House of Commons Hansard #378 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was businesses.
Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, I also wanted to point out that the member said he was going to fire the “clowns”. It was directed at people. He does not have any power to fire anyone. That is the problem—
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
I thank the hon. member. The Speaker has already ruled on that.
The hon. member for Manicouagan has the floor.
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Mr. Speaker, clearly it can be hard to discuss this in a way that is constructive for society. The fact that this bill will not go to committee is problematic. Everyone is accusing everyone else of hypocrisy. Personally, I think that is unfortunate. People are having trouble defending this bill, and the choice of goods on the list seems somewhat arbitrary. Even regular people think this is a vote-getting measure. There are issues because this seems like it was hastily cobbled together.
I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the member. It seems as though the plan or policy was written on the back of a napkin and put together as quickly as possible to try to distract from the pain and misery the Liberal-NDP government has caused Canadians for the last nine years, or from the fact that inside the House, we have been discussing for the last two months the absolute corruption of the government that keeps on happening. It is just another ethics scandal under the belt of the government, which of course the NDP keeps propping up.
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, how about some mixed Liberal-NDP improv? The theme is: climbing in the polls. The duration is: the length of time allocation. This is like bad improv. Quebec's national improv league could do better—at least they are prepared for what they are getting into. I am ashamed of what I am seeing. I wish it were a joke or just a skit, but unfortunately it is not. What we are witnessing is total and complete improvisation by the government and its dance partner. No one in Laurentides—Labelle has ever talked to me about a GST holiday, not once. It will have a direct impact on businesses, but will be of very little benefit to the people . We all agree that the die has already been cast.
When someone's entire income goes to meet basic needs, the GST holiday offers very little. Rent is already zero-rated. Groceries are already tax-free. Heating is taxed, but Bill C‑78 does not remove the GST from heating. It does, however, remove the GST from alcohol. If I decide to go to a restaurant for dinner and treat myself to a nice bottle, it seems only fair that I should pay GST on a luxury product. However, the government has decided that it is a good idea to give a GST rebate to those who can afford a bottle of Veuve Clicquot this holiday season. In fact, some people may have had some tonight. They can go out and buy it by the case. For members' information, this morning I checked the website of the SAQ, Quebec's liquor board, and a 750-millilitre bottle of Veuve Clicquot sells for $84. That is definitely a luxury.
A tax holiday is being offered to the well-heeled. Those with the bare minimum in their bank accounts count every dollar, and every expense counts. Moreover, those expenses are for products that are already tax-free.
Earlier, I heard the member for Alfred-Pellan say this will help business owners. A person would have to be completely out of touch to say that. The government definitely did not think of small businesses owners, who are struggling to keep their businesses afloat. I know this because it is something I myself will go through. Let me name just one of the people who contacted me. Marc Hallée, the owner of Bistro des Chutes in Chute‑Saint‑Philippe, contacted me this morning. He was irate. I get it. He said this measure makes no sense. There is one technician for about 300 businesses. How are they going to reconfigure their cash registers? It will cost thousands of dollars. They will deal with it, but they definitely will not be ready by December 14. What will they do on February 14 to reinstate the GST on February 15? Nobody knows.
This is a double standard for a measure that will end up forcing business people like Marc Hallée to bring in technicians twice, and that will cost them money. I do not get it.
In the restaurant industry, profit margins are slim. I am thinking of everyone tuning in right now. This is really detrimental to the small business ecosystem. It is happening because the government and the NDP are so far down in the polls that they are looking for a gimmick that will help them claw their way back up into the light. Let us be honest. That is what is really going on here.
I am thinking of the businesses that ship products across Canada. Billing is done according to the province where the product is ordered and delivered. Imagine the headache for a business that is shipping products for Christmas. Honestly, it is a nightmare. No, this is not going to help businesses. It is going to help the large multinationals and big box stores. No shops on main street in Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Jovite or Mont-Tremblant, or on Madone street in Mont-Laurier is applauding this measure. These people are tearing out their hair trying to figure out how they will manage.
Wanting to give tax breaks to the rich makes even less sense coming from left-wing political parties. It makes no sense. We know that the Liberals are going to blame us for voting against the measure. I can hear it, but that does not bother me because I do not underestimate people's intelligence and they understand us. We are voting against this measure because it is a bad measure for Quebec and Quebeckers. A GST holiday is not going to help those who struggle to feed their family, those who have to wait in line at a charity or a food bank. These people need direct help and support for their real needs. Let us just say it: The purpose of this measure is to support consumer spending of the well-off. The Liberals and the NDP would rather support champagne socialists than help people who really need it. That is the reality. I cannot get over the NDP supporting this. They may change their minds yet. There are still a few minutes left.
