Debates of May 29th, 2023

Department of Finance—Main Estimates, 2023-24

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

The hon. member.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Chair, I do not know that Canadians think pretending to get money back from the poor and spending hundreds of millions of dollars to maintain the fiction has actually anything to do with fairness or that it is a prudent financial decision.

Again, how much is the government willing to spend to chase money it already knows it cannot get back?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Chair, as I said, it is important for us to be compassionate, and that is one of the priorities of our government, but we also understand that fairness matters to Canadians. For example, those Canadians who received a payment in error and who have paid it back want to know that those same rules apply to other Canadians.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Chair, they might also like to know that it applies to multi-billion-dollar corporations that received that money, have not paid it back and have not been asked to pay it back.

How much is the government prepared to spend in going after companies that got wage subsidy money and paid dividends to their shareholders?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Chair, we believe that integrity of all of our programs is important, and that is what we are pursuing. We are pursuing it in a compassionate, reasonable way.

I want to remind people: eyes on the prize. The important thing is we needed to take emergency action during COVID.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Chair, earlier in her exchange with the Conservative leader, the minister said that platform documents represent a sacred trust. Seven and a half years ago, the government promised to reform the employment insurance system, and it has not done it. Is that breaking a sacred trust with Canadians?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Chair, our government absolutely understands the importance of the EI system. That is why, during COVID, we contributed an additional $27 billion to the EI account to support EI, so EI could support Canadians in this—

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

The hon. member.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Chair, it was not a real contribution. The government is already trying to take it back. It has assigned $25 billion of the CERB debt to the EI account, which means that premium dollars are already going to go up just to pay back that debt and are not available for program improvements.

How is it that the government is planning to enhance employment insurance when it is already eating up the money that would be available to do that through a $25-billion debt assignment?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am afraid that that is simply an inaccurate explanation of what has happened with the EI account.

EI supported Canadians in a significant way during COVID and in the aftermath, and that is why the government transferred $27 billion to the EI account to support EI.

Whenever the country goes through an economic downturn, whether it was 2008 or the COVID recession, the EI account needs to move back into balance—

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

The hon. member, if you have a quickie.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Chair, sure, yes. Pardon me; now I need a minute.

As my final question in respect of that debt, we have been told by the Governor of the Bank of Canada that he is going to keep raising interest rates until the unemployment rate goes up. Canadians are in need of a well-functioning employment insurance system. When can they expect to get it?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Chair, I cannot resist saying that I am not sure quickies are permitted in the House of Commons.

The EI system is very important. That is why we resisted pressure to lower contributions. That is why we are going to continue supporting the system that is so important for so many Canadians.

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

Mr. Chair, it is a pleasure to participate in today's debate in committee of the whole.

Our government is well aware that we are living in difficult times, in a difficult world.

The world is going through a difficult time, and the impacts of outside forces are affecting the lives of Canadians. A global inflation cycle is making it harder to make ends meet, with snarled supply chains and geopolitical uncertainty driving up food prices and fuel costs. Climate change continues to affect our lives and endanger our communities with heat domes, atmospheric rivers, flooding and wildfires.

On that note, I would like to thank all the first responders and everyone responsible for responding to the wildfires in my home province of Alberta. I would say to the tens of thousands of Albertans who have been displaced that the federal government continues to be part of the plan and the action to get people back to their homes.

Our industries and our communities continue to adjust to the realities of a postpandemic world. Employers are attracting new workers, and businesses are welcoming back customers.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

I know we are trying to give information back and forth, and it is really difficult when the microphone is right there.

The hon. Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Chair, we have been honest with Canadians. The short-term outlook for the global economy is not great. Financing conditions have tightened, and the negative economic impact of Vladimir Putin's illegal and unjust invasion of Ukraine continues to be felt.

Such moments present political leaders with a choice, and in this House, the choice and the contrast is clear: Conservatives believe it is in their political interest to tell Canadians that everything is broken and that they should give up hope. Their ideology tells them that government does not have any role to play in supporting Canadians through these tough times. Their political instincts tell them that they do not need concrete plans or solutions; they need only slogans and scary rhetoric. I have no doubt that today's debate will continue to be full of much of the same, yet on this side of the House, we take a different approach.

