House of Commons Hansard #37 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was economy.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Opposition Motion—Cost of Deficits Members debate the Liberal government's economic policies, focusing on deficit spending's impact on investment, jobs, and the cost of living. Conservatives contend deficits drive down investment, citing 86,000 net job losses and "unsustainable" finances, urging spending cuts. Liberals assert Canada has the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, attributing inflation to global factors, and defending investments and tax cuts. The Bloc Québécois agrees with "abysmal" management, criticizing forgone revenues and oil subsidies. The NDP proposes an excess profits tax. 33100 words, 4 hours.
Opposition Motion Members debate Canada's economic state. Conservatives argue Liberal government spending fuels inflation, job losses, and declining investment, worsening the cost of living crisis. They advocate for fiscal discipline and private investment. Liberals defend their record, citing Canada's strong G7 standing, and highlight initiatives like tax cuts, housing programs, and a plan to "spend less to invest more" in the upcoming budget. They attribute inflation to global factors. 25200 words, 3 hours.
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Mr. Speaker, we heard the member for Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley talk about his constituents. The deputy House leader talked about how they want to protect the Liberal government. When we talk about failed policies, we talk about the failed Liberal policies. The Liberals are not Canada. Does the member agree with that?
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK
Mr. Speaker, yes, he is absolutely right. The Liberals are not the entire representation of Canada. When we bring up these stories, the Liberals need to listen to us and understand the pain people are feeling because of their bad policies, and have the humility to do what is right.
Opposition MotionBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater
Order. It being 6:15 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the business of supply.
The question is as follows.
Shall I dispense?
Opposition MotionBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater
[Chair read text of motion to House]
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them and indicate it to the Chair.
Opposition MotionBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater
Pursuant to Standing Order 45, the division stands deferred until Monday, October 20, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, I suspect that, if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent to call it 6:30 p.m. so we could get to the late show.
Opposition MotionBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders
A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I want to pursue a question that I first asked on June 17 of this year. Looking at the reality that we have not had a budget yet, but will see soon, we have been told that we are going to see massive increases in military spending.
The point of my question was to ask if we were not aware that geopolitical security does not necessarily come from arming ourselves to the teeth but to prepare to wage peace, to be prepared to hold peace in areas that have been conflict zones and, even more importantly, perhaps long term, to ensure we address the climate crisis and that we are prepared to increase our humanitarian spending in the world.
The reason I raised this, and raise it again tonight, is due to the answer I received, of course. It revealed a lot about the new government's commitment to international development. Had I asked this question before the election, there would have been a minister responsible for international development who could have responded, but in this new cabinet, there is no minister responsible for international development. There is the member of Parliament for Surrey Centre, who is the Secretary of State for International Development. Certainly that is a responsibility, but he does not have the same degree of clout around the cabinet table because he is not seated there.
The reality of our current situation globally is that the world is in what the Prime Minister calls a “hinge moment”. It is certainly in crisis. The old order of things that we once thought we could take for granted has certainly been upended by the actions of the U.S. president. He is erratic, unpredictable and withdrawing from multilateralism. He is even withdrawing from the kind of multilateralism of international trade deals respecting the general agreement on tariffs and trade, the GATT from post Second World War. He has withdrawn from numerous global organizations.
That not only cuts into humanitarian assistance but also reorders the world in ways that can be quite dangerous as, for instance, when the United States withdraws from UN agencies, it opens up space for the People's Republic of China to move in. The People's Republic of China already owns much of Africa. When we look at the global south, we want the influence of democratic nations that hold human rights and free speech dear, recognizing that we cannot allow women and girls around the world to go uneducated and expect to have a stable world.
The United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organization. That clearly means the world is going to see more millions of people at risk of tuberculosis, of malaria and of HIV/AIDS. The U.S. has cancelled its entire USAID program. Where is Canada? Can we step up and fill the gap?
I mentioned that we do not have a minister for international development right now. It was Lester B. Pearson who, after he was prime minister, headed up a UN agency and said that we were going to target 0.7% of our GNI all around the world to international development assistance. That target, known as the Pearson target, has been more than met by quite a number of our European allies who have hit more than 1% of their GNI going to overseas development assistance.
