Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I think that my colleague is getting excited because next week we are going to unveil our economic update, which will be fiscally responsible. We have one of the lowest deficits in the world. Our deficit is 1%. We were fiscally responsible with our budget in April, and we always will be. We will be there for Canadians, to help them get through this period of economic instability.
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Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree with my Conservative colleague that Canadian households are struggling right now. That is why we doubled the GST/HST credit for 11 million Canadian households. That is also why we, on this side of the House, voted for measures that will put more money back into the pockets of Canadian families. I still do not understand how the Conservatives can stand up in this Hou…
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Mr. Speaker, when we brought our proposal before the House to cut taxes for middle-class families, the Conservatives voted against it. When we introduced the Canada child benefit, which puts over $13,000 in the pocket of a single mother in Canada, the Conservatives voted against it. Yesterday evening, the Conservatives voted against additional measures to help Canadian households. The Conservative…
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Mr. Speaker, less than 12 hours ago, the Conservatives voted against measures to put money directly into Canadians' pockets. The Conservatives' economic plan involves raiding our pensions and attacking the country's EI system. The Conservatives do not care about Canadians' interests.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives do not seem to understand that while the prices of things continue to rise in Canada, we need to be there to support Canadians. Canadians are seeing higher prices at the grocery stores, and that is why we doubled the GST tax credit. That is why Competition Bureau Canada is currently beginning the investigation process into the market, and that is why supe…
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Mr. Speaker, in a few days, families in Hamilton and right across the country will receive a doubling of the GST tax credit. The day after they voted against providing supports to Canadians in the form of direct payments for Canadians having trouble paying the rent and the day after they voted against subsidizing dental care for Canadian children, this feigned compassion from the Conservatives is …
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Mr. Speaker, there are a number of measures in our budget that will ensure that everyone pays their fair share in this economy, but I do agree with the member opposite that Canadians are seeing higher prices at the grocery store, which is why our government took action. In addition to doubling the GST tax credit for 11 million households in this country, the Competition Bureau has indicated that i…
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Madam Speaker, it is with an immense sense of responsibility that I rise in the House to speak to a motion that I am sponsoring as the seconder. I would like to take my colleagues back to 2009. Many things were happening in 2009. The world was still in the grips of the great financial crisis, Barack Obama had just been elected and the people of Iran were holding massive protests against the Islami…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio among G7 countries, and Canada has the lowest deficit among G7 countries. Our deficit is hovering around 1%. That is nearly deficit zero. We have been fiscally responsible since well before the new Conservative leader was elected. In fact, we have been fiscally responsible to ensure that Canada would weather this inflationary storm better th…
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Mr. Speaker, many of our allies are seeing inflation at a rate above 10%. We here in Canada are faring relatively better, but we are still seeing prices rise, which is why we put forward a comprehensive affordability plan. However, I would like to get back to something the Conservative leader said in the House. He said, “It is true that dumb governments...all have inflation problems.” That stateme…
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Mr. Speaker, being there for Canadians during the pandemic was the right thing to do. In fact, it is because of our support for Canadians that the economy has rebounded so quickly. We are seeing the results today. In a time of global economic instability, Canada has the best growth rate among our G7 peers, with the lowest deficit among them. We were fiscally responsible, while being there for each…
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Mr. Speaker, let me simply correct the record by saying, as I have said before, that we actually have the lowest deficit among G7 countries. It is hovering around 1%. That is almost zero deficit. Let me also come back to the importance of the measures we put in place and the importance of supporting Canadians when they needed it most. It ensured not only that Canadians continued to take home a pay…
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Mr. Speaker, one of the measures in our affordability plan is to provide a direct payment to low-income Canadians who are having trouble paying the rent. What was the response of the new Conservative leader? It was to say no way and let us not give anything to low-income Canadians, certainly not those peanuts. While that might be fine for the Conservative leader who does not have rent to pay and w…
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Mr. Speaker, we laid out our affordability plan, and the first step is to double the GST credit for 11 million Canadian households. That money will flow in early November, which is very soon. We introduced a proposal to help low-income Canadians pay their rent and to subsidize children's dental care. I hope that all parties in the House will vote in favour of these measures.
