House of Commons Hansard #84 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was billion.

Topics

BudgetOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC

Mr. Speaker, there are good measures in the budget, but we are in the midst of a health crisis, and the Liberals must be out of touch with reality to run a $354-billion deficit without permanently increasing health transfers.

Quebeckers' priority is health. That is also the Government of Quebec's priority. The only thing it asked the government to do was boost health transfers to cover 35% of health care costs.

That is why the Bloc Québécois amended the budget to add health transfers. That is what Quebec wants. Will the Liberals support our amendment?

BudgetOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to hear that the Bloc thinks there are good measures in the budget.

With respect to health, I agree that the priority for all Canadians is the fight against COVID-19. The federal government is here to support the territories and provinces. Last month, we injected an additional $5 billion in support for health care systems and vaccination rollout.

BudgetOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC

Mr. Speaker, that is a far cry from the 35% proposed in our amendment.

It is not a question of money, because Ottawa has staked everything on its borrowing capacity. Despite the historic deficit, it is creating $100 billion in new spending. It has money for health care.

It is clearly a political choice not to invest in addressing the problems that the pandemic has exposed. It is a choice not to invest in improving seniors' care. It is a choice not to invest in improving working conditions for caregivers. These are bad choices.

What will it take for the government to realize that?

BudgetOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, we are investing much more in health and in Canada's biomanufacturing capacity. We invested $5 billion in March. Last summer, we gave $19 billion to the provinces and territories to help them fight COVID-19.

In addition, as my colleague just said, we have allocated $2.2 billion in the budget to our domestic vaccine production capacity.

BudgetOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC

Mr. Speaker, three months ago the Prime Minister gave the finance minister a mandate letter, instructing her to do three things: first, avoid creating new permanent spending; second, review Canada's debt management strategy; and, third, present a new fiscal anchor.

That is the standard the Prime Minister set himself, and yet the minister followed none of them. Her budget contains massive permanent spending, the debt is out of control, and our only fiscal anchor is a floating one.

Why did the minister ignore these directives, and is she going to ignore future ones as well?

BudgetOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, our budget sets out a prudent and sustainable fiscal path. We set out a clear fiscal anchor.

We commit to a declining debt-to-GDP ratio, and to unwinding the COVID deficits. By 2025-26, the debt-to-GDP ratio will be 49.2%, and the deficit will be 1.1%.

Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio continues to be the lowest in the G7.

BudgetOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect their government to help them in their time of need, and we support those efforts.

However, the budget is also, by far, the biggest, most expensive in Canadian history. Our deficit has ballooned to a staggering $354 billion, and our national debt will soon reach an unimaginable $1.4 trillion. The budget fails to present a debt management plan that the Prime Minister had told his finance minister to deliver.

Why did the minister disregard the Prime Minister's directive? When will she deliver his debt management plan?

BudgetOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, in annex 2 of the budget, we present a very clear debt management strategy, and we point out that we have been carefully and thoughtfully pushing out the maturities of Canada's debt. Fifteen per cent of our bonds were long bonds before the pandemic. Last year, we pushed that out to 29%, and in the budget we commit to moving that to 42%.

This is a prudent fiscal approach and will lock in today's low interest rates.

BudgetOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Mr. Speaker, just three months ago, the Prime Minister gave his ministers new mandate letters.

The Minister of Finance's mandate letter asked her to do three things: avoid creating new permanent spending, review the debt management strategy, and present a new fiscal anchor.

Over the past three months, the Minister of Finance has rejected each of these mandates. This budget will go down in history as the highest-spending budget in Canada's history, with a slew of new permanent spending measures.

Political commentator Bernard Drainville was not fooled. He said this morning that the Liberal government seemed to be making a point of not talking about balancing the budget.

Why?

BudgetOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I have to point out for Canadians that our fiscal approach is prudent and reasonable.

In the budget, we presented a plan to reduce the federal debt-to-GDP ratio in the medium term and unwind COVID-19-related deficits.

I also want to point out that Canada has the best fiscal position in the G7.

BudgetOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is not complicated. The fiscal anchor they set is the amount they will spend. That is the fiscal anchor in the budget.

We are going to have to get used to hearing the word “trillion” here in the House. It is not a word that comes up often. It means $1,000 billion. Our national debt will soon hit $1.4 trillion.

I want to share a quote. A certain person wrote that, with time, living beyond our means is unsustainable, even if the exact moment when higher interest rates crystallize is uncertain.

Does the Minister of Finance agree with the person who wrote that statement, the keynote speaker at the last Liberal convention, one Mark Carney?

BudgetOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I want to once again call on the Conservative Party to be straight with Canadians and say whether the Conservative Party is the party of austerity or whether it wants us to spend more, on health care, for example, as Conservative members said at the beginning of question period.

It is important to be consistent. Canadians want consistency, and that is what our government offers.

BudgetOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC

Mr. Speaker, here are some numbers from the past year: $78 billion in increased wealth for Canada's billionaires; $42 billion in bank profits during a pandemic; $25 billion in tax dollars going to overseas tax havens. Here are some numbers from budget 2021: zero dollars raised from a wealth tax; zero dollars raised from a pandemic profits tax; zero dollars recouped now from overseas tax havens. If we are all in this together, why do Liberals always give a free ride to the ultra rich?

BudgetOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely believes that everyone in Canada needs to pay their fair share and that is why we have proposed a number of concrete measures in this budget. We are putting forward a luxury tax. We are putting forward a digital services tax. We are putting down unprecedented measures to crack down on tax evasion and aggressive tax planning schemes and finally, we are putting forward a tax on vacant and non-resident properties because homes are for Canadian families to live in.

BudgetOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON

Mr. Speaker, young people have been some of the hardest hit by this pandemic. The third wave will only make things worse. The budget is an utter disappointment to students and young people who have had to make fundamental shifts in their education, employment and financial situations. The NDP is calling for a moratorium on student loan payments and putting an end to student loan interest permanently so young people do not have to spend years under crushing debt.

Will the Prime Minister and the government commit to taking real action to help young people instead of these platitudes which do not go far enough?

BudgetOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, we have committed nearly $6 billion to support young Canadians in this budget. Those are not mere platitudes. We are going to support Canadian students. We are going to make an education more affordable. We are going to create 500,000 work experience and job training opportunities. Early learning and child care, which we will build, will help young Canadians first and foremost.

BudgetOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Iqra Khalid Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON

Mr. Speaker, the past year saw low-wage workers, youths, racialized Canadians and women leave the workforce in disproportionate numbers. Businesses in my riding have been clear: a robust economy depends on increasing labour force participation and budget 2021 addresses this.

Could the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance update us on how this budget will make generational investments building a Canada-wide early learning and child care system to get more people to work?

BudgetOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Ottawa—Vanier Ontario

Liberal

Mona Fortier LiberalMinister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Mississauga—Erin Mills for her hard work and leadership.

Budget 2021 will ensure that families in Canada are no longer burdened by high child care costs aiming for a 50% average fee reduction by the end of 2022, and reaching $10 per day on average by 2026. This budget will invest almost $30 billion working with provincial, territorial and indigenous partners to support quality, not-for-profit child care, and ensuring the needs of early childhood educators are at the heart of the system.

We told Canadians we would do whatever it takes for as long as it takes and that is what—

BudgetOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill.

Committees of the HouseOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Leona Alleslev Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, the proceedings at defence committee are both reprehensible and unparliamentary. The defence committee chair has unlawfully used her authority to subvert the will of the committee and frustrate its ability to conduct the critical study into the allegations of sexual misconduct in the military.

As a former officer, she swore to put service to country ahead of her own personal gain, yet she has turned her back on women in uniform by preventing the committee’s work.

Will the member for Kanata—Carleton inform this House when she will urgently resume the defence committee?

Committees of the HouseOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. chair of the committee, if she is online.

We will go to the vice-chair.

Committees of the HouseOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, as the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence, I want to thank the member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill for her strong and sincere leadership on this file.

I share her disgust with the contemptuous Liberal actions at and the disgraceful obstruction of the defence committee. The member for Kanata—Carleton in particular is preventing us from investigating sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces.

As committee chair, she is allowing Liberal members to block key witnesses from appearing and suspended the committee with no date or time for resuming debate. The member for Kanata—Carleton must immediately end the cover-up for the Prime Minister, which she is doing at the expense of our women and men in uniform.

Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB

Mr. Speaker, a constituent shared this with me the other day, “Just one thing: get the vaccine rolling please. I have a medical condition and 811 said it would be 16 weeks. Really?”

Constituents like this, and millions of other Canadians, are suffering from Liberal vaccine fumbles while they watch other jurisdictions safely and permanently reopen.

Will the Prime Minister stop the spin and blame and just admit he has failed Canadians?

Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Oakville Ontario

Liberal

Anita Anand LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement

Mr. Speaker, I want to tell Canadians that when they needed PPE, we procured 7.2 billion items of PPE. When they needed rapid tests, we procured 40 million rapid tests.

The same is true with vaccines. We have procured vaccines by the millions: 48 to 50 million will be arriving by the end of June and 110 million by the end of September. We are sitting at number two in the G20 for doses administered, and we will continue to bring in vaccines for all Canadians.

Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Kram Conservative Regina—Wascana, SK

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 drive-through vaccine clinic in my home city of Regina had to shut down last weekend after it ran out vaccine.

The Government of Saskatchewan announced that unless it receives an unscheduled delivery of vaccines soon, Regina’s innovative and efficient drive-through clinic will remain closed until May 2.

Why does the government continue to put thousands of lives at risk across Canada by not securing a reliable and steady supply of vaccines?