Where is Canada? How close are we to our 0.7% target? We are just about halfway. We are at 0.34%. We are laggards in the world of international development assistance. We rate 15th, but that is a better record than where we rate for donating and helping peacekeeping operations.
Yasir Naqvi LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and to the Secretary of State (International Development)
Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to rise in the House to debate and discuss some important issues of our time.
I really appreciate the concern raised by the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, whom I respect tremendously, regarding Canada's commitment to international development assistance. This is an important issue that speaks directly to Canada's role in the global community.
First, let me emphasize that our government recognizes that peace is achieved in a multi-faceted way, through a combination of development, diplomacy and defence. We know that poverty, failed states and fragile governance are root causes of conflict and terrorism.
Canadian development assistance helps address these issues and is an essential component of promoting global security and keeping Canadians safe. It is a key pillar of our foreign policy.
At a time when democracy and human rights are under threat around the world and our partners are looking to build prosperous economies by fighting climate change, our government remains committed to international aid.
We continue to promote development, support vulnerable communities and contribute to democratic governance. These commitments are critical to fostering peace and prosperity.
At the same time, we face a complex and evolving global landscape that demands a thoughtful and nuanced approach to strengthening Canada's security. Meeting the NATO defence spending target is not just a commitment; it is a necessity at this time. In an era marked by shifting global dynamics, as the member alluded to herself, and renewed threats to our sovereignty, the challenges we face are urgent.
It is vital to ensure that Canada is prepared to defend our people, our values and our sovereignty and to protect our partners worldwide. This does not negate in any way our commitment to international development assistance and poverty reduction. In fact, this commitment is essential to peace and prosperity both here at home and around the world. International development assistance helps partner countries respond to global threats and strengthen their economies to contribute to a more secure and prosperous world for all.
Official development assistance and our defence spending are not mutually exclusive. Our government remains responsive to global needs and continues to invest in programs that address the root causes of conflict and instability. This includes support for areas like humanitarian assistance, gender equality, good governance, climate action, education, global health and, of course, economic growth.
We also work to ensure the transparency and accountability of international assistance to deliver measurable, optimized results. By prioritizing effectiveness and measurable results, as well as our partners' own priorities, we continue to focus on having a real and lasting impact in the places we work.
Finally, our government is actively pursuing innovative partnerships and mechanisms with other countries, international organizations and the private sector to make the most of our resources. The moment we live in demands that kind of multi-faceted approach, and that is exactly what Canada is pursuing.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, the proof will be in the pudding on November 4. Will the budget include serious increases to our overseas development assistance? It is not going to be enough to say we are holding steady, because we have been laggards for too long. It is not enough to say we will hold steady on what we do on peacekeeping, because we have not done enough for a very long time, even though peacekeeping originated with Lester B. Pearson.
Will the parliamentary secretary please take the message to caucus and to the Prime Minister that in this moment, Canada is needed in the world, as never before, to stand up for democratic values, human rights and the humanitarian assistance and contributions to making a more peaceful world that will be far more able to defend our security than arming ourselves to the teeth would be.
Yasir Naqvi Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, at a time when other countries are stepping back, our government remains committed to international development. We are being deliberate in where and how we invest, focusing on security and economic partnerships that advance mutual interests, deliver benefits for both partners and Canadians and ensure that everyone in this world is prosperous. We understand that poverty, inequality and instability breed violence and that Canada's development assistance is an investment in global stability and in Canadians' own security and prosperity.
As we strengthen our defence capabilities, we remain resolute in our commitment to international assistance. I will take the member's message to caucus as well.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, working families across Canada are struggling. Half of all Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque. The cost of essentials is climbing, and our economy is on the verge of recession. Unemployment is at its highest level in a decade, with young people hit hardest. One in six youth is out of work, with many more underemployed.
