Debates of Oct. 17th, 2022

Taxation

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, certainly Canadians do not believe their plan to tax us more is revenue-neutral. Energy costs are expected to rise by double or, sadly, triple this winter. This is a tremendous burden for Atlantic Canadians. We are already suffering from the cost of living crisis, and of course hurricane Fiona has taken an inconceivable toll on Atlantic Canadians.

Why does the Prime Minister want to punish Atlantic Canadians by tripling, yes, I said tripling, the carbon tax and will he agree to end it?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his reference to rural and especially to Atlantic Canadians and Quebec Canadians, as we did bear the brunt of Fiona.

The federal government is there to help with disaster financial assistance arrangements with the provinces and with another $300 million administered through ACOA to help the agencies, the communities and those who are falling through the cracks. We will be there for Atlantic Canadians and Quebec Canadians as they battle these storms. That is why we need to address climate change. Ask anybody in my hometown of Port aux Basques if they believe in climate change; they certainly do.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are at a breaking point. Fifty-one per cent are only $200 away from bankruptcy. The government's proposed solution is more tax, freezing them out of their homes, if they are lucky enough to even have one. It is going to triple the carbon tax on groceries, triple the carbon tax on home heating and triple the carbon tax on gas. Canadians need hope. They need a break, not more tax. Families need to not choose between buying a winter coat for their children or food on the table.

When will the Liberals do the compassionate thing and stop their triple tax hike?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite raised some important points about the struggles that Canadians and Canadian families are having right now, but she and her colleagues actually have an opportunity to help. There are several pieces of legislation on the floor of the House right now that would support Canadians to make those ends meet.

I do not understand why they do not want to help low-income Canadian children get their teeth fixed. I do not understand why they do not want to help Canadians with disabilities get a benefit. I do not understand why they do not want low-income renters to get a top-up. They have an opportunity. The Conservatives have an opportunity to—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Thérèse-De Blainville.

Employment Insurance

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, because of the pandemic, the EI fund is short $26 billion, but it is not the contributors' responsibility to pay off that debt by themselves. Neither workers nor businesses are responsible for the pandemic and its fallout. The Canada Employment Insurance Commission itself is concerned about the burden the government is putting on contributors.

Will the government take on the EI debt that has accrued since March 2020 instead of passing on the full cost of the pandemic to workers and businesses?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that Canadians deserve a flexible and proper employment insurance system. That is why we are working so hard to improve and modernize the EI system.

We will unveil our plan before the end of the year. I am very excited, and I think everyone will love it.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the House that the reason the unemployment rate rose during the pandemic was because governments asked companies to close their doors and, consequently, to put their employees out of work. That happened to thousands of workers. It was the right decision, obviously, but it is the government's responsibility to deal with the consequences of that decision.

In terms of CERB, the government is paying off the debt in the consolidated fund. Why is it refusing to take on the EI debt when those benefits were paid out for the same reasons and because of the same pandemic?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, we were here for workers and businesses during the pandemic and we will continue to be here for businesses and workers. We are modernizing our system so we can be better prepared if there is another pandemic. We will be here for workers and businesses.

Justice

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, there has been a 32% increase in violent crime with over 124,000 more violent crimes last year than in 2015. Under the Prime Minister, Canadian streets are less safe. That is a fact. Clearly, their approach to prioritizing the needs of criminals over victims is not working.

When will the Prime Minister finally get serious and start protecting Canadian families from violent offenders?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, too many Canadians have been hurt by gun violence and our government ran on the promise to redouble Canada's efforts to tackle this issue. We always put the safety of Canadians as our number one priority. That plan includes banning and buying back assault rifles, freezing the national handgun market and raising sentences for gun smugglers. My hope is that the hon. member across the aisle will support Bill C-21 at committee and allow us to keep Canadians safer.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, they could start by listening to victims of crime. Sharlene Bosma testified at our justice committee that the one bit of solace that she had after her husband, Tim Bosma, was brutally murdered was that her daughter would never have to face her father's killer at a parole hearing. Since the Liberal government has failed to respond to the Supreme Court's decision to allow mass murderers the opportunity for parole, that one shred of peace has been ripped away.

Will the Liberal government act and end parole hearings for mass murderers?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, serious crimes in this country will always be dealt with seriously. What we are doing on a variety of fronts is being smart on crime so that we can dedicate more resources to attacking precisely the kinds of crimes that my hon. member has raised.

