House of Commons Hansard #121 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was s-5.
The EconomyOral Questions
The Speaker Anthony Rota
I am just going to interrupt for a second. I am having a hard time hearing, and when I cannot hear his voice, I know there is a problem in the Chamber. I am going to ask all members to keep it down. The hon. minister has a voice that really carries, and it is appreciated. Let us give him a chance so that we can hear his response.
I ask the hon. minister to begin from the top, please.
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear about what the Conservatives are saying. They do not like us telling Canadians what they are actually saying.
They are saying that they would have scrapped the CERB, that they would not have had the wage supports, and that they would not have had supports for businesses, including the 60,000 energy businesses in my province of Alberta alone. The Conservatives want to cut. They are unhappy that they supported us when they did. They are trying to revise history.
We are going to focus on Canadians who need the help the most when they need it the most. That is our job, and we will do our job.
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Mr. Speaker, let me set the record straight. What Conservatives stand against is high inflation leading to the highest food bank usage, and a third of those users are children. That is what Conservatives stand against.
If Liberals do not believe me, they should ask the governor of the Bank of Canada who said that high inflation is leading to hard times for Canadians, particularly the most vulnerable in our communities.
Will these Liberals stop their inflationary spending, and cancel their planned tax hikes on groceries, gas and home heating?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative plan is just to cut. What is their plan?
With our plan, we have lowered taxes on Canadians five times in our mandate. We have an affordability plan that is going to help families. If the hon. members on the other side wanted to help 500,000 children in this country, they should have done the right thing and voted for dental supports last week when they had the chance.
Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are downgrading their lifestyles because of Liberal inflation. They can no longer live comfortably on their income. What is worse, some of them are no longer able to put enough food on the table. In a single month, Canadians visited food banks 1.5 million times. That is an increase of 35% compared to 2019. That is unacceptable in a country as industrialized as ours.
When will the Liberals stop impoverishing Canadians?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, it does not matter that Canada has the lowest inflation rate, since that does not help Canadians here at home. That is why we have an affordability plan. The party across the aisle just wants to make cuts. That is what they want to do. They would have preferred to have no Canada recovery benefit during the pandemic. They would have preferred to forgo the wage subsidies for Canadians. They would have preferred that we not support businesses.
We are here to support Canadians. That is what we did during the pandemic, and we will do so again during this period of inflation.
Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals need to stop making excuses and start taking responsibility. They attacked the Canadian energy sector, and now the price of gas is nearly $2 a litre, and winter is not even here yet. On top of that, Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada, told a Senate committee recently that inflation in Canada is domestically generated by the Canadian government. Inflation is a Canadian problem.
Will the Liberal Canadian government commit today to not raising taxes?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we know very well that inflation is being caused by Russia's illegal war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions and China's zero-COVID policy. That does not help Canadians. What does help Canadians is our affordability plan, dental care for children, and housing for the vulnerable. The Conservatives voted against these measures, while we voted for them.
Who is supporting Canadians? Our government.
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
Mr. Speaker, three days before the government's economic update, there is every indication that a recession is imminent. The government must remember that in the event of a recession, the best economic stabilizer is employment insurance, provided, of course, that workers who lose their jobs are covered. If nothing changes, six out of 10 workers will not be eligible. Comprehensive reform of EI is urgent, especially if there is a recession.
Will the economic update finally include this reform?
Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, we understand that EI must be accessible and fair to all workers in Canada. That is why we are working on modernizing this system, which is vital for our workers. It is there for our workers, and it will continue to be there for our workers.
Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
Mr. Speaker, if there were to be a recession with the same employment insurance program we have today, six out of 10 workers would be left behind.
We saw a similar scenario play out during the pandemic. The government had to create CERB because it realized that it could not abandon the 60% of people who lost their jobs.
If there is a recession, there is a risk of repeating the same scenario. That would be embarrassing, given that we saw it coming this time.
Will EI reform be added to the economic update?
Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that employment insurance has not kept up with the way Canadians work, and that is why access and adequacy are key fundamental principles that we are building into a modernized approach to employment insurance. I look forward to revealing the government's plan to modernize the steps we will take to make sure every worker continues to have fair access across the country, no matter where they live.
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, whether it is home heating, groceries or gasoline, Canadians are finding it extremely difficult just to be able to make ends meet. While I am concerned for all Canadians, there is one group in particular that has my heart and that is those who live on a fixed income. At the end of the day, as prices go up, they do not have the ability to create a greater income for themselves, which puts them in a place of trouble. Many of them are living on the edge of poverty, which is not okay.
My question is very simple. Will the Liberals demonstrate a bit of compassion today and commit to stopping their out-of-control inflationary spending spree and to stopping their punitive tax hikes on those who are finding it hard to make ends meet?
Kamal Khera LiberalMinister of Seniors
Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts. The fact is that when the Conservative Party was in power, its plan for seniors was to raise the age of retirement to 67. The first thing we did was reverse that back to 65. The fact is that the party opposite opposed every single measure that we put forward to support seniors: the increase to the GIS, the increase to the old age security by 10% and our enhancements to the CPP. We have just moved forward on doubling the GST credit with the payments going out this Friday. We are moving forward on rental and dental support. On this side of the House, we are going to continue to deliver for Canadians, including seniors.
