Debates of Sept. 19th, 2023

Finance

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has a short memory, to say the least. She does not remember that, a mere two months ago, she said her plan was working. Today, it is clear that it is not.

I happen to have a quick question for her. Does she remember who said that deficits “pour fuel on the fire of inflation”? Does anyone know who said that? It was the Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. She is the one who said that.

My question is for the Minister of Industry. Does he agree with his colleague that, if the government does not control spending, it is pouring fuel on the fire of inflation? Does he agree with his colleague?

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

Mr. Speaker, if my colleague opposite wants to lecture anyone about economics, he should start with his colleagues, who do not understand the difference between the key rate and inflation.

We fully understand the importance of fiscal responsibility. That is why Canada has the lowest deficit in the G7. That is why our AAA credit rating was confirmed just last week. Those are the facts.

Grocery Industry

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's stunt with the CEOs of the major grocery chains is not going to affect our grocery bills anytime soon. Ottawa asked them to come up with plans to stabilize prices within three weeks. Really? If they do not, then what?

Obviously, Quebeckers cannot go shopping elsewhere. If the big grocery stores do not lower their prices, Ottawa is threatening to hit them with a new tax. Who will they then pass those costs on to? That is the obvious question. It is all well and good to include the major grocers in the discussion, but everyone needs to be at the table.

When are we going to see measures that will make a difference to Canadians' wallets?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, it is not a stunt when we are fighting to stand up for Canadians. What happened was unprecedented: We called together the five major grocery players in Canada so that we could convey to them the frustration that millions of Canadians experience every week. We told them to table specific, concrete plans to stabilize prices in Canada.

That is exactly what Canadians asked us to do, and that is exactly what we are going to do. We will continue to fight for Canadians, no matter what the Bloc Québécois may think.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, those who are often forgotten, when we talk about groceries, are the farmers and processors. They are the ones who produce our food. Right now, they are not getting any support from Ottawa to deal with higher basic costs, for labour, for example. There is nothing for them to help with inflation and their record level of debt. There is nothing for them to help with weather-related damage. Then Ottawa is surprised when the price of food goes up.

Will the government commit to supporting our farmers and processors? That is what will affect us at the grocery store.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

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

One thing that was clear yesterday with the major grocery chains from across the country is that we must not allow any measure to affect our farmers, the small and medium-sized businesses across the country that contribute to the food chain. Speaking of yesterday's event and the federal government's unequivocal demand, it is up to the large grocery chains to stabilize prices in Canada. We are here for supply management. We are here for our farmers. We will continue to support the little guy in the supply chain.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this situation is particularly urgent, especially for fruit and vegetable growers in Quebec. The rains this summer have been disastrous for their crops.

Produce growers urgently need the federal government's help. If the federal government does not intervene, some farms will disappear, and that will have an impact on food prices.

Will the government act responsibly and step up to help our fruit and vegetable growers before it is too late?

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

Mr. Speaker, my sympathy certainly goes out to the farmers with the weather we are facing in Quebec and right across this country. We have the CAP program and the business risk management programs, which we worked on with the provinces and the territories right across the country. My hon. colleague is well aware that the province applies tabulations sent in to the federal government and we make sure we compensate the farmer. We will continue to do that, working hard with farmers to make sure they are able to continue.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, just two months ago the finance minister said, “Canada's plan to bring down inflation is working.” Clearly, the Liberals are experiencing inflation differently, because it is not going down; it is up again today. After eight years of the current Prime Minister, mortgage payments are up 151%, and Canadians are suffering. He is not worth the cost.

When will he admit that his inflationary spending is leaving Canadians homeless?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my hon. colleague, she would recognize the disastrous consequences that would have befallen Canadian households if we had not been there for them during their time of need. Their argument ultimately boils down to the fact that we should not have provided support to families to keep food on the table and that we should not have provided support to Canadian employers so workers could remain on the payroll. That is what would have caused Canadians to be without homes, but the Conservatives want to talk about housing plans. The only plans they have are to raise taxes on the people who build homes, and that is just foolish.

We are going to continue to put forward programs that will allow us to build more homes, and we are going to put forward measures to support Canadians during their time of need.

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

Mr. Speaker, we have heard repeatedly from the Prime Minister that the cost of living is not a priority, and Canadians are feeling the consequences. Here are a few quotes from the Prime Minister. “You'll forgive me if I don't think about monetary policy.” Or how about this: “We took on debt so Canadians wouldn't have to.”

When will the Prime Minister admit that it is not his debt; it is taxpayers' money? More importantly, when will he start caring about monetary policy so Canadians can afford to live?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I find it fascinating the Conservatives' new-found interest in making life more affordable for Canadians. What is funny is she does not realize that many of her colleagues voted against the Canada child benefit, which puts more money in the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families and stops any child care cheques from going to millionaires. They opposed increases to old age security for seniors when they turn 75. They opposed increases to the Canada student loan and Canada student grant programs, and they opposed increases to the Canada workers benefit.