It is also strange to see that, in the provinces where the sales tax is harmonized, no one in the government, not the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs or anyone in their offices, thought it would be a good idea to warn the provincial governments. The provincial governments found out about this 24 hours before the Prime Minister held his press conference in a chic kitchen in Toronto. That says a lot. First, it proves just how much contempt the federal government has for the provinces. Second, it proves just how quickly this measure was thrown together. Everyone here is talking about this measure this evening without really having had the chance to think about it. There is more. This might be news to my English Canadian colleagues, but Revenu Québec collects the GST in Quebec. The federal government pays Revenu Québec for that service. However, the Liberal-NDP alliance—people like to call it that, so I will too—did not seem to think about that and did not consider compensating Quebec for that. We are not talking about huge amounts here, but it shows how the government is making things up as it goes along.
I am going to close by telling the House that I am totally opposed to this bill. I do not want to vote in favour of a tax holiday for the wealthy. I care too much about people who are in need right now, who are living in extremely vulnerable situations. If any parliamentarian wants to criticize the fact that we are opposed to this, they should come and see me. We will have a nice little chat. I will introduce them to some people. The purpose of taxes is to provide services and help people. I am telling the citizens of Laurentides—Labelle that the government is not doing its job. The government is throwing this at us before Christmas, business owners are stuck with it, people are furious and, honestly, using time allocation is an insult to the power of legislators.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I must say I am disappointed in the Bloc, because what we see is what I would suggest is an unholy alliance between the double blue, where we have the Bloc siding with the Conservatives, not recognizing the true value of giving constituents throughout the country a holiday GST tax break. Giving the impression that her constituents would not support the tax break, I believe, is not fully the truth. At the end of the day, I believe people deserve it. Providing that holiday GST tax break would be a good thing, and we should all be supporting it.
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have to accept the fact that every time we vote with a party, there is an alliance.
As I said, the Bloc Québécois always asks the same question. Is this good for Quebec? If so, then we vote in favour of it. Is this bad for Quebec and Quebeckers? If it is bad, then we vote against it. We are not voting against this measure because we are an opposition party. We are voting against it because, like I have been saying, the measure is ill-conceived. What is more, we are not even going to have an opportunity to examine it in committee, and it will last for only two months.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have a simple question for my colleague. How is helping struggling Quebeckers by sending them several hundred dollars at a very expensive time during the holiday season bad for Quebeckers or for Quebec?
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is one thing for someone who earns $100,000 to get a temporary discount on luxury items. However, people who are using food banks are spending their money on necessities that are not even taxed. These people will not be going out to eat in restaurants. They still will not be able to afford to.
If we really want to help those people, we need to look at the necessities: a roof over one's head, food on the table and a little money in one's pocket.
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, my question for my colleague from the Bloc Québécois is quite specific to the provincial jurisdiction side of this. A number of agreements have been signed with provinces that have a harmonized sales tax and also with provinces that just have the GST, or that have the GST and the HST. There are aspects of the act that governs those, which actually seem like what the Liberal government has proposed and are supported by the NDP. They would actually be in violation of those things, which would then, in fact, be a direct attack on provincial jurisdiction.
I wonder if my colleague from the Bloc could talk about whether she has heard that. Has she had a chance to look into the impacts this bill would have and the possible impacts that would specifically be related to Quebec, which I know would be similar in the province of Alberta and in those other jurisdictions that have HST?
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, of course, things are different in Quebec, and there will be a shortfall. However, I am primarily concerned about the real cost to individuals. I am no tax expert, but from a tax perspective, it is certainly something of a headache. There will be enormous consequences, if only in terms of corporate taxes or filing corporate returns.
This will clearly be harmful to Quebec and we have not heard the last about the collateral damage it will cause.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, millions of Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. We have a cost of living crisis and an economy that is seeing an ever-widening gap between the wealthy and the rest of us. A few stark facts bear this out. According to Statistics Canada, nearly half of Canadians report that rising prices are greatly affecting their ability to meet day-to-day expenses. Rent has increased by over 21% and grocery foods have increased by over 20% over the last three years. According to Equifax Canada, 50% of Canadians are now living paycheque to paycheque.
