Finance  Speaker, I would like to remind members that being responsible in the current economic context does not mean austerity. It means investing wisely. To address the housing crisis, the Bloc Québécois is proposing funding for more than 100,000 housing units that could be ready as of next July. To help seniors deal with inflation, we are calling on the government to increase the old age pension for all seniors aged 65 and over.

The Economy  We made the choice to invest in Canadians because confident countries invest in their people. While they have been preaching austerity and cuts, we have been there to provide $10-a-day child care across the country. We have been there to provide the Canada child benefit. We have been there to invest in public transit and housing.

Housing  Speaker, I sat with the member on the federal finance committee for two years. At no point did he ever stand up and go against the austerity agenda of that party's leader. It is an unacceptable approach. We, on this side, do have an approach that matters. In his community in Calgary, we are working with that city council on a number of things, including the housing accelerator fund that would see more homes built, which brings down the cost of rent and brings down the cost of purchasing a home.

Finance  Speaker, what Quebeckers are afraid of is Conservatives. Conservatives go to bed thinking about cuts and wake up thinking about austerity. What Quebeckers are afraid of is cuts to housing, services for seniors, services for families and child care. There is nothing scarier than a Conservative government.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police  Speaker, when the opposition leader is bringing up matters that were duly settled four years ago, it is obvious they have no vision for the future of this country, no plan to move Canada forward and nothing to offer Canadians except cuts, austerity and partisan attacks.

Finance  At a time when Canadians are struggling and suffering, he is proposing cuts to services and to the help that we are offering. We will continue to be there for Canadians. The Conservative Party will always choose austerity and budget cuts in difficult times. Such cuts would lead to longer wait times in emergency rooms, higher fees for child care services, uncertainty for seniors when they retire, and no action against climate change.

Finance  For example, today the City of Kelowna will simplify its building permit process and allow for greater density near public transit, which will stimulate the construction of 20,000 new housing units over the next decade. We are here to invest and create more housing, while the Conservatives are proposing austerity and budget cuts.

Housing  Speaker, my colleagues opposite have no shame claiming that they want to march towards prosperity on a path of austerity. Canadians know that all the Conservative Party stands for is chop, chop, chop, cutting funding for small craft harbours, cutting support for fishing communities and cutting the crucial programs our communities depend on.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, Canadians are already living with austerity. They keep chop, chop, chopping at the grocery store, at the gas station and now at home. We are seeing the rise of a new phenomenon of homelessness among middle-class seniors ever since the cost of housing doubled.

Carbon Pricing  Speaker, when I talk to Quebeckers, they tell me that voting Conservative is far too costly. The Conservatives are proposing an austerity plan. They want to cut support for our seniors, support for families with children, the help Canadians need to make ends meet. We are here to support Canadians. The Conservatives are not worth the risk.

The Economy  Speaker, after eight years of the current Liberal-NDP government, life is unaffordable. Families in northern Saskatchewan and across Canada are faced every day with austerity measures. There is less food, fewer activities for their kids, fewer trips to see grandma and grandpa and less money for rent or a mortgage at the end of every month. However, as families are forced to make cuts, the Liberal-NDP government spends.

Housing  Speaker, the middle-class shipyard worker paying $7,500 a month on his mortgage is living austerity now. What the Prime Minister is talking about is abundance for the government and austerity for working class people, who must carry him and his overpriced bureaucracy around on their backs.

The Economy  Speaker, I have been a member of Parliament since 2015. From day one, that side has pursued an austerity agenda. The Conservatives want to cut the Canada child benefit. With respect to supports for seniors, they have never been there. With respect to supports for businesses during the pandemic and since, they have never been there.

Business of Supply  They are claiming to have a magic wand and, once they are in power, they will be able to snap their fingers and build housing and balance the budget without any austerity measures. On the one hand, we have a Prime Minister with outrageous spending habits and no budget plan. On the other, we have an offer to cut everything and build it all back up again without any impact on the support offered to our constituents.

Business of Supply  Speaker, I wonder whether the member could provide some clarity to Canadians. When the Conservatives talk about austerity and cutbacks, one of the issues they like to bring up in the House is that of housing. As a government, we are investing literally hundreds of millions of dollars in housing. In fact, we have Bill C-56 before the House now, which would allow for literally hundreds of thousands of new purpose-built rentals to enter Canadian markets over the coming years.