Candice Bergen

[Poverty, November 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that under our government child poverty has been reduced to an all-time low. Under the Liberals, it was over 18%. We have reduced it to just over 8%.

We recognize that there is more work to do. That is why we introduced the universal child care benefit, which the NDP called a slap in the face to parents. We call it a direct benefit to parents. Every parent in Canada will benefit from our expansion of the universal child care benefit, and our family tax cuts as well.

We will keep delivering funds into the pockets of Canadian families because we know that the NDP would take it away given the chance.

[Housing, November 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, housing agreements have been coming to an end over the last many years and will continue to come to an end over the next 20 years because the mortgages are paid off.

What we have done, though, in order to help these housing units is extend our investment in affordable housing with the provinces. They are free, once these agreements come to an end, to continue support.

We have also created some flexibilities for co-ops.

Nicholas Gazzard, of the Co-Operative Housing Federation, said of our flexibilities:

This additional flexibility allows co-ops to use federal funds to provide rent-geared-to-income assistance for vulnerable low-income households, even after their funding agreements have expired.

[Poverty, November 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, here is what Canadian families know. They know that under our government they have more money in their pockets. Since we took office, there are 225,000 fewer children in poverty. The average Canadian family has an additional $3,400 in their pocket. With our universal child care benefit increase and expansion, as well as our family tax cut, there will be an average of $1,200 more in the pockets of Canadian families.

We know what the NDP plan is, a $5 billion plan that will help less than 10% of Canadian families, do nothing for rural families, and do nothing for families who are working part time, so we will not listen to its ideology. We will deliver results.

[Poverty, November 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the question is why will the NDP not support measures that actually lift children and families out of poverty? We are not saying this. Organizations like UNICEF are saying it. It is things like our universal child care benefit, which we introduced and the New Democrats said was a slap in the face to Canadian families. What do New Democrats think of the universal child care benefit? They would take it away.

Not only have we introduced it, we are also going to increase it, we are going to expand it. We will look at the facts, we will depend on evidence. We will not listen to the NDP because we know that all they want to do is to create big bureaucracies and increase taxes on Canadian families.

[Poverty, November 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, what is unbelievable is the NDP. Here are the facts. There are nearly 1.4 million fewer Canadians living in poverty under this government and this Prime Minister than under the Liberals and any other government. Our policies have lifted 225,000 children out of poverty. I could go on with the evidence-based effects that our policies are having.

They can keep asking questions. We will keep delivering results for Canadian children.

[Poverty, November 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we have taken real action when it comes to reducing poverty. In fact, the action that we have taken has been recognized by UNICEF. It recognized that during the depths of the recession, we lifted 180,000 children out of poverty.

Let me tell the House what David Morley, president and CEO of UNICEF Canada, said. He said that Canada is faring better than other western countries, due to measures that are favourable to families, like tax credits, fiscal measures, and benefits that have been maintained or put in place to counter the effects of the global crisis.

Those are measures we put into place that are actually having an effect. We will not listen to the NDP. We will continue—

[Youth, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, every single measure that we have introduced to encourage and help young people with apprenticeships, the NDP has voted against.

Here is what we have done when it comes to apprenticeships: the Canada summer jobs, our youth employment strategy; the apprenticeship completion grant: the apprenticeship incentive grant; the textbook tax credit; expanded RESPs; and Helmets to Hardhats. That is a huge list of what we have done to help connect young people with available jobs. We agree that it is in skills, it is in trades. In the trades, we have introduced the Canada job grant.

Every one of our initiatives that we introduced, the NDP votes against and criticizes. It is unbelievable getting a question like that from the NDP.

[Taxation, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we are on track to balance the budget. We are also fulfilling our commitment to Canadian families. We have expanded and increased the universal child care benefit. That means that the $100-a-month cheque for every child under six years old is expanded to $160, and we are also giving it to families with children over six years old.

We know what the Liberals think. They think that if we give families money, they will waste it. The Liberals and the NDP do not trust Canadian families. Canadian families should not trust the NDP or the Liberals.

[Infrastructure, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we promised Canadians that we would give them the family tax cut. That income splitting will help almost two million families, half of the families in Canada. Combined with the increase and expansion of our universal child care benefit, every single family with children in Canada will benefit.

What we do know is that the Liberals would take that away, not only from families, but they said they would take income splitting away from seniors and pensioners.

Canadians know this: Liberals will take money out of their pockets. We will continue to put that money back into their pockets.

[Infrastructure, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we have actually tripled the investment for infrastructure, and even recently made announcements regarding art infrastructure projects.

When it comes to the priorities of families, it is this government and this government alone that trusts families. We have heard what the Liberals have said previously about families having money in their pockets. We have heard what they have said even recently. We believe that when we give Canadians the money that they deserve, it is their money, and they will spend it on their priorities: their children, their families, and raising their families.

That is a good investment. That is what we are committed to. The Liberals would take that away.