Randy Boissonnault

[Finance, June 13th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I respect the hon. colleague a great deal. He knows, like we do, that the inflationary cycle taking place in Canada is not a Canada-only phenomenon. Inflation is taking place across the world.

Let us listen to the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem, who said that government spending patterns are not standing in the way of inflation getting back to target. In our projections, which incorporate those measures, we have inflation coming back to target.

[Finance, June 13th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I understand the challenges that Canadians are facing right now, and so does the government.

We heard it right there, once again: the Conservative austerity caucus on overdrive. What would they cut, the Canada child benefit, which actually provides thousands of families in my riding of Edmonton Centre with support every month? Would they cut the new dental program, which is providing supports to 11 million Canadians from coast to coast to coast? Maybe they just do not care about Canadian workers and would cut their benefits. There is austerity there.

There are supports here. That is our job, and we are going to keep doing it.

[Housing, June 13th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the number one thing the Conservative Party of Canada could do to help with the affordability of housing for Canadians from coast to coast to coast is to stop grandstanding in this place and to actually support a budget that helps Canadians, with $4 billion for the housing accelerator fund and $4 billion for indigenous housing, money to make sure the cities can actually put up housing where it is needed.

This is all bluff and bluster. We are here acting for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

[Finance, June 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, for the Conservative leader to appear in front of the press and brag that his party is going to delay the debate on the BIA is the height of irresponsibility. The Conservative delays are holding up tax deductions and benefits for working Canadians. They are holding up protections for air passengers and, shamefully, they are holding up the codification of sanctions against Russia for its illegal war on Ukraine.

It is the height of irresponsibility, and it is shameful of the Conservatives.

[Finance, June 5th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Fredericton for that excellent question.

After more than 28 hours of delay caused by the Conservatives, the Standing Committee on Finance was finally able to refer Bill C-47 back to the House. This bill will allow us to move quickly on getting out the Canada workers benefit, improving the registered education savings plan and reducing the tax burden for merchants by reducing their credit card fees.

I ask the Conservatives to stop their ridiculous politicking and get this bill passed.

[News Media Industry, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pontiac for the question and her hard work. She is absolutely right. Facebook wants once again to bully Canadians and is now blocking news on its platform for many Canadians. That is schoolyard bullying.

Facebook seems to think that Canadians are going to be scared and are not going to ask web giants to pay their fair share. Our door is open to making appropriate changes. We are not going to be intimidated and we are going to demand that the web giants pay their fair share.

[Tourism Industry, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, it is so nice to have so many friends from the blue team from Alberta in the chamber on a Friday.

I can say to my colleague from Niagara Falls that, in this budget, $158 million is directly going to the tourism sector, and $1.8 billion will do exactly what he said, which is to get more people to come to Canada for CATSA and for modernization of the airports.

How did the member and the entire Conservative caucus vote? They voted against the tourism sector, against airports and against getting people to our country. “Shame on them”, I say.

[Tourism Industry, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I find it a little odd that the tourism critic for the Conservatives voted against supporting the tourism industry in the budget, yet he voted for a price on pollution when he ran in the last election. I am going to let him explain that to his constituents.

I was at Rendez-vous Canada in Quebec City this week, and the tourism sector in this country is going to be back, not in 2026, not in 2025 and not in 2024, but at the end of 2023. This is thanks to Canadians, thanks to what we have to offer and thanks to the international community for knowing that Canada is back and that people want to come to see us.

[Tourism Industry, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I respect the hon. member, who is my tourism critic, but something does not add up. He voted against supporting the tourism industry in the budget, yet he voted for pricing on carbon in the last campaign. I do not know what they drink in Niagara, but I know—

[The Economy, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, if the Conservatives read the budget, they would see that there are measures to make sure that we reduce spending by $15 billion over the next years.

Also, in the budget implementation act, we would be able to make sure that Canada worker benefits go to Canadians faster. It would improve the education savings plans and it would lower the tax burden for tradespeople.

The Conservatives do not like that we stabilized health care for a generation, that we are making historic investments to grow the economy and that we are also helping those Canadians who need it the most.

They want to use dilatory tactics. We are going to keep delivering for Canadians.