Debates of Oct. 30th, 2023

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would note that the member has never been supportive of any of the programs that the federal government has done with respect to building affordable housing throughout the country, yet in the member's very own riding, when a project with federal dollars that she voted against was announced and the groundbreaking ceremony occurred, she tweeted out, “Step by step, brick by brick. Very happy to support this project!!” I am curious whether the member can inform the House how she was supporting the project, because it clearly was not by supporting the monetary measures that went towards it.

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

Madam Speaker, it is interesting. One of the biggest problems we have in the House is that the Liberals often will say that they are spending their money. What is lost, so often forgotten, is that they do not have any money; they have taxpayers' money, and that is the reality. That is why there is record-high inflation. That is why there is a homelessness problem. There is reckless spending by a government and a Prime Minister that have never had to balance a budget. There is reckless spending by a Prime Minister who does not know that it is not his money.

I will share another little point that happened today in committee. The Auditor General's report said that the government spent $1.3 billion to reduce homelessness, but could not tell whether it had reduced it at all. Of that $1.3 billion, $708 million went to social distancing and masks. I am sorry, but when people live in a tent, they do not need those things; they need houses built.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Speaker, nowhere in the world has the free market solved an affordable housing crisis. We know that under the Conservative watch, we lost 800,000 units. We saw REITs and corporate ownership of residential housing go through the roof. We saw housing prices double. Today, we still hear of no plan from the Conservatives. All we see are things like what happened in Ontario with the Greenbelt.

I want to hear from my colleague. Do the Conservatives have a plan, and do they support co-op and non-market housing and social housing as a solution to the free market disaster we are seeing when it comes to housing in this country?

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

Madam Speaker, the reality is that when there is an affordability crisis, the first thing people stop doing is giving to charities. The first thing people stop doing is being able to have extra cash. Social services and social programs are funded best when we have a healthy economy. Tell me what is happening in this country right now when we have historically high usage of a food bank, the highest ever. We will get houses built only when the private sector can do that, and then we would have a healthy enough economy to have social services money. Build for that. That is the reality, and we have a government right now that does not respect taxpayers' money.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the motion now before the House.

The question is on the amendment.

If a member participating in person wishes that the amendment be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Madam Speaker, we would request a recorded vote.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Pursuant to Standing Order 45, a recorded division stands deferred until Wednesday, November 1, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

Falun Gong

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, I visited with some Falun Gong folks on the weekend. Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline that consists of meditation, exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

In 1999, the Chinese Communist Party launched an intensive national persecution campaign to eradicate Falun Gong. Hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained in forced labour camps, brainwashing centres and prisons.

Canadian lawyer David Matas and former Canadian secretary of state David Kilgour conducted an investigation. They concluded that the Chinese regime and its agencies throughout China have put to death tens of thousands of Falun Gong prisoners and their vital organs have been seized. The European Parliament passed a resolution condemning organ harvesting in China.

The petitioners are asking the Government of Canada to pass a resolution to establish measures to stop the Chinese Communist regime from systematically murdering Falun Gong practitioners for their organs, amend Canadian legislation to combat forced organ harvesting, and publicly call for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Public Safety

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

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition, once again, on behalf of the constituents of Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa.

I rise for the 20th time to present a petition on the rising rate of crime. The people of Swan River have lost faith in the NDP-Liberal government's soft-on-crime policies, which allow violent repeat offenders to be on the streets instead of behind bars. Businesses are struggling to deal with the constant crime and chaos.

Petitioners are calling for jail, not bail, for violent repeat offenders. The people of Swan River demand that the Liberal government repeal its soft-on-crime policies that directly threaten their livelihoods and community. I support the good people of Swan River.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Small Business

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to rise today on a really important issue that is impacting small businesses throughout Canada.

Throughout the pandemic, small businesses closed their doors to protect public health and the people in our communities. They are the unsung heroes that are not talked about enough in the House or in this country. Obviously, many of them took a major hit financially.

I have some stats from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. It cites that 60% of small businesses are still struggling with pandemic debt. In fact, the average pandemic debt is $126,827. Forty-seven per cent of small businesses are operating with sales that are below normal, and 19% are at risk of closure. This is a significant number of small businesses, which are one of the economic drivers in our communities. Many workers are employed by and rely on small businesses to succeed.

My colleague, the member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay, has been pushing the federal government to extend the CEBA loan for one more year, for the full-fledged, forgivable portion. We have been calling for a CEBA extension. Right now, 250,000 businesses are at risk of closing their doors.

As New Democrats, we understand the critical need to support small business. We are glad to see the Bloc join in our call for a full-fledged extension to the end of next year. We are glad to see the Greens support our call to action.

