House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2025, with 57% of the vote.
Government Business No. 43—Proceedings on Bill C-78 November 28th, 2024
Madam Speaker, the member has been a mentor to many of us on the Liberal side and was the caucus chair when I was first elected. He is very kind to offer those comments.
What I will say to him is that I cannot possibly explain Conservative contradictions. I can do many things, but I cannot do that. However, Doug Ford champions this policy. It is not inflationary at all.
Government Business No. 43—Proceedings on Bill C-78 November 28th, 2024
Madam Speaker, first of all, every time the member engages in debate, she offers a perspective that is important.
If we look at the list of items that would be eligible for the GST/HST cut, we see a very long list that would benefit Canadians across the country. We are talking about everyday essentials. I would be very happy to speak with the member more on that particular idea.
I think we have something here. It is a two-month holiday, essentially, which will go a long way toward help constituents not only in my riding back home in London, but in her constituency as well, particularly the low-income Canadians she has always championed in the House of Commons.
Government Business No. 43—Proceedings on Bill C-78 November 28th, 2024
Madam Speaker, does the member think I would not know about his voting record, not just in the House of Commons but during his time as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia? He supported pricing carbon at that time. He was in the government of Gordon Campbell. He stood in that legislature and championed the idea of carbon pricing, and here tonight he offers a different perspective. Now I see he is smiling. He knows he has been caught.
On top of that, he talks about the Conservatives' big, bold idea to cut the GST from the purchase price of homes. How would they pay for that? By getting rid of the housing accelerator fund, which is responsible for building homes across the country, including in 68 Conservative-held constituencies. They would cancel that program to the detriment of this country and their constituents. They are not serious.
Government Business No. 43—Proceedings on Bill C-78 November 28th, 2024
Madam Speaker, yes, I think it is a very responsible policy.
This policy offers something for the middle class during very difficult times. My colleague has talked a lot about the middle class in the House, but the Bloc Québécois is not here for the middle class.
Government Business No. 43—Proceedings on Bill C-78 November 28th, 2024
Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise and speak to the matters of the day and the issues as they impact Canadians, specifically as they impact my constituents back home in London. Global inflation is, by definition, a world phenomenon that has impacted the middle class and lower-income populations in particular, and we see that effect in Canada, too. The past few years have been very difficult for Canadians. They have counted on a federal government that has been there, that has seen them through the most difficult years of the pandemic and that has put in place landmark policy, groundbreaking policy, that is intended and is having the effect of helping make everyday costs more affordable.
I think of, for example, the dental care program. The Canada dental care program now has over a million people who have registered for it. Earlier today, the Leader of the Opposition said it does not exist. It certainly exists. We can ask the seniors in my riding back home in London. My seatmate here is from Winnipeg. We can ask his constituents. We can ask my other seatmate from Brampton. They fought for it. Every single member of Parliament on this side, and I will say in the NDP as well, as it was behind the idea, recognized the importance of a dental care program, particularly in the context of inflation.
We also see a federal government that has moved ahead with child care, recognizing the importance $10-a-day child care has for young families. In fact, the vision for that did exist at one time from the Conservatives back in 1987. The only difference is that Brian Mulroney and his government were an example of a Progressive Conservative government. They tried to put in place a national child care program at that time, but because of political reasons, it did not work out. Certainly, former prime minister Martin and people like Ken Dryden attempted as well. Also for political reasons, that did not work out.
This government was able to get it done. We see that in excess of 110,000 women have been able to re-enter the workforce now because of a child care program that is affordable. In fact, the economist Jim Stanford says that over the next 10 years, he expects 1 million women to be able to re-enter the workforce because child care is now going to be so affordable in this country. It turns out that social policy is good economic policy. This is something Conservatives have never, unfortunately, understood.
There is the school food program to make sure kids are able to go to school and have some food in their bellies, that they have what they need to succeed as children. We are ensuring we have that fundamental basis of dignity to make sure kids in this country have what they need to succeed. That is not asking for too much. In fact, Canada is one of the advanced democracies that has come to this late, unfortunately. It was the government, working with other interested parties in the House of Commons, making sure we were standing by our constituents the whole way. That is now moving forward to ensure elementary schools and high schools will have the opportunity to offer hot meals to kids, whether it is breakfast programs, lunch programs or whatever the case might be.
We do have examples of that in Canada, but it is a patchwork quilt. It has been volunteer organizations that have offered it in the main. Here, we have a federal government that is going to fund that work. This is tremendously important for our future as well. We have put in place these measures, but we still see challenges. While inflation has come back to normal levels because of the financial stewardship of the government, we have to make sure that we continue to be there for Canadians who are faced with a difficult time when it comes to the cost of living.
I hear it from my constituents. We all do. When they go to the grocery store, it is difficult. When they go to purchase clothes for their kids, it can be difficult. When they want to go eat out, whether it is just as an individual or as a family, it can be difficult. If we go out to an average family restaurant, as a family of four, that bill is going to be a high one.
The federal government has recognized that people are going through these challenges, so it has put forward a tax break, a tax cut. This is something Conservatives talk about a lot. However, today we saw the Leader of the Opposition announcing, in a declarative tone, which he seemed to be very proud of, that they are not going to support this measure of lifting GST/HST for the period starting on December 14 and continuing past Valentine's Day, ending on February 15.
