Debates of April 22nd, 2021

Financial Statement of Minister of Finance

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, would you like me to start over, since some of our colleagues were unable to understand the first part of my speech?

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

That is a good idea. The hon. member can start from the end of the first minute of his speech.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, some unusual wording in the budget document does suggest that aerospace is a strategic industry. It does not say that literally, but in a roundabout way, it does say that the spinoffs from this industry are strategic. Again, that is a start.

We have long been calling on the government to provide targeted assistance to the aerospace sector. The government responded that there are already universal programs like the Canada emergency wage subsidy. It is true that the wage subsidy has helped the aerospace industry and that extending it in this budget is good news for the industry.

However, some sectors have been hit harder than others and deserve targeted support. The aerospace sector is one of them, since planes are grounded and sales have dried up. The health crisis did not create all the problems in this sector, but it made them worse. The fact remains that our flagship companies, which took generations to build, are at risk of disappearing in a matter of months.

In practical terms, what does the budget contain for the aerospace industry? The main problem is that the budget is vague and short on details about how it will be implemented, even though it is over 700 pages long. The government has wasted a year doing nothing. We obviously cannot wait another year. Something needs to be done.

When we look more closely at the broad strokes of the budget, we see that it sets out funding in two ways. It allocates $250 million to help businesses with technological and digital upgrades and $1.7 billion through the strategic innovation fund.

The $250 million will be made available through regional digitization agencies. To be clear, it is very commendable to want to help businesses go digital. The money should mainly go to SMEs, and Quebec has 200 SMEs in the aerospace industry.

A country that is home to the third-largest aerospace hub in the world, behind Seattle and Toulouse, and that is capable of building an entire aircraft from nose to tail should not have regional objectives. Rather, it should have a national vision, a consistent strategy that views the entire sector as a—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

I am sorry, but I must interrupt the member again because there is still a bit of a problem with the Internet connection.

We will try again.

I would ask the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot to start his speech again from about the midpoint.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Okay, Mr. Speaker.

As for the $1.7 billion, the government is essentially lumping the aerospace industry in with other industries such as the energy, mining, steel and aluminum industries. Although the budget is extremely short on details, I do want to point out that the aerospace industry deserves its own money specifically to work on greening its aircraft.

We are a long way off from the plan that France has announced, which will get its hydrogen-powered plane in the air by 2035. The Canadian government is doing everything piecemeal. France knows how to develop a coherent strategic vision for a vital sector.

Furthermore—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Unfortunately, we do not have any interpretation right now. Does the hon. member have another headset he could use?

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am using the House-issued headset and I am not sure I have another, but I can check in the office.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

For now, I will ask the hon. member to try to continue his speech, but I would ask him to speak more slowly and put the microphone close to his mouth, to make the interpretation easier.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, one of the problems is that this plan to help the aerospace and airline industries green their aircraft is so far off from what France is planning. France has announced that its hydrogen-powered plane will be flying by 2035. Here, the government is doing everything piecemeal. France knows how to develop a coherent strategic vision for a vital sector.

Another problem is that the funding is being distributed through the strategic innovation fund. This fund is problematic because its criteria exclude SMEs. For example, if we look at its support for transportation electrification, funds went to Ontario-based multinationals instead of SMEs in Quebec. Quebec's SMEs are actively innovating in the field of electrification, but they cannot access the fund because of its criteria.

It is important to note that 99% of the fund's money went to Ontario, mostly to multinationals based there, even though the Ontario government is against electric vehicles. Members may recall that one of the first things the Government of Ontario did was eliminate electric vehicle purchasing incentives, causing a 50% drop in electric vehicle sales. I will wrap up my remarks about transportation electrification here because I just wanted to point out the flaws in the strategic innovation fund. The fund's criteria must be changed so that Quebec's SMEs can benefit from it.

Again, when it comes to greening aircraft, Quebec can lead the way in this sector. Take, for example, the Coalition for Greener Aircraft, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing smarter, more efficient and effective technologies. The coalition is made up of industry partners. Phase one, set up in 2010 by the Government of Quebec within the framework of the Quebec strategy for research and innovation, lasted until 2015 and involved six large companies, 28 SMEs, and 16 universities and research centres in Quebec. It is now at phase three. That is how a real policy is created.

