Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is accusing us of serving up the same lines. Would he have us add fuel to the fire and spend billions of dollars at a time when inflation is the issue? We already spent $300 billion during the pandemic to help Canadians. Now is not the time to spend more. Yesterday was simply an opportunity for us to explain the support measures we put in place in the April budget…
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Madam Speaker, the way the GST is administered in this country is that we impose it on the company, in this case the oil company, and it passes it on to consumers. What I have been explaining is that there is no certainty that oil companies will pass those savings directly—
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Madam Speaker, I would just say that so far, all the Conservatives have been proposing when it comes to economic policy is either a tax cut for oil companies or elimination of certain tariffs we have imposed on Russia. This is not serious economic policy. What we have proposed is.
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Madam Speaker, I agree with the member opposite. Canadians are feeling it. They are feeling increased prices at the grocery store and at the pump, which is why as prices are increasing, so are our benefits. Many, if not all, of our important benefits supporting Canadians right now are indexed to inflation, which means that they will continue to increase as inflation increases. Also increasing this…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the Bloc Québécois's question. What was announced yesterday is still very important. It is a plan to help Canadians who are dealing with the rising cost of living, whether it be through the increase to the Canada workers benefit, the increase to old age security, or the one-time payments to Canadians facing housing affordability challenges. It is a real plan that ensure…
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Madam Speaker, just yesterday, the Minister of Finance released our affordability plan in order to tackle exactly what my colleague is addressing, and that is the increased cost of living. What we have presented is our plan to increase the Canada workers benefit, to increase old age security, to provide a one-time payment to Canadians finding it difficult to access affordable housing and, of cours…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from the Bloc Québécois for his question and for the Bloc's support for Bill C-5. Obviously, we are all concerned about gun violence, which is on the rise. That is precisely why we introduced Bill C-21, which seeks to ban the sale and importation of assault-style weapons. We will also continue with our plan for a mandatory buyback of assault-style weapons. …
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Madam Speaker, I thank the NDP member for his question. I know that many members in government have also been working on similar private members' bills. It is important to recognize that we are debating Bill C-5, which is before us today, and I certainly hope the NDP will be supportive of it. As I mentioned, it does move the needle significantly toward ensuring that we end discriminatory practices…
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Madam Speaker, it is important to clarify that what the bill before us would actually do is allow judges to evaluate the circumstances before them. Removing mandatory minimum sentences means empowering our judges. It means that if someone poses a threat to society—for example, as the member cited, a drug trafficker—certainly a judge is capable of evaluating the person before him or her and imposin…
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Oakville North—Burlington. I am grateful for this opportunity to speak about our Bill C-5 and, especially, about the need to reform our justice system so that we can learn from the mistakes of the past and put an end to misguided policies, such as mandatory minimums. Mandatory minimums do not help make our communities safer and have d…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are proposing to give a tax break to oil and gas companies, not to Canadians. We are providing direct payments to Canadians. Canadians who have trouble finding affordable housing would be getting a direct payment from our government. Canadians who are working at minimum wage would be getting a direct payment from our government. We are helping Canadians directly, and…
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, we are focused on supporting Canadians directly. That is why this year Canadian families will receive up to $7,000 in the Canada child benefit. That is why our new Canada workers program will support over three million workers with an increased top-up. We also have direct payments going to Canadians who are having trouble finding affordable housing. We are there to su…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite cites a PBO report. The PBO report also confirms that inflation is a global phenomenon caused by the war in Ukraine and by bottlenecks in supply chains from the pandemic. What we have done is put forward a number of measures in the budget that would help Canadians directly. What the Conservatives have done is delay the implementation of the budget, delay funding go…
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Mr. Speaker, a report just came out this week indicating that Canadians and investors have an extremely high confidence in the Bank of Canada and all of our financial institutions. That is certainly not thanks to the member for Carleton's comments or the Conservatives' comments impugning the independence of the Bank of Canada. We will do everything to ensure that our Canadian economy continues to …
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite cites a few statistics, and I will do the same. This morning, Statistics Canada confirmed that wages increased for Canadian workers at the highest rate since 1981, by nearly 4%. Canadians are taking home more money in order to meet the cost-of-living crisis they are facing, and our government is supporting vulnerable Canadians. With respect to seniors, for example,…
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Mr. Speaker, it is the NDP that is proposing to increase taxes on oil and gas companies, and it is the Conservative Party that is proposing to cut taxes on oil and gas companies. We are focused on Canadians. We are focused on supporting vulnerable Canadians—
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Mr. Speaker, this week, the Conservatives proposed a number of economic policies. One of them was to cancel our price on pollution. A price on pollution, as we know, is the most effective way to tackle climate change. The other was to give oil and gas companies a break by dropping the GST. The GST works in this country in the following way: The government taxes the oil and gas companies, and the o…