Our government believes in finding solutions to global problems. We believe that it is the government's role to help get Canadians through these tough economic times, and we believe in investing in our future and building the foundations for economic growth. Under the leadership of our government, Canadians will do together what they have always done when times are tough. They will pull together, look after each other and come out stronger. That is exactly what has been taking place.

Finally, as statistics show, there are now 907,000 more Canadian workers in the labour market than there were before the COVID-19 pandemic. More Canadians are working than ever before. Canada's unemployment rate is at 5%, near its lowest level in decades.

In just the first four months of 2023, our economy added nearly a quarter-million jobs. While inflation is still too high, and its impacts are still being felt by Canadians, we are seeing it slowly decline. It has gone from 8.1% last June down to 4.4% last month, and the Bank of Canada predicts that it will further decline to 3% this summer and just 2.5% by the end of the year. Canada's deficit is projected to be lower than it was last year, down to just 1.4% of the GDP. It will also continue to go down every year for the next five years.

We point out these basic facts, but the Conservatives, once again, revert to politics. Without an answer to these facts, they throw their hands up in the air and claim that we are saying that Canadians never had it so good. I am sure that messaging gets a lot of retweets, but they know that this is not what we are saying. What we are saying is this: With our plan, and thanks to the hard work of Canadians, we are going to emerge from these tough times better than ever.

With budget 2023, “A Made-in-Canada Plan: Strong Middle Class, Affordable Economy, Healthy Future”, our government is proposing a number of measures to improve quality of life for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. For example, by providing a one-time grocery rebate for Canadians, we are helping about 11 million people and families who need it most. We are also proposing historic investments in our health care system to ensure that Canadians across the country have access to the care they deserve. We are putting forward many measures to develop a clean economy in Canada. In addition, budget 2023 will allow Canada to maintain the lowest deficit and net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7.

We are reducing public spending by more than $15 billion, without cutting the direct services and supports on which Canadians rely. We are investing where we need to and maintaining the balance of fiscal prudence.

That is not all. To succeed in today's world, it is essential that Canada be able to cope with fundamental changes in the global economy, such as the most significant economic transformation since the industrial revolution: the transition to a green economy.

Our allies around the world are moving their productions and revising their supply chains to work with democracies, not dictatorships. These changes represent a unique opportunity for Canada and for Canadian workers, and our proposals in budget 2023 allow us to capitalize on those opportunities.

Countries around the world need the expertise of Canadian workers, the ingenuity of Canadian businesses and the resources that our country has in abundance. As always, Conservatives would rather keep their heads in the sand, but we understand that, as a country, we must meet this historic moment.

We must also keep in mind that the recent passage of the United States' Inflation Reduction Act poses a major challenge to many countries, including Canada. Without swift action, the sheer scale of U.S. incentives will undermine our ability to attract the investments needed to establish Canada as a leader in the growing and highly competitive global clean economy. If Canada does not keep pace, we will be left behind as the world's democracies build the clean economy of the 21st century. If Canada is left behind, an entire generation of Canadian workers will be left behind.

We are taking action. We are making transformative investments to build Canada's net-zero economy, fight climate change and create new opportunities for Canadian businesses and Canadian workers. We will build a national electrical grid that connects Canadians from coast to coast to coast and delivers cleaner, more affordable electricity to Canadians and Canadian businesses.

We will deliver investments to put Canadian workers and Canadian businesses at the heart of essential global supply chains. We will become the reliable supplier of the goods and resources that a net-zero world will need. In our plan, our focus is on predictable investment tax credits, strategic low-cost financing and targeted investments.

Let us talk about the clean hydrogen investment tax credit. The levels of support vary between 15% and 40% of eligible project costs, with the cleanest hydrogen projects receiving the highest support. Budget 2023 also proposes new refundable tax credits for investments in clean electricity technologies, as well as machinery and equipment used to manufacture or process key technologies and extract, process or recycle key critical minerals.

We all know that CCUS, or carbon capture, utilization and storage, is an important tool for reducing emissions. In my home province of Alberta, this critical technology will create opportunities to keep our energy sector sustainable. It will protect our industry, reduce our emissions and create great careers.

That is why budget 2023 proposes to enhance the CCUS investment tax credit to support additional equipment used in this process. This entire package of tax credits, coupled with the investments our government is making in supply chains and industry, is a game changer for the Canadian economy.

