Debates of June 4th, 2019

Ramadan

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for the billions of Muslims across the world, the past month has been one of reflection, perseverance and gratitude. To mark the end of Ramadan, our Muslim brothers and sisters will celebrate Eid al-Fitr. After a month of fasting and spiritual reflection, it is a time for celebration and to honour the values of Islam.

I was proud to have the opportunity to host an iftar dinner in my community of Brampton West, at the Brampton Islamic Centre, and to connect with our Muslim brothers and sisters during the holy month. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the mosques in my riding, Brampton Islamic Centre, Masjid Al-Salam, North Valley Islamic Centre, Yaseen Musalla and Masjid Mubarak, for all they do in our community and for sharing the values of kindness, peace, unity and generosity, the same values we are proud to share as Canadians.

To all those celebrating in Brampton West, across Canada and around the world, Eid Mubarak.

Community Service

[Jati Sidhu, Liberal, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize one person working to make a difference in my riding: Daphaney Doss from Xaxli'p First Nation. Daphaney is preparing for her second Great Cycle Challenge cancer fundraising ride. Last year she travelled 250 kilometres and raised $1,300.

Daphaney is truly an inspiration. She rides to honour the loss of two family members and to raise cancer awareness for those in her community and surrounding areas. I would like to thank Daphaney for her outstanding community service as she continues to motivate others and make a difference.

I encourage Daphaney to keep up the great work. We are all behind her.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised he would bring in some kind of golden age for our immigration system, but four years later it is clear that the reality is completely different. Illegal immigration has ballooned, and those who want to come the right way are very frustrated by the ease with which people are jumping the line. Those who live in China, India or the Philippines cannot just walk across the border into Canada, and people languishing in refugee camps around the world know it is wrong that they do not have the same opportunity to access the refugee system as people living in upstate New York.

The family reunification system is deeply broken, and no action has been taken to improve credential recognition. Meanwhile, organizations seeking to help privately sponsor refugees, Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan, Ahmadis and Christians stuck in Thailand, gays and lesbians escaping Iran, Rohingyas, Yazidis and many others, organizations wanting to help the world's most vulnerable on their initiative and with their own money, experience road block after road block.

So much for helping refugees. The government is getting in the way of Canadians who want to help the most vulnerable. On immigration and refugees, the Prime Minister is clearly not as advertised.

Châteauguay—Lacolle

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to remind the House of some of the things our government has accomplished in my riding since taking office.

First, the hazardous wreck of the Kathryn Spirit was quickly and safely dismantled by our government.

Businesses, organizations and municipalities received nearly $8 million, not counting regional contributions and the doubling of the federal gas tax fund for municipal infrastructure.

Our Canada child benefit put over $6 million a month back in the pockets of some 11,000 families, tax free.

We organized approximately 30 round tables and consultations with various stakeholders and created our youth council, which is looking into the issue of climate change.

Lastly, I sponsored a bill that is currently before the Senate to change the name of my riding to the more accurate Châteauguay—Les Jardins-de-Napierville.

A lot has been accomplished, but there is still work to be done.

Marguerite Charlebois

[Michel Picard, Liberal, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a few minutes to talk about the fabulous Marguerite Charlebois.

Armed with a great sense of humour and an infectious joie de vivre, this wonderful woman has been serving the House of Commons since January 1981, when Pierre Elliott Trudeau was leading the government.

Marguerite worked as a server in the parliamentary restaurant for 15 years before becoming a hostess, the job she has cheerfully held for the past 23 years. On the eve of her 79th birthday, she is planning to retire for what would actually be the third time.

I know that our beloved Marguerite is with us today. On behalf of all my colleagues, I want to thank her for her 38 years of service to the House. We wish her good health, happiness and fun in her well-deserved retirement.

Marguerite, you are so precious to us. You are one in a million.

Forestry Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, British Columbia is the largest producer of softwood in North America. Forestry is a cornerstone industry in our provincial economy. It generates $33 billion in output and $13 billion in GDP. B.C. leads the world in sustainable forestry practices. Over 140,000 jobs are directly attributed to forestry in British Columbia, and over 140 communities in our province are forestry-dependent. About $8.6 billion in wages are generated by the forestry industry.

However, last week, in the Senate, the Liberal leader said that the Prime Minister missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to renegotiate NAFTA with softwood in it and put an end to the softwood lumber dispute once and for all, because he had other priorities. This was not his priority.

Mill closures and work curtailment notices are being seen across our province, yet hard-working forestry families are not the Prime Minister's priority.

Cloverdale—Langley City

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the residents of Cloverdale—Langley City. I humbly offer my thanks and gratitude for the honour of serving them in the 42nd Parliament. I have had some great jobs in my life, but this one is by far the best.

