Chrystia Freeland

[Housing, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think anybody listening to question period today, or frankly any day, imagines that the Liberals are teaming up with the Conservatives or that we agree with them about very much at all. They are the party of privilege and austerity; we are the party of people. That is why we have asked those at the very top to pay their fair share so that we can support Canada and Canadians.

[Grocery Industry, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I hope the NDP and indeed all members of the House will set partisanship aside for one moment to congratulate Canadians on the light at the end of the tunnel, on the fact that after an extremely challenging time with COVID and its economic aftermath, inflation is back to where it was before COVID first hit. When it comes to taxes, we believe that those who have the most capacity should pay their fair share. We have acted on that.

[Seniors, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we obviously recognize that older seniors, people 75 and up, face higher costs. They are more vulnerable and that is why we added measures to support them. I share the Bloc Québécois' concern for our seniors. That is why I am calling on the Bloc Québécois to support us on dental care. It is an important program for all Quebeckers, especially vulnerable seniors.

[Seniors, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Our government understands the importance of supporting seniors. That is what we have been doing all along. That is what we did after 10 years of the Conservatives punishing seniors. That is why we added measures to support our seniors, especially the most vulnerable. We will continue to do just that.

[Carbon Pricing, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am so glad to have the chance to talk about housing, because there is more good news Canadians should know about, and that is that we have extended to 30-year amortizations for all first-time homebuyers. That means more young Canadians can buy a first home and afford a mortgage. We have extended to 30-year amortizations for all new homes. That is to encourage what we know we all need: more homes built faster. However, the weak and spiteful Conservatives cannot celebrate good news for Canadians, because it is bad news for their partisan interests.

[Finance, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I think we all know why the Conservatives are so panicked about an election; it is because they can see that the economic news is good. They can see that we are now back to exactly where we were before COVID hit. They can see that the Bank of Canada has lowered interest rates three times in a row. Wages have been ahead of inflation for 19 months. That is good news for Canadians. It is bad news for Conservatives.

[Finance, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am so glad to have the chance to talk about the economy. That is because today we had good news for Canadians. Inflation is back down to where it was before COVID hit. Inflation has been within the Bank of Canada's target range this whole year. Wages have outpaced inflation for 19 months in a row. However, Conservatives do not want to talk about it. They are so weak and spiteful that, for them, good news for Canadians is bad news they want to ignore.

[Finance, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservative leader is displaying his incompetence as far as the economy is concerned. In reality, 2% is where Canada was before the pandemic. In reality, inflation has been within the Bank of Canada's target range since the start of this year. In reality, wages have been rising faster than inflation for 19 months now.

The Conservatives are not happy, however. They wish we had bad news for Canadians.

[Finance, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am so glad I get to answer a question about Canada's economy because it gives me the chance to celebrate the good news that we got this morning. Inflation was at 2% in August. It is back down to where it was before the pandemic. That is real progress for our country, and the Conservatives should be celebrating that.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 16th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), as part of budget 2024 consultations, the key submission regarding measures to assist individuals living with celiac disease was presented by Celiac Canada on September 13, 2023. Prior to the tabling of budget 2024, the government also received correspondence from taxpayers, including correspondence forwarded by members of Parliament, regarding support for those with celiac disease.

With regard to (b), the incremental cost of gluten free foods for people with celiac disease was added to the list of eligible expenses for the medical expense tax credit, or METC, under the Income Tax Act, 2003 following in depth consultations with representatives of the community of persons with disabilities and with medical practitioners.

The purpose of the METC is to take into account above-average medical expenses incurred by Canadians in determining an individual’s amount of tax owing, consistent with the principle that people with less discretionary income should pay less tax. The METC seeks to reduce the amount of tax owing by the portion of qualifying medical or disability related expenses in excess of the lesser of $2,759 in 2024 and 3% of income. The 3% threshold represents above average medical expenses for these purposes. There is no upper limit on the amount of expenses that can be covered.

To ensure that tax relief is provided only for medical expenses that Canadians incur out of pocket, itemized receipts must be retained to support a claim under the METC and must be provided to the Canada Revenue Agency upon request. This approach applies generally to all expenses claimed under the METC, is consistent with the administration of other tax credits, and is important for ensuring the overall integrity of the tax system.

With regard to (c), the government is continually reviewing tax matters to ensure that the tax system is fair and as current as possible.