Justin Trudeau

[Housing, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I was in Vancouver a few weeks ago to speak with young people about the fact that we are supporting renters with greater protections and by making sure that the money they spend every month on rent actually gets counted in their credit scores to help them get a mortgage in the future.

Our housing plan will unlock 3.87 million new homes by cutting red tape, by reforming zoning, by lowering the costs of homebuilding and by using public lands and vacant government offices for housing. We are making it easier to save up for a tax-free down payment. We are helping end chronic homelessness and making homes more affordable.

We are going to continue doing the work—

[Housing, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, our housing plan is the most ambitious and comprehensive in Canada's history. It will unlock close to four million homes by 2031. This will happen because we are working with municipalities and we are working with provinces to increase the levels of ambition. We have put out the most comprehensive and ambitious housing plan this country has ever seen because we know that making sure that young people can afford a home, making sure we change the way homes are built in this country, is about building a stronger future for everyone in this country.

That is what fairness for every generation looks like. That is what the government is focused on, while Conservatives are focused on cuts.

[The Economy, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, when we got elected, the first thing we did was raise taxes on the wealthiest 1% and lower them for the middle class, a measure that the Conservative Party voted against. We have continued to invest in young people and to invest in a national housing strategy after the previous government completely ignored housing. The former housing minister, who is now Leader of the Opposition, was responsible for creating exactly six affordable homes in his time as minister.

We have continued to invest and we are going to continue to make sure that the economy is fair for every generation. That means asking the wealthiest to pay a little more so we can put more money in the pockets of the middle class.

[The Economy, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, this budget recognizes that our country's success depends on young people's success. That is why we are calling on the wealthy to pay a bit more tax so they can share more of the benefits with young people, to ensure that young families can pay their rent, buy a home and have better access to the care and services they need, particularly when it comes to day care and early childhood centres.

We will continue to be there to support families in need by asking the wealthy to do a bit more.

[The Economy, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize with this budget that Canada cannot be successful unless young people are successful, unless every generation sees a real and fair chance to succeed.

That is why we are stepping up to invest in new homes that young people are going to be able to afford, and making sure that their rent payments count towards a credit score to get them a mortgage eventually. We are investing in more supports for Canadians living with disabilities. We are investing in supports for seniors. We are investing in entrepreneurship for young people.

We are making the kinds of investments that are going to grow the economy, support young people and restore the dream of a stronger Canada for everyone.

[Intergovernmental Relations, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to be a Quebecker that I know I have a place in Canada, as do all Quebeckers. We are proud to be Canadian and proud to be Quebeckers. Most of us do not feel we have to choose between the two. We can be very proud to be Quebeckers and Canadians at the same time.

We will continue to be there to invest hand in hand with the Province of Quebec in order to deliver results for Quebeckers, just as we do with partners across the country. In fact, Quebec is often ahead of the curve in investing in social issues and social programs. That is why much of what we do follows Quebec's model.

[Intergovernmental Relations, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my friend from the Bloc Québécois that I am a proud Quebecker and I always will be. There is nothing he can say that will take anything away from this proud Quebec identity that has been a part of who I am for 13 generations.

Yes, I am concerned about Quebeckers, as I am about all Canadians. That is why we are working with provinces like Quebec on investing in more child care spaces. We have invested $6 billion in early childhood education to help Quebec run its child care system. It is the result of an agreement with Premier Legault.

We will continue to be there and to be partners with Quebeckers.

[The Budget, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, this is a budget that invests in fairness for every generation by asking the ultrawealthy to pay a little more.

The Conservative Party is choosing to stand with the status quo and to stand with the ultrawealthy, instead of saying, yes, we need to invest in young people, we need to build more houses, we need to support seniors with dental care, we need to create more spaces in child care and we need to deliver hundreds of dollars a month, tax free, in the disability benefit.

These are the things that we will be doing. Those are the things that they stand against.

[The Budget, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, what the Leader of the Opposition is saying is that he stands with the ultrawealthy 0.1% in this country and that everyone else is on their own, because that is what he would do, as he slashes programs, as he slashes investments, as he does not build the homes necessary, as he does not have a plan to fight climate change and create good jobs, as he has stood against affordability measures and as he stands against seniors getting dental care.

He is choosing to stand with the ultrawealthy, while we are investing in Canadians and building a stronger future that is fair for—

[The Budget, April 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to see the lengths to which the Leader of the Opposition will go to avoid saying that he is choosing to stand with the ultrawealthy against the middle class, against young Canadians. When we first were elected and raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% to lower them for the middle class, the Conservative Party and that leader voted against it. We are asking for the wealthiest in this country, the wealthiest 0.1%, to pay more in taxes so that we can support the middle class and so that we can restore the dream, particularly for young people, of home ownership, of a brighter future that the world is taking away from people all over the world.