I heard their issues on the doorsteps, and that is why I am so proud to be part of this government, which responded.

In our first month in office, we cut taxes for the middle class, saving each person $720 every year. We introduced the Canada child benefit, which brings $84 million tax-free annually to Cloverdale—Langley City.

We invested $1.3 billion in transit south of the Fraser, including $650,000 for the next phase of the SkyTrain expansion down Fraser Highway toward Clayton and Langley City, and expanded bus services throughout our neighbourhoods. We invested more than $10 million in our growing communities in Cloverdale-Langley City. Upgrades happened to the Cloverdale Athletic Park, Penzer Park and the Museum of Surrey.

With their support, I will continue the work I started this term in the 43rd Parliament.

Tribute to the Women of Hochelaga

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the riding of Hochelaga is full of talent.

Since we often pay tribute to men, today I want to honour Hochelaga women, like Victoire Du Sault, who became the first female shoemaker in Quebec around 1890. She launched the shoemaking business on which the Dufresne family of Hochelaga built its fortune. Then there is Mary Travers, a very popular singer from the 1930s who performed under the name La Bolduc. She raised a family on Létourneux Street and was the first woman in Quebec to make a living as a singer. There is also Diane Dufresne, a big international rock star, and Louise Harel, an MNA, minister and party leader who is active in provincial and municipal government.

I could also name plenty of less-known women who founded, supported and exported our many community organizations, such as Jeannelle Bouffard, Jacynthe Ouellette, Manon Bonin, Anne St-Pierre, Monique Blanchet, Johanne Cooper, Nicole Forget Bashonga, Manon Bouchard, Edith Cyr, Jeanne Doré, Jacinthe Larouche, Sylvie Boivin, Barbara Jomphe and Fabienne Larouche. There are many other incredible women in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, but I do not have time to list them all in one minute.

The Environment

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, protecting Canada's environment is something that is important to so many Canadians, and we need to look at the current Liberal government's record. It put in place a carbon tax that affects only 8% of major emitters. It has dumped millions of litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River. It has essentially put in place reverse tariffs on Canadian manufacturers while allowing other major emitter countries to import goods like steel into our country. We are buying environmental goods and we are punishing our own manufacturers because of the carbon tax. This is not how we are going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. A carbon tax does not work.

A Conservative environmental plan will never put in place a cash grab instead of policy that actually reduces greenhouse gas emissions. When it comes to the environment, the Liberal leader is not as advertised.

Liberal Party of Canada

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives want to govern, but Canadians have not forgotten their record from the last time.

Here are a few of the Conservatives' highlights. The previous Liberal government left them a $13-billion surplus, and the Conservatives turned it into the worst accumulation of debt in Canadian history: almost $150 billion in 10 years. With pipelines, there is nothing to highlight. On the environment, they did nothing on climate change, but they muzzled scientists.

As far as social programs are concerned, the Conservatives closed veterans services offices, eliminated the court challenges program, cut funding to women's rights organizations and abandoned our seniors, not to mention their contempt for first nations.

In four years, our government has supported the middle class, lowered taxes for small businesses and created one million jobs. The unemployment rate is at its lowest in 40 years, and we have a plan for fighting climate change.

Under the Liberals, poverty among children and seniors is declining. Under the Conservatives, it is Canada that declines.

Finance

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, middle-class taxes are up $800 per family under the Liberal government, and it is starting to hurt.

MNP, the accounting firm, reports that almost half of Canadians are less than $200 away from insolvency every month. In April, over 11,000 Canadians did go insolvent, a 9% annual increase over the previous year.

When will the government realize that Canadians are taxed to the max and cannot afford to pay any more?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the government realized back in the fall of 2015 that it needed to lower taxes on middle-class Canadians.

When people say things, it does not make them true. The fact of the matter is that nine million middle-class Canadians have lower taxes, because we lowered the tax bracket between $45,000 and $90,000 by 7%. We added on the Canada child benefit, making sure that nine out of 10 families are better off.

The facts are clear. In 2019, a typical family is $2,000 better off than in 2015 under the previous government.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister does not think anybody who takes the bus is middle class, so he raised their taxes by taking away their transit tax. He does not think that soccer moms and hockey dads are middle class, so he took away their children's fitness tax credit. He does not think students are middle class, so he took away the education and textbook tax credits. That does not even include the carbon and payroll tax increases.

