Madam Speaker, no one, but no one, in the House today can ignore the cost of living situation, certainly not our government, not our side of the House. The cost of living is now one of the leading concerns of Canadians and of our government especially.
This concern centres on the price of groceries. Groceries are getting more and more expensive. I see this reality in the riding of Bourassa. My colleagues here see it too in every riding. We see it. We see it in grocery stores. We see it at food banks. We hear it from the Canadians who appeal to us for help.
The question is not whether a problem exists. Unlike the opposition, unlike the other side of the House, we, as the government, choose not to politicize a human problem, but to take action. The real question is who is taking serious, responsible and effective action to respond to this situation.
Let us now talk about the context surrounding food inflation. Before I talk about the solution, let us first try to understand the problem itself. The food inflation that Canadians are experiencing did not come out of nowhere. It is the result of a combination of factors. It stems from a range of problems, a very systemic and complex set of problems. These include major disruptions to global supply chains, geopolitical conflicts affecting the production and transportation of food, tariffs and protectionist measures imposed by certain trading partners, increasingly frequent extreme weather events that are affecting crops, and excessive concentration in certain segments of the grocery sector.
These phenomena are not limited to our country, Canada. They are driving up food prices around the world. We cannot control the decisions made by others, but we can control the decisions we make, the decisions made here in Canada by the Canadian government. That is precisely why our government took action and made a decision. Today, I am talking about immediate, targeted assistance, specifically the Canada groceries and essentials benefit.
Faced with this reality, our first responsibility is to help households cope with the current cost of living. That is why the Minister of Finance and National Revenue introduced Bill C-19, which creates the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit. This benefit will replace the GST credit, but it will be much more generous, more predictable and better adapted to the current reality. In concrete terms, the government is proposing a 25% increase in this benefit for five years starting in July, automatic indexation to inflation to protect households' purchasing power, and a top-up payment equal to a 50% increase in the GST credit, to be paid this spring.
For a family of four, this means up to $1,890 in support per year. For a single person, it is up to $950. This is a tax-free benefit. It will be paid four times a year. It will target low- and modest-income households. In total, more than 12 million Canadians will benefit from this increased support.
These are concrete, immediate and, above all, responsible measures, but they must be passed quickly so we can implement them. If the members opposite want to make life easier for Canadians, they need to help us pass this bill as quickly as possible. The bill I am talking about here is Bill C‑19, of course. I therefore invite all members to set aside partisan strategizing and act in the best interest of Quebeckers and Canadians.
Tackling the source of the problem means helping households. That is essential. However, it is not enough.
If we hope to achieve lasting results, we also need to tackle food inflation at its source. That means supporting Canadian food production and strengthening our supply chains. That is why our government is going to turn to the strategic response fund. We are setting aside $500 million specifically for food sector businesses. This investment will help increase production capacity, modernize facilities and absorb some of the cost increases without passing them on to consumers, of course.
We are also going to invest $150 million to support small and medium-sized regional businesses in the food sector. SMEs are essential to local economic vitality and, of course, they are essential to food security. Another $20 million will also be allocated to the local food infrastructure fund to support food banks. This essential, one-time support is intended to meet the immediate needs of families experiencing an emergency.
We are also aiming to reduce production costs and enhance competition. That is why our government is also taking action to lower the cost of food production in Canada. The Prime Minister announced immediate expensing for greenhouse buildings. In practical terms, this will allow producers to fully write off the cost of their new greenhouses immediately. This measure will free up capital that they can use to invest in modern equipment, increase local production and reduce dependence on imports.
We will also work on developing a national food security strategy. This strategy will focus on strengthening the resilience of our food system, encouraging much healthier competition and reducing vulnerabilities in our supply chains. The government will also work with the provinces and territories to standardize product labelling, including unit pricing. This will make it easier for consumers to compare prices and make informed choices. We are taking a more comprehensive, systemic approach to making life more affordable for Canadians. These measures are part of a broader approach to making life more affordable.
I want to review a few facts. We have reduced taxes for 22 million Canadians, saving two-income families up to $840 per year. We have eliminated or reduced the GST for first-time buyers of new homes, which can result in savings of up to $50,000. We made the national school food program permanent, providing 400,000 children with healthy meals at school. We introduced automatic payment of federal benefits so that citizens receive the benefits they are entitled to. These measures demonstrate one thing: Our government acts consistently, but above all, as I have said and will say again, responsibly.
In conclusion, yes, the cost of groceries remains very high. Yes, Canadians are waiting for results. That is precisely what our government is delivering through direct support to households, investments in food production, concrete action on supply chains and an economic vision focused on resilience and equity.
Our goal is clear: an economy that works for everyone, where help arrives on time and where no one, and I mean no one, is left behind or left out. That is our country's economy, that is Canada's economy, that is the economy of a strong Canada.