House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 50% of the vote.
Finance September 19th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, what the opposition leader is saying is that he would not have sent the grocery rebate to 11 million Canadians. He would not have invested in dental care for low- and modest-income Canadians who do not have access to dental care for their children. He certainly would not have cut child care fees in half. He would not have been there for Canadians in these tough times.
We did that by carefully managing the deficit and our public finances in order to lower inflation, but also—
Finance September 19th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians are struggling. That is why we are there to help them by lowering the cost of day care and child care and by sending them a grocery rebate this summer.
Maybe the Conservatives would have cut these investments and supports, but we will continue to be there for Canadians as we manage our finances responsibly, with the lowest deficit and best debt-to-GDP ratio of any G7 country.
We will continue to support Canadians and grow the economy.
Foreign Affairs September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, today I am rising to inform the House of an extremely serious matter. I just informed the leaders of the opposition directly, but I want now to speak with all Canadians.
Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada is a rule-of-law country. The protection of our citizens and the defence of our sovereignty are fundamental. Our top priorities have therefore been, one, that our law enforcement and security agencies ensure the continued safety of all Canadians, and two, that all steps be taken to hold perpetrators of this murder to account.
Canada has declared its deep concerns to the top intelligence and security officials of the Indian government. Last week, at the G20, I brought them personally and directly to Prime Minister Modi in no uncertain terms. Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental roles by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves.
As one would expect, we have been working closely and coordinating with our most important allies on this very serious matter. In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the Government of India to co-operate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter. I also expect it to reiterate that its position on extrajudicial operations in another country is clearly and unequivocally in line with international law.
I know that many Canadians, particularly members of the Indo-Canadian community, are feeling angry or perhaps frightened right now. Let us not allow this to change us. Let us remain calm and steadfast in our commitment to our democratic principles and our adherence to the rule of law. This is who we are and what we do as Canadians.
Housing September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, our focus is on making life more affordable and ensuring corporations pay their fair share.
The Minister of Innovation met today with the CEOs of the large grocery chains to reinforce the immediate need to stabilize food prices and improve competition. Indeed, we are introducing changes to competition here in Canada to address the rise in food prices, among others.
We will every day continue to build an economy that works for all Canadians.
Grocery Industry September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, our focus is on making life more affordable and ensuring that corporations pay their fair share.
The Minister of Innovation met today with the CEOs of the large grocery chains to reinforce the immediate need to stabilize food prices and improve competition. Indeed, we are introducing changes to competition here in Canada to address the rise in food prices, among others. We will, every day, continue to build an economy that works for all Canadians.
Housing September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we know very well that the Bloc Québécois is here to squabble. We are here to work hand in hand with the provinces and municipalities.
That is why we have set up a $4-billion plan to work directly with municipalities to increase the housing supply, increase densification and improve zoning to speed up the construction of new housing. We have also eliminated the GST on the construction costs of new housing because we know how important it is to increase supply.
It is just one part of what we have been doing for a long time, and will continue to do, to help people across the country.
Housing September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, we are here to build more housing, in partnership with the provinces and municipalities.
That is why we implemented a $4‑billion plan to speed up densification, improve zoning and help municipalities build more housing more quickly. We also eliminated the GST on the construction of new housing buildings because we know that we need to increase supply.
We will continue to be there to work hand in hand with the provinces and municipalities. We will fight this housing crisis by working together.
Housing September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, we will focus on delivering real results while the leader opposite is focused on empty slogans and picking fights. In fact, when he was in charge of housing, he bungled projects like the Toronto Line 1 extension, which to this day has no housing near a number of its stations. In contrast, we are actually linking public transit dollars to apartments and housing density, and we are doing so without the Conservative plan to restrict access to abortion, to deny the impact of climate change and to put more assault weapons on our streets.
Housing September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, the opposition leader's bickering will not help get houses built. Our plan does. The Minister of Housing wrote to the mayor of Calgary, offering to partner with the city if it made necessary changes for more affordable housing. Just this Saturday, the City of Calgary approved a plan for reducing zoning red tape and building housing by public transit. This is a step in the right direction. We know that together we can build more apartments for students to rent and more homes for families to grow in.
Housing September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, we said we would work with municipalities to get housing built faster. That is exactly what we are doing right across the country, including, for example, with the city of London, where we have gotten a deal done that fast-tracks the creation of over 2,000 additional housing units over the next three years and builds thousands more in the years to come. We are doing this by cutting red tape, fixing outdated zoning policies and building more homes faster. This is our first deal but, I promise, not the last.