Justin Trudeau

[Health, October 4th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I agree it is a good thing that Manitobans rejected the politics of fear, division and intolerance and moved forward with a progressive alternative. I look forward to working with the new Government of Manitoba on issues that matter deeply to Manitobans, whether it is building more housing, supporting on the path to reconciliation, fighting climate change or, mostly, moving forward on affordability for everyone.

We will continue to stand up for a public health care system, including with the $200 billion in health accords that we are looking forward to signing with this new progressive government.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, October 4th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I disagree with my hon. colleague. I do not think that closing the door to newcomers is a solution.

We know we need more affordable housing. I agree. That is exactly why we announced measures like eliminating the GST on the construction of new rental apartments. We will continue to work with the provinces and municipalities to speed up approvals and build more housing faster to better accommodate people.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, October 4th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is well aware, immigration is a jurisdiction shared by the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec. We are working together to bring in people to address the labour shortage and to continue to help spur economic growth, while ensuring that the necessary investments are made to welcome and integrate these immigrants and teach them French.

We will always be there to work responsibly in partnership with the Government of Quebec.

[The Economy, October 4th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we see again that the Conservative opposition is always ready to fling attacks and make criticisms, but what they actually did was block our move to move forward on the affordable housing and groceries act. They obstructed debate last week by delaying it.

We want to move forward on this so we can help Canadians, but they stood against this act in the same way they stood against $10-a-day child care, the same way they stood against the Canada child benefit, the same way they stood against dental care for Canadians who need it. We will keep helping people.

[The Economy, October 4th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we can see that the Leader of the Opposition is always ready to play political games. A few weeks ago, we moved forward with the affordable housing and groceries act, which will help build more rental homes and increase competition, including among the largest grocers. However, instead of working with us to move this forward before Thanksgiving, the Conservative opposition chose to obstruct debate around these measures. We are going to continue to stay focused on helping Canadians while they stay focused on playing political partisan games.

[The Economy, October 4th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, when we wanted to provide dental care to help Canadians, the Conservatives filibustered. The same thing happened with affordable child care. Now, they are obstructing the affordable housing and groceries bill. They are using parliamentary tricks to obstruct the process. The fact is that we can always count on the Conservatives to obstruct measures that help Canadians if they can get in some partisan attacks in the process.

On this side of the House, we remain focused on helping Canadians.

[The Economy, October 4th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, if the Leader of the Opposition really wanted to get assistance out to Canadians quicker to help them with groceries and housing, he would not have obstructed our affordable housing and groceries bill. He would rather play political games and obstruct the business of the House than work with us to get Canadians the help they need.

We will continue to focus on providing assistance to Canadians and we will continue to be there for people to help with the cost of living.

[The Economy, October 4th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, we introduced the affordable housing and groceries bill, which will incentivize the construction of more rental housing and increase competition, particularly among grocery stores. Instead of working with us to move this forward before Thanksgiving, the Conservative Party chose to obstruct debate because it has no plan for supporting Canadians. Actions speak louder than words. I am therefore asking all members of the House to work together to pass Bill C-56 as soon as possible.

[Housing, October 3rd, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we will always respect the independence of the Bank of Canada, but we know that Canadians are worried about the cost of housing. That is why we are taking action on many fronts.

We are encouraging the construction of apartments by eliminating the GST on construction. We are removing obstacles so that more and more homes are built faster by working directly with the municipalities. We are helping Canadians save up to buy a home with the tax-free first home savings account.

We know that there is still a lot of work to be done. I invite every government across the country to take bold action with us to improve the cost of housing.

[Housing, October 3rd, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that, recently, alongside British Columbia and the City of Vancouver, the member for Vancouver Centre announced the groundbreaking for the construction of 154 new affordable housing units close to transit. This new building in the heart of Davie Village will also house QMUNITY, a non-profit organization providing access to safe and secure services for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. This is what we can accomplish when we work together, ensuring Vancouverites can live close to where they work and access the services they need.