Debates of April 24th, 2023

Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Edmonton Manning.

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, economists are telling us that Canada is on the brink of a recession, and the response of the Liberal government is to offer us a grim budget. Not only is it grim in the dictionary sense of being depressing or worrying to consider, but it is also Grimm as if it were written by the Grimm brothers. In other words, the finance minister has offered us a complete fairy tale.

The minister thinks she is playing the role of Snow White, with her cabinet colleagues as the seven dwarfs. Of course, that would leave the Prime Minister the role of Prince Charming. However, the Disney version is not the original story. In the Grimm original version of “Snow White”, the one Canadians will experience with this budget, the Minister of Finance would be the evil queen, and her budget the poisoned apple. Only by removing the apple from Show White's throat can she be saved, and only by defeating this budget can Canada's economy be saved from this Liberal disaster.

Perhaps the finance minister has a starring role in another of the Grimm brothers' fairy tales: “Cinderella”. After all, she just bought some new glass slippers before presenting her budget. The minister wants Canadians to believe that she is the fairy godmother, handing out cheques from the government. Who could argue with the idea of free money, even if it causes more inflation? However, the money is not really free. Cinderella may spend, spend and spend, never worrying that the clock is about to strike midnight, but midnight is coming and she will have to face the reality. Her beautiful horses are really mice, and when the clock strikes 12, we will discover just how big a pumpkin she has stuck the Canadian people with.

This type of fairy tale is not a new thing for this government. After eight years, we should be used to the fantasies spun by the Liberal storytellers, by the Prime Minister and his cabinet. From the beginning, they have shown their inability to understand basic mathematics.

In 2015, the Liberal leader promised Canadians that if he formed government, he would balance the budget by 2019. Does anyone on the other side remember that promise? After eight years, he has not even come close to balancing the budget. Instead, he just piles on more and more debt with government spending that drives up the price of groceries and everything else. He thinks people should be grateful to him for breaking his promises, because his government, as he says, will always have Canadians' backs, which is easy for him to say since we have already had to give him the shirts off our backs to pay for his high prices and high taxes.

The Minister of Finance has learned from the Prime Minister. She has not promised us a balanced budget. Given the Liberal track record, I am not sure she knows what a balanced budget is. It may be because there was one thing missing from this budget, one small spending item that would have made a big difference if purchased and used: a dictionary. If the Liberals owned a dictionary, the finance minister might discover that the definition of “fiscal restraint” is not “spend the country into recession”. Fiscal restraint is not telling Canadians in the fall of 2022 that the government expects to run a $30-billion deficit, and then adding an addition $10 billion a few months later. Can the minister be so unaware of the true numbers, or was she intentionally misleading Canadians?

After eight years of this government, the deficits get higher, the national debt grows and our grandchildren will still be stuck with paying for Liberal extravagance. Rather than handing out cheques to Canadians struggling to feed their families due to high grocery prices, why does this government not actually do something about inflation, rather than making things worse? Is it because it does not have a clue how the economy works?

The government can be counted on to always say the right thing, but its actions speak louder than words. Simply put, it does not walk the talk.

A government that broke its promises about balancing the budget and that has steadily increased the deficit and national debt and fuelled record inflation should not be entrusted with the finances of the nation. Then again, the Liberals spent $6,000 a night on a hotel room for the Prime Minister, complete with butler service. Perhaps the Liberals do understand the financial challenges faced by ordinary Canadians and instead just do not care.

I am not the only one who has noticed that the budget presented to us by the finance minister is a fairy tale. According to The Globe and Mail, this budget “is all a fiscal fantasy: the Liberal budget is built on a cloud of sleight-of-hand projections and the hope that Canadians are suffering from collective amnesia.” If finance minister Cinderella really wants to help Canadians, and I believe she does, she needs to abandon this reckless spending program that she described as “fiscal restraint”. She needs to recognize that people are suffering and she can act to make things better.

First, she needs to lower taxes and scrap the carbon tax so that hard work will pay off again. The grocery tax rebate she is offering does not make up for the increases in payroll taxes and the carbon tax. Her policies are fuelling inflation and making people poorer, which is why one in five Canadians is skipping meals and food banks are seeing record demand. Second, she needs to get government spending under control. The Prime Minister has added more to our national debt than all prime ministers in our history.

