Debates of April 28th, 2022

Motion No. 8

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #61

Ways and Means

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

I declare the motion carried.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

moved that Bill C-19, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022 and other measures, be read the first time and printed.

(Motion deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

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 Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, National Defence; and the hon. member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, Public Safety.

Bill C‑8—Time Allocation Motion

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

moved:

That in relation to Bill C-8, An Act to implement certain provisions of the economic and fiscal update tabled in Parliament on December 14, 2021 and other measures, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to the consideration of the report stage and five hours shall be allotted to the consideration at third reading stage of the said bill; and

That, 15 minutes before the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on the day allotted to the consideration at report stage and at the end of the five hours provided for the consideration at third reading stage of the said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill then under consideration shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Pursuant to Standing Order 67(1), there will now be a 30-minute question period.

I invite hon. members who wish to ask questions to rise in their places or use the “raise hand” function so the Chair has some idea of the number of members who wish to participate in this question period.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I spoke at length earlier about the government mismanaging its legislative agenda. This bill was introduced back in December. The second reading was in February, it went to committee and was approved March 1, and it came back to the House in April at report stage. Not only members of the opposition, but also members of the Bloc had significant concerns about this piece of legislation coming out of committee that opened up debate, but subsequent to that we had four weeks off in this place.

I know that the government is going to blame obstruction and obfuscation on the part of the opposition, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, on April 4, the government gave notice of time allocation and the reason it did not move it was because the NDP would not agree to it. Is that not correct?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Madam Speaker, what Canadians want from all of us, Canadians across the country and who vote for all of the different parties represented in the House, is for us to get down to work and do the work of the country. That is what the measures in Bill C-8 do. These measures, frankly, should be receiving unanimous support in the House.

These measures include a tax credit for businesses to improve their ventilation to keep COVID at bay. Is that not a good idea right now, as we are facing a sixth wave? They include an expansion of the school supplies tax credit for teachers, who bought additional supplies during COVID and are now working so hard to get our kids back up to speed. Bill C-8 includes $1.7 billion for rapid tests, which again are so essential as we get down down to living with COVID. They include a tax on underused housing, which is such an important part of our housing strategy.

I would urge everyone to set aside partisan games and partisan posturing and pass this essential legislation.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Madam Speaker, my question is with regard to small craft harbours. For some reason, the fall economic statement and the current budget contain zero new money for small craft harbours. Small craft harbours are in desperate shape. There are over 10,000 of them in Canada, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans estimates that it will take almost $700 million just to bring the small craft harbours in southwest Nova Scotia up to operational standards.

I would ask the Deputy Prime Minister this: Why is the government not including any new money for small craft harbours?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Madam Speaker, I welcome the question about small craft harbours, because they are absolutely essential for our country. We absolutely understand their importance, particularly, but not only, in the amazing province of Nova Scotia. That is why, in the 2021 budget, we put forward a historically unprecedented investment in small craft harbours of literally hundreds of millions of dollars. Our job now is to deploy that money and to execute on those investments, and I can say that I was so glad we put forward that historic investment. It is making a difference, and it will continue to make a huge difference in small craft harbours across our amazing country.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Madam Speaker, one of the items in this bill that is of particular interest is the educator school supply tax credit. I heard from a teacher in the riding I represent. Jessica is a teacher in a small village in northwest B.C. She filed her taxes, and apparently CRA is sitting on the tax returns of a whole bunch of teachers who have claimed this tax credit because it has not yet been passed into law.

I share some of the concern about the fact that this place has not managed to pass Bill C-8 in a timely way. If we are able to get this bill through, can the minister assure teachers, particularly in British Columbia, who have spent thousands of dollars of their own money on school supplies, which is another issue we need to deal with, that CRA will prioritize getting their returns in their hands as quickly as possible?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Absolutely, Madam Speaker, and I am very glad to have the issue of tax credits to teachers for school supplies brought up. I raised this in my first answer, and it is one of the reasons that it is really astonishingly wrong that this legislation has been held up for so long.

All of us know how hard COVID was on our children and how hard it was on teachers across the country. Yes, it was hard in B.C., but let me say teachers in my province of Ontario have been knocking themselves out as well. They have really gone the extra mile to help kids learn virtually, and now they are working really hard too, because kids struggled during COVID and there is a lot of work to make up.

I absolutely believe we have a responsibility for the more than 45,000 teachers across this country. It is a priority of our government for teachers to get their tax credits. We are working hard to make it happen. I would urge all members of the House to get to work. Let us support our teachers and really let us not have dilatory tactics to delay this essential legislation.

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

Madam Speaker, Bill C-8 talks about an underused housing tax act. The recent budget, in conjunction with Bill C-8, talked about implementation of the underused housing tax act. Indeed, this is something we have in British Columbia already, but I would be remiss if I did not point out the obvious gaps included in the act, including the fact that under this new law, foreign students would still be able to purchase real estate in British Columbia. Anyone in the House who has followed the news in British Columbia knows that many students with wealthy offshore parents have used that to get massive gains when Canadians have been priced out of the market.

Why did the Liberals provide an exemption for foreign students to continue purchasing real estate when so many British Columbians cannot do so themselves?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Madam Speaker, let me just say it is a bit rich for the Conservatives to be talking about action on housing, particularly action on foreign buyers, when they have blocked our historic efforts in this space at every turn. The member is quite right: One of the essential elements in Bill C-8 is the historic underused housing tax act. This is an important step. It is an important step for affordability for Canadians, yet this legislation has been repeatedly blocked by the Conservatives.

When it comes to foreign buyers, I was very glad that in the budget we presented earlier this month we were able, again historically, to introduce a two-year ban on foreign purchases. I would say that if the Conservatives actually support this measure, which I think they should, let us see them support Bill C-8. Let them move it through quickly and support the budget.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Speaker, my question for the Minister of Finance is a simple one.