The machinists' union was right when it said it did not help the workers in the sector. The budget presents a Canada-wide strategy for artificial intelligence. That is very good, but why is there no Canada-wide strategy for the aerospace sector? When will the government understand how important it is?

We will just have to keep educating the government. We managed to make the government understand that the airline industry and the aerospace industry are not the same thing. Now we have to get it to realize that a strategic policy for a strategic industry takes more than financial assistance.

I want to talk about something else related to the aerospace industry, and that is the tax on luxury goods. The sale of private aircraft is part of that.

Canada is a country that exports business aircraft. We have 700 suppliers. We spend an average of about $1.2 billion on goods and services from Canadian suppliers. That can have an impact. Of course, we need to pay back the debt, which will be huge, and taxing the wealthy is not a problem at all. However, what may cause problems and could impact the supply chain in Quebec and Ontario is the way we go about it.

I completely agree that the government should tax the sale of luxury planes for personal use, but the description set out in the annex of the budget of what constitutes a personal aircraft is very broad. The definition will need to be refined because, with some exceptions, all aircraft with a carrying capacity of 39 passengers or more could fall under the definition of an aircraft for personal use.

A company that buys aircraft for commercial, rather than personal, use could actually fit that definition. That could be problematic. Although the annex mentions that some aircraft used in certain commercial activities, such as public transportation, would be excluded, a company that is making such purchases is not doing so for the the purpose of public transportation. That should be clarified.

We also need to go farther in developing a real aerospace policy and a defence policy. National Defence should work with the industrial base to develop technologies. The government needs to fund a National Defence research program. Unfortunately, these are some of the many things that are missing from the budget.

I want to apologize to all my colleagues for the interruptions in my speech. I hope they will not have too much trouble piecing it all together and understanding the logic and what we expect of an aerospace policy.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

I also thank the hon. member for his patience regarding the technical problems we had during his speech. I would also like to acknowledge the patience of the interpreters, who are working hard to make the presentation accessible to everyone.

Questions and comments, the hon. member for North Island—Powell River.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I apologize for interrupting the member's speech. I am glad we figured things out. Of course, I give a huge thanks to the interpreters, who are working in these most concerning situations. This is our COVID reality.

For my question, I will go back to an issue that concerns me greatly. It is about seniors. We know the government has a commitment to increase the OAS for those aged 75 and up. I can think of many seniors across my riding who, at 65, really need the support, especially those receiving the guaranteed income supplement. I was disappointed that this was not raised, as they are the lowest-income seniors in all of Canada.

I am wondering what the member's thoughts are on that.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, of course it makes no sense.

On this issue, I am sure the seniors in my riding are not so different from those in my colleague's riding. We do not have two classes of seniors. A senior is anyone 65 years of age or older. All seniors have seen their purchasing power decline since the beginning of the pandemic. They are also facing a slew of other issues related to loneliness and hardship.

I imagine that many of us have not seen our parents and grandparents for quite some time. If we have seen them, it has been from a distance, and we have not been able to hug them. To address the solitude and the financial situation, political will is needed, but there is none to be found in this budget. The Bloc Québécois's amendment to the amendment should have been adopted.

In closing, I would like to join my colleague in praising our interpreters, who are doing an excellent job. Their task is not an easy one.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague mentioned, it is a big deal to be the third largest hub, after Toulouse and Seattle, in a sector as important as aeronautics and aerospace in Quebec, with everything that goes along with it.

People often compare the investments made in the automotive sector in Ontario against the decisions of governments that, over time, have neglected the aeronautics and aerospace sector, which is so important to Quebec.

I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Shefford, who is the MP for the riding next to mine.

Aside from the investments, a policy begins with a vision and consultation. If we really want to compare what was done with Ontario, we can see that Ottawa sits down with the industry, the provincial government and the unions to make plans and agree on a policy.

The late Jean Lapierre, who was a predecessor of my colleague from Shefford, said that aerospace was to Quebec what the auto sector is to Ontario. That is quite true. We need to have that vision, and the same sense that aerospace is a strategic sector.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Before we resume debate, it is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Fredericton, Indigenous Affairs; the hon. member for Bow River, Health; and the hon. member for Lethbridge, Natural Resources.

Resuming debate, the hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Scarborough—Rouge Park.

