Iqra Khalid

[National Volunteer Week, April 19th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, as this week has been National Volunteer Week, I would like to take a moment today to speak about the importance of volunteer work.

Each year, the Canada Revenue Agency congratulates and thanks volunteers from across the country, particularly because thousands of them actively help support free tax clinics under the community volunteer income tax program. Last year, these free tax clinics made it possible for almost 650,000 Canadians with a modest income to file their taxes and receive more than $1.75 billion in benefits, credits and refunds. More than 3,400 community organizations, composed of more than 14,700 volunteers, contributed to achieving these results.

I would encourage all members to take a moment to thank all of the phenomenal volunteers and the program.

[Persons with Disabilities, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the member's advocacy. I have a nephew who has severe disabilities. Right now, in his first five years of life, is when he needs the most support to be able to grow and live a functioning life. I completely understand the need to ensure that the disability community has the support it needs so it can continue to flourish and thrive in a community that is barrier-free.

During the past eight years, we have invested unprecedented amounts of money to further the inclusion and the financial stability of persons with disabilities. The Canada disability benefit represents the largest single item in budget 2024, of over $6 billion. This is not insignificant. This is the first time in Canada that there will be a federal benefit designed specifically to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Like all progressive programs that we have delivered, it is built to be enhanced and expanded.

I look forward to working with the member and the disability community to ensure that we are continuing to advocate for a barrier-free community for them.

[Persons with Disabilities, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his brilliant advocacy and for his question on behalf of persons with disabilities. The member knows, as does everyone in this place, that protecting and helping the most vulnerable in our society is a fundamental Canadian principle, and it is a fundamental principle of our government.

When it comes to people with disabilities, we have invested more money in the last eight years than ever before. I take the point: Is it enough? Absolutely not. Do we need to do more? Absolutely we do, but we have made progress. In comparison, the previous Conservative government promised and failed to deliver a national disability act. Our Liberal government made the Accessible Canada Act a reality, but there is still a lot more to do. That said, we are moving as quickly as possible on the Canada disability benefit.

Of course, we understand that the disability community is anxious to see extra dollars in their bank accounts, but we must get it right to make the delivery of the benefit as smooth, as targeted and as effective as possible. Budget 2024 proposes funding of $6.1 billion over six years, beginning in this fiscal year, 2024-25, and $1.4 billion per year ongoing, for the first-ever federal Canada disability benefit. This represents an important next step in the journey for this.

I cannot talk about the journey of the Canada disability benefit without talking about the years of relentless advocacy from the community. I want to thank all of those who have been relentless in their advocacy as they championed the needs and priorities of persons with disabilities. I encourage them to continue to engage with our government as we move forward in the next chapter.

The lived experiences of persons with disabilities have been a key part of the consultation process. In the true spirit of “nothing without us”, we engaged with persons with disabilities, stakeholders and all Canadians on key issues. In the coming months, once we have published the draft regulations in part I of the Canada Gazette, Canadians will again be invited to provide feedback. As the hon. member knows, the act requires that regulations be in place by June 2025, with money flowing into bank accounts by July 2025. Let me assure all members in the House and all Canadians that we are on track to meet this timeline.

This is the first federal government step-up in support of persons with disabilities by creating a new and specific benefit just for them. The budget 2024 announcement unlocks the ability to proceed with the extensive and intense behind-the-scenes work needed to deliver the CDB. We need the time not just to be focused on the developing regulations, but to build the internal infrastructure and support systems necessary to deliver the program and to allow the provinces and territories to adjust their policies to ensure that there are no unintended clawbacks.

This is a crucial time as we carefully balance the need to strengthen our social security net while making sure government spending is able to help with the everyday costs of living. We are committed to creating a better, fairer country for generations to come, but, as I said, there is more work to do. It is the next stop in the journey of building a barrier-free Canada.

I thank the member for Kitchener Centre for his ongoing excellent advocacy on this.

[Canada Carbon Rebate, April 15th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, today, Canadians who filed their taxes electronically on March 15 or before will receive the new Canada carbon rebate amounts. In the provinces where it applies, the Canada carbon rebate will put even more money back into the pockets of most Canadians than they pay into fighting climate change.

