Debates of May 27th, 2024

Finance

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague of something that she already knows and that is that her Conservative leader created only six affordable housing units, whereas 205 were built in her riding alone in recent months.

What I would like to ask her, however, is whether she agrees with her Conservative leader that the Canadian dental care plan does not exist, while in her riding, 9,000 seniors have signed up and hundreds of them have participated in the program and were able to receive care, sometimes for the first time in their lives.

The Conservative leader said in Quebec City that the Canadian dental care plan does not exist.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Liberal-Bloc Prime Minister, Quebeckers are living in unbearable misery because of the housing and homelessness crisis.

The more the government spends, with the Bloc Québécois's support, the more the Quebec nation struggles. The Bloc is keeping this Prime Minister in power.

Can the Bloc Québécois end this spectacle and think of Quebeckers, instead of supporting the misery this Prime Minister is putting them through?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague talks about struggling, but the people in my region, the Quebec City and south shore region, are struggling to understand the Conservative leader who says that the Canadian dental care plan does not exist, when in her region 9,000 seniors have registered for it. Several thousand Quebeckers in the Quebec City region alone have been able to access dental care, in some cases for the first time.

How can we struggle even more when we hear the Conservative leader say on Radio-Canada in Quebec City that the Canadian dental care plan does not exist?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, nine years under this Liberal-Bloc Prime Minister is too costly. As a result, there has been an increase in hunger and homelessness.

By supporting every single budget appropriation totalling $500 billion, the Bloc Québécois has increased inflation, the cost of housing, the cost of energy, the cost of groceries, the cost of bureaucracy and centralizing powers. Going hungry and sleeping on a park bench has become a daily reality for far too many people. Quebeckers are struggling.

Do the Bloc Québécois and the Liberals have nothing better to offer Quebeckers?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, when I see the Conservatives across the way talking about affordability, with their hands on their hearts, it is hypocrisy. They voted against the dental care program. They are against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They are prepared to take on women's reproductive rights and people with diabetes.

It is really shameful.

Housing

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, today, the House is debating Bill C-356, the Conservative leader's housing proposal. In the Conservative leader's bill, there is no mention of students, seniors, workers or the most vulnerable in the country.

Could the Deputy Prime Minister please tell Canadians what our plan focuses on, how we are working to create more affordable homes faster across Canada and how the Conservative leader's plan would slow down builders?

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

Mr. Speaker, here is what the Conservatives are actually proposing to do on housing. They want to eliminate the renters' bill of rights and our plan to build more homes faster. They want to cut the infrastructure funding that municipalities need to get more homes built. They want to put the tax back on purpose-built rental construction. They do not have a plan; we do.

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

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are in trouble. On Thursday, we learned from the OSFI risk report that Canadian homeowners who renew their mortgages in 2026 will be facing a payment shock. This means that as of February 2024, 76% of Canadians are in jeopardy of losing their homes.

After nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, many Canadians are now facing the very real fact that they will be losing their homes. The Liberals are just not worth the cost.

Will the Liberals commit today to stop their inflationary spending to drive down interest rates and make housing affordable so that Canadians can keep their homes?

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

Mr. Speaker, as we have been making clear throughout question period, the only thing the Conservatives want to do is cut and cut, and actually put taxes back on home builders.

When it comes to fiscal policy, let me quote the Parliamentary Budget Officer speaking last week in the other place. He said that Canada compares “rather favourably on a debt-to-GDP ratio with G7 countries. We are probably the least or second least indebted country.”

The Conservatives are absolutely wrong about everything, including fiscal policy.

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

Mr. Speaker, in the next election, we will let Canadians decide exactly who is wrong. If people listen to the Liberals talk about this, they would think they have never had it so good. That could not be any further from the truth. The fact is that we have tent cities from coast to coast. We have students who are living underneath bridges. We have workers who are living in their cars.

If the Liberals will not listen to Canadians and they will not listen to the Conservatives, they should listen to their own regulators. They should stop the spending and drive down costs so that Canadians can keep their homes.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, there will be a next election and at that moment in time, Canadians will be able to look at who has the record of stepping up and supporting vulnerable people.

