Debates of Nov. 1st, 2022

Finance

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the numbers are in: $2,400 per Canadian was spent last year. That is $171,000 a minute, yet 47% of Canadians feel they are in a worse economic position this year than last year, and 30% of Canadians feel we are already in a recession.

Canadians cannot afford this costly coalition, so will this Liberal-NDP coalition commit to no inflationary spending?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let us just look at the record. When the Conservatives were in office, they did nothing to help the most vulnerable Canadians. It is this government that has introduced the Canada child benefit and doubled the GST credit, and will give a $500 top-up on housing supports, cut child care fees in half and provide dental care to half a million kids. It is the responsible thing and it is targeted. That is our job as a government. We are doing our job.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we are opposed to all wasteful spending, which includes $6,000 for a hotel room, $12,000 for groceries in a single month and $54 million for a single application. However, 53% of Canadians are worried we are going to enter a recession next year. Why is that? It is inflationary spending.

Will this Liberal-NDP coalition commit to stopping inflationary spending?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I know the Conservatives do not like to admit it, but we are actually coming out of a global pandemic, one of the most difficult periods of time that Canadians have gone through in almost a century.

When we talk about extraordinary spending, it is because we supported nine million Canadians with the Canada emergency response benefit. It is because we supported thousands of businesses through the CEBA. It is because we supported millions of people through the Canada emergency wage supports. That is what we did. It was necessary and it was important, and we made sure we were there for Canadians in their time of need.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the government did not need to do was take $200 billion of the $500 billion and spend it on programs in no way related to COVID‑19. That is the reality. They hide, they deflect and they do all sorts of things to avoid telling Canadians the truth. Of the $500 billion, 40% was not for COVID‑19.

Meanwhile, 1.5 million Canadians had to use food banks for a month and 20% of Canadians said they had to skip meals because they could not afford groceries.

When will the Liberals stop wasting money?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts. During the worst pandemic in 100 years, the House and this government decided to support Canadians, our communities, our provinces and businesses.

The former governor of the Bank of Canada, Stephen Poloz, analyzed our expenditures. He said, and I quote, “In fact, what the stimulus did was to keep the economy from going into a deep hole in which we would have experienced persistent deflation.”

The Conservatives do not want to admit it, and yet, it is a fact.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the future prime ministerial candidate says that the primary causes of inflation in Canada are domestic.

What we were against was sending cheques to inmates, sending CERB cheques to public servants, giving $500 million to Liberal friends at WE Charity, spending $54 million on an ArriveCAN app that did not work and spending $6,000, no, $7,200 a night on a room for the Prime Minister.

When will they stop wasting money?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, what is the Conservatives' new economic action plan? They plan to cut EI benefits, cut the CPP, cut child care benefits, cut money for action against climate change. They will go chop, chop, chop.

Every one of their measures would take money out of Canadians' pockets. It is irresponsible, it is unprecedented, it is typical Conservative austerity. That is their plan. Our plan is to invest in Canadians.

Labour

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, people in Canada are struggling with their mental health and accessing help is almost impossible. Yesterday, a report found that almost all Canadian workers have experienced mental distress, and for many it is only getting worse.

Years ago, the government said it would amend the Canada Labour Code to protect workers, but the Liberals have failed to follow through, just like they have not delivered on promised new funding for mental health supports. When will the government finally do what is right by delivering on its promises to protect the mental health of workers?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to say that very soon we will be talking about a mental health policy that will also include the right to disconnect. The world of work has changed so much over the past few years, but particularly during the age of COVID, and we recognize that workers do have a right to disconnect from their employer and enjoy a work-life balance. I look forward to working with members in the House to make that a reality for workers in this country.

Foreign Affairs

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, I joined hundreds of protesters in London demanding justice for Mahsa Amini. One local activist stated, “We are not going to back down. This is the point of no return.”

The government needs to step up to support the brave women and men fighting for women's rights in Iran, but to date not a single Iranian official has been targeted by Magnitsky sanctions to hold those committing human rights violations accountable. When will the government start taking concrete actions and use specific sanctions to support Iranians?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. Obviously, what is happening in Iran is completely unacceptable. That is why we are taking strong measures against the Iranian regime, which include sanctions against it. Yesterday, I announced strong sanctions, which also include isolating Iran at the UN Human Rights Council, particularly for women's rights.

Now we are going to announce more sanctions. We will work on the implementation of sanctions. We have announced more funding to do so, and I look forward to working with the member on this.