I am proud to join the debate today to speak in support of this historic budget, the first ever tabled by a female Minister of Finance and the most important budget in my lifetime. Budget 2021 will help Canadians recover from COVID-19, and it lays the foundation for a stronger, more resilient and more equitable future.

As the MP for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, I can say that this budget responds directly to the priorities my constituents shared with me in pre-budget consultations. We are providing support for affordable housing through expansions of the national housing strategy. We are making life more affordable for seniors through the increase in OAS for seniors over age 74. We are making historic investments in improving the lives of indigenous peoples. We are extending relief for businesses, extending stimulus and much more.

As the chair of the Liberal caucus in B.C., I can also attest that this budget addresses many of the most pressing issues in my province, and includes measures to seize the incredible opportunities that are here for the taking. In my limited time, I will focus on a selection of measures that are particularly important locally.

The first is child care. We cannot discuss this budget without reference to its historic investment of up to $30 billion over five years, with an ongoing $8 billion per year, to ensure high-quality, affordable and accessible early learning and child care across Canada. Now more than ever, the pandemic has highlighted the burden that child care scarcity places on our labour force. It is also a gender issue, as 12 times as many mothers as fathers had to leave their jobs to take care of children during the pandemic, driving women’s participation in the labour force to its lowest level in over two decades.

For years, many in my riding have been under strain from a lack of affordable and accessible child care. For example, there are over 5,100 children in the Sea to Sky region under 12 years old who are in need of child care and only 1,100 childcare spaces. Wait-lists for these child care spaces are running over two years in length, while the cost of child care ranges between $85 and $100 a day. As a result, many families in my riding are forced to pay $1,800 a month for child care or have to balance dual workdays caring for their children while trying to earn a living, a burden that negatively impacts not only the economy and parents, but children as well.

That is why our government has committed to ensuring that families in Canada are no longer burdened by high child care costs. Budget 2021 will allow for a 50% reduction in average fees for regulated early learning and child care by the end of 2022, with the ultimate goal of bringing fees for regulated child care down to $10 a day on average within the next five years. We will continue our efforts to grow quality affordable child care spaces across the country, building on the approximately 40,000 new spaces already created through previous federal investments since 2015. We will work with the provinces and territories to support primarily not-for-profit sector child care providers to grow quality spaces across the country, while ensuring that families in all licensed spaces benefit from more affordable child care.

In addition to improving the quality of life for families, our modelling has shown that this will help the economy grow by as much as 1.2%. Just about all leading economists agree that there is no measure that would increase our GDP more than this. This is a fitting flagship program for the first federal budget by Canada’s first female Minister of Finance.

Women are not the only hard-hit segment of our country. Given that we are navigating the third wave and that public health restrictions have ravaged small business, we need to first ensure the viability of our existing industry to lay the foundation for a robust recovery. Budget 2021 responds by extending the wage subsidy, rent subsidy and lockdown supports for businesses and non-profits until September 25. The wage subsidy alone has supported over 621,000 jobs in B.C. and has represented a lifeline for business.

I know how important this is because tourism is the biggest sector in my riding. It has been throttled by public health orders, and many places have been forced to close. Extending relief programs has therefore been the number one request of businesses in my riding. They look forward to again welcoming Canadians and the world.

These measures and the new Canada recovery hiring program, which will provide $595 million to make it easier for businesses to hire or rehire workers, were all announced in budget 2021, with enough time to start planning for a better summer and a better future. The measures, as well as new investments totalling $1 billion for tourism, arts and culture, will help businesses get through to the other side. Working toward reducing credit card fees will only help to further stimulate growth in the future.

This budget contains other historic measures that will make a massive impact in B.C. To date, B.C. has been lumped together with the prairie provinces and served by Western Economic Diversification. Given the distinct and diverse economy in B.C., it has been a long-standing priority to establish a separate regional development agency for our province.

Budget 2021 delivers on this by following through on the vision expressed in the fall economic statement and funding a new B.C. RDA to the tune of $553 million over the next five years. This will allow the RDA to expand from a singular office in our province to serve all regional and local priorities in the province, and to enable enterprises to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves in rural and urban areas.

Some of the biggest opportunities in Canada and B.C.’s future lie in the digital, bio and clean tech sectors. Part of our challenge in Canada is that while we have leading research being done at our educational institutions, and promising start-ups spinning off from them, we struggle to commercialize and scale. Promising businesses are getting gobbled up by bigger foreign counterparts and moving abroad, resulting in a brain drain.

