Debates of Oct. 18th, 2023

Housing

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, last week I had the opportunity to visit Peterborough, that member's riding, where I announced $42 million for the construction or renovation of over 1,100 units of housing. What is interesting is that the member voted against every program that made that funding possible, and then she tried to take credit for it. It is astounding what the Conservatives continue to do.

What Canadians need is a government to be behind them to see more construction built and to see the Canada child benefit continue to have an effect, as well as dental care and child care. They are against all of those.

Finance

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government, the deficit continues to rise. In March, the finance minister said that this year the deficit was going to be $40 billion. The Parliamentary Budget Officer just told us that she was off by at least $6 billion.

Earlier this month, in a Senate committee, finance officials could not even say what the Liberal-NDP government is spending on debt interest charges.

The Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost, so when will the Prime Minister come up with a plan to balance the budget so Canadians can keep their homes?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I find it highly shocking that Albertans from the Conservative Party in the House are absolutely silent on a matter that really affects the middle class in Alberta. We are talking about the Government of Alberta trying to take Alberta pensioners out of the Canadian pension plan, destabilizing the pension plan for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

They talk a big game in this chamber, but when it comes to actually defending Albertans, they sit on the sidelines while we have their backs.

Housing

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of inflationary spending, the Prime Minister has literally killed young Quebeckers' dreams of becoming homeowners.

Imagine. A young person in Montreal has to earn $116,000 a year if they want to buy a house, and that is not counting the down payment of 20%. How many years will it take a young person to earn that kind of salary and save enough money?

After eight years, do the Liberals realize that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost and that middle-class young people can no longer afford a Prime Minister who is mortgaging their future?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, what Montrealers do not understand is why the Conservatives are delaying the implementation of measures that will help build more apartments and houses across the country.

We have a bill and the Conservatives, even those who stated publicly that they would vote in favour of this measure, do not want to move forward. We are behind schedule and we cannot do our job because the Conservatives are holding up a bill in the House.

That is shameful.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals could have put the bill on the agenda for yesterday or today so we could discuss it, but they did not. They are the ones holding up the bill.

After eight years, the consequences of the Liberals' policies have been disastrous. Quebec has the highest inflation rate in the country. It is close to 5% for the fourth month in a row. Like all parents in Quebec, I am worried about the future of my children, who are facing the highest interest rates in 40 years. Food is too expensive, rents are unaffordable and interest rates are skyrocketing.

When will the Prime Minister stop mortgaging our children's future?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, the Conservatives always claim to have the strongest economic record and want to lecture us on the economy. The reality is that the last time they were in power, not only did they burn through the budgets left behind by the Liberals, but they also managed to never balance the budget, despite all their cuts to pensions, employment insurance, border security, the army, federal prisons, science and research.

On this side of the House, we support economic growth. The Conservatives may be good with an axe, but they are not so good with a calculator.

Housing

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, city of Toronto housing advocates have warned that unhoused people will die as the weather gets colder. Toronto's shelter system, the largest in Canada, is beyond capacity. Hundreds of people are being turned away every day, including refugees and asylum seekers. Successive Liberal and Conservative governments have walked away from housing and left the city scrambling to house people in need. Toronto is pleading for support.

Will the Liberals step up to provide the funding required to the city of Toronto so no one has to sleep or die on the streets this winter?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I have worked with the member for a number of years now, and I do not doubt for a moment her commitment to housing. She knows, because she voted for it, that we doubled the funding for homelessness through the reaching home initiative, and Toronto has received $290 million to combat homelessness.

We will continue to work with not-for-profit organizations that are on the ground doing the vital work to get people off the streets and providing them with the wraparound supports they need to make a transition toward something better.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, homelessness in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody is up by 86%. Community leaders from the Tri-Cities Homelessness & Housing Task Group are calling for political courage. I agree. People being unable to find a home is past the point of a crisis, and with colder weather on its way, action is needed, but the Liberals are out of touch, and their lack of concern is appalling.

What are the Liberals going to do to get people into affordable homes before the winter?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, the current government was the first government in Canadian history to recognize that there is a human right to housing.

We continue to act in that vein through the national housing strategy, a strategy that has resulted in 70,000 people being taken off the street; 122,000 who were very close to being homeless are no longer in that position. Because of the vital supports they have been given, they are now housed.

We will continue to do everything we can, and we embrace partnership through working with provinces, municipalities and, I emphasize, not-for-profit organizations, which are key to all this.

Natural Resources

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on helping Atlantic Canada drive the tremendous economic opportunities that exist for clean energy in our region.

That is exactly why we advanced Bill C-49, in close partnership with Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. We also have a mutual goal of getting off coal-fired electricity while expanding clean energy grids. Premiers Higgs and Houston were both in Ottawa this week to talk about their provincial plans to do just that.