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, I do not think there is much hope in there for Canadians, so let me ask again. It is no secret that Canadians are struggling to be able to make ends meet. Just putting healthy food on the table is a struggle. We know that the number of Canadians going to food banks is skyrocketing. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has no problem jet-setting around the world or spending $6,000 a night on hotel rooms. Again, I would ask them to please come back down to reality.
Would the government stop its punitive tax hikes and its out-of-control inflationary spending in order to make sure that Canadians can afford to live?
Mark Holland LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, indeed, across the world, the problem of making ends meet and paying bills is being felt profoundly. What is irresponsible for those who are struggling is that the Conservatives are going to amplify their fears and anxieties and are going to mislead them about their situation.
Let us talk about inflation. When Canada has one of the lower rates in the world for inflation, that is not acceptable and does not help pay the bills. What does help is concrete actions on affordability. What does not help is amplifying an anxiety and giving no answers. Unfortunately, that is what we hear from the other side.
Adam Chambers Conservative Simcoe North, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is Halloween and Canadians are spooked. They are spooked by having to pay 28% more for costumes and candy and spooked by the government's indifference about the inflation crisis, which the Liberals just wave away as being globally brought into this country. The central bank governor has said inflation is now more of a homegrown problem and Mark Carney, the former central bank governor, agrees with him.
Will the government show some compassionate, reduce its inflationary spending and put a pause on its tax hikes?
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I have met people in my community who will not take their kids to the grocery store right now because they are afraid that the cashier is going to tell them that they cannot afford what is in their cart and they do not want their kids to go through that. We are going to be there to support families in that situation.
When they talk about tax hikes, they are talking about programs like the Canada pension plan and like EI. There are people in my community who depend on EI when they fall on tough times. There are people who have worked their entire lives to make sure the Canada pension plan would allow them to age with dignity and buy groceries in retirement. We will defend low-income families today and every day. It is nice to see that they finally speak to the issues. It would be better if they actually voted for measures to achieve those ends.
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
Mr. Speaker, since day one on the job, the Minister of National Defence has made it clear that we need to build military institutions where every member feels safe, protected and respected. That is why she accepted Madame Arbour's report in its entirety and immediately stepped up efforts to change the culture within the national defence team.
Last week, the minister announced the appointment of an external monitor. Can she tell us a bit more about the importance of this appointment?
Anita Anand LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for that important question.
We have already established the foundations for a culture change. For example, we have started transferring cases to the civilian system. Last week, I appointed Jocelyne Therrien as external monitor. She will help us ensure that we continue to make real progress. We will keep working to protect women and minorities in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' reckless spending is driving up the cost of living for Canadians. It was $6,000 a night for the Prime Minister's hotel room that was charged to taxpayers, and $54 million for the arrive scam with a complete snow job on who got paid. Meanwhile, folks who are getting their first home heating oil or propane delivery are afraid they will not be able to afford a mid-winter fill up. With the costly coalition of these NDP-Liberals, food bank use is at an all-time high as Canadians choose between heating and eating.
Will these Liberals end their inflationary spending?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, our government has a fiscally responsible, prudent and targeted plan that is going to put money in the pockets of Canadians who need it the most. We are not only increasing the Canada workers benefit. We have doubled the GST and we have a $500 payment going to low-income renters. We are going to help half a million kids have dental support possibly for the first time in their lives.
I do not know what it is the Conservatives have against helping kids, but on our side of aisle, we have the backs of Canadians.
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Mr. Speaker, we are very much worried about children, including the fact that, with record-high food bank use, more than one-third of those users are children.
The Liberals were adding more than $171,000 of new debt every single minute of the last fiscal year, and half of that spending had absolutely nothing to do with pandemic supports. Canadians are struggling. The Liberals are making it worse. They had the NDP cheerleading them on trying to max out the national credit card. That is what happens when we have unserious, out of touch, expensive NDP-Liberals who do not care and do not know what Canadians are facing.
Canadians cannot afford the costly coalition. Will they end this inflationary spending?
Mark Holland LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I sat in opposition when the party opposite was in government. They did not talk about poverty. They did not talk about the plight of low-income families. They had no targets on poverty reduction.
This is a government that not only introduced, finally, targets on poverty reduction, but has exceeded them every single time, lifting more than two million people out of poverty. That is not enough. We must do more. The fact that the party opposite is trying to raise anxiety at a moment when we need solutions and answers is problematic. The Conservatives vote against direct measures to help those in need and then seek at every opportunity to amplify anxiety. I ask why.
Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, when this government gave millions of dollars to Loblaws for new fridges, I had convenience store owners, florists and small independent food store owners calling me asking how they could also apply for a fridge. I had to explain that they did not qualify. They were not a billion-dollar corporation. We do not know who got rich off the ArriveCAN app, the app with glitches that forced people into quarantine by mistake. Canadians cannot afford this costly coalition.
Will the Liberals end their wasteful and inflationary spending?