Post-Secondary Education

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, during the pandemic, our government waived interest on Canada student loans and Canada apprentice loans for two years. We did this because we knew young people were among the hardest hit by job losses. As we look toward the future, we know that student-loan repayment continues to be a top concern for many Canadians, especially those with low or modest incomes.

That is why the hon. Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion is taking action to make people's loan repayment more flexible and affordable. Could the minister please share with the House more details about the change being implemented today?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Cloverdale—Langley City, my hometown, for his tireless work on behalf of his constituents and all Canadians. We believe that no one should be deterred from pursuing an education because of unaffordable interest costs. That is why, effective today, graduates will not have to start repaying their federal loans until they learn at least $40,000 per year, and maximum payments will also be lowered from 20% to 10% of household income. This will support an estimated 180,000 borrowers each year.

The Economy

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 51% of Canadians are struggling to afford food, and those who cannot cut back any further are being driven to their local food banks. However, the government does not care. It is too busy blowing money on $7,000-a-night hotel rooms or the $54-million arrive scam.

To pay for their scandals and secret backroom deals with the NDP, they want to raise taxes, further driving up the cost of basic necessities such as food. Canadians cannot afford this costly coalition. Will the Liberals end their inflationary spending?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, there is no point in bringing politics into this. Every member of the House wants to make life more affordable for Canadians. That is what we did. I remind my colleague of what I said earlier this week.

Back in May, I wrote to the Competition Bureau to ask it to use all of the tools it has at its disposal to make sure that there are no unlawful practices in the grocery market in Canada. More recently, I asked it to launch an investigation. I called the CEOs of a number of food chains so they could do their part to help Canadians. Everyone needs to do their part to help Canadians at this time.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say they want to reduce inflation, but everything they are doing is going in the wrong direction. The Liberals are piling up more debt and taxpayers cannot keep up.

When the PM travels abroad, he stays in a $6,000-a-night hotel. The ArriveCAN scam cost $54 million and handed millions to Liberal insiders. The cost of the administrative state has exploded. The debt last year was $90 billion. The Liberals have racked up more debt than all Canadian governments combined.

When will the Liberal government stop, reverse course, bring down prices for Canadians and stop its inflationary spending?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we have been asking the Conservatives to put a plan on the table for affordability. We have it now. It is hot off the presses. It is the new Conservative economic action plan to cut employment insurance benefits, cut the Canada pension plan, cut child care benefits and cut climate action cheques. Each one of the planks in their plan pulls more money out of the pockets of Canadians to give it to the wealthiest.

I do not know what kind of plan they have, but our plan focuses on those Canadians who need it the most, when they need it the most. That is responsible government. That is our plan.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot afford this costly Liberal-NDP coalition. These Liberals have showered Liberal friends such as Frank Baylis with $237 million in COVID contracts. They gave $28 million to Liberal donor Pierre Guay for Roxham Road, and they shovelled over $54 million to a couple of guys sitting in their basement who created the ArriveCAN app, which should have been built for under $250,000.

Why is that Liberal insiders under the Prime Minister always get rich while regular Canadians have to pay more for heating, eating and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. minister for rural development.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will tell members what we cannot afford. We cannot afford not to do something on climate change. I want to put some faces to what happens if we do not act on climate change.

I want to talk about Norm, who saw his wife washed out to sea. I want to talk about Amy and her daughter, who literally ran from their house without shoes on their feet. I want to talk about Smokey, who was pulled from the ocean by his brother.

I want to talk about Brian Button, who has had to have sit-down conversations with over 100 homeowners to tell them that their homes are destroyed and condemned, and there are more on that list.

I want to talk about the people in Burgeo, Burnt Islands, Channel-Port aux Basques and Marguerite—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, if that minister actually cared about those Canadians, she would make life more affordable by cutting the carbon tax. Right now that continues to prove that this Liberal-NDP coalition is out of touch with Canadians, and Canadians are out of patience with the government.

Canadians are suffering from the Liberal-induced inflationary crisis while their Liberal friends are rolling in cash. Now, if the NDP and Liberals truly cared about average Canadians, they would not have voted to triple the carbon tax.

What does the Liberal-NDP coalition have to say to Canadians who are skipping meals and using food banks because of the government's—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. minister.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to continue my narrative because I was talking about Canadian lives who were impacted by our not acting on climate change and not acting on climate change now. I have seen people go through the rubble looking for their parents' urns of ashes. I have seen people looking for memorabilia—