We have already seen this. Thanks to our government's investments in air products, we will now build the largest net-zero hydrogen plant in the world right in my home city of Edmonton. We have also seen it with Heidelberg Materials, which is building a full-scale carbon capture, utilization and storage system at its facility in Edmonton to allow it to create carbon-neutral cement. It is the first such facility in the world. Canadian leadership is taking place in Edmonton thanks to our budget measures.

We are at a pivotal moment in our country's history, when we are choosing to scale up efforts to develop a clean economy, a green economy. I am pleased to see that budget 2023 puts forward numerous measures to make Canada a global leader in the clean economy. With our investments, everyone will win. We will help protect the environment for all Canadians. We will create great jobs for workers and unprecedented business opportunities for our businesses.

We are presenting a plan for a better future for all Canadians and an economy that works for everyone. At this challenging time in a challenging world, there is no better place to be than in Canada.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate)]

Mr. Chair, there has been a great deal of discussion about the budget.

As the ministers indicated in both of their speeches, they are talking about the things that are in there to relieve inflation. We know the reality is that as we are coming off the high inflation we have seen over the last year, and indeed it is starting to come down, there are a number of measures in this budget that specifically aim at supporting Canadians in getting through this difficult time, particularly the Canadians who are struggling the most. They are often the ones being affected the most by inflation and the rising costs of goods.

Could the minister highlight some of the important measures in the budget that will aim at helping Canadians and those struggling the most?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Chair, the answer is manifold. We understand that Canadians are struggling, and that is why we are providing the grocery rebate. It is going to help 11 million Canadians. Let me give some numbers. The average family will receive $467, while single Canadians will receive $264. Seniors can expect to receive, on average, $225.

This is in addition to supports that we put in the window: our previous doubling of the GST tax credit; our increase to the Canada workers benefit, which lowers the tax burden on working Canadians; the creation of and increases to the Canada child benefit; the indexing of the Canada child benefit, old age security and the guaranteed income supplement to inflation; a $500 payment to seniors over 75 and an increase in the OAS for that group; and the dental benefit, which is going to help millions of Canadians. Quite frankly, as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance said, we are a compassionate country; nobody should be worried about the quality of their smile. That is why this important investment makes sense for Canadians. There are also our critical investments in early childhood learning, with $10,000 per year per child in my home province alone.

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Chair, I am always excited to hear my hon. colleague speak, and I would like to ask him about the visitor economy. How important is this sector to every riding in every part of our country from coast to coast to coast? I know our government has been there. Could my colleague touch on the investments that we have made to support this incredible tourism industry and the visitor economy?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Chair, whether it is Gros Morne National Park, Banff National Park or Jasper, the fact is that budget 2023 includes $158 million for the visitor economy, $50 million for Destination Canada, $108 million for regional development agencies and $1.8 billion for the transportation sector. This is not only to modernize what we have in terms of our frequent visitor program but also to make sure that we get people to and through our airports faster. That is what it is going to take to get even more people coming to Canada and enjoying all that we have to offer.

[Terry Sheehan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Chair, when I was on city council, Sault Ste. Marie declared itself the North American alternative energy capital. We have now started talking about green and clean, but the federal government has made investments in solar and wind; in fact, it made one of the largest investments into a private company called Algoma Steel, with $420 million to get it from a coal-based process to an electric arc process. That is generational in funding. It is like taking a million cars off the road.

I am particularly interested in this budget. The minister talked about the tax credits for businesses, but could he expand on the benefits for workers, in particular, prevailing wages for workers who are working in the clean, green economy?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Chair, just on the tax credits for clean electricity alone, businesses would get the maximum credit allowed by making sure that they have union workers on the job site and that they are paying prevailing wages. This was work done by the Alberta Federation of Labour and other building trades across the country. This is in the budget, and it makes good sense, because we know that good union jobs are good middle-class jobs. They contribute to the community, and they help grow Canada.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Chair, in this budget, there are some investments in legal aid. Could the minister talk about how important it is to have a legal system that is accessible and our role in supporting a legal system through additional funding to the legal aid program?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Chair, everybody deserves to be represented and to be treated fairly in our legal system. The fact that our government is making investments in legal aid demonstrates that we believe in that principle and that we are here to work with individuals who need that help when they are facing legal proceedings.