Debates of June 5th, 2023

The Economy

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, what is truly reckless is driving up inflation and interest rates on Canadian consumers who are the most indebted in the entire G7. In fact, the combined consumer debt is almost bigger than the entire Canadian economy. When the monster mortgages that Canadians took out, with the advice of the government back in 2021-22, come into higher rates for renewal there could be a massive mortgage meltdown.

Therefore, will the finance minister do what she promised only six months, and that is to stop putting fuel on the inflationary fire, balance the budget to bring down inflation and interest rates, yes or no?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, someone who advised Canadians to opt out of inflation by investing in crypto is pretty ill-positioned to offer economic advice of any kind. What is he doing instead of providing a responsible economic plan? He is blocking the support that Canadians need, real measures in our budget implementation bill, for example, cracking down on predatory lending. Who could be opposed to that? Is that not what Canadians need right now? The Conservatives, with their frivolous childish behaviour, are stopping Canadians from getting that support.

Emergency Preparedness

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec families and communities are being hit hard by major forest fires. That includes fires in other places too.

The Conservatives are here to support any government action necessary to protect Canadians and control the forest fires.

I thank the minister for the briefing he gave me and I would like to give him the opportunity to update the House and all Canadians on the forest fire situation and on what the government is doing in response to it.

[Bill Blair, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the strong advocacy from every member of the House on behalf of their communities.

There are currently 370 wildfires burning in Canada, 217 of which are out of control. There have been over 26,000 evacuations from communities right across the country. In response to a request for assistance from the Provinces of Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia, we have deployed the Canadian Armed Forces into those three provinces. In each location, Canadian Armed Forces are now in the field assisting with firefighting efforts.

Disaster Assistance

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to express our solidarity with the Quebeckers who have been evacuated as a result of the forest fires and with all those who are worried. We stand with them. Our MPs are on the ground, and I want to point out that governments are currently working well together.

We are going to have to have a frank discussion about climate change but, in the short term, we must deal with the fires and fully support the victims.

Will the government accept our help and work with us?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we are all concerned about this situation.

First of all, I want to thank the firefighters for their work and acknowledge their courage. Quebec reached out with a request last Saturday and we answered yes within hours. The Canadian Armed Forces has deployed 150 service personnel. We will continue to be there for Quebeckers.

Democratic Institutions

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, CBC revealed that David Johnston hired crisis communications firm Navigator. He has the right to hire whoever he wants. That is not the problem. What is strange is that he did not hire this crisis management firm when he was in crisis last week, after he submitted his report that said no to a public inquiry. He hired the firm on the first day of his mandate.

Did Mr. Johnston already know, from the start, that he was going to oppose the public inquiry that Quebeckers and Canadians are calling for?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is well aware that the simple answer to his question is no. Mr. Johnston took the time to look at all of the documents and he interviewed a number of people who were directly involved in the matter of foreign interference. Mr. Johnston took his job seriously and worked independently to come to his findings. That is something that would also do some good in the House of Commons.

Housing

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, based on a recent survey, nearly half of homeowners and over half of renters in our country are struggling to make their monthly payments. I know that neither the Prime Minister nor the Leader of the Opposition have ever had to worry about this, but it is scary. On top of that, the Bank of Canada is poised to very likely increase interest rates, which will make the situation even worse.

When will the Prime Minister take this seriously and take steps to bring down the cost of rent?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely understands the challenges that people are facing with the cost of living, particularly Canadians who rent. That is why last fall we provided a top-up to people who needed support paying their rent. That is also why we are very glad that on July 5 we are going to be able to provide the grocery rebate, which is targeted at 11 million vulnerable Canadians and Canadian families that need that support the most.

The Economy

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government needs to start acting like it is a crisis.

The Bank of Canada will likely raise interest rates, which will make matters worse and put even more pressure on workers. This government has done nothing to deal with the greedy corporations that are massively contributing to the rising inflation.

Does this government stand with workers or with big corporations?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government stands with all Canadians in every region and in every province in our country.