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Mr. Speaker, I think my Conservative colleague is too excited about attacking the Bank of Canada and the independence of our financial institutions. We, on this side of the House, believe in the independence of our institutions. It was a Conservative government, led by Brian Mulroney, that set the Bank of Canada's targets. We think that was a good idea.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the Conservative member is so interested in the correspondence between the finance minister and her colleagues. There is no question that our plan is based on fiscal responsibility. We delivered a budget that has been recognized by all the experts as fiscally responsible and we are seeing the results. Our inflation rate is much lower than that of our partners ar…
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Mr. Speaker, we have the lowest deficit and the lowest debt in the G7. We also introduced a budget that proposes to reduce government spending by $9 billion. We also have the highest growth in the G7. While the Conservatives are busy playing petty politics, our government brought Rio Tinto to Sorel-Tracy. Our government brought Moderna to Montreal. We are the ones who are going to ensure the long-…
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Mr. Speaker, I find this intervention really disappointing. We are talking here about contributions Canadians make that will come back to them. As far as the pension is concerned, it will allow Canadians to retire in dignity. As far as worker safety and employment insurance are concerned, we know that we are living at a time of major economic instability. We have to ensure that the money will be t…
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Mr. Speaker, let me set the record straight. First, Canada has the lowest deficit in the G7. We have been incredibly fiscally responsible. We are the envy of the other countries. I also want to point out that the Conservatives seem to be attacking our plan to address the climate crisis. I find it rather odd that a member from Quebec is asking me that question when we know how important it is to Qu…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that small businesses are truly the backbone of our Canadian economy. That is why we were there for our small businesses during the pandemic. We are still there for our business owners and our SMEs. Contributions will go up next year. In fact, it will happen in April 2024 and these are contributions that will come back to employees through employment insurance and come back to…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by saying that we are well aware that Canadians are dealing with a major increase in the cost of living. That is why we put measures in place to support Canadians, but the Conservatives decided to vote against them. A few days ago, the Conservatives did a U-turn and finally decided to support our tax relief proposal to double the GST credit for 11 million Canadia…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are attacking our plan to fight climate change, which will ensure that we can deal with the climate crisis. Even worse, the Conservatives are attacking our system to helps workers, the employment security system for example. The Conservatives continue to attack our seniors as they are taking aim at our pension system. We must absolutely protect our pension system her…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague that families in Canada are struggling right now. Our budget actually includes a plan to ensure that everyone pays their fair share. Our government is very committed to asking those who prospered most during the pandemic to pay a little more, and this includes banks and insurance companies. The biggest and most profitable companies will pay a bit more to help…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and I believe that you will find unanimous consent for the following motion, which I will read in English. That the House strongly condemn the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini at the hands of the so-called Iranian “morality police”, a direct consequence of the systemic and sustained harassment and repression of women by the Iranian government;…
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Madam Speaker, the experts I named in my speech all said that our plan to put a price on pollution was the best way of dealing with the increase in greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. With respect to our goal of achieving net zero, it is certainly a very ambitious goal, and we are proud of it.
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Madam Speaker, I very much enjoyed the speech from the new Conservative leader. However, I noticed there was something missing in the centrepiece of his economic policy, relating to the advice he gave to Canadians to invest in cryptocurrency. The Leader of the Opposition has refused to answer questions on his advice to Canadians to invest in cryptocurrency as a way to opt out of inflation. Does he…
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague from Winnipeg South. Here we are on the first opposition day. As many commentators and Canadians have noted, the new Conservative leader has no plan to fight climate change and no plan to make life more affordable for Canadians. He did not mention the climate crisis once during the leadership race, nor did he have any concrete proposa…
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The new Leader of the Opposition said just last week that the proposed investments in our affordability plan, which would double the GST tax credit, get dental care for those who cannot afford it and provide direct payments to Canadians having trouble paying the rent, were all akin to printing cash. I guess that was before members of his own party flip-flopped on their position and finally, albeit…
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Madam Speaker, I find it laughable for the member opposite to suggest that the Conservative Party has a concrete plan to fight the climate crisis. She referenced Stephen Harper's government. Under Stephen Harper, our emissions ran wild. We have put in place a robust and very ambitious target to get to net zero, and we are committed to getting there. We hope that the Conservatives will not stand in…
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Madam Speaker, the answer to my colleague's question is yes. If she had read our budget, she would know that is absolutely our priority. I would appreciate hearing the position of the New Democrats on our price on pollution. I believe they support it and I would like to hear, over the course of the day, what their position is on the increase in the price on pollution that we have proposed for next…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. It is good to hear the Bloc Québécois praise pollution pricing, the carbon tax, regardless of the fact that the Quebec government went all the way to the Supreme Court to challenge our national plan. Is the Bloc Québécois ready to admit that we are acting within our jurisdiction and that our carbon tax is a good thing for the provinces that do no…
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Mr. Speaker, the global economic context is very difficult. We know full well that Canadians are having trouble making ends meet. The Canadian economy is also very resilient. My colleague referred to where we are compared to other G7 countries. We should keep in mind that Canada has the lowest deficit and the strongest economic growth in the G7. On this side of the House, we know how to manage the…
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Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to answer the question from the new leader of the Conservative Party. However, I would like to begin by saying that our thoughts are with Atlantic Canadians as they face Hurricane Fiona. Our government is there for them and ready to help. Our message to our fellow Canadians in Atlantic Canada is to be safe and follow the advice of local authorities. We stand with yo…
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Mr. Speaker, I completely agree. Canadians need us now. Global inflation is behind these economic uncertainties, and we need to be there to support Canadians. That is precisely why we want to double the goods and services tax credit. Will the Conservatives support this measure that will put money directly into the pockets of Canadians?
