Debates of Sept. 20th, 2022

Democratic Institutions

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one year ago today, Canadians went to the polls and they sent political parties of all stripes a very clear message. They are tired of the games. They want us to put the interest of Canadians first.

I promised in that election that if I came back we would fight for a national dental care plan, and I am pleased to see it is one of the top priorities in Parliament this session. We are pushing for a doubling of the GST tax credit to help people who are getting gouged relentlessly by the big oil and grocery barons. We are pushing the government to insist on a low-income tax supplement because times are hard for people.

Democracy is a fragile thing, and we all need to do more in an age of disinformation, conspiracy theories and the rising threat of political intimidation. We need to rebuild trust with Canadians. I make it my promise in this session of Parliament to work harder to maintain the trust of the people who sent me here.

30th Anniversary of CPAC

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, free, objective information sources are essential to democracy. We cannot overstate how important and invaluable the media is. The media is so invaluable that cable companies themselves made the decision 30 years ago to come together and create an independent channel dedicated exclusively to parliamentary affairs.

It is a privately owned, non-profit, ad-free service that is dedicated exclusively to broadcasting the day-to-day workings of democracy. This service, known as CPAC, is broadcast on television and online for free and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. I want to wish CPAC and all of its staff a happy anniversary on behalf of the Bloc Québécois.

I thank CPAC for being there to broadcast the historic moments and the not-so-historic ones, the big speeches and the not-so-big ones, the decisive scrums and the more meandering ones, as well as the crucial question periods and the more over-the-top ones. I also thank CPAC for giving Quebeckers and Canadians an unfiltered view of everything that goes on in the House and for showcasing our political system in the name of democracy.

Happy 30th anniversary, CPAC.

Cost of Living

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the new Conservative leader will put people first: their retirements, their paycheques, their homes and their country.

Today, people feel like they have lost control of their pocketbooks and of their lives. The cost of government is driving up the cost of living.

The Liberal government has doubled our national debt, adding more debt than all previous governments combined. It is the most expensive government in history. The more it spends, the more things cost.

What is the result? Seniors delay their retirements and watch their life savings evaporate with inflation. Thirty-year-olds are trapped in 400 square-foot apartments, or worse, their parents’ basements because the price of homes have doubled under these Liberals. Single mothers are putting water in their children’s milk so they can try to afford the 10% year-over-year increase in the price of groceries.

No wonder people are worried. Most are lucky to get by. Many are falling behind. There are people in this country who are just hanging on by a thread. These are citizens of our country. We are their servants. We owe them hope.

James Smith Cree Nation

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the tragedy that occurred on and around the James Smith Cree Nation on September 2. A tight-knit Cree community has lost beloved community members: elders, youth, brothers, sisters, mothers. Today I stand to remember and offer condolences to the 11 victims and their family members. We mourn as a country the victims from the Burns, Sanderson, Head and Petterson families.

As a first nations MP who lives on a first nations reserve, I can only imagine the grief, pain and overwhelming sense of loss that the community is going through. As a government, we will work with indigenous leadership to ensure adequate resources to help heal and to help keep indigenous communities safe in the future.

I know the strength and the resilience of first nations in Canada, but I want the community to know that they are not alone. We are thinking of them. We are praying for them, and we will do what is necessary to help them.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, on January 1, the government will be raising taxes on Canadians' paycheques. The government is planning to increase taxes on gas, home heating and groceries on April 1.

House prices have doubled. The cost of food is going up faster than it ever has in the past 40 years. Canadians can no longer pay their bills.

Will the minister cancel these tax hikes on seniors and workers?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by congratulating the member on his first question as the new leader of the official opposition.

We are going to see two competing visions over the course of this session. The first is our government's plan to support Canadians and those who need it most. The second is that of the Conservative Party and members of Parliament who would leave Canadians to their own devices.

Just today, we introduced new measures. We are providing $500 for housing, introducing a new dental plan and doubling the GST/HST credit. That is money in Canadians' pockets when they need it.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the minister says that the Conservatives would leave Canadians to their own devices, but housing prices have doubled.

In fact, when the Prime Minister came to power, the average Canadian could pay for their housing with 32% of their paycheque. Now that cost eats up 50% of their paycheque. The price of food is rising faster than it has in the past 40 years. Canadians have no more to give, but the government wants to raise payroll taxes as well as gasoline and heating taxes.

Will the government stop these tax increases so that Canadians can pay their bills?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about how people can pay their bills with our new dental plan. A single-parent family will receive $1,160 now that we have doubled the GST/HST credit. Seniors will get $701 and a couple with two children will receive $1,400.

Liberals are in the House with a responsible plan to help Canadians where and when they need it.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, all of that will be vaporized by inflation, which is costing families over $2,000 in extra costs, and that does not include the increased interest rate prices that people are paying on their mortgages. In fact, the average family used to pay its housing bill with 32% of its paycheque every month. Now it is 50% after seven years of the Prime Minister in power. What is his solution? It is to raise taxes on paycheques, with higher EI and CPP premiums that will shrink paycheques, and it is to put higher taxes on gas, groceries and heat.

Why will the Liberals not cancel these tax hikes so that Canadians can keep a roof over their heads?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, it is important to talk about the fact that the member is talking about EI and CPP, things that are important for people who have lost their jobs or for seniors when they are planning for retirement.