At the same time, Donald Trump's trade war continues to hurt Canadian workers and undermine our economic stability. Instead of putting forward real solutions, the Liberal government is planning an austerity budget. The Liberals want to cut services Canadians rely on and the good jobs that go with them, all to meet an arbitrary 15% target that puts neo-liberal ideology over common sense. They want to vastly increase military spending on things like Donald Trump's golden dome and expand fossil fuel infrastructure to the U.S. instead of investing in the productive and sustainable sectors that Canada needs for a prosperous future.
We think that is the wrong approach. New Democrats believe that now is the time for investment, in our communities, in our businesses, in our workforce and in our infrastructure. We believe that Canadians need bold action to strengthen our economy, create good jobs, build affordable homes and improve our public health care system. That means supporting technology and research, getting more value from our raw resources, developing sustainable industries and building infrastructure that improves people's lives, with Canadian labour, Canadian materials and Canadian companies.
Canada has an infrastructure deficit approaching $300 billion. There is no shortage of excellent projects that we can all agree are much-needed, things like modern and clean electricity grids, efficient public transit systems, community health care clinics and quality long-term care centres. Let us join together and start to construct these nation-building projects.
We are painfully aware that Canada has a severe housing crisis. Rents have more than doubled since 2015. Home ownership is out of the question for far too many Canadians. This crisis stems from decades of policy failure. It is clear that the private market cannot adequately meet the needs of low- and middle-income earners, yet only 3.5% of Canada's housing stock is non-market, far below the OECD average of 7%.
A secure, affordable home is the foundation of every Canadian's ability to function well in our society. New Democrats believe that the federal government has a critical role to play in ensuring that everyone has a decent place to call home. That is why it must take the lead in dramatically scaling up the construction of non-market housing of all types, including co-op, student, senior and supportive housing. It needs to start now, in the upcoming budget.
Canadians are also acutely aware that our public health care system is under serious strain. Millions of folks do not have a family doctor, wait times are growing and health care workers are burning out. Public health care is more than a service. It is a nation-building project. It is the heart of our national identity because it reflects our shared commitment to care for one another.
This is more than just a moral imperative. It is also an economic one. A healthy economy needs healthy workers. It is time to strengthen and expand our public health care system, not maintain the status quo. That means improving access to care, delivering universal public pharmacare and supporting our Canadian dental care plan.
Will the Liberals deliver a budget that invests in people, or will they choose austerity, service cuts and job losses instead?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Vancouver Kingsway for his question and for his continued interest in young Canadians and the challenges they face in finding employment.
I want to assure the hon. member and all colleagues that we share his concern, and I will point to the plan we have and the array of programs we put together to build a skilled workforce for the future.
That is why we are working hard with employers, service providers and trade unions to ensure that our young people have the skills and job opportunities they need to enter the labour market.
Many Canadians share the priorities that the member opposite raised about investing in communities and infrastructure, about investing in people and in our workforce, and certainly about investing in and protecting public health care.
I want to pick up on this issue of youth employment, and I want to talk a little about some of the programs we have put in place to help build that workforce for the future. As we proceed as a government to investment in major projects, as we proceed to invest in programs like Build Canada Homes, which is going to see an investment in affordable housing on a scale we have not seen since the Second World War, the one shared constant is that we are going to need the people and the talent to help us achieve these goals and to help us build the projects and the homes we need.
It starts with young people. It starts with education and training. It starts with programs like Canada summer jobs, which has a proven track record. Since 2019, it has provided more than half a million young people with summer jobs. Last year an audit of the CSJ program by the Auditor of General of Canada found that participants in Canada summer jobs benefit from better long-term earnings than non-participants. Our government added an additional 6,000 summer job opportunities this past summer, and 70,000 jobs are already planned for this year.
However, we go beyond this. We are supporting approximately 160,000 opportunities for youth and students through the youth employment and skills strategy, or YESS, which includes Canada summer jobs, the student work placement program, the supports for student learning program and the Canada service corps. This year the YESS program delivered, in collaboration with 12 departments and agencies, job supports and skills development opportunities to more than 20,000 youth. These interventions work. An estimated 73% of young Canadian emerge from the YESS program employed or returning to school.