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday we heard the new deputy leader of the Conservatives say that she was going to support our GST credit. Another day, another flip-flop from the Conservatives, as the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes said that he might support it as well. Perhaps these two members can try to convince the new leader of the Conservative Party to put money directly into…
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are proposing a plan to help Canadians deal with the rising cost of living. We are going to double the GST credit. We are going to put money in the pockets of Canadians who are struggling to pay their rent and we are going to pay for young children's dental care. I worry when the Conservatives say they are listening to their constituents who are having tr…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, my heart goes out to Mike, my hon. colleague's constituent. I would also like to assure Mike that he can have a decent retirement. That is why we want to ensure a good retirement for our seniors and for all Canadians. I would like to understand why the Conservatives want to attack our Canada pension plan.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, in cabinet and cabinet committees, as well as in meetings, phone calls and other conversations with cabinet colleagues, the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance works to ensure that the voices of Alberta businesses, stakeholders, industries, communities and residents are heard. On July 20, 2022, Health Canada published new nutrition labelling regulations for packaged …
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Mr. Speaker, we know that this is a very difficult time for millions of Canadians. Groceries cost more, and Canadians are having a hard time making their rent or mortgage payments. That is why we have lowered taxes for the middle class twice now. The Conservatives voted against that. That is also why old age security payments, which we just increased, are arriving in July. That is also why the Can…
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I would like to correct my colleague. Americans have not cut gas taxes, not yet anyway, because they know that lowering taxes for big oil does not help Canadians directly. On this side of the House, we help Canadians directly by providing one-time payments to Canadians facing housing affordability challenges, direct payments to seniors, and direct payments to fam…
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Mr. Speaker, there is no certainty that the policies the Conservatives are proposing will affect the price at the pump for Canadians. What is certain is that we went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to defend our price on pollution, and the court ruled in our favour. What is certain is that the Conservatives have run out of ideas and do not know how to manage the economy or how to help C…
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Madam Speaker, all of the experts agree that what we have presented is a very fiscally responsible budget in April. S&P and Moody's have reconfirmed our AAA credit rating. Our debt-to-GDP ratio continues to consistently go down. Our economic forecast is absolutely incredible. Experts are predicting that this year and next year Canada will have the highest and fastest growth among G7 countries. We …
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Madam Speaker, the answer is very simple. We lowered taxes for the middle class, and the Conservatives voted against it. It is unacceptable that today the Conservatives are asking us to do something they refused to do a few years ago. Yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister announced our plan to support Canadians during this time of inflation and rising costs of living. It is a serious plan. The Cons…
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Madam Speaker, honestly, it is such a shame that one of our colleagues from Quebec is arguing favour of cutting taxes for oil companies when we know we are facing a climate crisis here in Canada and around the world. We will end up paying a lot more if we do not tackle the climate crisis right now. That is what we this side of the House are doing.
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Madam Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance did give a speech on Bay Street in order to explain to Canadians how we have their backs in this time of unprecedented volatility on a global scale. In fact, she detailed a five-point plan that is going to help Canadians deal with the inflationary crisis that we are seeing right around the world. We have an affordability plan that is putting money …
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Madam Speaker, as I was saying, the Conservatives are changing their story by the day. Yesterday, the hon. member was accusing our government of not adding new spending into the economy in order to support Canadians. Today, he is saying we are spending too much. In fact, Moody's, S&P and all of the credit agencies have reconfirmed our AAA credit rating. The spending that the minister put forward y…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the finance critic for the NDP for his question and for his work on the finance committee. I would point out that yesterday's plan announced by our Minister of Finance included many supports that Canadians would feel for the first time this year. For a couple in Ontario with an income of $45,000 and a child in day care, our plan could mean an additional $7,350 …
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives are making jokes about a very serious situation. Maybe the hon. member saw what happened this week with cryptocurrency. That is the type of economic policy that is coming from the Conservative Party these days. Do the Conservatives not agree that a 50% reduction in child care this year is real savings for Canadian families? Do they not believe that $2,400 in the po…
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Madam Speaker, we did cut taxes for Canadians and the Conservatives voted against it. Thank goodness there was other support in the House to ensure that Canadians would see a reduction in their taxes. When it comes to supporting Canadians, we will continue to put in place the measures that put money directly back into the pockets of Canadians. I am thinking of a one-time payment for all Canadians …
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives are changing their tone by the day. Yesterday, the member was accusing us of not spending more money in order to support Canadians, and today he is saying that we are spending too much. Which is it? What we have done is ensure that over the course of the past several months and years, our budgetary planning would ensure that we would be there for Canadians. That—
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