The finance minister says that she will balance the budget in 2028, but she has no plan. Continued inflationary deficits are driving up the cost of the goods we buy and the interest we pay. The finance minister's plan to balance the budget is probably the same one her predecessor used: keep on spending with even greater deficits and pretend that the budget will somehow magically balance itself in a few years. After all, we are living in a Liberal fairy tale where such things can happen, except they do not happen. As the government has never managed to meet a self-imposed climate change target, so too has it continuously failed to show any signs of fiscal restraint or fiscal responsibility. It is as if the minister knows the government is doomed so she does not have to worry about it or about balancing the budget. Instead, eliminating the national debt will be someone else's problem.

When the Prime Minister was staying in that $6,000-a-night hotel suite, he went down to the hotel lobby one evening for a sing-along. Perhaps the Minister of Finance should take note of the words of the song he sang:

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landside
No escape from reality

For the Canadian people, this is indeed real life, caught in a landslide of a fantasy budget. For them, there is indeed no escape from reality. I urge the Minister of Finance to learn from the fairy tales and drop her starring role in them. The fiscal clock is about to strike midnight, and it is time for Cinderella to face reality.

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Madam Speaker, speaking of fairy tales, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. The real fairy tale, however, is that it has been more than two weeks since we tabled our fine budget, which is a responsible budget for the economy, the future and our children.

I would ask my colleague what fairy tale he is referring to, since he has not asked a single question about the budget in two weeks. He is asking personal questions about the Prime Minister, but he has nothing to say about the budget.

If his party has concerns about the budget, would it not be appropriate to ask questions about it in question period?

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, I was still on the definition issue with the government, and there is nothing in the budget to ask for. The budget is more spending, more inflation, no responsibility and no going back to balanced. What is there to ask for in the budget other than more bad news for Canadians? The government is looking for more and higher taxes, more spending and a more uncertain future.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Madam Speaker, I have been touring Quebec recently, travelling all over the place to talk about the housing crisis, because I think it is a very serious issue. I have heard from a lot of people.

In Joliette, for example, an adult living with an intellectual disability found himself on the street, homeless, in other words, and he ended up committing suicide. There was nothing in the budget to help someone like him. I heard about a woman in Trois-Rivières who is a victim of domestic violence and is now living in her car with her two children. There was nothing in the budget to help her. I heard about a family of 17 people in Longueuil living in a three-bedroom apartment. There was nothing in the budget to help those folks.

Does my colleague have any solutions for the issues I just raised and the people I just talked about?

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, of course, the housing crisis is a devastating situation, and it is heartbreaking to see a lot of Canadians who cannot find houses. Furthermore, our young generations do not even dream of owning or buying a house in the future. The proposed budget would not address any of that. The government is dominated by the idea of spending so much and achieving so little, and that is the problem we are facing right now.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rather enjoy the hon. member for Edmonton Manning. I appreciate his wisdom. He often comes with some really insightful information for the House. He spoke today about a fantasyland. I feel like I am in a fantasyland because it seems that the Conservatives' only solution to housing is to supersede provincial jurisdiction and have the federal government, if I am getting this correctly, intervene in local planning decision-making.

In this new fantasyland from the party of Wexit, Alberta sovereignty and the Buffalo declaration, where does the federal government take over municipal decision-making and start eliminating the gatekeepers at local planning meetings?

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, there is another fantasy world. It is the planet the NDP is living on right now. That is the bottom line. We are trying to remove gatekeepers and streamline the system. We are trying to help provinces by offering real help, not just a bunch of spending that would achieve nothing. That is the plan. It is a logical plan that makes sense.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Madam Speaker, the budget contains much inflationary pressure. There is $15 billion for an infrastructure bank that never built a project and another $15 billion for a slush fund in the Canada growth fund with no details on what that is about. Although there is such an crisis in affordable housing, as there is in my riding, the budget has $5.5 billion dollars to build only 4,500 spaces and remove barriers to building maybe another 100,000. That is a huge gap, and it is another inflationary pressure.

Could the member comment on that?

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, that goes back to the same idea we noticed here. The government spends too much and achieves too little. If this continues to be the case, there is no hope that we will see any actual results.

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Kingston and the Islands.

I am pleased to rise today to talk about our budget. As the member for Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Development, I am pleased to talk about its impact on rural Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

This budget is based on our plan to grow our economy, fight climate change and continue to make life more affordable for Canadians in every community. The previous Conservative government cut the rural secretariat; by contrast, our Liberal government appointed the first federal minister of rural economic development to ensure that federal programs are adapted to the unique realities and needs of rural communities and allow those communities to finally have a dedicated voice at the cabinet table.

Our government recognizes that rural communities are the cornerstone of our economy. When rural Canada succeeds, the rest of Canada is stronger for it. The Minister of Rural Economic Development and I have travelled across the country to remote and indigenous rural communities and they shared their priorities with us directly. They also talked about how we can work together to ensure that every community has what it needs to prosper.