The Conservatives are in a party that says it is for the everyday person, apparently. It is a party that says, only apparently, that it stands for tax cutting. No, it does not. In fact, we should not be too surprised at all, because when this government moved ahead not once but twice to cut taxes for the middle class, who stood against it? The Conservatives did. When this government moved ahead and cut taxes for small businesses, who stood in the way? The Conservatives did. However, we were still able to get those measures through. When we were able to, in the pandemic years, stand by small businesses to make sure they had the emergency supports they needed, who stood in the way there too? The Conservatives did.
They do it every single time. They present this mirage, a kind of fiction, that they are there for the everyday person, whether it is the worker, the family or the small business owner, but they do not believe in those things, as it turns out. What we have in the House of Commons that really shows what we are all about is our vote. The vote does the talking every single time, and the Conservatives' votes are where the proof in the pudding is. There is not much proof there; there really is not.
We have a measure that would go a long way for everyday people, for people in the middle class and for people working hard to join the middle class. In question period today, I talked about a young family, and I am a relatively new father myself. Child seats are expensive things, running into hundreds of dollars. We are going to lift the tax on them. I think of what that would mean for the young couple getting ready to start a family. It is expensive. They have to worry about all of the essentials and pay tax on top of that, but we would lift the tax on, for example, child seats, diapers and children's clothing.
Those are just examples that pertain to a young family. What about a family that wants to spend more time together, maybe take a bit of a load off, go out and enjoy a restaurant? The tax would be lifted there too. Who benefits? It is not just that family but entrepreneurs, who continue to be the backbone of this country's economy. That is something this government recognizes and something that parties in the House that will support this measure recognize.
I just heard my colleague from the Green Party say that he is onside with this. That is a very good thing. I know that NDP members have said they are onside with this, but I wonder where the Conservatives are on this, the so-called party of entrepreneurship and free enterprise. I want the Conservatives to go back and look at what Restaurants Canada has said. It said in a very clear statement that not supporting a measure like this would be irresponsible, because a measure like this would not just be good for families, as I said, for individuals and for businesses, but would also act as an economic stimulus during challenging times.
We have weathered the storm quite well. We still see historically low, at least relatively, unemployment rates in this country, just in excess of 6%, but that has come down significantly in the past few years. We see a AAA credit rating. We see the lowest debt and deficit in the entire G7, and Canada, according to the International Monetary Fund, is poised to lead economic growth in the coming years in the G7. I know my Conservative friends are not in the habit of quoting what they call “elite organizations”, but I think the views of the IMF should be taken seriously.
The economic fundamentals are quite strong. That puts those in the middle class and those with a lower income on a good footing for a good future, but they need this support right now in the immediate. That is why the government is seized with this kind of vision.
We are going to continue to be there for Canadians every step of the way, for my constituents in London and for constituents across the country. The Conservatives still have some time. I just hope they reverse their decision on this and stand up for a responsible vision. This policy is responsible. They should stand up for the idea that they have to be on the side of the people and have their backs during tough times. That is exactly what we are going to continue to do.
The Economy November 28th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, it was an honest mistake. I withdraw it.
The Economy November 28th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, workers who are going for groceries, who want to eat out and who want to buy gifts during Christmas are the people on our mind, as well as families who want to buy diapers or clothes for their kids, or the young family that is excited about a new child coming into the family. Car seats are expensive, and there is a tax savings on them too.
The Leader of the Opposition supported the initiative in 2021 but does not want to now because it is a Liberal initiative. Will the real Pierre Poilievre stand up in the House of Commons?
The Economy November 28th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, I just heard the name of Erin O'Toole. That is exactly right. He put the initiative on the table in the summer of 2021. We are supporting it now. Who else supported it? The Leader of the Opposition did. He reposted a tweet from Erin O'Toole at the time but does not want to support the initiative now.
The Economy November 28th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the member ought to look at what the Retail Council of Canada has said on the matter or at what Restaurants Canada has said on the matter as well. Small business owners in my community and across the country will benefit as a result of the tax cut. That is exactly what it is: a tax cut for workers and a tax cut for families.
What is also surprising—
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis November 28th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, more than 3,000 Canadians live with ALS. One is my constituent. Matthew Brown's courageous battle over the years has inspired me to do more. In fact, just a few days ago on Parliament Hill, we saw ALS Action Canada organize an effort that brought together Canadians living with ALS, their family members and their supporters.
In fact, those supporters include members of the NHL alumni, in support specifically of Mark Kirton. Mark Kirton is a former Toronto Maple Leafs player. He played for the Detroit Red Wings and the Vancouver Canucks. He had a very good NHL career, and he shared with us his efforts to create the ALS Super Fund. The effort, in less than one year, has generated more than $1 million in support of awareness and research.
Efforts like that inspire us, across party lines in fact. As chair of the all-party ALS Caucus, I want to do more, and I know members in all parties feel that way. We will continue to advocate for people like Matthew, for people like Mark and for the 3,000 plus Canadians living with ALS. We are with our constituents and with Canadians.