Affordability is front and centre in everything we do as a government and in this system, we are literally putting money into the hands of Canadian families. Families are counting on these cheques. They work them into their monthly budgets, and that is especially the case for low to middle-income Canadians who benefit the most from fighting climate change.

Unfortunately, the Conservatives want to cut these rebates that Canadians rely on, but we will not let them ruin the rebates. Canadian families need them more than ever.

[Canada Summer Jobs Program, March 22nd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, Canada summer jobs is back, and we are ready to help young people gain the skills and work experience they need to succeed.

Last year, through the Canada summer jobs program, our Liberal government invested over $285 million in organizations across the country, which created over 74,000 youth jobs. I can tell members first-hand the impact that this program is having in my riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills; last year, we invested in 57 local organizations and small businesses to create nearly 400 jobs for youth.

I want to recognize a few of these awesome organizations that received funding last year in my riding, including the Boys and Girls Club of Peel, Ivan Franko Homes, the Mississauga Dolphins Cricket Association and Music for Every Child, which do so much great work in the community.

I thank all the recipient organizations and all of those who continue to invest in our youth for our future.

[Carbon Pricing, March 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I offer my sincerest condolences to the member opposite for his loss, and I offer supports to the family of Jesse as they deal with this very difficult time.

It is in moments like these that we really need to understand why austerity and cuts just do not do it. We need to save lives, and that is why we appointed a minister to deal with mental health and addictions. That is why we have a strategy to combat this really difficult issue that communities deal with on a daily basis, whether it is an opioid crisis, individuals' stress and mental health or through the Kids Help Phone.

There are ways we can provide that support, and that is not by cutting funding to these services. I encourage the member opposite to continue to support, especially through our budget, the very important things that need to be funded in order for us to provide support, so we can continue to save lives and so more Jesses are not lost in this world.

[Carbon Pricing, March 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I have to say that we can use all the buzzwords that we want in the world, “spike the hike” or “axe the tax” or whatever fancy words that we can come up with, but that does not lead to common sense. In fact, I am really thinking about former prime minister Brian Mulroney today. He actually was a common-sense Conservative who wanted to fight climate change. He did what was necessary and that is what we need to do today: what is necessary.

I realize that no amount of legislative action or policy is going to eliminate the hot air coming from those Conservative benches, but we do need to take action on what climate change means to Canadians. We know that we need to fight climate change. We need to better protect our communities.

You, yourself, Mr. Speaker, in your community, would have felt and understood the realities of what climate change really is and know the importance of acting now.

I am proud to be a part of a government that is working to fight climate change. We are going to do that with our pollution pricing system. That plan is working. The reality is that we are putting a price on pollution. It is the lowest-cost way to reduce pollution causing climate change. As the member opposite is aware, our system is revenue-neutral. It is well established that the cost to Canadians and the Canadian economy to achieve our emissions reduction goals by other means would be far greater.

As I alluded to earlier, while this system allows us to effectively reduce our emissions, it also makes life more affordable for Canadians by ensuring that they are receiving more money back into their pockets than they paid. Every three months we are delivering hundreds of dollars back to families through the Canada carbon rebate, which gives eight out of 10 families more back than they paid, while ensuring that big polluters are paying their fair share.

In provinces where the federal fuel charge applies, a family of four will receive up to $1,800 in Canada carbon rebate amounts for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Residents of these provinces will receive their first of four quarterly Canada carbon rebate payments starting next month in April.

Our government also understands that Canadians who live in rural areas face unique challenges by having to travel longer distances for school, work, groceries, etc. That is why we are proposing, in Bill C-59, to double the rural top-up to 20% of the base rebate amount in recognition of their higher energy needs and more limited access to cleaner transportation options.

In addition, our government is continuing to implement various financial support initiatives for Canadian households. This includes support for home retrofits, energy-efficient heat pumps and electric vehicles.

Doing nothing to fight climate change is simply not an option anymore. The price to pay for inaction would be way too high and that is why we are acting. Young people in our communities tell us how they want us to continue to invest, to continue to make sure that we are fighting climate change and to make sure that all of us have an opportunity to live in a safe society and a clean society in the future.

