International Trade committee  That was very deliberate because we've heard the narrative that electric vehicles are effectively a plaything of the rich, and that's not where we see the market going with things like the Leaf and the Volt. We're trying to empower middle-class Canadians to access cars at an affordable rate. That's why our tax credit is in place at that level, and at that level only. I think it's lamentable when we were talking so much about tax credits—and many of you have commented on the need to ensure that we're incentivizing the Canadian market—that we don't have a provincial counterpart any longer, because the premier of the province of Ontario, Mr.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Our government will continue to be on the right side of history on these and many more issues as we work towards finishing the fight against COVID, take strong action against climate change, make life more affordable, walk the shared path of reconciliation, put home ownership back in reach, create jobs and grow the middle class. Canadians expect us, as their representatives in Ottawa, to focus on the big things that matter and to work together to deliver results that create meaningful change. I will speak today about a few of the themes from the Speech from the Throne, including housing, child care, safer communities and mental health and addiction, issues that are particularly important in my riding of Surrey Centre and in many other communities across the country.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  All Canadians deserve an affordable and safe place to call home. We cannot leave young families and middle-class Canadians behind. Our government will continue our work to make life more affordable for all Canadians, including through $10-a-day child care to help families access quality, accessible and affordable child care.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Instead of presenting an economic plan for families, seniors and small businesses that have been left behind by the government, the government's approach means more of the same: More deficits leading to higher taxes. One thing is clear. Middle-class Canadians cannot afford more of the current Liberal government's reckless spending. Being a middle-class Canadian no longer means living comfortably. Being a middle-class Canadian in Alberta, especially an energy worker, comes with an even greater set of challenges.

Economic and Fiscal Update 2021  To help support this effort and reduce processing time for permanent- and temporary-resident and Canadian citizenship applications, we are investing $85 million in our immigration system. Housing prices are a real concern, especially for middle-class Canadians hoping to buy their first homes. Housing affordability remains a priority for our government, and we will take further action in the upcoming budget. As we announced in the spring budget on January 1, 2022, our government will apply Canada's first national tax on vacant property owned by non-resident non-Canadians.

Business of Supply  The report released today only makes the situation worse. The Prime Minister's inflation tax is eating into the paychecks of middle-class Canadians while the Liberals plan to spend even more, pouring inflationary gas on the fire. Government spending increases the cost of living. Spending more money to buy fewer goods results in price increases.

Business of Supply  This program has seen incredible uptake since it was launched five years ago, and it is making a real difference for middle-class Canadians. It is a well-known fact that there is a shortage of purpose-built rental supply in Canada. Many of our cities have extremely low vacancy rates. This has driven up prices to the point where the very people who make our cities run can no longer afford to live in them.

Finance committee  As you know, I only have six minutes and I am hoping to get in more than one question, so if the answers are long, I may cut in a little bit. Working middle-class Canadian families are certainly feeling the pinch at the grocery store, as are the financially vulnerable, like people living with disabilities and seniors on fixed incomes. It's not because Canadians are suddenly buying way more food than they did before.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  The right to work toward a home is a right every Canadian should have. A place to call one's own should never be outside the reach of ordinary middle-class Canadians or those working hard to join the middle class. That is why this government has a plan around housing. Whether it is building more housing units per year, increasing housing or ending chronic homelessness, this government is committed to working for Canadians.

Housing  Second, when we brought in the Canada housing benefit to put money directly into the pockets of Canadians so they could pay their rent, Conservatives voted against it. When we brought in help for co-ops, the best form of housing for middle-class Canadians, they voted against it. When we put forward rapid housing initiatives for cities to build permanent housing solutions for the most vulnerable, they voted against it.

Canada-U.S. Relations  Mr. Speaker, Canada's forestry sector provides hundreds of thousands of jobs for middle-class Canadians in communities across the country. These duties are unjustified, and they will hurt workers and businesses in both our countries. We will keep fighting for Canada's softwood lumber industry and its workers.

Business of Supply  The government needs to put a freeze on home purchases by foreign buyers in order to recalibrate the housing market and make it one that reflects the needs of everyday middle-class Canadians. Middle-class Canadians need hope, as every Canadian needs hope about their future. If they get into the market, their house payments should not have to be so high that they live in debt for the rest of their lives.

Finance committee  Wouldn't lowering rates on middle-class Canadians reduce the amount of tax avoidance?

Finance committee  Will the minister finally come clean today and announce when the Liberals will be putting a tax on one of the few tax shelters left to middle-class Canadians—that being their homes? Otherwise, why would they be tracking the sale of principal residency, if not to eventually tax it?

Employment  I remember, as an Atlantic Canadian, when Stephen Harper described our culture as one of defeat and tried to pass policies that would not support middle-class Canadians during their time of need. That has characterized the Conservative approach to the management of the pandemic and the economic losses that have stemmed from it. Canadians can rest assured that, from the beginning of this pandemic to its end, we will be there for them in their time of need.