From what we heard, the top priority of rural communities is to close the connectivity gap to ensure that every Canadian has access to reliable, affordable high-speed Internet no matter where they live. We are making this happen.

Since 2015, our government has made $7.6 billion available for expanding access to this essential service. The universal broadband fund, with its budget of more than $3.2 billion, is the largest federal investment in broadband in Canada's history. That is 10 times the investments of all the previous governments combined. We have consistently increased funding for the fund to ensure that we are on the right track to exceed our objective of connecting 98% of Canadians by 2026 and 100% of Canadians by 2030.

Last fall, we added $485 million to the fund to continue our work. I want to point out that the Conservative Party voted against those essential investments every chance it got. Those significant investments helped compensate for the previous Conservative government's 10 years of inaction. In 2014, only 79% of Canadians had access to high-speed Internet, while today 93.5% of them do. That is real progress.

Since the fund was launched, over $2.2 billion in funding has been announced for 260 projects and six federal-provincial funding arrangements. The money announced will make it possible for over 950,000 households, including over 29,000 indigenous households, to get affordable and reliable high-speed Internet access. The universal broadband fund has already helped provide high-speed Internet access to over 200,000 underserved households across the country, and 80,000 additional households should have improved access by the end of the year.

In Quebec, almost 100% of households are covered by projects that will get them connected to high-speed Internet. That would not have been possible without the investments that we made and our partnership with the provincial government. The fund makes it possible to offer access to reliable high-speed Internet at an affordable price. Affordability is an issue that is of concern to many Canadians living in rural areas.

Despite the progress made on connectivity and rebuilding our economy following the pandemic, global inflation means that many Canadians are still finding it hard to put food on the table. That is why the 2023 budget includes new targeted supports for the most vulnerable Canadians to help them with the cost of living while working to build the economy of tomorrow, an economy that benefits all Canadians and gives them the means to prosper.

I would like to focus on one of these affordability measures, the new grocery rebate. We know that staples are more expensive today, especially in rural areas where the cost of living is higher. These higher prices are a source of great stress for families. That is why we are proposing $2.5 billion to lessen the effects of inflation in a targeted manner for 11 million low-income families. On average, a couple with two children will qualify for up to $467 more, single Canadians without children will receive up to $234 and seniors will receive up to $225 more. We have shown that, as a government, we are there for Canadians when they need us, as is the case with the Canada child benefit. This measure will put more money in the pockets of Canadian families and seniors who need it most.

Investments in budget 2023 will strengthen Canada's health care system, allocating $198.3 billion for reducing backlogs, expanding access to family health services and ensuring that the provinces and territories can provide the top-quality health care that Canadians deserve. The budget also introduces a new Canadian dental care program that will benefit up to nine million Canadians. This program will guarantee that no Canadian family will have to choose between dental care and paying bills at the end of the month. These investments will bring real changes to the daily lives of Canadians in rural regions. Parents should not have to worry about the cost of their child's dental checkup. Seniors should be able to consult a doctor without having to worry about travelling too far because there are no doctors in their community.

Pizza Nova

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to celebrate a family-operated Canadian business of which I am very proud. I want to congratulate the Primucci family on the 60th anniversary of their delicious Pizza Nova brand. For many years, the Primucci family has been sharing the rich taste of Italy with Canadians.

Pizza Nova is more than just great food; it is a a labour of love since 1963. Pizza Nova stands for passion, for family, friends and delicious pizza. I am happy to share this moment of celebration with it today. People can say thanks and congratulations by taking their families for an authentic Italian pizza in one of the 150 locations in southern Ontario to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

On behalf of my husband Sam and I, and our community, we offer our most sincere congratulations to Sam and Gemma Primucci, founders of Pizza Nova chain, and to their terrific family members who have grown it into a very successful franchise operation.

Fishing Legend

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I recently had the pleasure of joining in the recognition of fishing legend, Bob Izumi, who hails from Chatham-Kent in southwestern Ontario.

Bob recently received a rare honorary membership to the all-party parliamentary outdoor caucus in recognition of his outstanding work in promoting fishing, family activities and environmental stewardship. Bob is known across North America for hosting Canada's longest-running syndicated television series, Bob Izumi's Real Fishing Show, which ran for 38 years.

It is also great to see Bob pay tribute to his father Joe, who, in addition to raising Bob, his sisters Lynn and Georgina, and brother Wayne, while working two or more jobs, also made time to teach community bowling, baseball and organize Canada's first-ever bass fishing tournament right here in Kent county.

