Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite said is absolutely false.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 50% of the vote.
Justice March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite said is absolutely false.
Employment Insurance March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, we made investments to help caregivers. We made investments to help families who have a loved one with a rare disease, including $500 million to reduce the cost of very expensive drugs.
We will always make investments that help workers. In fact, in the budget, we announced the Canada training benefit, which will help workers find the time and money to improve their skills. This benefit includes four weeks of training every four years and up to $1,000 in income support.
The labour market is changing, and we are making sure that Canadians are ready for it.
Post-Secondary Education March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the investments we have made in young Canadians over the past three years, and this budget continues in that direction. Young Canadians are Canada's most educated, connected and diverse generation.
Since 2015 we have been implementing measures to make post-secondary education more affordable. This includes allowing students to delay repaying their Canada student loans until they are earning $25,000 a year. Budget 2019 lowers the interest rate for student loans and eliminates interest for the first six months. This will save every student $2,000.
We know that investing in young Canadians is investing in—
Justice March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, we will always co-operate with parliamentary committees, which make independent decisions about what they want to study. That said, I would like to share another quote.
Perry Bellegarde, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations said, “This federal budget shows important and sustained investments to advance First Nations priorities.”
Canadians across the country are thanking us for investing in the middle class, providing access to affordable housing, and investing in infrastructure and high-speed Internet. They are telling us that this will help them.
Justice March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to share what some people have said about our budget these past two days.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said that this budget shows that Ottawa wants to help municipalities move ahead with 21st-century projects that will have a significant impact.
In a tweet, Annie Bérubé of Équiterre applauded the 2019 budget measure to make electric cars more affordable.
The Federation of Black Canadians said, “It reflects the words of hundreds of Black community leaders we have met demanding action on the International Decade”.
Perry Bellegarde also had things—
Justice March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I have already answered that question.
The fact is that the Conservatives, who used to be more interested in Canadians and the economy, are now completely lost. They spent 10 years helping the rich and cutting programs, but that approach did not work. They did not balance the budget or drive the economic growth Canadians need.
Over the past three years, we have invested in the middle class and communities. We have delivered positive results for Canada's economy and Canadian families. That is what we will continue to do. The Conservatives have nothing to say.
Justice March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, as I said, we will always respond to committees' requests. It is up to our committees to determine what work they want to do and what witnesses they want to call, and we will always respect that.
On that note, it is interesting that the Conservatives, who usually want to talk about Canada's economy, are refusing to talk about it today. They are refusing to talk about the historic budget that we just tabled. Why? It is because they have no plan for the economy. All they have is an old approach that did not work under Stephen Harper, whereas we created 900,000 jobs across Canada, we lowered the unemployment rate, we lifted over 800,000 people—
Housing March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Surrey—Newton for his hard work.
Canadians told us that too many young families are being shut out of the housing market.
Budget 2019 tackles that issue. With the first-time home buyer incentive, Canadians will save hundreds of dollars a month on their mortgage payments. Boosting funding for the rental construction financing initiative will help Canadians find housing from the start, and we are going to continue with our approach.
The Environment March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, we will always listen to young people, and we will always work with them to protect the environment and build a better world.
We are taking concrete action with budget 2019. We announced a new home renovation program that will help Canadians lower their energy bills. We are making zero-emission vehicles more affordable for Canadians across the country. We are also building the infrastructure to support them.
The NDP keeps pitting the environment against the economy. We are growing the economy while protecting the environment.
The Environment March 20th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to see that students and young people are concerned about the future of our planet, because we on this side of the House share that concern. That is why we are moving forward with putting a price on pollution.
We are moving forward with an historic plan to protect our oceans. We are moving forward with investments in green energies and in new technologies to improve how our economy works. We will continue to fight climate change. It is a priority for our government, just as it is a priority for young people across the country.