Randy Boissonnault

[Official Languages, September 25th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Sudbury for her question and for her incredible advocacy on behalf of the Franco-Ontarian community. With our new action plan for official languages, we are supporting official language minority communities across the country with $4.1 billion to support organizations, education, communities and more. Whether we are talking about francophones, francophiles or the “franco-curious”, our government will always support the French language in Ontario and across the country.

I wish everyone a happy Franco-Ontarian francophonie day.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 18th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a) and (b), Employment and Social Development Canada, or ESDC, monitors basic income research and reports, as well as the outcomes of basic income pilots in Canada and internationally. ESDC conducts ongoing policy analysis of basic income in a Canadian context and has identified many considerations including benefit level and cost, program design and interaction with existing benefits, implementation and interaction with provincial/territorial programming, and impact on the labour market. Recent analyses on basic income have not incorporated consideration of the precise parameters and impacts of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or the Canada Recovery Benefit.

With regard to (c), some of the Government’s programs have many features of a partial basic income. This includes the Canada Child Benefit for families and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for low-income seniors. Moreover, if a provincial or territorial government decides to proceed with a basic income pilot, ESDC would be pleased to share federal-level administrative, survey, and tax data that could support program design and evaluation.

For proactive disclosure purposes, a Question Period note on basic income is available at https://search.open.canada.ca/qpnotes/record/esdc-edsc,GouldJan2022-011

With regard to (d), ESDC’s review of existing and past basic income projects includes domestic projects in Ontario and Manitoba and international projects in Finland, the Netherlands, the United States and Spain.

For proactive disclosure purposes, a HUMA Committee binder for the Minister of Seniors dated May 25, 2021, on the impact of COVID-19 on seniors, including the topic of basic income, is available at https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/reports/committe-binders/may-25-minister.html

[Finance, June 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite said is completely false. You are a fantastic referee, but let us bring in an international referee on the health of Canada's economy.

A report today from the International Monetary Fund said that Canada has an enviable fiscal position, the best fiscal position in the G7. Members do not have to take it from us. They can take it from the IMF. That means we can invest in Canadians, grow the economy, stabilize health care and not take any lessons from the Conservative austerity caucus.

[Finance, June 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, last night voters in Winnipeg, in Montreal and in historic numbers in Oxford showed up to vote against the reckless austerity, partisan populism and ugly American-style attacks of the Conservative Party. Thousands of Canadians looked at the Twitter attacks, the video stunts and the artful alliterations of the Conservative leader, saw them for what they were and opted to support a real plan to support Canadians, to invest in communities and to build an economy that works for everyone.

[Online News Act, June 19th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, an agreement could not be reached under the provisions of Standing Order 78(1) or 78(2) with respect to the consideration of Senate amendments to Bill C-18, an act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada.

Under the provisions of Standing Order 78(3), I give notice that a minister of the Crown will propose at the next sitting a motion to allot a specific number of days or hours for the consideration and disposal of proceedings at the said stage.

I move:

That the debate be now adjourned.

[Financial Institutions, June 15th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, to the same question, we say the same answer as we gave yesterday in the House.

The Deputy Prime Minister has been very clear. We have ceased all government-led activities with the AIIB. We have asked the Department of Finance to conduct an immediate investigation into the activities of the bank. This investigation is to be undertaken expeditiously, and no outcome will be ruled out.

[Financial Institutions, June 15th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, as the Deputy Prime Minister and I said in the House yesterday on this matter, the Government of Canada will immediately halt all government-led activity at the bank. She has instructed the Department of Finance to lead an immediate review of the allegations raised and of Canada's involvement in the AIIB.

The Canadian government will also be discussing this issue with our allies and partners who are members of the bank.

The review is to be undertaken expeditiously, and no outcome is being ruled out following this investigation.

[Financial Institutions, June 15th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, as the Deputy Prime Minister said yesterday in answer to this question, the Government of Canada will immediately halt all government-led activity at the AIIB. Furthermore, she has instructed the Department of Finance to lead a review of the allegations regarding Canada's involvement in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The Canadian government will also be discussing this issue with its allies. The review announced yesterday is to be undertaken expeditiously. No outcome is being ruled out following its completion.

[Government Business No. 26—Amendments to the Standing Orders, June 14th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, with respect to the consideration of Government Business No. 26, at the next sitting of the House, a minister of the Crown shall move, pursuant to Standing Order 57, that debate not be further adjourned.

[Financial Institutions, June 14th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to repeat that the Government of Canada has halted all government-led activities at the AIIB. Our government has instructed the Department of Finance to lead an immediate review of the allegations to end Canada's involvement at the AIIB. This review is to be done expeditiously, and no outcome has been taken off the table.