Debates of Nov. 2nd, 2022

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's $500-billion inflationary deficits and his coalition with the NDP have increased the cost of things we buy and the interest rates we pay. Now the Prime Minister wants to triple the taxes on heating, groceries and fuel to make the situation even worse.

Tomorrow, the government is presenting its economic update. We have a very clear demand or we will vote against this update.

Will the government freeze spending and freeze taxes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are always preaching austerity and budget cuts to employment insurance and pensions for seniors.

We will continue to be there not only to support Canadians with measures such as doubling the GST credit, help for dental care for children or help for low-income renters, measures the Conservatives oppose, but we are also there to create an economy that works for everyone, with investments in a future that is greener and more prosperous for all workers.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, actually, Conservatives are the only ones protecting pensions and employment insurance against the inflation that is eating up the paycheques and the benefits of Canadians. Now the finance minister is suddenly pretending to agree with me on all of this. She sent a memo, that has since been leaked, in which she says that her ministers will have to find savings to match any new spending in the fall economic update.

It is not clear whether the Prime Minister got the memo. He still wants to continue to pour inflationary fuel on the fire with more spending still. Will he listen to his finance minister, who has started to listen to Conservatives, and cap spending and taxes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, only cold-hearted Conservatives would imagine and describe sending kids to the dentist, when they otherwise cannot afford to go, as pouring fuel on inflationary fires. Only Conservative politicians would consider that giving targeted support to help low-income Canadians pay for their rent is pouring inflationary fuel on the fire.

Inflation is a global phenomenon right now, and we have moved forward with targeted supports for families that will make a meaningful difference. Unfortunately, the Conservatives, for all their rhetoric, stand in opposition to help for families.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we stand in opposition to the policies that have sent 1.5 million Canadians to food banks in a single month. We oppose record credit card debt on which the Prime Minister's policies are now driving up interest rates. We oppose policies that have forced one in five families to skip meals because they cannot afford food.

If we want to talk about cold-hearted, this is the guy who wants to triple the carbon tax on home heating when bills are already expected to have gone up 100%. Why will he not cancel that cold-hearted plan and cap taxes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the facts are clear. The price on pollution returns more money to average families in the jurisdictions in which it applies than they pay out in pollution costs. This is the fact that has allowed us to lead in the fight against climate change and put more money back in the pockets of Canadians, but the reality is—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I do not know what it is today, but everyone is very rowdy.

Maybe I will let the Prime Minister start over again. I am hoping that everyone will listen this time rather than shout. I know that everybody wants to help him answer, but it is his turn to speak.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, despite consistent Conservative misinformation and disinformation on the matter, the simple mathematical fact is that the price on pollution returns more money to average families in the jurisdictions in which it applies than they pay in the extra cost on pollution. That is how we can move forward on fighting climate change while supporting families through this transformation of our economy and of our energy.

These are the things that matter to Canadians. This is where we are continuing to put them first, not ideology.

Health

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we recently debated the government's policy priorities. Besides the fact that we can certainly address more than one subject at a time, can we agree that there may not be a more important subject and priority than health?

In Quebec, the health care system is falling apart for lack of funding. Those who are ill languish on waiting lists, emergency rooms are overflowing, mental health is looking like a national crisis, and yet, the Prime Minister stubbornly withholds the money, creates delays and imposes conditions.

Does the Prime Minister agree that people's health is more important than his desire to strip powers from the provinces?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what Quebeckers expect and what Canadians expect are health care systems that deliver results for them, that are working to help them, to help their families, to be there when they need them. There are health care systems across the country that are not working in the manner that Canadians and Quebeckers expect. For that reason, we are there to work with them, to improve these systems by providing more money, and also to ensure that Canadians see real results.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as my old man would have said: What would you know about that?

Quebec is already administering a health care system that is bursting at the seams. That is true of all provinces. The pandemic has added to the already considerable pressure, and there is absolutely nothing to prove that a manager in Canada is better than a manager in Quebec or Alberta. There is nothing to prove that. Creating standards, implementing programs and imposing conditions is time consuming, it is very time consuming.

Does the Prime Minister not agree that, in the best interest of the people, he should transfer the money to the provinces first and then try to discuss with whomever he wants?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every year we pay tens of billions of dollars to the provinces for their health care systems and we will continue to do so. However, the reality is that health care systems across the country are not working at the level that Quebeckers and Canadians expect. That is why we are saying that we need to work together to improve service delivery for Canadians, for Quebeckers. We are here with more money, yes, but we are also here to ensure that we deliver real results for all Canadians.

