Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023  As I said in my speech, and I am hoping that the member would have listened, it is about making investments into our future. It is not about cuts. It is not about austerity. It is not about axing and taxing or whatever those fancy slogans are that are coming out from that party. It is about believing in the ability, the talent, and the perseverance of our young people to ensure that they have what is needed for them to be successful today, for years to come and for generations to come.

Housing  Confident countries invest in themselves. What the Leader of the Opposition is proposing is austerity and cuts to programs at exactly the time that Canadians need them.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, Canadians are already experiencing austerity, according to a report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who showed that since the Prime Minister's promise to end homelessness, it has in fact increased by 38%. The number of homeless people in Quebec has increased, going from 3,000 to 10,000.

The Economy  However, when it comes time to vote for investments that will help families—like the school food program, increasing the number of $10-a-day child care spaces across the country and dental care programs for seniors—they vote against them. They are proposing austerity measures to avoid investing in Canadians who need it. We understand that creating economic growth means investing in families who need it.

The Economy  We are here to invest in and assist families, while the Conservatives have nothing but cuts and austerity to offer. The same applies to our investments in dental care, which have allowed nearly 100,000 seniors to access dental care free of charge. This too is being opposed by the Conservatives.

Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1  I know that there are all sorts of examples in history, including Quebec's history, where perhaps too many eggs were broken to make an omelette. We know that fiscal austerity or zero deficit efforts have been made, often much more violently in other countries of the world, especially developing countries, to the detriment of those who are struggling the most and at the expense of public services.

Finance committee  As Ed Fast, the member for Abbotsford, has talked about many times, we can't let that spending get out of control. The reason is not that Conservatives want, in any shape or form, any type of austerity when it comes to government or otherwise, but that it would prevent the type of austerity we saw during the nineties era, under the Chrétien-Martin Liberal government. They dramatically cut health care transfers because the debt, which was largely accrued under Pierre Elliott Trudeau, got to a point where banks and bondholders basically cut the country off.

Finance committee  We're making really big investments in Canada's economic capacity, and those investments cost money. Now, some people would simply choose not to make any investments and follow a path of austerity. I think that would be a terrible mistake. Other people might choose to make the investments, but not do it in a fiscally responsible way. We saw that with a far-right budget, which didn't last very long, that was put forward in the U.K.

Finance committee  That is what Canada needs. That is what we are doing. That's what we're investing in. Conservative austerity will not accomplish that. You also offer me a nice opportunity to point out that when your current leader was responsible for housing, he managed to get only six homes built. That is a record we're happy to stand against any day of the week.

Finance committee  I do have to point out that this is just one example of why we need a government that recognizes the importance of investing in Canada and Canadians. This is why austerity and cuts always, always hurt the most vulnerable. They hurt the people who need help the most. They hurt Canada's children. That's why I am so glad that our government, with this budget that promises fairness for every generation, is investing in the youngest Canadians.

Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1  Everyone who has a student loan, small business loan, line of credit or who has any loan of any type, is now paying the price for the Prime Minister's extremist and lazy economic policy. The horrifying reality is not only that Canadians are being forced into austerity in their personal lives by this Prime Minister's reckless deficit spending, but also that Canadians are now paying the price at the national level as well, with higher interest rates on the national debt, a debt that is now twice the size from when the Liberals took office.

Housing  We are here to work in partnership with municipalities and provinces to invest in more housing, while the ideologically driven Leader of the Opposition calls for austerity and cuts, saying that if the government spent less, people would have more homes. That is not true. He is wrong.

Housing  Should a government put its fiscal position in service of Canadians to invest in communities and invest in housing, or should it make cuts to programs to further improve its fiscal position, which is already the best in the G7? The Conservative leader wants ideology-driven austerity and cuts. We want to make investments for Canadians. I know what Canadians are going to choose.

Housing  Quebec and the federal government both understand the importance of investing in housing and investing to help and support Quebeckers, but the Conservatives only understand austerity.

Finance  Quebeckers need investments in housing and we are making them. The only thing the Conservatives know anything about are cuts and austerity, because they are afraid to raise taxes on the wealthy.