Debates of Dec. 8th, 2021

Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, if there were an increase of half a percentage point in interest rates, what would that do to the cost of consumer debt?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, I will quote Moody's once again: “Canada's sovereign...[debt] profile is supported by its very high economic and institutional strength, which underpins its resilience to economic shocks.”

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, what would a 1% rate increase do to Canadian households that are suffering under the inflation tax and the likelihood of a rate increase to come?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, our government is taking steps every day to make life more affordable, including the Canada child benefit and our $30-billion investment in child care from coast to coast to coast.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, on what date will the budget be balanced?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, again Moody's says it expects Canada's credit profile to be resilient over the medium term for growth. We are going to continue to reduce spending as an anchor of debt-to-GDP ratio.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, would the minister like to check with officials and answer the question?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, I was clear, as has been the finance minister, that we are going to reduce spending as an anchor of debt-to-GDP ratio, and we will continue to bring that ratio down.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, how much credibility does the government expect to have on this when it has blown through every single marker of debt-to-GDP, and every other measurement of public debt, since it has come to office?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, Moody's expects Canada's credit rating to be resilient over the medium term for growth.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, how many applications under the first-time homebuyer initiative have been funded in 2021?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, we will continue to invest in Canadians and in the Canada child benefit, and we will inject $30 billion in child care from coast to coast to coast.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, the Prime Minister, several times in the last two weeks, has touted that program as part of the government's housing solution.

In July 2021, the government had only funded 9,000 out of the 100,000 expected. Could he give us an update on that program, and how many mortgages have been funded under the first-time homebuyer initiative?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Chair, I am very pleased that I am asked a question about housing. There is too little time to describe the loads of measures that we have put into place that have helped, in many respects, one million Canadians since the start of the national housing strategy in 2017.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, does he think that 9,000 out of a 100,000 target is an acceptable metric, or an acceptable mark of success, for a program that the Liberals described as “transformational” on the eve of the 2019 election?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Madam Chair, I mentioned a million Canadians. There were 530,000 Canadians lifted out of housing need because of the measures that we put into place. There are 300,000 homes being renovated and 150,000 new homes to be constructed with just one of those programs, and there are many more things to come.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, what is the median price of a single detached home in the city of Edmonton?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, the party opposite ran on a platform proposing a debt and spending $168 billion. That is way more than we ever put on the paper.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, is it possible that the minister does not know the answer to that question? I referred to his own city.

Perhaps he knows the answer to the question: What is the median house price in the city of Edmonton?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Madam Chair, the example of Edmonton is a very good one. It gives me the opportunity to talk about the $4-billion housing accelerator fund. These are dollars that we look forward to investing with municipalities to help them build new homes.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, how much federal land has the government released for residential development?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, our government is committed to making housing affordable from coast to coast to coast. There are tens of billions of dollars invested in that and we will continue to do that.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Chair, do these estimates contemplate carbon pricing on energy imports?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Madam Chair, my question to the member opposite is this: Does he believe in climate change?

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Yes, Madam Chair, and the minister will have a chance to ask questions when he gets over to this side of the House, although I doubt he would make it.

The question was this: What would the price of carbon have to be on imports to be equivalent to—