Picking up on the member's point about trades workers, right now in Canada over half a million skilled trades workers are on track to retire by 2031. This represents a massive challenge that needs both immediate and long-term solutions. We are going to need tens of thousands of skilled trades workers to build our country, to help solve our housing crisis and to deliver the major projects we are setting out to build. It is why the Government of Canada is investing nearly $1 billion each year to support skilled trades apprentices.
I have been to those training centres. I have spoken with trades programs. I have spoken with the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum. The return on investment for every dollar we invest in apprenticeships for trades generates $1.83 back to our economy. These are important programs and services. Along with the Canadian apprenticeship strategy, which offers financial supports for apprentices to encourage their certification in the skilled trades, we can help build the workforce we are going to need for the future.
We are also making post-secondary education more affordable for those who cannot afford it. We are doing so by extending increases to student grants and loans through—
EmploymentAdjournment Proceedings
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, young Canadians do not need summer jobs; they need permanent jobs. The overlapping crises that Canadians currently face are not isolated problems; they are symptoms of an approach that is failing working people.
Now the Liberal government is threatening to make things worse with an austerity budget. That means cuts to the public services people rely on, fewer good jobs and less support for the people who need it most.
New Democrats will not support an austerity budget at a time of growing economic uncertainty, sky-high prices and rising unemployment. We need a federal budget that invests in people by creating good family-sustaining jobs, building millions of non-market affordable homes and strengthening our public health care system.
Will the hon. member and the Liberals work with New Democrats to invest in Canadians, or will they take a page from the Conservative playbook and introduce an austerity budget that deepens economic insecurity?
Leslie Church Liberal Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, we are on track to deliver a budget that is going to invest in Canada. It is going to be a generational budget, a transformational budget.
Many of the priorities we are looking at are priorities that we have spoken to the House about already. We are going to build thousands of new homes that Canadians can afford. We are going to build major projects that are going to put tens of thousands of Canadians to work. We are making those generational investments in people.
I would urge the member opposite to join us in supporting the budget when it comes to the House on November 4.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, we will see the latest job numbers from Statistics Canada. It is important to underline the magnitude of the challenge confronting people of all ages, but particularly young people. The unemployment rate has gone up to 7.1%. It has been continually increasing for years, ever since the end of COVID. Youth unemployment has hit 14.5%, which is already at recession levels. In just the last month, we saw a 12% increase in EI claims among working-age women. In the last Statistics Canada job numbers, if we include self-employed people, we had over 100,000 job losses.
It is important to look squarely at this data and say that the government's approach is failing badly when it comes to jobs. We are going to hear in this exchange, as we have, the government congratulating itself for various programs. However, we actually need to see changes in policy that change the result. The intentions of politicians do not matter to Canadians; what matters to Canadians is whether they have a job. Jobs for young people are of critical importance. They set people up on a track to build a career for the future. If they miss those critical early milestones because of a bad economy that hurts young people, it will have an impact that lasts throughout their life.
The Liberal Prime Minister promised to change from the approach taken by his Liberal predecessor, but unfortunately, we have seen the continuation of bad policies and a continuation of the trajectory on unemployment. The only thing that has changed is that things have continued to get worse.
Tonight and tomorrow, as we look at the new job numbers, we are going to hear Liberals talk about how they are going to tinker with subsidy programs. We heard it already tonight from the parliamentary secretary. She talked about the Liberal promise of 6,000 new summer job positions. This is in a context where approaching 20% of returning students did not have a job this summer. We have a population of over two million post-secondary students, and 20% were struggling to find a job this summer.
The government said it was going to subsidize 6,000 more eight-week positions. The average tenure for the summer jobs program is eight weeks, which, by the way, makes no sense. Employers are generally looking for summer jobs where they can employ people throughout the summer but what the government does is it shortens the tenure of those jobs for political reasons. It wants to show how many jobs it created. It uses the same amount of money to create jobs of shorter duration, when it would make much more sense to create jobs of longer duration.