Income inequality in Canada has hit the highest level ever recorded. The top 20% of Canadians hold more than two-thirds of our country's wealth. By comparison, the bottom 40% of Canadians account for only 2.8% of our country's wealth. According to the Salvation Army, one in four parents cut back on their own food consumption this year to ensure their children had enough to eat. Eight in 10 Canadians, or 80%, believe that owning a home in Canada is now only for the rich. Seven in 10 say they have given up on ever owning a home.
A majority of Canadians say that thinking about holiday spending causes them financial anxiety and 80% plan on cutting back on spending during this holiday season in a few short weeks. That is why the NDP recently pledged to permanently remove the GST from daily essentials and monthly bills, such as grocery store items, including pre-prepared meals, diapers, children's clothing, Internet, home phone and cellphone bills, and all types of home heating. We will note that all of these items are unavoidable expenses. Everyone has to heat their residence and buy food at the grocery store; cellphones and Internet are now essential utilities.
We estimate that our plan would save an average family over $500 per year. This commitment stands in stark contrast to the Conservatives' proposed cuts to essential programs, such as dental care, child care and pharmacare. Losing that support would cost families thousands of dollars per year. That is money they cannot afford.
We would finance this permanent tax cut with an excess profits tax paid by very large corporations that abuse their monopoly market power and unjustifiably hike their profit margins. Canadians should know that excess profit or windfall taxes are used worldwide, including in the United Kingdom, Spain and Australia. In fact, Canada has a history of using excess profits taxes. During both world wars, excess profits taxes were implemented to help fund the war effort and ensure that companies did not engage in profiteering. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has estimated that an excess profits tax would have generated almost $8 billion in federal revenues for 2020.
The Liberal government responded to the NDP's tax-free essentials plan but, in true Liberal fashion, did so only partially. Instead, it proposed a two-month GST holiday on certain items, starting December 14, and a one-time payment of $250 delivered in spring 2025 for individuals who reported net employment income of up to $150,000 in 2023. It has completely ignored the NDP's call for an excess profits tax on large corporations, which are making huge, historic profits. This is far from the substantial, fair and permanent relief the NDP wants to give Canadians.
As usual, the Liberals are letting people down with their choice to make this a short-term tax holiday on a limited list of items. By leaving out things like home heating and cellular and Internet bills, their scheme also largely fails to capture the life essentials that the NDP plan captures. New Democrats are profoundly disappointed that the Liberals have chosen to exclude the most vulnerable Canadians from their one-time payment proposal. Perversely, the Liberals have chosen to send cheques to individuals earning $149,000 or couples earning $298,000 a year, but not to seniors on fixed incomes of $25,000 or people with disabilities so severe that they cannot work. That completely defies logic and fairness.
This plan was announced without consultation or negotiation with the NDP. Our position is that everyone under the income threshold should receive the $250 payment, and we will not support the Liberals' rebate payment unless this support is expanded to include everyone in need. The NDP forced the Liberals to split these two measures into two, so we could proceed with the GST holiday right away to give people immediate relief, while we continue to pressure the Liberals to fix the $250 benefit to include all vulnerable Canadians.
New Democrats will vote for the GST holiday proposed in the legislation before us today because working and middle-class families are desperate for relief, even if it is temporary and less than ideally aimed. We will continue to campaign hard on permanently scrapping the GST on daily essentials and on monthly bills. We will continue to fight for a fair taxation system through which the rich pay their fair share and all working and middle-class Canadians can live comfortable lives with dignity.
I have a few words with respect to the bill before the House. This legislation would amend the Excise Tax Act to implement a temporary GST/HST holiday between December 14, 2024, and February 15, 2025 on qualifying goods. This would help Canadians by lowering the cost on a range of products that are particularly needed during the upcoming holiday season. These would include children's clothing; footwear and diapers; children's car seats; food and beverages in grocery stores and restaurants; children's toys, including games, building sets, puzzles and video consoles; print newspapers; printed books; and even Christmas trees or similar decorative trees.
Removing the GST from these goods for two months would provide an estimated $1.6 billion in federal tax relief. A family spending $2,000 on qualifying goods would realize GST savings of at least $100 over the two-month period, but in provinces where the HST would also be removed, such as Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, further savings would be realized. The same $2,000 basket of qualifying purchases would realize a savings of $260 over a two-month period.