I thank Bob for representing his community and country with so much dignity and his ever-present smile.

Tourism

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, with majestic landscapes, stunning wildlife, rich and diverse culture, and sophisticated cities, Canada has so much to offer.

The millions of Canadians employed in the tourism sector are proud to show visitors our national treasures like the old-growth forests, beaches and coastal indigenous art on the Pacific coast, Banff National Park in the Rockies, stunning Niagara Falls in Ontario, la richesse historique et culturelle de la ville de Québec, and the quaint, historic village of St. Andrews.

The truth is that Canada's economy, from coast to coast to coast, is powered by tourism. Tourism is pivotal for social cohesion, and our cultural ambassadors who work in this space are instrumental in showing the world our cultures and values.

With the coming launch of our new tourism growth strategy, Canada is committed to helping this sector reach its full potential by attracting more people to choose careers in tourism, attracting and supporting events big and small right across the country, and investing in the people and the infrastructure that will set tourism up for success now and into the future.

As co-chair of the all-party parliamentary tourism caucus, I want to wish everyone a happy Tourism Week. I encourage members to highlight the wonders of their ridings, and the workers and businesses that help share them with the world.

Tourism Week

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the start of Tourism Week, so I want to take this opportunity to invite everyone to come and experience Quebec's wonders and hospitality.

Tourism is in our nature, whether in the regions or in the city. Quebec is known for its wide open spaces and majestic river, for its breathtaking landscapes where a hike quickly becomes an adventure for everyone. Everyone should come and discover urban Quebec, with its architecture that is unrivalled in North America, its cultural offerings and nightlife.

Come discover how indigenous peoples, who have been here for thousands of years, helped shape Quebec's history, geography and tourism. The friendship between Quebeckers and first nations has spanned more than four centuries. Visit any of the 17 tourism regions in Quebec and meet our friendly people, who are always happy to welcome tourists and help them explore the numerous events and festivals that take place throughout summer and winter.

Welcome to Quebec, a country larger than life.

Eid al-Fitr

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Eid al-Fitr is one of the most important days in the Islamic faith. To the Muslims in Nepean, and all across Canada, I wish them, again, Eid Mubarak.

After a month of fasting and spiritual reflection, Eid al-Fitr is a joyous occasion for communities and a time of celebration. I celebrated Eid and exchanged Eid greetings with thousands of Muslim Canadians at the event hosted by the Muslim Association of Canada last Friday.

Let us find inspiration from the values of compassion, gratitude and generosity that are at the heart of Islam. This is also an opportunity to recognize the many contributions Muslim Canadians have made, and continue to make, to the socio-economic development of our country. Muslim Canadians have strengthened the rich multicultural fabric of Canada.

Carolle Pelletier

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Patro de Charlesbourg will turn an important page in its history this spring. Carolle Pelletier will step down as executive director and take her well-deserved retirement after 35 years of good and faithful service.

Ms. Pelletier started going to the community centre at the age of 12. In 1989, the board of directors named her assistant director of this venerable institution in the riding of Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles. She then became acting director and then, in December of that same year, executive director, heralding the start of major changes within the institution.

Ms. Pelletier is the living memory of the Patro de Charlesbourg, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. She embodies that very precious connection among the board of directors, staff, volunteers and the community. For 35 years, she has upheld the Patro de Charlesbourg's mission, which is to contribute to the well-being of people of all ages through recreation, sport and community support. Over the past few years, I had the pleasure of spending time with Ms. Pelletier and working with her on various projects. I was always impressed by the vision, passion and dedication of this great woman. On behalf of the people of Charlesbourg and myself, I thank Carolle and wish her a wonderful retirement.

Sikh Heritage Month

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

[Member spoke in Punjabi]

[English]

Mr. Speaker, today, I want to commemorate two extraordinary events.

Dasmesh Darbar Gurdwara hosted the world's largest Sikh nagar kirtan parade in Canada's fastest growing city of Surrey. There were 700,000 who people gathered from all across the country and abroad to celebrate the birth of the Khalsa. For miles, all one could see was a sea of chunnis, turbans, floats, flags and lots and lots of food.

I want to give a big thanks to all the sevadars, the volunteers and the sponsors, who made one of Canada's greatest events happen this weekend.

Then today, the Liberal Sikh caucus and the Ottawa Sikh Society hosted a three-day Akhand Path celebration of Vaisakhi, Khalsa Day and Sikh Heritage Month. This is the only such event continuously done in any Parliament in the world and something of which all Canadians should be proud.

