Sean Fraser

[Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, December 16th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure who she is talking about, but I am still here for now.

There are two kinds of people who run for office in politics: there are people who want to do something, and there are people who want to be somebody. On our side of the House, we want to do things. We want to build the houses to make sure families can afford to keep roofs over their heads. We want to make sure that families can afford to keep food on their tables to feed their kids. We want to make sure people can find jobs to go to that give them a sense of pride and that allows them to contribute to their communities.

On the Conservative side, their leader has been writing essays about why he should be prime minister since he was a teenager.

[Housing, December 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, no one in the country is choosing to be homeless and no one is choosing to live in an encampment. We know that the cost of housing has gotten too high. That is why we are putting billions of dollars of investments on the table to help build out more affordable housing and help community entities provide services to people who do not have a roof over their head.

What is fascinating is that the Conservatives seek to make a joke out of a very serious issue such as homelessness. We are going to be willing to do the hard work to build more homes, including for the most vulnerable.

As the jeering continues, Canadians should be ashamed of the behaviour of the Conservative Party, which uses homeless people as props.

[The Economy, December 6th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, it is hard to understand how a member who said he is receiving $228 million for housing considers that to be a band-aid solution. Does he think it is a band-aid solution that we are helping his city lead the country when it comes to converting office spaces to homes for Canadians? Does he think it is a band-aid solution that we are advancing a permanent program that is going to feed hungry kids in schools?

I have great respect for the hon. member. I love the city he calls home; it once provided a home to me. However, it is difficult, once again, to accept questions on the cost of food and shelter from a member and a party that oppose the policies making it easier to put food on the table for families and keep a roof over their head.

[The Economy, December 6th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, my colleague points to food and shelter as pressure points for Canadian households. I actually agree, but let us look at what the different parties are proposing to do about it. First, on food, he is complaining about the high price when he is literally voting against a tax break on food. He is literally opposing a national school food program, which is helping hungry kids eat. When it comes to shelter, his own city is directly benefiting from hundreds of millions of dollars in investments to build homes more quickly, and he is supporting a leader who vows to cut that program. I will not take lessons from the Conservative Party, which cuts the very programs that put food on the table for families.

[Finance, December 6th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, honestly, it is hard to listen to this question, because this week the member had the opportunity to vote to reduce taxes on food, but he voted against it. The member will have another opportunity in the very near future to vote in favour of school food programs across our country. However, I think the members is still planning on voting against that measure.

Members of the House need to support families and communities yet, at every opportunity, the Conservative Party votes against measures that support families in my community and those of my colleagues.

[Finance, December 6th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question. As he is well aware, our government is investing to increase the number of jobs across the country.

Today, there is good news. There are 51,000 new jobs for Canadians.

We are going to continue to make the investments that are going to help grow the economy, help us transition into a modern economy, help build the homes Canadians need and, importantly, provide support to families who are dealing with a higher cost of living. It is a shame that the Conservatives, every step of the way, oppose these measures.

[Housing, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I have great respect for my hon. colleague, as I do Dr. Whitzman, whom I have had the opportunity to benefit from on a number of occasions when it comes to receiving her advice.

The majority of our grant programs that deliver cash subsidies to affordable housing projects are designed to support social housing, non-profit housing and housing for low-income families. We do have a range of other programs, including financing that delivers market-based housing with certain affordability criteria, to make sure we can build more middle-class homes as well.

I look forward to continuing to work with the member and other members of the House who want to advance these important conversations and get more homes built, including in places like Kitchener.

[Taxation, December 5th, 2024]

That is right, Mr. Speaker. Despite positioning themselves in a contrary way, those guys are all tax and no axe. The Conservatives are literally opposing a tax cut on the essentials over the holidays. We are talking about food, clothes, diapers, car seats and snowsuits for kids.

The only thing the Conservatives want to cut is the programs that are delivering real support to Canadians. They want to cut the programs that are helping get homes built across the country. They want to cut the programs that are actually delivering meaningful change to the environment in the country. They will not stand up for working families. They have had the chance and they said no.

[The Economy, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely clear that my hon. colleague was not listening to the answer to his first question before he delivered his second. I said specifically that we are exempting the tax on food that is not already exempted from the GST, including food that people may purchase at a restaurant.

What is interesting is that Conservatives are opposed not just to the tax cut on holiday gifts, toys for kids, clothing for kids, diapers, car seats and food, they opposed the measures we put in place to reduce the cost of living when we cut taxes for the middle class and when we stopped sending child care cheques to millionaires so we can put more money in the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families.

Conservatives just do not care about people. It is all politics.

[The Economy, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, food insecurity is a very serious issue, including in my home province of Nova Scotia, but it is hard to take seriously that question from Conservative Party members when they are literally opposing a tax cut on food. This holiday season, we are putting a GST holiday in place to reduce the cost of the food people buy, including when they eat at restaurants and products that are not exempt at grocery stores.

I hope the hon. member will put his money where his mouth is and, for once, support a measure that is going to deliver meaningful financial relief to families in need.