Bill Morneau

[The Economy, December 12th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, actually we just came through an election campaign where we said that in fact we need to pay very close attention to the challenges that Canadians are facing. That is the reason that we need to continue to invest. That is the reason that we need to recognize that things like what we put forward this week, a reduction in taxes for 20 million Canadians, are a greater way for them to feel a greater sense of confidence and that they have enough money to spend for themselves and their families. We are going to continue with our approach to invest. It has seen success. Of course, as we face challenges, it is important to stay on that track.

[The Economy, December 12th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, it is always important to recognize that there are challenges. Canadians are going through challenges in parts of the country. We need to be focused on how we can deal with those challenges.

At the same time, we need to recognize that investing in our collective future is the way that we can actually experience success. We have seen over a million new jobs created by Canadians over the last four years and more. We are going to continue to invest to deal with these challenges so that people can have confidence in their future, for themselves and their families.

[The Economy, December 12th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, four years ago, economic growth was very low and unemployment was too high. We decided to invest in families and in infrastructure, and now we have a growing economy.

We obviously still face some challenges, but we will continue to invest to make life easier for people who are struggling. In doing so, we will have an economy that is good for all Canadians.

[The Economy, December 12th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, let me start by acknowledging that we do need to continue to focus on how we can ensure that the economy does well.

Our approach has been to make investments in our economy, and that approach has clearly been working. We have been able to have a higher level of growth than we would have had otherwise. We are expected, next year, to have among the highest levels of growth among the G7 countries, and of course we are going to continue to invest across the country to make sure we have strong employment all across the country, including in those regions of our country that are experiencing particular challenges.

[The Economy, December 12th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to have an approach for the economy and to give Canadians information about our economic situation. We will be making an announcement in the coming days.

We will maintain our approach, which seeks to improve the economy and make investments in Canadians as well as in infrastructure. This will lead to significant economic growth and the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

[The Economy, December 12th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, let me start by recognizing the hon. member's service to the House and to his party. I hope he has many more years doing that.

I know we need to look at the month-by-month numbers, because they tell us about what is going on across our country. They tell us about Canadians who are struggling, people who are facing up to real challenges in their lives.

Our goal is to continue investing. We know that the program we have done over the last four years has created, together with Canadians, over a million new jobs. We are going to continue to invest to make sure we deal with the challenges across our country, improving the situation for—

[The Economy, December 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, over the last four years, we have invested in our economy, in families and in Canadians. We are doing well. Our rate of growth is among the highest in the G7. We continue doing well in terms of unemployment.

We will keep investing in Canadians and, as we announced yesterday, we will be reducing income taxes for 20 million Canadians.

[The Economy, December 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, we have worked hard over the last four years to make sure that we have an opportunity for Canadians to work across the country. Left with a 7.1% unemployment rate from the previous government back in 2015, we immediately started investing, investing in Canadians, investing in families and investing in infrastructure. Our economy grew and we grew employment, more than a million jobs.

We will continue to invest as we see challenges in the economy. Right now we are happy to say that we continue to have growth. We look like we will be the second-fastest growing country among the G7, and employment continues to be strong in this country.

[International Trade, December 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, we have been pleased to be part of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. We know that it is important to develop the entire region. It is an important way for Canadian organizations to get opportunities in that part of the country. Obviously, over the long term, what we want is a global economy that works, which not only helps us internationally but also helps us back at home with our own economy.

[Small Business, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome the member to the House and let her know that in the last Parliament we did reduce taxes on middle-class Canadians. We also reduced taxes on small businesses.

We were so pleased today to move forward with the next tax break for 20 million Canadians, which we know is important. People are dealing with economic anxieties and we are trying to ensure they have more money to raise their families and to lead their lives.