A special thanks goes out to all the Hill staff and volunteers, and especially the Khalsa Aid volunteers who came out and made this an amazing Sikh Heritage Month.

Hispanic and Latin American Leaders

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is my absolute honour and pleasure to be hosting over 40 Hispanic and Latin American leaders to the House of Commons today, including, for the very first time, a member of the Latinx LGBTQ2 community.

With representatives from Victoria to Nova Scotia and four provinces, they are in Ottawa to build relations with parliamentarians, to exchange knowledge and information, and to network.

There are over one million Canadians of Hispanic or Latin American descent in Canada today. It is a community that is often not very visible, but its members are top lawyers, business leaders, journalists, scientists, doctors, urban strategists, educators, heads of community organizations and so much more. Their contributions are immeasurable and they embody the words “diversity is our strength” for indeed their contributions make Canada a stronger, better country. Through their hard work and dedication, this growing community will play an important role in Canada's future growth and prosperity.

Gracias to the leaders of the Hispanic and Latin American Canadian community. They are an inspiration not only within the community but to all Canadians.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister was off enjoying a free luxury trip last Christmas, many Canadians were wondering if they would be able to make their mortgage payment or their rent payment. It is clear that when the Prime Minister was talking about sunny ways back in 2015, he was actually talking about his Trudeau Foundation funded trips to Jamaica.

We already know the Communist regime in Beijing donated over $200,000 to the Trudeau Foundation. We also know the special rapporteur, who will be investigating foreign interference in the 2021 election, was a member of the Trudeau Foundation until just weeks ago.

There is only one way to get to the bottom of this never-ending story between the Prime Minister, Communist Beijing and the Trudeau Foundation: an open, independent public inquiry.

Community Service

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on April 18, I was on hand to congratulate the Hon. Gurbax Singh Malhi as he was presented with the key to the City of Brampton in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a trailblazer for the Sikh and South Asian community. His service and dedication to strengthening diversity in Canada is truly commendable.

As the first Sikh member of Parliament, his persistence on wearing his turban resulted in a historic change in the rules with respect to wearing headgear in the House of Commons.

Mr. Malhi’s legacy of breaking barriers, fighting for equality and being a strong advocate for public service is an inspiration not only for us, but for generations to come.

I want to thank the Brampton city council for recognizing Mr. Malhi’s community service with this well-deserved honour.

Passports

[Dan Muys, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week, I spoke with constituents, who are rightfully worried that their summer travel plans and passports will be derailed again this year, this time because of the strike.

Instead of offering a solution, what was the minister responsible for passport’s advice? Just do not apply for a passport, which is incredibly tone deaf for my constituents and all Canadians.

Even worse, the minister went on to say that any primary documents submitted with a passport application, such as a birth certificate or citizenship certificate, could not be returned until after the strike. Therefore, for the many Canadians who applied for a passport in the last couple of weeks, their documents are now stuck with Service Canada until the strike ends.

It takes a special type of incompetence for the Liberals to spend 50% more on bureaucracy and still end up with the biggest public service strike in 40 years.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind everyone that S.O. 31s are taking place and I know we want to hear what people have to say. Hopefully it is about what is going on in their ridings and is something special to them.

The hon. member for Langley—Aldergrove.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 150,000 public service workers are out on strike and once again Canadians are paying the price for the Prime Minister's total incompetence. He had two years to do a deal, but he dropped the ball and failed to bring it home. Instead, he is spending $20 billion a year more on federal bureaucracy, yet delivering poorer services. To top it all off, he has caused the biggest strike in a generation. That takes a special degree of incompetence.

After eight years of the Prime Minister's terrible mismanagement of the economy, his inflationary spending and waste are having a devastating impact on Canadians, including public service workers.

The Conservatives will bring back common sense into the budgetary process to ensure that taxpayers get value for their money, which includes an effective, efficient and motivated public service. It is time to bring it home.

National Volunteer Week

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with National Volunteer Week recently behind us, I would like to take a moment to honour the many volunteers in my riding of Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting many of these volunteers, who give so generously of their time, talent and energy for the sake of others. They strengthen the fabric our communities and make a huge difference in the lives of the people around them. In a world that is changing by the minute, they make a vital contribution to the well-being of our communities. We all know that times are hard. People of all ages need help, and volunteers answer the call without asking for anything in return.

Their commitment benefits us all and deserves recognition and support. For that reason, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the volunteers who contribute their skills and time for the good of their fellow citizens.

To all the volunteers, thank you.