The Liberals' plan to only offer temporary GST relief would not only provide to families less than half the relief that the NDP's plan would have provided, but also present a significant burden on business owners, especially small business owners, who would have to adjust their cash registers and payment systems twice in two months. That is yet more reason that the NDP plan to permanently eliminate the GST on these essential items would be better for business owners and better for consumers.
I would like to address one of the major reasons that Canadians are feeling such economic pressure, and that is corporate price gouging. New Democrats understand that the inflation over the last two years was not caused by unreasonable wages, increased demand by consumers or even excess government spending. It was caused by corporations who inflated prices.
Canadians are eating the same food they did before inflation. They are driving the same cars the same mileage they did before inflation. Frankly, people are probably eating and driving less. Governments have been running large deficits for almost 20 years by both Conservative and Liberal administrations without causing rampant inflation, so that cannot possibly explain why grocery prices are through the roof, suppliers are shrinking their portions and oil companies have jacked up their gas prices.
Here are the real facts: Profit margins surged in early 2022 following the COVID pandemic, when many sectors used the cover of the pandemic as an excuse to raise prices. Despite the normalization of supply chains, easing of shortages and weaker consumer demand, aggregate corporate profits hardly changed in 2023. Last year, corporations in Canada recorded $644 billion in pre-tax profits, which are 54% higher than they were in 2019, the last prepandemic year, and over double the average profit level of the prepandemic decade.
A quick look at three highly concentrated industries, the grocery, telecom, and oil and gas sectors, revealed this clearly. Coming out of the pandemic, operating profits in the oil and gas sector increased tenfold from $6.6 billion in 2019 to $66 billion in 2022. That is the highest profit ever recorded in Canadian history. Grocery giants' profit margin doubled from 2% prepandemic to 4.1% in 2023. A 1% increase in gross margins at grocery stores adds over $1 billion to Canadians' food bills. The telecom sector reported total revenues of $66.8 billion in 2022, which is another all-time high.
Why do we have high prices in Canada? It is because large corporations raise them. Why do we have a problem with productivity in Canada? It is because corporations are not investing in machinery, equipment, technology and employee training. The NDP will continue to fight for working and middle-class Canadians and bring a fair taxation system in for this country so everyone has a real shot at a good life in this country.
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot about the cost of food being higher in Canada than in the United States. That is true, but there are many reasons for that. One is economies of scale. The United States has a much larger population. It is the same reason the price of food is lower in cities in Canada than in the regions. Another reason is that wages are much lower in the United States. For example, in Canada the minimum wage ranges from $13 to $16.77, and in the United States the federal minimum wage is $7.25.
Does the member not agree that the Conservative recipe for high food prices is keeping wages low? Does the member not agree that the Conservatives are fake friends of labour?
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, to say the words “Conservatives” and “labour” in the same sentence is an oxymoron. I have been in the House for 16 years and have watched the Conservatives vote every single time to order striking workers back to work. I have watched them oppose every single proposed minimum wage hike. I have watched them try to increase the retirement age from 65 to 67.
If someone works in the House of Commons, that is one thing, but members should try being a bricklayer, roofer, drywaller or carpet layer working at 67 years of age. That is what the leader of the Conservative Party, when he was in the Harper government, proposed and supported. The Conservatives not only are no friends of labour; they will make life harder for every worker in this country.
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, over the last nine years, and in particular over the last three, we have watched the NDP enable all of the corruption and incompetence of the Liberal government. It has really been on display with how this bill came into being. The NDP and the Liberals seemed to be somewhere writing on the back of a cocktail napkin, trying to cobble together some kind of a bill that could distract Canadians from the corruption we have seen, wherein the Liberals have let insiders profit from their slush fund.
Will the member explain why the NDP keeps propping up the Liberal government?
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, I serve with the hon. member on the finance committee, and I would think that someone on the finance committee would be quite careful with numbers. There was a majority Liberal government in this country from 2015 to 2019. Nobody was propping up the government; it was a majority government.
The hon. member says “nine years”, but that is factually incorrect. I would not trust the member or his party with running a popsicle stand if they cannot even get basic numbers like that correct. Also, they are so ethically slippery that they will continue to use propaganda and nursery rhyme politics like that to try to confuse Canadians.
The Conservatives are proposing a cut to the carbon tax, but they are opposing a cut to the GST. Let us try to explain that to Canadians. I certainly cannot.