Labour

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Premier Ford has just attacked workers, and not just any workers, but some of the lowest-paid education workers in the classroom. He knows that he is violating their charter rights. That is why he pre-emptively used the notwithstanding clause.

I have heard the Prime Minister's outrage, but that is simply not good enough. We know the Conservative leader and his party are not going to stand up for workers, but will the Prime Minister say today in this chamber what he is going to do concretely to stand up for workers and protect their charter rights?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, using the notwithstanding clause pre-emptively to suspend workers' rights is wrong. To invoke the notwithstanding clause in a way that denies Canadians the right to collective bargaining before that bargaining has even reached an impasse is wrong. The clause must only be used in the most exceptional of circumstances.

Like the leader of the NDP, I call on the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, who supposedly stands for rights and freedoms, to condemn the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause to suspend people's fundamental rights and freedoms.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Conservative leader and the Conservative Party will not stand up for workers. It is not up to their party to—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. Would the members who want to have a conversation please go out in the hall rather than talk across the aisle?

The hon. member for Burnaby South.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Conservative Party and the Conservative Party leader will not stand up for workers.

We do have a question for the Prime Minister though. Expressing concern is not good enough. What the Premier of Ontario did is appalling. He attacked workers. Now we need action.

The Prime Minister has an obligation to act. Will he?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause to suspend workers' rights is wrong. Invoking the notwithstanding clause to deny Canadians the right to collective bargaining before negotiations have even reached an impasse is wrong.

We will always stand up to protect workers' rights. We will always be there to protect Canadians' fundamental rights.

As my NDP colleague noted, it is sad to see the Conservative Party, which professes to protect people's freedoms, not stand up to protect people's fundamental freedoms.

The Economy

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Liberal Prime Minister, nearly 50% of Canadians say their finances have worsened over the past year. For newcomers, that pain is leading them to leave Canada, with 30% of young immigrants planning to leave in the next two years.

Narinder is an engineer who messaged me saying the Liberal-caused interest rate hikes mean his paycheque is now being eaten up by his mortgage. He cannot afford food or necessities and is planning to leave Canada.

Will the Prime Minister stop his inflationary spending, stop raising taxes and stop driving people like Narinder out of Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we know how important immigration is as a driver of our economic growth and as a counter to the labour shortages we are facing across the country. That is why we have put forward an ambitious immigration levels plan that is bringing in even more new Canadians, so they can ensure they are contributing to our economy, building better lives for themselves and their families and meeting the needs of Canadian businesses and Canadian communities.

We know there is more to do, but that is why we are making sure that students and engineers like Narinder are able to continue to succeed in Canada and build a life for the future.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Narinder wants to leave Canada, not stay here, because of the inflationary policies. It makes sense that a Prime Minister who spends a year’s rent on a four-night hotel stay would think more inflation will address the inflationary crisis he created. It is like he wants to return to the days of his father, with out-of-control spending and Canadian families' cupboards being bare, and when people were giving their house keys back to the bank because they could no longer afford it.

Canadians cannot afford this costly coalition any longer. Will the Prime Minister stop the taxes, stop the inflationary spending and stop his plans to triple the carbon tax?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives engage in personal attacks focused on me, we are going to continue to focus on helping Canadians, whether it is directly with a price on pollution that is going to put more money in the pockets of Canadians where it applies, whether it is by moving forward with the GST rebate that is landing this Friday in many Canadian households or whether it is by moving forward on low-income supports for renters and supports for dental care for kids, which are two initiatives the Conservatives continue to stand against.

Canadians deserve a government that continues to stand up for them, not Conservative rhetoric.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was warned about his reckless spending. He was told it would lead to interest rate hikes and inflation, and he laughed off those concerns. Now, because of Liberal inflation, millions of Canadians are using food banks every month, and millions more are skipping meals because they cannot afford to buy basic groceries. They lay awake at night knowing they do not have the money to pay their bills, and the Prime Minister has the audacity to tell them they have never had it so good.

When will he learn from his mistakes, cut his out-of-control spending and stop raising taxes on Canadian families?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives are continuing to propose cuts, we are going to be there for EI, we are going to continue to be there for CPP and we are going to continue to be there to deliver a price on pollution that puts more money in the pockets of Canadians where it applies.

We moved forward with a GST rebate that is going to help 11 million households across this country, which is starting to flow this Friday. The Conservatives reversed their position and chose to support it, which is good, but they still stand against support for low-income renters and support for people to send their kids to the dentist. These are things that would really help Canadians. Why are they opposed?