This budget addresses these challenges with targeted investments. Over $2.2 billion is going towards growing the life sciences sector, which will also help ensure we are more resilient to future health crises. As part of this $2.2 billion, $92 million will go to B.C.-based adMare to ensure that we are not only discovering the delivery mechanisms for world-leading vaccines, as we did for the Pfizer vaccine, but also that Canadian companies can scale, manufacture and create more value-adding jobs.

Budget 2021 will also provide $360 million to launch a national quantum strategy to amplify Canada’s significant strength in quantum research and leading companies already in existence, such as D-Wave. One of the four main quantum hubs will be located in B.C., where we already have significant expertise.

An investment of $35 million, which will be matched by the Province of B.C., will help establish a B.C. centre for innovation and clean energy to advance the scale-up and commercialization of clean technologies in B.C. and across Canada.

We are going to need cleaner technologies not only to grow the economy, but also to reduce emissions. The $8 billion net zero accelerator fund, from investments in both this budget and the fall economic statement, will be able to fund promising measures to mitigate emissions from our large point sources and help wide-scale adoption of cleaner technologies across the country.

Our government’s past support helped Squamish-based Carbon Engineering to become the top clean-tech company in North America just last year. On top of this, we are going to add an additional $1 billion in funding to ensure companies can leverage additional private sector funding to become future leaders like Carbon Engineering.

Budget 2021’s commitment to lowering corporate taxes by half on companies that manufacture net zero technologies will allow these companies to not only start, but also grow and stay in Canada, continuing to provide the good jobs of the future.

Today at the Earth Summit, Canada announced a new 2030 GHG target that is 40% to 45% below 2005 levels. Decarbonizing our economy through these measures, the newly announced $40,000 no-interest loan for home energy retrofits, and other measures in budget 2021 will be key to realizing these lofty targets and meeting the aims of the Paris climate accord.

Given that today is Earth Day, it also bears mentioning that budget 2021 will invest over $4 billion towards ensuring we can protect 25% of our lands and waters by 2025. This process will create thousands of jobs in conservation, which can particularly help groups that are currently underrepresented in our economy, including first nations and youth.

This investment is so important to arrest the biodiversity crisis in Canada. This crisis has manifested in the most notable way in B.C. through the plight of wild Pacific salmon. Since the early 1990s, Pacific salmon stocks have declined by up to 93%. There is no issue that brings British Columbians of all walks of life together like this iconic species, which is critical to our blue economy.

To help prevent their potential extinction and the cascading impact that would have throughout our marine ecosystem, including on the similarly endangered killer whales that rely on them as a food source, budget 2021 provides a generational investment of $647 million over five years to stabilize and conserve wild salmon populations.

This historic investment will go towards new hatchery facilities, habitat restoration and research, as well as the creation of a Pacific salmon secretariat and restoration centre of expertise that will improve management of commercial and recreational fisheries.

As I see my time is running short, I would just like to say that this budget makes critical investments to ensure we have the backs of Canadians to get through this crisis, while making targeted investments in sectors that will drive job growth in the future. It does this by reducing inequities in our society while ensuring that we have both a green and a blue recovery. These measures are being taken in a manner that ensures our debt-to-GDP ratio will decline over time as we reap the rewards of these important investments in our economy and in the well-being of our communities.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, whom I serve with on the OGGO committee, for his speech today.

He mentioned it is Earth Day, and quite a few people have mentioned that. I also want to mention, and it has been overlooked, that today is the 70th anniversary of the famous battle at Kapyong in the Korean War, which, of course, many young Canadians fought in with the Princess Pats.

The reason it is important, besides being one of the most famous battles, is that a member of Parliament for Athabasca in the 1980s, Jack Shields, was a 21-year-old sergeant at the time. He fought in Kapyong, served there and later served here in the House. I want to mention that important anniversary today. Jack passed in 2004, but I want to thank him for his service in war and also in peace.

To the member's comments today, I grew up in North Vancouver. In North Vancouver is Seaspan, one of the partners in the shipbuilding strategy. It was going to build the Diefenbaker polar icebreaker for Canada. That was taken away by the Liberal government and left in suspension. It is not going to go to Seaspan. It is not going to Irving. It has been announced that it is going to Davie. There is nothing in the budget about this desperately needed polar icebreaker.

