Mr. Speaker, I could not agree with my friend more on the idea that the federal government should actually be taking care of people's needs. The reality is successive Liberal and Conservative governments have not done that. When the Paul Martin Liberal government ended the national housing program, it created misery right across the country. Liberals promised every election they would do something, and so did Conservatives. Neither party did until the NDP gave the Liberals a backbone and an ultimatum and said that they had to reinvest in housing. It was the same thing with dental care and pharmacare. It was the same thing with all of these important programs that help people meet their basic needs. My question is very simple: Why do Liberals never do it on their own? They only do it when the NDP forces them to.
In the House of Commons on December 9th, 2024. See this statement in context.