolled back many fundamental labour rights that affect workers’ ability to organize freely, bargain collectively in good faith, and work in a safe environment.”
That was said by none other than the Prime Minister during the campaign back in 2015, the same Prime Minister whose government is now musing about legislating workers back to work. Why does he not realize that his actions are the ones that are emboldening Canada Post executives not to bargain in good faith?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we have faith in the collective bargaining process and believe that the best deals are reached at the table. For nearly a year, we have been supporting and encouraging both sides to reach a negotiated agreement. We have provided conciliation officers, appointed mediators, and offered voluntary arbitration. Legislation is not a step that we take lightly. We reappointed the special mediator to work with the parties over the next two days to reach an agreement. We encourage both sides to reach a deal, but we are prepared to act if there is no significant progress.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Tough words, Mr. Speaker, and he says them without laughing.
If I were a progressive Liberal, I would seriously begin to wonder how I could support a special law that would take away any leverage workers have, that is currently allowing Canada Post to not negotiate in good faith because it knows full well that the government will come and help it out of this mess, and that shows that the government is prepared to do anything to please web giants such as Amazon and eBay.
Where are the Prime Minister's fine words when the time comes to defend free collective bargaining?
Where is the Prime Minister's backbone when it comes to compelling Canada Post to negotiate in good faith?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the friendship and relationship we have with organized labour across this country. We have faith in the collective bargaining process and believe that the best deals are reached at the table.
For nearly a year, we have done everything in our power to encourage the two parties to negotiate an agreement. Legislation is not a step that we take lightly. We reappointed the special mediator to work with the parties over the next two days to reach an agreement. We encourage both sides to reach a deal, but we are prepared to act if need be.
Karine Trudel NDP Jonquière, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canada Post has greatly exaggerated the amount of mail that has accumulated.
In Toronto, there are 70 semi-trailers of mail, not hundreds as Canada Post is claiming in the media. There is one truck in London, six in Hamilton, two in Halifax, and 15 in Moncton. All this mail can be delivered in a matter of days. Canada Post fabricated a false crisis and the government took the bait.
Why is the Minister of Labour not protecting workers' safety? Why did she side with management instead of protecting postal workers' rights?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with organized labour across the country for three years now to show that a government can respect them. We believe that organized labour is essential for growing the middle class and helping those who want to join it.
We will always respect unions. We will always work with unions. We know that the best solutions for resolving disputes are often found at the negotiating table and we will continue to encourage people to reach an agreement. However, we are prepared to take action if they cannot reach an agreement.
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Mr. Speaker, despite its being unconstitutional, the Liberals placed back-to-work legislation on notice yesterday, thereby destroying any incentive for Canada Post to negotiate seriously. The Prime Minister rationalizes this by saying that Christmas and important shopping days are coming. What message is he giving to thousands of CUPW workers whose physical and mental health and families are compromised because Canada Post refuses to negotiate fairly? How is the Prime Minister any different from Stephen Harper?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we have transformed the relationship between the Government of Canada and organized labour across this country. We have engaged in a thoughtful, positive way. I have been proud to attend many, many meetings with a broad range of labour groups over the past years. We continue to build on this important partnership, important for us, important for labour, and important for Canadians as well. We will continue to respect and work with organized labour. We will continue to ensure there is every opportunity to solve these challenges at the bargaining table, which is the right place for them, but we are ready to act if necessary.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, three and a half years ago, before he became Prime Minister, the Liberal leader posited a, shall we say, novel economic theory. He said, and I quote: as you know, the budget will balance itself.
Of course, no one on earth bought into the Prime Minister's economic theory, and for good reason. He is not much of a theoretician, but for the past three years, he has been putting his theory into practice and seeing what his vision for balancing the budget amounted to.
We still have to face reality though. When will the budget be balanced?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, once again, we will take no lessons from the former Conservative government, considering that it added more billions to the national debt than any other government in the history of this country. When that government was in power, it ran deficit after deficit.
Not only that, but the Conservatives had precious little economic growth or job creation to show for it. We have invested in Canadians and communities. We have created jobs and economic growth. Our plan to help the middle class is working.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, no one on Earth buys into the Prime Minister's theory that a budget balances itself. Why? Because it is not true.
When he was elected in 2015, he talked about a small deficit of $10 billion for the first two years and then $6 billion after that. The deficit is two or three times that amount. He also committed to balancing the budget in 2019, which is only about 40 days away.
Can the Prime Minister tell Canadians when the budget will be balanced?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, it is very true that our economic approach is the complete opposite of that of the Conservatives. They had a hard time generating economic growth. Why? They were giving tax breaks and benefits to the wealthiest, whereas we are investing in the middle class. We have helped children, we have helped families, we have helped seniors, we have helped our entrepreneurs, and we have cut small business taxes. Our investments in the middle class are working and generating economic growth. The Conservatives do not have a plan for creating economic growth.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, there he goes again insulting the people whose taxes he wants to raise. Of course, he said soccer moms and hockey dads were too rich and that is why he needed to take away their children's fitness tax credits. He said farmers and small business owners were rich tax cheats and that is why he needed to attack them, meanwhile protecting his own trust fund and the family business of the finance minister. Despite all of the revenue windfall from his higher taxes, the deficit is three times what he promised it would be this year. Will he tell us in what year the budget will be balanced?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, $4 million a month. That is how much money this government is sending for the kids in the riding of Carleton, over 17,000 kids, who are receiving more money every year than under the Conservative government. Why did the member not invest in the families in his riding?
We are seeing record levels of growth across this country. We are seeing record low levels of unemployment. We are investing in Canadians' future, and our plan is working.
While they continue to try to pretend that deficits are something they have no experience with—