Debates of Oct. 19th, 2023

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from the Bloc Québécois, who is a member of the Standing Committee on Finance, for his very important work at that committee.

I would like him to know that our deficit is the lowest among all the G7 countries, but it is also 0.7% of our gross domestic product. That is extremely low. I would also invite him to wait for our fall economic update. The Minister of Finance will provide all Canadians with information on our revenues at that time.

Government Priorities

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

plan Mr. Speaker, not only do the Liberals not have a plan for the country's finances, but the ministers do not even have a work plan.

The new ministers announced in July have still not received their mandate letters. Two and a half months after the cabinet shuffle, they still do not know what their priorities are. I am not making this up. The new President of the Treasury Board, who is supposed to control the purse strings, still does not have a mandate. That could go terribly wrong. The ministers of public services, defence, transport, justice, official languages, and several other departments are in the same boat.

When will the Prime Minister give these ministers a mandate?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.

The mandate letters for the ministers have not changed since the last election. All of the ministers know exactly what they need to do, and the mandate letters are public.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is a human cost to governing on autopilot.

The Auditor General has confirmed that more than half of all applications for permanent residence from immigrants are still being processed late. For refugees, the wait is almost three years, and it can take up to four years for spousal sponsorships. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to recklessly increase its immigration thresholds, even though it is clearly incapable of serving the people it is already taking in. These are human beings.

When will the federal government stop treating immigrants like numbers?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, that is a very good question.

I would like to emphasize the fact that the Auditor General also pointed out that a lot of progress has been made. Still, it is not enough. We expect excellence from our public service. That is what I expect. Some progress has been made between the report's release and today, but I do expect better.

With respect to refugees, it is clear that we need to do better, particularly in relation to digitization and the digital transition. Some announcements should be made in November.

Housing

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are literally in housing hell. If a Canadian couple with a 6,300-square-foot mansion on 37 acres in France sold it, the couple could not afford to move back to Fergus, Ontario.

The NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost, and yet every day members stand, puff up their chests and tell Canadians what a great job they have done.

Why do the Liberals not stop gaslighting Canadians and admit they have broken housing in Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, if we are going to tackle the housing crisis, we have to work together and pursue agendas that are serious.

This government has put forward a number of measures, for example, lifting GST on purpose-built rentals, period. That side is proposing a tax on the building of rentals for middle-class individuals and families. That construction would be taxed by that side. The Conservatives also do not want to work with municipalities.

We put $4 billion on the table for that, and those members want to cut all of that. We need to build more. We will build more on this side, but not with that approach.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' answer to the housing crisis is that we should support more of their failed policies. That is their answer. It is a special kind of incompetence. If people do not have a house, they cannot afford it. If they have a house, they cannot afford to keep it because interest rates are so high from the Liberals' inflationary deficits, yet they keep spending and spending, interest rates go up and up, and Canadians are at risk of losing their homes.

Will the Liberals get these inflationary deficits under control so Canadians actually do not lose their homes?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member needs reminders, which is no problem.

When the Conservatives were in office and the opposition leader was the so-called minister of housing—

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

You could afford a house.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would ask the member for Dufferin—Caledon, who just asked a question, to please let the parliamentary secretary respond to his question.

The hon. parliamentary secretary, from the top, please.

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, London North Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the Conservatives need reminders. The Harper government put $300 million toward housing. How many homes were built? There were less than 100.

At a time when it is clear that the lack of supply has created a vast increase in the cost of rent, this government is moving forward to build more and help the private sector to do exactly that.

Members on that side, as I just said, want to tax the construction of rentals for the middle class. On top of that, they do not want to work with municipalities to get the results we need. It is not a serious agenda; it is a reckless agenda on the other side.

Seniors

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the Liberal-NDP government blew $1.5 billion on bureaucracy and the homeless crisis has never been worse.

A quarter of the homeless are seniors and this is only an estimate. The real number is much higher. With ballooning interest rates, rising food costs and the housing crisis, the Prime Minister is just not worth the cost.

When will the Prime Minister start caring about monetary policy so that the seniors who built our country are not left out on the streets?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have made significant progress to help seniors since 2015 and these efforts have reduced poverty for seniors over 65. The facts are that the GIS increase helped lift 45,000 seniors out of poverty. Restoring the age of retirement back to 65 prevented 100,000 seniors from falling into severe poverty, against the wishes of the other side, I should say. These benefits are automatically adjusted to keep up with the cost of living and they will never go down.

Housing

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, first nations, for decades, have screamed about the deplorable conditions they live in. Statistics Canada now confirms that the Liberal government failed to make any progress since 2016.