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
Uqaqtittiji, Nunavut's birth rate is double the national rate, meaning there are a lot of expenses for Nunavummiut, including diapers and children's clothing. I wonder if the member can share with us what it will mean for Nunavummiut to know they will have some relief.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to say that I think my hon. colleague is the most powerful speaker in the entire House of Commons. One thing that is disturbing to me, listening to the speeches, is the disdain and the elitism I hear coming from the Conservatives. By talking about Pringles and cheese puffs, and by saying that this is insignificant and that it is chump change, it shows absolute disrespect and a lack of understanding of the real lives of most working families in this country.
My hon. colleague raised the point about people in the north who have to spend money on diapers, footwear and clothing. For people in harsher climates, there are probably additional clothing expenses, and this will give real relief, yet the Conservatives scoff at that.
For people in the House of Commons who make $200,000 a year to scoff at hundreds of dollars going to some of the poorest people in the country, it is frankly shameful.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, the debate is a tough one, because we were told about the original plan that there would be a $250 cheque to certain Canadians, not to the people most in need but to people who worked in 2023, which would not include many people living on very fixed and small incomes, people on disability benefits and seniors.
We were the first party to notice that it was not a fair plan. On November 22 we put out a statement asking how we could give a cheque of $250 to some Canadians but fail to notice that it would not apply to retired Canadians living on a fixed income and would not apply to people living on disability benefits.
After all the time that we have in the House called for a Canada disability tax benefit, it has still not been delivered, and the $250 cheque was dangled out there. We do not know where it has gone now, because in the last 24 hours it has crystallized that we were going to be debating in this place and fast-tracking only a GST tax holiday on only certain goods that would qualify as necessities. Furthermore, it would be for only a two-month period on and around Christmas. It would be at a cost of $1.6 billion from the treasury of Canada.
It is a tough issue. It is less difficult now that the government has pulled away the $250 that should have been targeted at people who need it most. Who knows? Maybe it will come back to us in some other form, but there is something about it. I struggle with it. I probably have to say, knowing how much Canadians need a break right now, that I do not know that I can vote against a GST tax holiday on certain goods over a two-month period.
However, I have to say that it makes me feel queasy. It makes me feel as if I am voting for something that Doug Ford would have come up with. In fact I think Doug Ford did come up with it, and it is not good policy. Whether it is good politics, we will see.
It would be a GST tax break on certain items. I heard earlier from a Conservative in this place that it would apply to jigsaw puzzles, and I thought, “Well, we do not have to worry about that.” We have all seen the Conservative commercials. We know the leader of the official opposition has jigsaw puzzles. We get to see them on TV quite a lot.
It is not good policy when it is not targeted to people who need it the most, and it is not good policy when it is $1.6 billion without the government's saying it is going to pay for it with an excess profit tax on the big grocery stores and their corporate management and corporate greed. It is not good policy when we do not say that we are going to actually pay for the GST tax holiday by finally applying an excess profit tax on big oil and the obscene levels of corporate profits they have been making, especially since Putin invaded Ukraine, which amounts essentially to war profiteering by big oil.
Therefore we struggle with this, and as Greens we struggle with it, because we know Canadians need a break on things that are essentials, but there is a very complicated list of what would be considered essential and what would not.
The break would also not be permanent. We look at it as a two-month break over the holidays. It is transparently a vote-buying scheme. Would it deliver relief to people who need it the most right now? It certainly would be of benefit.
I think of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. It is very clear that the retail sector does not see that the tax holiday would help it a lot through the Christmas season. However, it would help restaurants with respect to both in-restaurant meals and takeaways, and that is a perk for families and for people who have been pinching pennies. Nonetheless, the people who have been pinching pennies and not going out for restaurant meals are not the same people who are lining up at the food banks.
I have to say it is rare for me and my colleagues here to struggle with how to vote on something. I am usually pretty darn sure from the get-go. I read a bill and I think, “Well, this is something I can get behind. This is something I believe in.”
What do Canadians really need right now? We need a comprehensive security policy that protects us from the ravages of the climate crisis, which itself drives up grocery prices, makes food more expensive, makes life in Canada more precarious for those who live in flood plains, who are flooded year after year, or who are in communities that get fire evacuation orders year after year, or who live with the ongoing trauma of the effect of living through a heat dome in British Columbia. There are numbers of people who still feel that trauma, or the trauma after hurricane Fiona.