However, let us talk about real solutions. We have brought in 13 agreements on child care across the country. By the end of this year, families will be saving 50%. That is thousands of dollars that are going to help them with the high cost of living. Those are real solutions that are making real differences in the lives of Canadians every single day.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, people cannot even afford to have a family in the first place, because they cannot get out of their parents' basements or out of 400-square-foot apartments after housing prices have literally doubled in this country under the Prime Minister. Now, with rising interest rates, which the government promised would not happen any time soon, families have to spend 50% of their income, the highest in over three decades, just to keep a roof over their heads. The solution from the Liberals is higher taxes on gas, groceries and paycheques.

Will the Liberals follow the Conservative demand and cancel all of these tax hikes on workers and seniors?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely focused on the issue of housing affordability in this country. That is why we have put forward real solutions like the housing accelerator fund, which is about increasing housing supply. It is also about turning more Canadian renters into homeowners. It is about introducing the first-time homebuyers' tax credit and putting in place a first-time homebuyer savings account to enable more young Canadians and others to access their dream of home ownership.

We cannot take the Leader of the Opposition seriously on these issues, because on every single tangible solution that we have brought forward that actually works, he has voted against it.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the government worked to double the price of housing in this country and give us the second-worst housing bubble of any country on planet earth. Now Canadians have had the costs they must pay for monthly housing bills go from 32% of their paycheque to 50% of their paycheque.

What is the Prime Minister's solution? It is to reduce their paycheques by taking a bigger bite out of them with higher payroll taxes. He also wants to raise gas taxes, home heating taxes and, indirectly, the price of groceries, by tripling the carbon tax.

Will the government cancel these tax hikes so that Canadians can afford to eat, heat and house themselves?

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

Mr. Speaker, over the course of this session, we are going to see two competing visions, one that shows our government doing what needs to be done for Canadians as they are facing higher inflation and the other—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order.

We had started so well. I just want to continue and make sure that everybody knows that when somebody is talking, we normally stay quiet and listen, and then we can ask questions or answer after.

The hon. Minister of Tourism.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, throughout this session, we are going to see two competing visions, one in which our government focuses on the needs of Canadians, and one in which Conservatives tell the country that it is on its own.

Just today, we introduced two pieces of legislation that will add a $500 top-up on housing, double the GST credit and put in place a Canada dental benefit.

These are targeted measures to Canadians who need it the most, when they need it the most. Our hope on this side of the aisle is that the Conservative Party will support us to get these measures to people as soon as they need them.

Public Safety

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are glad that the House has resumed because it is absolutely vital that we talk about guns. That was the big news story this summer in Montreal. There was one shooting after another happening almost every day. Just last Tuesday, there were four shootings in a single evening. Here is what Mayor Plante had to say: “I have no control over the most important element, and that is the guns on our territory”.

I want to ask the federal government the same question she did, word for word: “What is it doing to protect us and prevent these weapons from ending up in the hands of our young people?”

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, our thoughts are with all of the victims' families. This is a very difficult time for Montrealers.

We have a very good working relationship with Mayor Plante. I am always in contact with her and my Quebec government counterpart. For our part, we have a plan that involves more laws. We have a plan to add resources. Since last year, we have invested $321 million to strengthen the integrity of our borders, and we will continue to work with all Quebeckers to protect all of our communities.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, based on what Mayor Plante has said, I am not so sure they have such a great working relationship.

The minister is talking about legal guns, but we need to take action against illegal guns. What we are seeing in our streets are illegal guns, and the federal government is responsible for letting them in. It is all well and good to engage in prevention and mobilize the police, but we cannot perform miracles when guns are streaming across our borders. That is the government's responsibility.

Guns are being fired right on Saint‑Denis Street. Guns are being fired in schoolyards. When is the government going to take responsibility?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly why I hope the Bloc Québécois will support Bill C‑21. With this bill, we are going to give the police more tools that will help them fight organized crime so we can strengthen our borders and better protect our communities. That is what we plan to do, together with Quebec.

The Economy

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we have a cost-of-living crisis that is hurting people. The Liberals kept saying “it is not our fault” and that it is worse in other countries. We have a leader of the opposition who thinks he can magically opt out of inflation by buying cryptocurrency, which ended up tanking and hurting people, so we have “say nothing” and “do nothing”, and then we have New Democrats, who forced the government to put more money into people's pockets.

My question is this: What took the government so long to act when people needed respect and support?

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

Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for Canadians. We are talking about helping Canadians with affordability and with the cost of living right now by having a $500 top-up to the Canada housing benefit, introducing a new Canada dental benefit plan and also making sure we double the GST credit.

If we look at the 2020 budget, the 2021 budget and the 2022 budget, this Liberal government has been making life more affordable for Canadians, including child care and including the Canada workers benefit. The government is delivering for Canadians, and that is what Canadians expect.

Taxation

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on average, the cost of groceries has gone up by 10%. Major grocery store CEOs are making huge profits. Their greed played a role in the inflation that is hurting families right now.

When will the government force the these major grocery store CEOs to pay their fair share and reinvest, as a show of respect for families and people across this country?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have been committed to ensuring that everyone pays their fair share of taxes, and we remain committed to just that.

We are permanently increasing the corporate tax rate by 1.5% for the largest and most profitable banks and insurance companies, and there is a 15% recovery dividend on the excess profits these institutions made during COVID‑19.

This government is prudent when it comes to taxation.