We will continue to go in that direction. As former Supreme Court Justice Michael Moldaver, someone who could never be accused of being soft on crime, has stated, we absolutely need to dedicate more of the resources in the system to fighting precisely these kinds of crimes.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there were more homicides in the greater Montreal area in 2021 than in the past 10 years, and this year is shaping up to be even worse. Last week, the authorities found a body in a recycling bin. In August, there was a triple homicide. Last week, a man was stabbed in the Beaudry metro station.

Why does the government want to get rid of minimum sentences and make things better for criminals rather than protect victims?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the safety of Canadians is our number one priority. We support victims, and we are working with them precisely to make the system safer. With Bill C-21, we are increasing penalties for crimes related to gang activity and gun smuggling.

We are strengthening the ban on firearms, which are designed solely to kill people. That is what we are doing and what needs to be done to make Canada safer.

Small Business

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

Mr. Speaker, over the past few years, I have seen many small businesses in my riding, Châteauguay—Lacolle, shift to online retail and upgrade the technologies they rely on. As a result, they are growing faster, increasing sales and exporting more.

Can the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development explain how our government is helping more small businesses succeed in the digital economy?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, during the pandemic, we witnessed the ingenuity of small business owners and the importance of digital technology and e-commerce. That is why we are investing $4 billion in the Canada digital adoption program. The world is adopting a digital economy and we are ensuring that Canadian small businesses are on the forefront.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian small businesses are struggling to stay open. In fact, one in six say they are considering shutting their doors. The CFIB has urged the government not to burden workers and employers with extra costs at a time when inflation has skyrocketed. However, on January 1, the Liberals plan to increase payroll taxes, putting further strain on business owners and providing less take-home pay for workers.

My question today is very simple: Will the government rescind its plan to increase payroll taxes on January 1?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I find this intervention really disappointing. We are talking here about contributions Canadians make that will come back to them. As far as the pension is concerned, it will allow Canadians to retire in dignity.

As far as worker safety and employment insurance are concerned, we know that we are living at a time of major economic instability. We have to ensure that the money will be there for workers when they need it.

[Adam Chambers, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is Small Business Week and businesses are worried. A recent survey shows businesses' confidence in the economy is at the lowest point since the pandemic started. Around 75% of businesses believe inflation will be over 3% and they are worried about the rising costs. This includes payroll taxes and the carbon tax, for which there is no rebate.

With the future of the economy uncertain and small businesses worried, will the government cancel its planned tax increases on small businesses next year?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, let us remember something: It is this government that has been there for small businesses every single time. We have been there for them during the pandemic. We were there for them during the illegal convoy. We have been there for them in the recent aftermath of hurricane Fiona.

We will always be there standing up for small businesses. We have cut their taxes to help them grow. We have helped businesses export. We are helping all businesses, including women-owned businesses, indigenous businesses and Black-owned businesses, and we are going to keep doing that.

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

Mr. Speaker, the inflation crisis triggered by the Prime Minister's out-of-control spending and borrowing is devastating small businesses. Small businesses want to increase wages and pay off their COVID debts, but half of them have still not returned to normal revenue. These businesses and their workers cannot afford higher payroll taxes and an ever-increasing carbon tax.

Will the government cancel its plans to raise the carbon tax and payroll taxes on small businesses?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we know that small businesses are truly the backbone of our Canadian economy. That is why we were there for our small businesses during the pandemic. We are still there for our business owners and our SMEs.

Contributions will go up next year. In fact, it will happen in April 2024 and these are contributions that will come back to employees through employment insurance and come back to Canadians in the form of a pension.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the start of Small Business Week. In my riding of Whitby and all across Canada, small businesses are the heart of our communities and the backbone of our local economies. This Small Business Week, we are celebrating the incredible creativity, hard work and grit of small business owners and their many successes.

Could the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development please share with Canadians what our government has been doing to support small businesses all across the country?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I want to say happy Small Business Week to all of the incredible entrepreneurs and businesses across the country.

We have been there for small businesses right from the very beginning and throughout this heart-wrenching pandemic that everyone has gone through. We supported small businesses during the illegal convoy. We have supported businesses in Atlantic Canada after hurricane Fiona. We are cutting taxes for small businesses so they can grow. We are helping them export. We are helping them get access to the international marketplace so they can flourish and contribute to the economy.

During this Small Business Week, I want to wish all of our small businesses a happy Small Business Week.