Sean Fraser

[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.

[Innovation, Science and Industry, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, through the zero emission transit fund, the federal government is helping public transit and school bus operators across the country to electrify their fleets.

It is essential to have made investments to support the transformation of our economy and to seize the opportunities to enhance the green economy. I am having conversations with my Quebec counterparts to find solutions.

We will continue to make the necessary investments to enhance the green economy across the country, including in Quebec.

[Taxation, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we know that life is expensive, and we want to deliver a break to Canadians. We know that the cost of food has gone too high, which is why we want to remove tax over the holidays. The irony is that the Conservatives make the same attack but are opposing a tax cut on food for families.

I should point out that there is an important stakeholder who is in Ottawa advocating for a national school food program this week. Her name is Molly, and she is an eight-year-old in grade 3 at A.G. Baillie Memorial school in Nova Scotia. We are going to provide not only a tax cut on food but also a national school food program so she and her classmates will be able to enjoy a healthy meal every day of the year.

[Finance, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague seems to have a penchant for alliteration and personal insults, but what he lacks is an ability to advance policies that will grow the economy or actually help people in need. At every opportunity, the Conservatives oppose the investments that are creating jobs in this country. They oppose the investments that are building homes in this country. They oppose the measures that are going to provide tax cuts to middle-class families, to low-income families and to workers in this country. For once, I wish we could have a debate about the issues instead of stooping to these lows; they throw insults instead of advancing policies that help real people.

[Finance, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, what my hon. colleague fails to point out is that Canada is projected to have the fastest-growing economy in the G7 next year. He fails to point out that we are creating jobs at a near record pace. He does not understand that wages are increasing faster than inflation.

His strategy for the economy is to make cuts to the programs that are supporting people, cuts to the programs that are building houses. Ironically, he is opposing the tax cut that would deliver relief to families over the holidays. We are going to focus on growing the economy in a way that works for everyone, not the Conservative approach to cut the supports that families need.

[Carbon Pricing, November 29th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, these guys are all tax and no axe.

We can think about this: Last night, Conservatives literally voted to keep a tax on Christmas. We are moving forward with a tax cut to relieve families of the burden on the cost of such things as car seats, diapers, groceries, clothing for their kids and gifts over the holidays. What is worse, they are also talking about cutting the programs that families rely upon for housing, for dental care, for health care, which make life more affordable.

The Conservatives are going to cut programs. The government is going to cut taxes.