It is now the end of April. Bill C‑8 was introduced in December. Is it essentially the sum total of all the government's foot-dragging since that totally pointless election?

It took some time to get back to work, appoint ministers and open Parliament. This is a budget statement from last fall. The budget has since been tabled, and we are debating it, but we are still beating around the bush with Bill C‑8.

It is the minister maybe a little embarrassed about that?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Madam Speaker, once again, I am pleased that all members support the measures in Bill C‑8 and, of course, the budget. That is a good thing.

However, if the members really think that these measures are necessary, and I definitely agree with this idea, then they have to help us pass this bill. We need real support, not a hypocritical stance that, on the one hand blocks our efforts to help Canadians and, on the other, asks critical questions about why these measures are not in place.

If the members opposite want them, and that would be a good thing, they have to support the government and vote in favour of these measures if necessary

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am well aware we are debating time allocation. I will not comment on the substance of Bill C-8, but on the question of the use of time allocation.

The hon. minister will know that, for as long as we have both served in the House together, I have opposed time allocation as a sign that we are disrespecting the parliamentary process by pushing legislation through. On the other hand, I am also aware of what this debate on Bill C-8 has canvassed in the past few moments and for a long time in this place. I want to put forward on the record the best way to handle it. I am not going to get into House leader discussions. It is not a failure of the government or of the opposition, but collectively a failure of the management of the legislative agenda. I point to a failure to uphold our rules, which makes it possible for opposition party leaders to tell the government that they do not know how many members they want to put up for debate and will let it know later.

Although I am not in the room, or a fly on the wall, our rules still say that members cannot deliver a prepared written speech. If we were held to that, it would be like the Parliament of Westminster in the U.K. None of the members here would be able to stand up and deliver a speech on a subject they did not know well enough to speak to off the cuff with the knowledge they had in their heads. That would significantly expedite the process of passing good legislation.

I would put that to the member for her comments.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Madam Speaker, I want to say that I have tremendous respect for the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. She is someone who has served Canada and the House for a very long time.

I want to say to her, through you, that our government takes absolutely no pleasure in using time allocation. This is a measure we are introducing solely because Canadians need this support now. We have heard from the members opposite, the same ones who have been obstructing and delaying this legislation, how important the legislation is. Therefore, I think members can grasp the absurdity of that position and the necessity we are faced with in having to use this measure that we take no pleasure in using.

I will also say to the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands that when it comes to comparing the practices of this House with those of other parliaments, while I would by no means claim we are perfect, I think we as Canadians can really hold our heads up high when it comes to how our parliamentary democracy functions compared with others anywhere else in the world.

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

Madam Speaker, my question is with respect to the 12,000 independent travel advisers across Canada, primarily women, who we know have suffered very much during this pandemic. They have not yet been included in any of the economic statements.

My question to the member opposite is why, when they have met with multiple members and been promised to be included in relief funding, they have not been. Why?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Madam Speaker, let me say this. Our government has provided significant support to travel and tourism. We recognize that sector has been particularly hard hit by COVID. That is why the support has been there and will be there until May 7.

I will also say that I think every single member of the House would agree with me that it is absolutely essential that our country and economy continue to function and come roaring back, even in the face of the continued presence of COVID and a sixth wave among us. That is why it is so important to get Bill C-8 passed. The ventilation, the rapid tests and the support for vaccination credentials are all key to getting through this sixth wave.

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Waterloo, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like to highlight that the government, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, has been conscious about being there for Canadians. It has been a very challenging time, and disproportionately for certain segments of the population. What is clear is that supports are still needed, and many of those measures are available in Bill C-8. Though it is unfortunate we are having to use a tool to get this legislation voted on, I am glad to see that we might have a vote sooner rather than later, because many people in my riding of Waterloo and the surrounding areas will benefit.

I would like to ask the minister to comment on some of the Canadians who would benefit from these measures. People have been waiting for way too long to ensure these measures and investments will start to flow.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Madam Speaker, all of us here in this House seek to serve our constituents and be connected with our communities, but I know of no one here who is better connected and who more fiercely and more effectively represents her constituents than the member for Waterloo.

I am also very aware of the hard work the member for Waterloo has done for young Canadians, for the people who are our future. That is why one of the measures that are so important in Bill C-8 is the tax credit for teachers, the tax credit for those very, very dedicated and self-sacrificing teachers who reached into their own pockets and bought school supplies for their students.

I really think everyone in this House will agree with me, and I am sure the member for Waterloo and her constituents will agree with me, that those teachers deserve our support. They deserve a tax credit. That is why I would urge everyone in this House to set aside the partisan posturing and help Canadians.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Madam Speaker, the economic update presented by the Minister of Finance last fall did not include a single item or line about the possibility of increasing interest rates. The same is true of the recent budget. The minister has completely ignored any such increase, which demonstrates the level of Liberal incompetence.

Can the minister tell us what this will mean in terms of debt? How much is this going to cost Canadians in additional interest given the higher interest rates we are going to have this year? We have heard nothing about their impact.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Madam Speaker, I apologize to the House, but what the opposition member just said is simply not true.

The budget contains a number of analyses that talk about inflation and interest rates, and I can find those page numbers. The budget was subjected to a stress test examining the effects of various scenarios on the economy and the fiscal situation of our country.

With regard to the debt, I want to point out that, for this fiscal year, the cost of paying down the Canadian debt will represent 1% of our country's GDP, which remains a historically low level.

I want to again emphasize that there are several analyses in the budget showing the impact of various scenarios in relation to inflation, interest rates and the war in Ukraine.