Could the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources explain how our government is working in co-operation with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to support that crucial transition while being mindful of affordability?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his continued advocacy for Atlantic Canadians. He and his Atlantic Liberal colleagues stood up against the Conservatives who opposed Bill C-49. This includes Conservative members from Atlantic Canada whose communities would benefit from the good, sustainable jobs and economic opportunities this bill would bring.

This week, Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick agreed to advance collaboration and progress on delivering clean, affordable and reliable electricity while phasing out coal by 2030, driving to a net-zero electricity grid by 2035. This would fight climate change and create good jobs and economic opportunity across Atlantic Canada.

Foreign Affairs

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the State Department updated their travel advisory to Lebanon to the highest level, advising all U.S. citizens of the following: “Do Not travel to Lebanon.”

However, the Liberal government's overall travel advisory for Lebanon advises Canadian citizens to “Avoid non-essential travel”, which is not the highest level.

Why is the Liberal government always a dollar short and a day late when it comes to protecting the safety and security of Canadians overseas?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)]

Mr. Speaker, I would disagree with the hon. member. We are never late protecting Canadians. We will always stand up for the security and safety of Canadians here in Canada and abroad.

As the Speaker knows, yesterday the minister indicated that Canadians in Lebanon should make plans to leave. We are aware that the situation could be volatile there, and we want to make sure Canadians are safe. She has advised Canadians to leave the area.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been late. It was late in the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

Has the government not learned the lessons of 2006 and 2021 of Beirut and Kabul? Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, there has been an outbreak of protests and violence targeting western interests and western missions.

Will the government clearly communicate to Canadians the information necessary to ensure their safety and inform Canadians about security threats they are facing in the region in a timely manner?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)]

Mr. Speaker, we have and we will continue to.

These decisions are made by officials on the best advice. We will continue, as we always do, to ensure that Canadians are safe when they are abroad.

Carbon Pricing

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of bad policy, this government continues to fuel inflation with uncontrolled spending. Today, we learned that Quebec has won Canada's inflation game for the fourth month in a row.

Groceries, housing, gasoline, everything costs more, courtesy of the Liberals, backed by the Bloc Québécois. Experts are not expecting things to return to normal anytime soon.

Can this government finally offer Quebeckers concrete solutions, put an end to out-of-control spending and abolish the carbon tax?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it always surprises me when Quebec Conservatives talk about the carbon tax because the federal carbon tax does not apply in Quebec, which is a leader in action against climate change. We do not want the Conservatives to set us back. We do not want to stop taking action to protect our environment in Quebec. The Conservatives are completely out of touch.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, eight years of Liberal inflationary policies have driven Quebeckers further into debt. Young people fear they will never be able to buy a house. Some are even experiencing financial anxiety. Despite that, the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois are adding a second carbon tax. We can never say it enough: It is costly to vote for the Bloc Québécois. My question is simple. Will the Prime Minister scrap his inflationary carbon tax?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague talks about making cuts, but where does she want to make these cuts? Is it in housing? Is there too much money in housing? Is it in pensions? Do the Conservatives think that our seniors are getting too much money? Do the Conservatives think that we should not get involved in dental care? Is it in child care? Should we not be there to help our families?

Maybe culture is the target. They are so good at that, they spent their time making cuts in culture. Where do they want to make cuts? Let them show some backbone and tell us where they want to make cuts.

Pensions

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals committed a serious injustice when they created two classes of seniors by refusing to increase the old age pension for seniors 65 to 74. Today, they have an historic opportunity to correct this injustice that they created. They can ensure that every senior is treated fairly in light of the spike in the cost of living and the economic uncertainty.

Will they support the Bloc Québécois's Bill C‑319 and end the two classes of seniors by increasing the pension for all seniors 65 and over?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have made a lot of progress to help seniors. These efforts have helped reduce poverty among people 65 and over. We restored the age of retirement to 65. We increased the guaranteed income supplement despite constant opposition from the Bloc Québécois. Yes, we have increased old age security for the most vulnerable seniors.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not good enough. If seniors were satisfied with the federal government, groups representing them such as AREQ, the Association québécoise des retraité(e)s des secteurs public et parapublic, the Association féministe d'éducation et d'action sociale and the Table de concertation des aînés du Québec would not be on the Hill today. They are here to ask the government to support Bill C‑319. Seniors themselves are the ones telling us that Bill C‑319 will make a difference in their lives. They are the ones saying that only a fair pension increase for all seniors will get them out of their precarious situation. That is what seniors expect from the Liberals.

Will they finally listen and support Bill C‑319?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have restored the retirement age from 67 to 65. We increased the guaranteed income supplement, despite opposition from the Bloc Québécois. We increased pensions for the most vulnerable seniors, who are more likely to live with disabilities and require health care.