That is why we are helping the most vulnerable on July 5 with important targeted support. That is why, to us, jobs and economic growth are the most important targets and that is why we are proud that 900,000 jobs have been recovered.

This is a success for Canadians.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government, the finance minister has never found a tax that she did not like, a pocket that she did not want to pick or a deficit that she did not want to run. Thanks to her endless spending, we have a crisis. Canadians are paying more for groceries, more to fill up on gas and more to heat the home, if they can afford one.

Will she finally stop the reckless deficits, stick to a single thing that she told Canadians and tell us in which month of the year never will she balance the budget?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to recklessness, what is reckless is the Conservatives playing childish parliamentary games and stopping Canadians from getting the supports they need.

Let me list, for Canadians listening, some of the things the Conservatives are blocking.

They are blocking an improvement in registered education savings plans, a change that will make it easier for students to get the money their parents have saved up to pay for their education. They are blocking a ban on cosmetic testing on animals. They are blocking our efforts to cut the criminal—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Thornhill.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister can continue to lecture Canadians, but that will not pay their bills. She can continue to pretend like everything is fine, but that does not change the fact that people are hurting, and they are hurting because of her inflationary deficits, the tax increases and the broken promises of her boss's failed economic track record.

She said that she would balance the budget. She said that the debt ratio would go down. She said that there would be no more out-of-control spending. She did not keep her word. She does not answer questions in the House. Why would anybody trust anything she says?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would never lecture Canadians, and I will take no lessons from the Conservatives. This is the childish, irresponsible group of MPs who are today blocking the essential measures in our budget implementation legislation.

They are blocking the clean tax credits we put forward, which are going to drive jobs and growth, and climate action. They are blocking an extension of the seasonal EI program. I would like to know what particularly their MPs from Atlantic Canada feel about that frivolous action by their—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Calgary Forest Lawn.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister pretended to have an inflationary epiphany back in November. She admitted that deficits lead to inflation finally. She said that she did not want to pour fuel on the fire of inflation. She promised no more deficits after 2027, the same deficits that gave Canadians the worst cost-of-living crisis in history.

It only took her six months after that to do a massive flip-flop and admit in her failed budget that she would never end her deficit spending and poured a $60-billion jerry can of fuel on the inflationary fire she started.

Will she stand up and admit she misled Canadians and end her inflationary deficit spending?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me suggest one reason why the Conservatives are resorting to these reckless, desperate and childish parliamentary tactics. It is because they do not want Canadians to remember how badly they coped with the 2008 recession.

In 2008, it took Canada 110 months for employment to recover. After the COVID recession, which was much deeper, it took just 24 months for employment to recover.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives will continue to block the Liberal-NDP government from piling on an extra $4,200 of debt on the backs of struggling Canadians.

The finance minister's deficits are continuing to fuel inflation, driving up the cost of everything, and driving more Canadians to food banks than ever before. Her inflationary spending made housing more unaffordable, and rents and mortgages have doubled because of the government's failed policies.

When will the finance minister finally show some responsibility and balance the budget so interest rates can come down and Canadians can finally afford to live and heat their homes?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's GDP grew by 3.1% in the first quarter of this year. That is the fastest growth in the G7. We have recovered more than 900,000 jobs since the trough of COVID.

By contrast, after 2008, the Conservatives failed to support Canadians and failed to help Canada recover from the 2008 recession. In fact, as David Dodge said, “because it was obsessively focused on reducing the federal deficit...the Harper government unnecessarily contributed to”—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

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

Mr. Speaker, Stephen McNeil, the former Liberal premier of Nova Scotia, stated that if provinces continue to spend beyond their means, inflation will persist and continue to put pressure on household budgets.

Former Liberal minister John Manly also stated that it is like driving with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake. It is not a good plan for controlling the direction of the economy.

The Prime Minister is not listening to the opposition or to his Liberal friends. We have been clear: The government must balance the budget now.

Will the Prime Minister act in the interest of future generations?