Can the member comment on why the government has taken it away from North Vancouver? It left it suspended and just is not following through on it.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank my colleague for Edmonton West and fellow member of the Government Operations and Estimates committee for his good question. I would also like wish him a happy Earth Day today, and recognize the incredible service of our veterans in Canada, now and always.

We are fully aware of the incredible importance of Seaspan and the national shipbuilding strategy throughout Canada. We have invested tens of billions of dollars in the shipbuilding strategy, from which Seaspan has benefited greatly. This has had a huge impact throughout the region. It really is a key part of our blue economy writ large. This budget provides plenty of opportunity, both for the north shore and throughout B.C. I think I mentioned some of the very important measures that will ensure that B.C. can continue to lead our country in economic growth.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

He spoke about the budget's key measure, the creation of a Canada-wide child care system. It would be difficult to criticize this measure as the government clearly copied what Quebec has been doing for years.

I find it odd to hear Liberal ministers stating that they had no choice but to invest so much money because we are in a pandemic. This measure, like many others, seems to be vote-seeking measure rather than one designed to help people during the pandemic.

The Parliamentary Budget officer stated that the budget did not need to include up to $70 billion or $100 billion in investments because the economy would gradually return to normal in the coming years.

I would like to hear what my colleague has to say about that. Does he believe that the deficit is too large?

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her important question.

When we talk about the cost of having a national child care program, we need to consider if we can afford this and we need to consider if we can afford not to do this. This is the most important measure that we can implement right across the country to ensure that we can grow our economy, more than anything else.

This budget has made investments and has committed to decreasing the debt-to-GDP ratio over time. The important investments we are making now will stimulate the economy to make sure that we have job growth and that we can take advantage of the incredible opportunities we have at our disposal. These investments are going to do just that. They are very targeted in measures that are going to lead directly to job growth.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to say best wishes to you and your wonderful wife Heather in your retirement. Although we sit on opposite sides of the House, I have often been inspired by your humility and integrity. I want to congratulate you and thank you for your service. It has been a pleasure working with you over the last five years.

I am speaking today from the unceded lands of the Algonquin people.

I want to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on her historic budget. It is historic in many ways, the most important of which is that it is the first federal budget introduced by a female finance minister. It is a historic moment for all of us. Of course, I speak in support of the budget, which offers so much hope to so many people.

Three main objectives are outlined in the budget. First is to finish the fight against COVID-19, a fight that all of us have been engaged in. Second is to heal the wounds of the COVID-19 pandemic. Third is to create more jobs and prosperity for all Canadians.

COVID-19 has impacted all of us in Canada and around the world. In Canada, we have lost over 23,000 people. My thoughts are with all those who have lost family members and friends to the pandemic. I know many have not even been able to celebrate their incredible lives at proper services over the last 14 months. My thoughts are also with the many who have lost their jobs and are struggling to hold on to their businesses.

As I speak today, our hospitals in Ontario are overflowing and are at the brim of collapse. They are struggling to cope with the third wave and are trying to arrest this virus. Scarborough is one of the hot spots. The Scarborough Health Network has done an incredible job, and so has Toronto Public Health, but despite our best efforts the pandemic appears to be out of control.

As a federal government, we have been at the forefront of fighting the pandemic. Eighty cents on the dollar has been spent by the federal government for all COVID-related spending in Canada. We have helped Canadians get back on their feet, and we will continue to do so until the end of the pandemic. Canadians expect all of us to work together at all levels of government, whether it be the provincial, federal or municipal governments. Locally, Canadians expect all of us to collaborate to come up with solutions. Let me make this clear: I intend to work with the other MPs elected in Scarborough, all five of them, along with our provincial and municipal counterparts.

At this moment, I want to acknowledge some of the members of the Scarborough Health Network whom I was fortunate to meet at one of the pop-up clinics: Dr. Lisa Salamon-Switzman, Dr. Kanna Vela and Dr. Mayoorendra Ravichandiran. I also want to acknowledge the TAIBU Community Health Centre, which I was able to visit recently as it was vaccinating people, and its executive director, Liben Gebremikael.

Like all Canadians, I know people who have died and who have survived COVID-19, so let me tell members about a fighter in my community of Scarborough—Rouge Park.