I can say that the record of the Conservative Party of Canada in our country in standing up and fighting for vulnerable people, fighting for people who do not have homes and fighting for people who are in poverty is abysmal, and that is just the plain facts. Every time the Conservatives had a chance to stand up and fight for those who were in need, they instead turned to ancient, trickle-down economics that do not work, and they will try it all over again.

People have seen the game, they know what is up, and I do not think they are going to buy it.

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

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are hungry and homeless.

In the Minister of Housing's own backyard, 10 people are going homeless every single week. One in four Canadians feels they do not even have enough money to live. Canadians are spending 64% of their income on housing, which under the Prime Minister has doubled.

While tent cities become normal and the Liberals gaslight Canadians and tell them they have never had it so good, the Conservatives are fighting.

When will the Liberals wake up up and vote in favour of our “build homes not bureaucracy” bill?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague would like to talk about my community. I want to take an opportunity to thank the service providers at shelters like Viola's Place. I want to thank our partners at Coady's Place, who are benefiting from a multi-million dollar investment to build more affordable housing. I want to thank the Antigonish Affordable Housing Society for partnering with us to build more units for vulnerable families in that community.

However, let us take a minute to talk about the member's community. She shows up for ribbon cuttings for projects that we have funded when she voted against them in the House of Commons.

It is important that our words match our actions if we are going to solve the housing crisis. I hope the Conservatives will do the same.

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our government tabled a plan to free up 250,000 new housing units by 2031 on federal, provincial, territorial and municipal public lands.

The Conservative leader has debated his housing plan, Bill C‑356, which will sell federal buildings to the highest bidder with no guarantee of affordable housing.

Can the public works minister explain to Canadians how our federal land conservation plan will create affordable housing across the country?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Châteauguay—Lacolle is right to talk about affordable housing.

Do members know how many affordable housing units the Conservative leader created across the country when he was the minister responsible for housing? That would be six affordable housing units.

The good news for us is that we are building 8,000 units in Quebec because municipalities are taking the lead. Unfortunately, the Conservative leader's bill would scrap those 8,000 housing units to be built by municipalities.

The other good news is that we will set up a $500-million fund in the coming months to make more housing and public buildings available to serve the communities.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I am going to ask the member for Portneuf—Jacques‑Cartier to speak only when recognized by the Chair.

The hon. member for Winnipeg Centre.

Youth

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, while Winnipeg Centre has among the highest rates of youth poverty in Canada, Resource Assistance for Youth, Inc.'s level up job placement and education program has been placed at risk by the Liberals' funding delays. After seven months of waiting, this has forced RaY to discontinue vital programming for youth and lay off staff. It is shameful.

Will the minister restore the funding, save the level up program and protect the livelihoods of marginalized youth during an affordability crisis?

[Lisa Hepfner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, youth employment and skills strategy has been hugely popular this year across the country. So many programs are looking for this funding to support our youth, to get them back into the workforce. Absolutely, I support these organizations getting the funding they need to continue.

Housing

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while the number of people living unsheltered is up across the country by almost 90% since 2018, in my community it is even worse. The number of people living rough has almost tripled.

A recent PBO report shows the government is investing less than one-seventh of what is needed to even cut the rate of chronic homelessness in half. The government seems to have billions to subsidize the largest companies in the country.

When will the government do better by those living unsheltered and commit the funds they need to close this gap?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his advocacy on behalf of the most vulnerable who call his part of the country home.

With respect, we are going to make the investments necessary to support some of the country's most vulnerable, including by partnering with communities that serve homeless Canadians, but also by making the investments necessary, worth billions of dollars, to build out the affordable housing stock so people have a durable solution.

There are no immediate solutions to solve the challenges that so many Canadians are facing, but consistent investment over time, as we have been doing and will continue to ramp up, is going to make a meaningful difference in lives of some of the most vulnerable Canadians.

The House resumed from May 23 consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Federal Intrusions in the Exclusive Jurisdictions of Quebec and the Provinces

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

It being 3:12 p.m., the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion of the member for Beloeil—Chambly relating to the business of supply.

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:)

Vote #773

Business of Supply

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I declare the motion rejected.

The House resumed from May 24 consideration of the motion that Bill C-58, an act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012, be read the third time and passed.