What is worse is what is to come. The government is spending at an unsustainable rate requiring higher taxes, if it is re-elected. Why will the government not tell the truth about the higher costs that Canadians will pay when the Liberals no longer need their votes but still need their money?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we were able to manage to lower taxes on Canadians even with the $150 billion of additional debt left to us by the previous government. What we have said is that what we need to continue to do is to ensure that Canadians are successful.

We took away boutique tax credits, because we wanted to make sure that the broad cross-section of Canadians were better off. That is what the Canada child benefit did. That is what the lowering of middle-class taxes did.

The Liberal approach is helping Canadians, not just the friends of Conservatives.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, people who take the bus, people who put their kids in sports, students who go to university and college, I am happy to call those people Conservative friends.

However, they have no friends on that side of the House, because these Liberals will continue to raise taxes on middle-class Canadians, another $23-billion spending increase and a promise-breaking deficit to go along with it.

Why do the Liberals not just admit that after the election, if, God forbid, they are back, there will be massive tax increases to pay for all of this out-of-control spending?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the continued focus on how Canadians are doing, because we want to reiterate that a typical family of four with two children is $2,000 better off this year than they were back in 2015.

We will continue our approach to making sure that we help middle-class Canadians, and we will continue to focus on how we can ensure that the economy does well. Our investments have made a really big difference for Canada. We are going to continue to invest in Canadians.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance must remember that four years ago, when he decided to offer his services to Canadians as a candidate and Minister of Finance, he promised to run three small deficits and then no deficit in 2019. Four years later, the reality is three huge deficits and a deficit of nearly $20 billion in 2019. His credibility when it comes to managing public funds has evaporated. Sadly, his word has become worthless, since he promises one thing and does the opposite.

Does he at least realize that a deficit is a tax on future generations?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we made an important promise, to invest in the future of Canada and Canadians. Fortunately, our investments have been very good for our economy. Unemployment is at its lowest in 40 years. More than a million new jobs were created in four years. This is a great economic situation, and things are going very well for Canadians. We will continue with our approach of investing in our future with optimism.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what is unfortunate about the Minister of Finance is that back when he was a Bay Street baron, if I may call him that, he managed private sector money very realistically and very responsibly. Throughout his career in the private sector, he never ran up a deficit. Ever since he started taking care of taxpayers' money, however, it has been deficit after deficit. There have been four budgets and four deficits. That is the grand slam of mismanagement of public funds.

Will the minister finally admit that he did not keep his promise and his commitment for a zero deficit in 2019, and that a deficit is a tax on future generations?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, in both the private sector and the public sector, it is important to have faith in the future. With the faith we have in our country, we have invested in our future. That is a good thing, because we are now in a much better situation than before. We have the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years. That is clear. We began at 7.2% under the previous Conservative government, and it is now 5.8%. That is making a big difference for Canada and for Canadians.

Taxation

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 65 years ago, individuals and corporations paid the same amount of income tax. Since then, the balance has tipped in favour of corporations. Corporate taxes have been cut, and individuals have been forced to make up the difference, because the Liberals and Conservatives refuse to put people ahead of corporations. We have the courage to do things differently.

Will the Liberals commit to helping people and making sure the rich pay their fair share?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we started by changing our approach. We cut taxes for the middle class by 7% for those who earn between $45,000 and $90,000 a year. At the same time, we added another bracket for the wealthy. This is important for our country. It is very good for the middle class, and it has helped us develop an economy that is working well right now.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in the 1970s, individuals and corporations paid the same amount of tax. Now, corporations pay only a third. Conservatives and Liberals have slashed corporate tax rates and failed to crack down on offshore tax havens.

Who does this benefit? It is not everyday families. They do not use offshore tax havens, but the Westons, Irvings and the richest families in Canada sure do. While the Liberals and Conservatives help the richest save billions, they have failed to invest in housing, health care and pharmacare. Does the government not agree that the rich should pay their fair share?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am not really sure where to start, but perhaps we could start with the fact that, yes, we have a corporate tax rate that is competitive with the United States. However, at the same time, what we have been able to do is to ensure our system works for all Canadians.

We have lowered taxes for middle-class Canadians. We raised taxes on the top one per cent. We went after ensuring that we have an approach to dealing with offshore taxation that could actually work by putting in place rules to ensure that we can see through people's holdings in other countries. We have made important movement on all these fronts, ensuring our tax system works so our economy can work for investing in the future.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are continuing to put the richest ahead of everyday people. They let KPMG off the hook for tax avoidance. They helped Sears financiers over the workers at Sears. They let drug companies protect their profits instead of helping Canadians who cannot afford the cost of medication.

Now Canada ranks 25th out of 37 countries on services for people. Liberals must stop helping their wealthy friends and start investing in people. Why are the Liberals refusing to ensure that the rich pay their fair share?