Peter Theraja is a small business owner. Back in January, he was diagnosed with COVID-19. He has been fighting this for the past three months with the help of his amazing family, the staff at Lakeridge Health in Ajax and his friends. He celebrated his 70th birthday two days ago, and sure to form, he is fighting one day at a time. I know that his miraculous recovery will return him home to look after his beautiful garden and his grandchildren.

It was a very hopeful birthday for Peter, and many see the light at the end of the tunnel. As vaccines roll out en masse, between 48 million and 50 million over the next 10 weeks, the struggle of all Canadians will come to an end.

As we come out of the pandemic, this budget looks to ensure that we build back better. Here are some of the key aspects of the budget that I wish to highlight.

As was mentioned by many, today is Earth Day. Climate change is real. Today, we are delivering on our commitment to Canadians and increasing our ambition to fight climate change and build a cleaner economy. This morning, our Prime Minister announced at the earth summit that we are committing to cutting emissions from 30% of 2005 levels to between 40% and 45% by 2030. This is where we need to go, for our health, for our economy and for our kids.

We have a credible and tested climate plan that is already delivering results. We have made historic investments of more than $100 billion to build a cleaner, healthier economy, with more good jobs for all Canadians. This includes $17.6 million for climate and environment; $15 billion through the strengthened climate plan; $15 billion in dedicated, ongoing transit; and $60 billion in pan-Canadian framework. We will continue to fight climate change, invest in our cleaner future and build a stronger economy.

Locally, in the city of Toronto, we will be supporting many of the initiatives on climate action, including the development of the Rouge National Urban Park, which became a reality in 2016, with the work of many of our colleagues, including my good friend from Scarborough—Guildwood.

The second major aspect of the budget is early learning and child care. We have had to wait over 50 years for a national child care program. The Royal Commission on the Status of Women reported in 1970 on the need for immediate prioritizing of this. Unfortunately, it has taken over 50 years to get here, but nevertheless we are here, and it is a historic moment for us to capture.

In the city of Toronto right now, the average expense of child care is $1,327 per child. That amount is unaffordable for many. The budget promises to develop a comprehensive plan, with a 50% reduction on the average fees to the end of next year and an average of $10 per day starting in 2025, with ongoing support thereafter to the provinces and territories to implement a national child care program.

Young Canadians have been critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I have had a chance to meet many from the riding of Scarborough—Rouge Park. The University of Toronto, Scarborough campus, Centennial College, Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute as well as St. Mother Teresa secondary school are all in my riding as are many other elementary schools. They have been impacted significantly on a number of fronts.

The budget proposes to invest $5.7 billion over the next five years to support young Canadians to get them on their feet and to ensure that the effects of the pandemic are limited to them. We will be waiving interest on student loans for another year, thereby saving $1.5 million. We will be enhancing repayment assistance, allowing many young people not having to pay back their student loan until they make $40,000 a year. We are redoubling Canada student loan grants to another 580,000 students and graduates. We are extending disability supports. We will also be providing an additional 50,000 work placements for students as well as 7,000 additional placements through the employment and skill strategy program. We will be providing 85,000 work-integrated learning placements through Mitacs.

The budget offers so much more, including one of the things for which I have been advocating, along with many of my colleagues, including the member for Pickering—Uxbridge as well as my other colleagues who have been directly impacted with long-term care homes. That is the investment of $3 billion into long-term care homes over the next several years. We have increased old age security payments for those who are over the age of 75 as well as other supports, including a $15 minimum wage, which is far overdue for those working in the federal sector.

Overall there are many elements of the budget that are critical, including additional investments in indigenous communities as well as combatting racism and investment in black communities.

I am very proud to support the budget. I want to thank all my colleagues for working hard for all Canadians during this pandemic.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about day care. I appreciate support for early childhood education and day care programs for those who wish to have it and those who are most vulnerable, single and low-income parents who need or want to work and deserve to have quality day care spaces that are designed and available specifically for them.

Under the government's plan, will all working parents be required to use a national government-run child care system as their only option to receive financial support while participating in the workforce.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, no, I do not believe that people will be forced to use the program. It will be available for everyone who needs it.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I listened closely to my colleague's speech, in which he talked about my favourite topic: the environment.

Canada has the highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the G20. On the one hand, the government allocates $17.6 billion in the budget to the green recovery, and, on the other hand, it spends $17.1 billion on the TransMountain pipeline.

Is this how we create a successful green recovery?