However, can we guess who is missing in action? It is the Conservative Party. We cannot find the Conservatives when it comes to this critical ask that the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has identified as critical to supporting small business.

I am just going to read a note from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. It is part of their petition. They are asking people to write to the government. The petition says, “18 days isn't an extension. It's an insult.” That is what the federal government just offered small business when it comes to the CEBA loan.

Then, if they can, they have to go back to the bank where they got the CEBA loan. They have to come up with a deal by March and have the bank take over the loan, or they will lose the forgivable piece. Then they have to pay huge interest on top of that to the bank that finances them. This is absolutely an insult to these small businesses and those that closed their doors to protect our health.

I went on a business walk with Jolleen Dick, the executive director of the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce. We went into Flandangles Kitchen and Gifts in Port Alberni. I was talking to Chris Washington. Not only did Chris close her doors to protect public health, but she also kept her employee going. She went out and got a job so that she could pay her employee the difference on the wage subsidy. She has paid $10,000 a year for the last two years toward the debt, but she cannot afford to meet the deadline. She is on her way back up, but it is not fair to punish Chris Washington and Flandangles Kitchen and Gifts, which not only closed its doors to support public health but also supports our community.

Wildflower Bakeshop and Cafe is in the same boat. They paid $5,000 toward their loan. In fact, the mayor of our community, who owns a restaurant, told me that there is not a restaurant she knows of that has been able to pay back the CEBA loan.

I am asking the government this: Will it extend the full CEBA loan to the end of next year, with the full one-third nonrepayable portion, to December 31, 2024?

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

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question, which is very important to our entrepreneurs and SMEs across Canada, including back home in Montreal and across Quebec.

I would also like to thank the member for Courtenay—Alberni, who worked with me back in the pandemic on many supports for our entrepreneurs and small businesses. It was thanks to a lot of collaborative work in the House between members on behalf of small businesses that we were able to put in supports that were absolutely critical in ensuring that entrepreneurs could keep their doors open at a very difficult time.

It was actually a lifeline for small business, having the CEBA program and the loans that were provided. Our government is taking action now in order to provide greater flexibility to small business owners who are finding it difficult to repay those loans. I appreciate the member opposite raising some concerns with the flexibilities we have put in place.

The Canada emergency business account, which was created as part of our overall response to the pandemic, has helped maintain economic stability and keep small businesses afloat, while keeping workers in the workforce. Our government is committed to supporting SMEs, and our commitment to this program is emblematic of our unwavering support for businesses and workers.

More than one million more Canadians are employed today than before the pandemic. This tells us that the plan we put in place during the pandemic has worked. We have recovered more jobs than we lost in the first months of the pandemic. Both the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund predict that Canada will have the strongest growth in the G7 in 2024.

CEBA alone provided about $49 billion in emergency support to over 900,000 small businesses across the country, including non-profits that were absolutely essential in supporting Canadians during the pandemic and continue to support Canadians today. These businesses and not-for-profit organizations have been and continue to be the backbone of our communities. They provide good-paying jobs. They also provide essential services to Canadians.

I am here to reiterate our government's unwavering commitment to support those small businesses. We have recognized, of course, and I have taken many of these calls, as has the Minister of Small Business, that businesses, particularly small businesses, have seen some challenges in repaying those important loans.

We understand the requirements and complexities involved in a small business. Recognizing that the end of the year is a particularly busy time for small businesses, we are extending the deadline for repayment to qualify for partial forgiveness of the loan in an amount not exceeding $20,000 to January 18, 2024.

We are also offering businesses the possibility of obtaining partial forgiveness of their loan until March 28, 2024, provided they apply for refinancing through their financial institution.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am urging this government to act. My colleague and I did work together. I really appreciate the fact that, when we kicked and screamed as New Democrats to support small businesses, to fix technicalities at an urgent time for small businesses, we were able to fix some of those problems. However, right now, we are not done yet.

A lot of these small businesses are just starting to recover. I am urging the government to not abandon them now. They are looking for an extension to the end of next year, not two or three years from now. They closed their doors for public health. There are 250,000 businesses that are at risk. We are asking the government to finish the job, support their recovery and give them a little bit more time. They deserve it. Small businesses and the workers in our country are the backbone of our economy.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate my NDP colleague's arguments. As I was saying earlier, we have brought in flexible measures to help SMEs make the necessary repayments, and we have spoken with financial institutions. Financial institutions are in contact with SMEs, and SMEs must negotiate with them.

Furthermore, we have offered businesses the possibility of partial loan forgiveness until March 28, 2024, as I said earlier. We have a range of measures to help SMEs. We have cut taxes for SMEs twice. We have also worked with our partners at Visa and Mastercard to reduce credit card fees for SMEs. We will continue to work hand in hand with SMEs.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:41 p.m.)