Fundamentally, we are not going to solve the problems that are created by bad economic policy, bad immigration policy and misaligned training policy by subsidizing a few thousand more jobs for eight weeks. We are going to solve this problem by unleashing our economy, by fixing our immigration system and by addressing the gaps in training that have become so acutely problematic. We need wholesale policy change to address the Liberal job loss crisis that has been caused by Liberal policies over the last 10 years. The Liberals have broken their promises on change. They continue, after six months, to deliver more of the same. Over 100,000 jobs have been lost in the last month.
When will the Liberals reverse course so that young people can get back to work?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, there is no question that it is crucial for all Canadians to have a secure footing in the workforce, especially in this unusual period when our economy is under threat and when many people are feeling anxious about their job prospects. That is why our government is committed to preparing the workforce. We are ensuring that workers of all ages have access to training, retraining and upskilling.
We need more Canadians working in the skilled trades. That is why we invest nearly $1 billion annually in apprenticeship supports for the Red Seal program. House construction, automotive service technicians, power line technicians, millwrights, horticulturists and truck and transport mechanics are all key to Canada's road to a prosperous future, so we are actively encouraging young people to consider developing trade careers that will help them and help the country.
Let me say that after travelling across Ontario and hearing from skilled trades organizations this summer, I heard a common message. It was about the imperative of having child care on job sites and to help people go through training. If the member opposite is that concerned about ensuring we have a vibrant workforce, I would urge him to urge his party to support us in the building blocks of a strong economy. One of those building blocks is child care for parents who are working and want to take on some of these jobs in the skilled trades. That comes from people working in the skilled trades and training in the skilled trades and from the employers who employ them.
On June 6, the Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy introduced legislation to unify the Canadian economy. Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, provided the leadership to strengthen Canada's autonomy, resilience and security through economic integration. Building a stronger, more connected, more competitive Canada will drive business growth and set us on a path to create jobs from coast to coast to coast.
On top of that, the legislation removed federal barriers to labour mobility, which is vitally important for provinces and territories and the licences and certification processes that are right now barriers for labour to move across provinces. We have to work on bringing those barriers to worker mobility down. A worker authorized in one jurisdiction must quickly and easily be able to work in another. That would make it easier for skilled workers to do their jobs across Canada.
As the Prime Minister has said, it is time to “build big, build bold, build now”. There is a consensus on this approach. It is time to focus on what we can do in Canada to shore up our economy and create jobs here at home.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, I happen to agree with some of the things the parliamentary secretary said. The biggest problem is that the Liberals are not doing them. It was our party that proposed significant increases in investments in the skilled trades through union-based training. The government has consistently failed on that over the last 10 years.
Let me give members some numbers. The youth unemployment rate is 14.5%. We will get new numbers tomorrow on where it has been at for the last month. That is over 400,000 unemployed young people.
We are not going to subsidize our way out of this problem. What we need to do is address wealth-creation problems. What we heard at the human resources committee is that Liberal policies are blocking our energy sector and making investment in Canada so much more difficult. There is red tape, taxes and the failures on immigration policy. These things are holding our economy back. We need to fix the policy failures so we can unleash job growth for our young people.
Leslie Church Liberal Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are in the business of getting things done. The member opposite can claim that he supports whatever he wants, but when it comes to implementation, it is the government that has the responsibility of putting forward legislation and making sure that we deliver for Canadians, which is what we are doing.
We are going to build major projects. We have set up the Major Projects Office. We are working with provinces, territories and indigenous communities to get shovels in the ground and get things moving. We have created Build Canada Homes. We are going to build tens of thousands of affordable houses across this country. Both of these things are going to create well-paying, career-starting union jobs and jobs for young people.
We are securing our future in a global economy. We are building one Canadian economy by removing interprovincial trade barriers. Through it all, we are adding additional supports for workers and families through what are undeniably volatile times.
We have a plan to build Canada strong. We have a budget coming in November. I invite the member opposite and his party to vote for it.
EmploymentAdjournment Proceedings
The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater
The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).
(The House adjourned at 6:45 p.m.)