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Mr. Speaker, we have been there for Canadians throughout the pandemic. We have regularly increased our supports to food banks, and we have helped lift over 400,000 children out of poverty. Our programs are supporting vulnerable Canadians every day. This year alone, we have ensured that the Canada child benefit will increase by up to $7,000 for a Canadian family. This is direct support to Canadians…
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Mr. Speaker, it comes as no surprise that this question is coming from the Conservative Party. It voted against increasing taxes for the 1% and decreasing taxes for the middle class. With respect to jobs that the member raises, Statistics Canada released a report today indicating that May saw 40,000 new jobs created in this country. These are full-time jobs that are well-paying. Since last year, w…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, the only proposal from the Conservative Party is to cut taxes on the oil and gas companies themselves, with no guarantee that those tax cuts will be passed on to consumers. What we are doing is providing direct support to Canadians so they can meet the increased cost of living that they are seeing as a result of the war in Ukraine. We will continue to be focused on Canadia…
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Mr. Speaker, there are a number of measures that our government put in place that will help Canadians this year. Canadian families will be receiving up to $7,000 this year in the Canada child benefit, and cheques will start to come out in July. Over three million Canadian workers will benefit from the Canada workers program. What we heard from the other side, from the Conservatives, were two polic…
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Mr. Speaker, the Russian invasion began over 100 days ago. Since then, the people of Ukraine have been experiencing a massacre. In December, two months before the invasion, I proposed that the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development urgently examine the situation in Ukraine. Our work is not done, and I still think it is very important. Our foreign affairs committee hear…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with what my colleague just said in the House. He talked about the importance of coming up with solutions. Does the Bloc Québécois have some solutions and some concrete, long-term economic policy ideas that can help us develop well-thought-out policies in the House?
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Mr. Speaker, I understand I have only a short time. I always appreciate concrete suggestions from opposition members. As I mentioned in my speech, it has been disappointing to hear some of the proposals put forward, including the ones in today's motion, which do not actually address the affordability crisis in this country. I am happy to work with the member opposite on her proposal.
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate that question. We, too, believe that everyone must pay their fair share. That is why we brought in a tax on banks, which made huge profits during the pandemic. We also proposed a luxury tax on expensive boats and aircraft because we understand how important it is to continue to support vulnerable Canadians. In our budget, we are proposing one-time payments for Cana…
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Mr. Speaker, I was speaking on behalf of the finance team, but I am always happy to talk about our fabulous tourism sector. Just this morning, I was with the Frontier Duty Free Association. I understand it will be meeting with the member shortly. This afternoon, I have a fabulous round table with British Columbian stakeholders in the tourism industry. What is unfortunate is that the Conservative P…
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Mr. Speaker, since we came to power, we have made real improvements to make Canadians’ lives more affordable, and these investments are helping Canadians now, despite inflation. It was our government that introduced the Canada child benefit, which will give Canadian families almost $7,000 per child in benefits in the coming year. We also expanded the Canada workers benefit to support an additional…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my friend, the hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge. Canadians are feeling the effects of inflation, especially at the pump and at the grocery store. This situation is largely attributable to the residual effects of the pandemic, namely supply chain disruptions, China’s zero-COVID policy and, especially, the economic repercussions of Russia’s invasion of U…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for the work that he continues to do on international trade. I did not quite hear the last few seconds of his speech. Is the Bloc Québécois planning to vote against this motion, given what we just heard about the oil companies not needing a break and the Conservative proposals not really going to help Canadians?
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Madam Speaker, we are well aware that the global increase in energy prices is hitting us all very hard, which is why we have various measures in the budget to ensure that Canadians will see money go directly back into their pockets. It is also why we have an incentive program when it comes to the price on pollution we implemented, which ensures that eight out of 10 Canadians will receive more as p…
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Madam Speaker, we have the lowest unemployment rate in over 50 years, and the member opposite is absolutely right that here is a labour shortage in this country right now. That is why our government is so focused on ensuring that we welcome new immigrants to this country. I certainly hope the Conservative Party agrees that immigration is an excellent solution to the labour shortage in this country…
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Madam Speaker, allow me to take the opportunity to thank our hard-working public servants, who have been working overtime and then some over the course of the pandemic to provide programs, such as CERB and others, to vulnerable Canadians and to Canadians who needed help to make it through to the other side of the pandemic. I understand the concern the member is raising, and we will certainly work …
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Madam Speaker, I completely agree that the aerospace sector is absolutely crucial to our economy. It is indeed a flagship of our economy, especially in Quebec. As I said last week, we will ensure that our manufacturers will not be paying the price for this luxury tax. A luxury tax is so important. Everyone needs to pay their fair share, especially now with the rising cost of living.