Under the Liberals, indigenous peoples have no choice but to live in unsafe, overcrowded and mould-infested homes. The $4 billion over seven years toward urban, rural and northern housing is not enough.

When will the Liberals act so that indigenous peoples have safe homes to live in?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have worked with first nations partners to address the shocking and appalling housing gap that exists on first nations. Indeed, over 33,000 units of housing have been built or renovated since that time. We continue to invest in affordable housing, not just for first nations people but for indigenous people in urban, rural and northern communities.

Let us compare that to the record of the Leader of the Opposition. For $350 million, 99 houses were built. We can do better as a country and that is what we are doing.

Climate Change

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

Mr. Speaker, Suncor is raking in billions of dollars in profits, yet its corporate rap sheet is a long list of disturbing allegations: environmental damage, workers killed on the job and price fixing at the pump. However, the blockbuster lawsuit in the state of Colorado is new. The Colorado indictment is clear. It states that Suncor knowingly and substantially contributed to the climate crisis through “intentional, reckless and negligent conduct.” This is the big tobacco moment for Suncor.

What will the minister do to hold this company to account and make sure it reduces emissions to protect our children's futures?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I share the concerns of my hon. colleague. The leader of an important company like Suncor should be working with us to help fight climate change in a time where we are seeing record heat and record flooding all around the world, including in our country. We have record forest fires and hurricanes.

We need everyone to step up to the plate. We know it will not be the Conservative Party, but we are counting on all the leaders in our country, except the Conservative Party, to work with us to ensure that Canada does its fair share when it comes to fighting climate change.

Financial Institutions

[Brendan Hanley, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, northern communities already face higher costs of goods, like food and fuel, than Canadians in the south, and with high inflation, these costs are building even more.

Our government is taking action to support the middle class and those working hard to join it. This week, our government announced new measures to reduce costly banking fees for Canadians.

Could the President of the Treasury Board tell the House how these new measures will help make life more affordable for northerners and Canadians alike?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, we are taking a responsible and balanced approach to fiscal management. Just this week, we announced new measures to ensure Canadians are treated fairly by their banks. These measures include protecting Canadians from rising mortgage payments, enhancing low-cost banking options, lowering non-sufficient funds fees and ensuring that Canadians have an impartial advocate when they have complaints against their banks.

Today and every day is a great day to fight for Canadians, and that is exactly what we are going to do.

Carbon Pricing

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is this simple: Higher taxes on farmers, on truckers and on processors mean higher food costs for Canadians. Canadian farmers will pay close to a billion dollars in carbon taxes alone by 2030. After eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

Conservatives are bringing forward common sense solutions, like legislation that would exempt the carbon tax from on-farm fuels like natural gas and propane, but the Liberals are trying to kill this bill at the Senate despite all-party support here in the House and in the Senate.

Why is the Prime Minister fighting so hard to make sure that food and farming remain unaffordable?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. colleague fully understands that farmers fully depend on what happens with the climate. In Prince Edward Island, we had hurricane Fiona. It blew warehouses down. It blew dairy barns down and killed cattle. In western Canada, where my hon. colleague is from, straw is worth $300 a bale. The Prairies burned and had floods. Quite simply, if we do not deal with the climate, we will not ever do anything about the price of food or be able to help farmers.

We will continue to address the climate issue in this country.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, ironically, the Liberals set aside $300 million for ACOA, for farmers to deal with Fiona, but not a single dime has gone out the door. All parties of the House supported this legislation. Even the Greens understand how important farming is.

After eight years of higher interest rates and inflationary costs, and now not one but two carbon taxes, the Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost. The Prime Minister is fanning the flames of inflation with yet another carbon tax on Canadian farmers.

Why will the Prime Minister not respect the will of the House and axe his farm-killing carbon tax?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is correct that Fiona did incredible damage, and I am proud, as the minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, that we did receive $300 million. One hundred million of that has gone to small craft harbours, and $40 million has gone to Parks Canada. We now have a program on the table that is offering funding to build climate centres. I think there is $9 million left in the fund. I would be glad to give the hon. member details. I will get back to him on that.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after eights years, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost. Canadians cannot afford to drive their cars or heat their homes, but that does not matter to the NDP-Liberal government. After forcing Canadians to pay a costly carbon tax, it is plowing ahead with a second carbon tax. Earlier this week, the minister's department told the environment committee that the Liberals knew their clean fuel regulations would cost Canadians more.

Will the government finally admit that its second carbon tax is not worth the cost?