[Persons with Disabilities, March 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her advocacy on this very important issue.

The CRA administers a long list of benefits and credits intended for Canadians on behalf of the Government of Canada. Among these are not only the Canada caregiver credit, but also the Canada child benefit, the Canada workers benefit, and the GST and HST, just to name a few. Last year, the CRA also successfully administered new programs, such as the grocery rebate, the interim Canada dental benefit, which I know the member has been a strong advocate for, and the one-time top-up of the Canada housing benefit.

Let us be clear. To support vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations, one of CRA's flagships is definitely the CVITP. It is really important for us, not only as members of Parliament, but also as a community, to make sure that people have access to filing their taxes and that people are aware that these benefits and credits are available to them. Over these next 30 to 50 days, we are going to make sure that everybody knows how to do that and has access to it as well.

[Persons with Disabilities, March 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am quite pleased to answer the question from my hon. colleague, the member of Parliament for Port Moody—Coquitlam, regarding the Canada caregiver credit.

From the outset, I should clarify that the Canada Revenue Agency's responsibility is to administer a tax policy once implemented, whereas the role of the Department of Finance is to actually develop that tax policy.

Indeed, the CRA administers the Canada caregiver credit on behalf of the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada understands the sacrifices that Canadians are making to care for their children, their spouses, their parents and other family members. This is why we have improved the income tax relief provided for caregivers, to recognize the impact their caregiving expenses can have on the ability to pay tax. In 2017, the government replaced multiple caregiver credits with differing criteria with a single credit: the Canada caregiver credit.

This credit is simpler. It is designed to provide better support to those who need it the most.

Let us define who is eligible to claim the Canada caregiver benefit. Canadians may be able to claim the Canada caregiver credit if they support their spouse or their common-law partner, who has a physical or mental impairment.

They may also be able to claim this credit if one or more of the following individuals depend on them for support because of physical or mental impairment: their or their spouse's or common-law partner's child or grandchild or their or their spouse's or common-law partner's parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece or nephew, if they resided in Canada at any time in that year.

For the 2023 taxation year, the Canada caregiver credit provides tax relief on an amount of $7,999 for expenses for the care of dependent relatives with infirmities, including those with disabilities, such as parents, brothers and sisters, adult children and other specific relatives. It also provides $2,499 for expenses for the care of a dependent spouse or common-law partner or a minor child with an infirmity, including a disability.

In total, about 535,000 individuals claimed an amount for the Canada caregiver credit for 2020. For 2023, it is projected that about $255 million will be provided in federal tax relief under the Canada caregiver credit.

The CRA works to ensure that caregivers have access to the Canada caregiver credit if their respective situation allows. In fact, the ultimate goal of the CRA is for everyone in Canada to receive all the benefits and credits to which they are entitled. The CRA is proud of its community volunteer income tax program, the CVITP, and in Quebec, the income tax assistance volunteer program, the ITAVP, which support this goal. Through these programs, the Government of Canada supports community organizations and their volunteers, who offer free tax clinics to people with modest incomes and simple tax solutions, including people who are caregivers.

In fact, the CVITP and the ITAVP are an integral part of the CRA's efforts to ensure that vulnerable and hard-to-reach people have an easier time filing their income tax and benefit returns. I encourage all to do the same this tax season.

[Coldest Night of the Year, February 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I joined thousands of people across Canada taking part in the Coldest Night of the Year, a family-friendly walk organized to raise funds supporting those experiencing homelessness and fleeing violence and abuse, families experiencing hunger, and the most vulnerable in our communities. Whether it was a two-kilometre or five-kilometre walk, our communities stepped up and out into the cold to really support our neighbours who are struggling.

I want to recognize Eden Food for Change, an awesome not-for-profit community kitchen in my riding, and Armagh House, a transitional housing shelter for women, whose teams organized their own family-friendly walks and raised thousands of dollars for our communities this year. I thank all participants and the hosts of this year's Coldest Night of the Year walk for the critical work they do in keeping our communities safe.