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Madam Speaker, the member who asked the question campaigned on a proposal to spend far more than the Liberal government. They proposed a deficit of $168 billion. On this side of the House, we are focused on prosperity and economic growth. That is why experts predict that this year and the next, Canada will have the highest growth rate in the G7.
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite raises the importance of our small businesses. Small businesses are indeed the backbone of the Canadian economy. In our budget, what we have done is expand the possibility for even more small businesses to be able to use the small business tax rate. It essentially lowers the tax rate for our small business owners. All of that is in jeopardy now that the Conservat…
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Madam Speaker, we are doing everything possible in order to support Canadians through this difficult time. We understand that the cost of living is rising. It is due in large part to the war begun by Russia. I would urge the Conservatives to please reconsider. Last night, they filed 62 different motions that are essentially going to delay or gut the budget implementation bill. It is a budget that …
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Madam Speaker, I would invite the member opposite to read the budget and our plan. She mentioned paycheques, and I could not agree more. Jobs, jobs, jobs: We have created over 3.5 million jobs over the past two years. Unemployment is at its lowest level in over 50 years. Well-paying jobs are putting good paycheques in the pockets of Canadians, and that is our focus.
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to congratulate the new finance critic for the Conservative Party. It is just unfortunate that he campaigned on a $168-billion deficit. That was 50% more than our last budget. It is also unfortunate that the previous finance critic for the Conservative Party was summarily fired for having criticized the fact that the member for Carleton was impugning the independence of the B…
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Madam Speaker, we absolutely support hard-working tradespeople in Canada. There are a number of measures in the budget that are going to help all Canadians face the increased cost of living and the increased gas prices, but unfortunately last night, at the absolute 11th hour, the Conservatives filed 62 motions in order to block the budget implementation bill, in order to block $2 billion being sen…
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Madam Speaker, economic growth and prosperity are not only our priority; they are our reality. Experts are forecasting that Canada will have the highest growth among G7 countries both this year and next year. In the last quarter, we saw consistent growth. S&P and Moody's have reaffirmed our AAA credit scoring, and 2021 showed the highest trade surplus for Canada in over 13 years. I could go on and…
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Madam Speaker, I always enjoy being able to work with the Bloc Québécois on important issues like this one, but the Conservatives have moved 62 different motions that are completely blocking the way forward for Bill C‑19. I hope the Bloc Québécois will help us so we can pass our bill and help Canadians with our budget.
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Mr. Speaker, it seems that my answer is garnering a lot of interest on the other side of the House. The gist of my response is that the Conservatives have been proposing a number of economic measures that they have not thought through, whether they are with respect to the gas tax or fertilizer. What they are proposing is simply a tax holiday, which in no way guarantees that the consumer or our far…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep proposing policies that they have not really fully thought through. Rising gas prices are a global phenomenon, as we all know, due in part to the war that Putin started in Ukraine. If we implement a tax holiday, as the Conservatives have been proposing for a number of weeks now, energy companies could actually pocket—
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Mr. Speaker, here, on this side of the House, we take our responsibility seriously. That is why when we saw that our large banks were making record profits during the pandemic, we decided to propose a tax measure so as to ensure that banks would pay a one-time tax into the Canadian economy so that we can give that money back to Canadians in the form of reduced child care costs, in the form of redu…
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Mr. Speaker, our government has been taking measures in order to address the cost of living increase, which we all know is caused by the war started by Russia. I believe that the member opposite will find in this budget a number of measures that go directly to his point. There is a one-time payment for those having trouble finding affordable homes in our budget. There is a proposal to subsidize de…
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Mr. Speaker, there were over 200 shootings in Montreal last year. A few days ago, someone fired at a day care in Quebec. Gun violence is a real problem in Quebec. Yesterday, I stood alongside the Prime Minister as he announced a total freeze on the sale and import of handguns. The market is frozen nationwide, period. I would like to take this opportunity to thank some of the incredible advocates I…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for both her question and her hard work. Yesterday, we kicked off our National Tourism Week. Canada is ready to welcome visitors and travellers from around the world. I would also like to thank Beth Potter and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada for the incredible success of their Rendez-vous Canada conference last week, their le…
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Madam Speaker, I am quite surprised that we are receiving any questions related to the economy after a week in which the Conservatives fired their finance critic and seemed to have forgotten to hire a new one. Why did they fire him? It is because he thought it was a bad idea for the Conservatives to impugn the reputation and independence of the Bank of Canada. Perhaps he also thought it was a bad …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague once again. I know that he works hard on this issue at the Standing Committee on Finance. I assure my hon. colleague that we are working very closely with the aerospace industry. Our measures are designed to ensure that everyone pays their fair share and that the wealthiest in Canada, the 1%, pay taxes on luxury jets, cars and yachts. These measure…
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