We cannot be fooled. Their record in government was lower wages and higher unemployment. We have turned the ship around and we will be there to support Canadians in their time of need.

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

Mr. Speaker, these are failed plans. After eight years of the Prime Minister, finding an affordable place to live is a crisis. Under the NDP-Liberal government and its out-of-control spending, inflation and interest rates are both skyrocketing.

Rents have doubled, mortgages have doubled and people are becoming homeless. Will the Prime Minister stop his inflationary spending so Canadians can keep a roof over their heads?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, with great respect, our plan to make sure that Canadians have a roof over their heads is to build more homes. We advanced a plan that is going to cut the GST for people who are building homes for Canadians. We are changing the way that cities build homes. We will grow the capacity of the workforce to build those homes. Realistically, when we dig into the housing plan, if we can call it that, that they put forward the other day, they plan to cut funding for home building and put GST back on some homes that need to be built.

We will be there to build the homes Canadians need, and we will be there to support people during their time of need when it comes to addressing the cost of living.

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

Mr. Speaker, two months ago, the finance minister declared victory over inflation. However, just today, inflation went up again: over 43% since that declaration. Even former Liberal finance ministers Bill Morneau and John Manley agree deficits lead to inflation, yet the government keeps piling more and more on the inflationary fire, which is costing more and more Canadians their homes.

Does the Prime Minister have any plans to keep his promise to balance the budget so Canadians can keep their homes?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, in response to global inflation that is felt in every corner of the planet, what is the Conservatives' solution? It is to slash support to the most vulnerable people, as if that is going to help global inflation.

What is their plan on dental care? We have an opportunity. For the nine million Canadians who do not have the opportunity today to have good oral health, we can make sure that this is not only a matter of dignity for them but also a matter of prevention, and the Conservatives are going to fix global inflation by taking away dental care. No, it is the same old Tory plan: Make the most vulnerable pay and pretend that global problems are not actually what is at fault.

Indigenous Affairs

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, families and advocates took to Parliament Hill to demand that the government search the landfills in Winnipeg. This is a human rights issue. It is a dignity issue. While the Manitoba Conservative government and the Liberal government sit by, human remains of loved ones remain in a garbage dump.

Will the government stop playing jurisdictional games, uphold its international human rights obligations and provide the much-needed resources to search the landfills?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, this is a heart-wrenching issue and is part of our sad reality of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

I had the opportunity in Ottawa yesterday and in Winnipeg last month to meet with the family members, along with members of the Assembly of Manitoba Chief as well as the Long Plain First Nation chief. I understand the deep frustration that exists with families and communities.

Our approach must be victim-centred, trauma-informed and indigenous-led in order to support healing, and we look forward to working with the families to reach that end.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, meeting with those agencies does not equal action. Why do we still end up in landfills? The government's response to the MMIWG2S+ crisis is not enough. The NDP is working with families, survivors and advocates to push for a red dress alert, because should we go missing, we must be found.

When will the government stop stalling and implement a red dress alert system to save lives?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, we look forward to working with the opposition and all parties to implement the red dress alert. We know that it will save lives. It is so important in order to address the national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We will continue to work to ensure that women and indigenous women are protected across the country.

Labour

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the Minister of Labour for his leadership during the longshore workers strike in British Columbia. Workers in Surrey—Newton and across the country have been loud and clear that they support legislation to ban the use of replacement workers. This morning, workers gathered on Parliament Hill to call for legislation as soon as possible.

Can the minister tell us if and when this government will prohibit the use of replacement workers in federally regulated industries?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member of Parliament for Surrey—Newton can tell his constituents exactly what I told workers who gathered on Parliament Hill this morning. We will table legislation to ban replacement workers this fall because we believe in collective bargaining, because replacement works distract from the table, because they prolong disputes and because they poison workplaces for years afterwards. I hope that all parties in this House, as they did for paid sick leave, will join us and vote unanimously to ban replacement workers.

Carbon Pricing

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, farmers cannot afford the Prime Minister. On Friday, the Parliamentary Budget Officer said that by 2030, Canadian farmers will be paying close to $1 billion in carbon taxes alone, carbon taxes that are driving up inflation. Do members know who is paying for that inflation? It is Canadians. Canadians are literally paying the price. The cost of apples is up 61%, carrots are up 72% and potatoes and oranges are up 77%.

Will the Prime Minister axe his plans to quadruple the carbon tax so that Canadians can afford to feed their families?

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's question, but I think my hon. colleague realizes that when hurricane Fiona hit eastern Canada, it destroyed barns, it killed cattle, it destroyed wharves and it cost an enormous amount of money.

It is quite obvious that we have to do something about the environment, and we are doing something about the environment. I know my hon. colleague is well aware that farmers stand with us to do something about the environment.