We need comprehensive policy that makes sense. While the Conservatives want to axe the carbon tax, that tax is rebated to people. The GST is something that was put in place under the Mulroney government. The GST, overall, is not a progressive tax; everybody pays it. If people are buying really big luxury items, they are going to pay more. This tax holiday for a two-month period is at least not designed around really large luxury goods.
It says it is about the necessities that Canadians need, like car seats and diapers. I just had a baby granddaughter. My gift to my daughter for her baby, Lily, will not get a GST tax break because it is a service. My daughter and my granddaughter will never see a throwaway diaper because they are buying cotton diapers. I got them a laundry service. That actually saves people a lot of money. Buying throwaway diapers costs about $6,000 a year for the average infant. Buying cloth diapers up front costs a bit more. It is just the work and the labour for a new mom to have to do all that laundry. It is usually the new mom and not the new dad.
I do not want to dive into all the questions of what really costs in our society, where we can save money by doing things differently, by avoiding the throwaway or by investing in something that is a service in community. There is a small business that delivers, every week, clean and healthy cotton diapers for babies. That is not what anyone means when they talk about how everybody needs diapers when there is a new baby. The whole time my daughter was in diapers, I did not buy a throwaway diaper, not once.
I did not suffer for my sacrifice. I had really good, reusable diapers, and I still have one left. I treasure that one diaper left from my 33-year-old daughter. My gosh, it is the best rag ever for washing up a mess. They cannot be bought anywhere; people just have to save them if they were smart enough when they had a new baby to invest in cotton diapers. It is a really good product.
I am struggling with this because I do not know that a two-month GST tax holiday on some goods and not others is what Canadians really need the most. What we really need is to eliminate poverty, focus on food security for all, invest in our society with the kind of tax changes that make the biggest difference, and give Canadians the chance to know that this is a caring society that has eliminated poverty with a national, guaranteed, livable income for all. That makes real change. This makes small change.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, we all have an opportunity to do something very positive for our constituents. We know things have been difficult, and we are providing them a significant tax break for the holiday period.
As the member said, it is a difficult decision for her. However, at the end of the day, how do we say no to constituents and to providing them a bit of support during the holidays? The member made reference to restaurants. For restaurants and those working in that hospitality industry, it is going to have such a wonderful, positive impact. I think February 15 is the deadline. February 14 is Valentine's Day, and we know that is a busy time.
There will be many different benefits. Could the member tell us to what degree it would have been better to see all members of the House support an initiative like this?
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I know that Canadians are feeling a sense of deep anxiety about our future. Going back to the question of affordability, for most people the idea is about buying a home. We also have people who are looking at living rough, living in encampments and living in tents. I can hardly believe that in a country as wealthy as Canada, we are prepared to tolerate people living rough and outdoors in a country that has bitter winters. We can do better and we must do better.
This is $1.6 billion that I cannot help but feel could be spent in better ways than a short term and very small, if welcome, benefit over Christmas. As I said, and I say to my colleagues, I will probably vote for this, but I will not feel great about it.
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, if we vote against the bill tonight, we should not do so just because we are in the opposition, and if we vote for the bill, we should not do so just because we think that, when all is said and done, it might help a few people. We need to look at the big picture.
I am not going to ask my colleague why she is voting in favour of the bill, but I will ask her the following question. Does she believe that the government carefully crafted and analyzed this measure before bringing it forward and putting it to a vote in the next few minutes?
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from the Bloc Québécois. It is not easy, but I think we lack policies that show courage and leaders who clearly understand the affordability issues that Canadian families, children and youth are experiencing. This measure is not enough, but it may do some good, and that is why I am voting for it.
As I said, we need to do more. We need to build a society for the well-being of everyone, and especially for people who cannot afford basic necessities. Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities and the homeless come to mind. These are populations in Canada that need our help.
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
Mr. Speaker, what we have before us is a tax trick and that member called it a vote buy. Through you, should all members not vote against this?
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, fortunately for me, in the Green Party, nobody tells me how to vote. This is a tough one. I would share with my friend from Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, that I am sure she can think of people in her community who will wonder why she did not vote for this because they would have liked to have this.
I am sorry, but that is the reality. We need to think about the individuals who will hear about this on the news and think, “I needed that. I wanted that, and that would have made my Christmas better”. For those people, I feel very much as though we should go along with this, but fight to make sure that we can pay for it and that we do better by aiming for a permanent change to help those people.