Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, let us break down affordability for an average young family of four in a year. The Canada groceries and essentials benefit would deliver nearly $1,900. That same family can receive the Canada child benefit, which provides $7,000. It is also saving $16,000 for affordable child care, $730 for dental care and $800 for the national school food program, and it will get $840 because we cut …
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Mr. Speaker, speaking of affordability, I know how it felt to pay over $2,000 a month for child care when I was raising my two young kids. The good news is that, today, families are saving over $16,000 per year thanks to the affordable child care that our government put in place. Our national early learning child care is also about giving families more choice. This is empowering parents, especiall…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's commitment to inclusion and equality is embedded in our charter, a commitment we reaffirm as we celebrate and mark Black History Month. Through the Black entrepreneurship program, the government is giving Black entrepreneurs the tools they need to scale and grow their businesses. To date, we have supported over 24,000 Black entrepreneurs across this country, who are creating …
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Mr. Speaker, we are on a mission to build the strongest economy in the G7, and small businesses are at the heart of that. While Conservatives talk down Canada, the Prime Minister delivers, securing multi-billion dollar trade deals so that small and medium-sized enterprises can grow and scale their businesses and have opportunities not just here in Canada but around the world. Our buy Canadian poli…
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Mr. Speaker, the member speaks about relief, and we would deliver that through the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. A family of four would receive $1,900 a year, but to address the root causes of food insecurity, we are strengthening Canada's food supply by supporting Canadian producers and local greenhouses that are small businesses. We are building the national food security strategy so …
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Mr. Speaker, we are delivering relief for Canadians when they need it the most. According to the Canadian Labour Congress, “Strengthening the GST credit, now the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit...will help many Canadians trying to make ends meet.” For 12 million people, this support will mean more breathing room when deciding between groceries, rent, medicine and other everyday essentials.…
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Mr. Speaker, while members opposite minimize our affordability plan, let us take an example of a young family of four this year. With supports like the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, the Canada child benefit, affordable child care, dental care, the national school food program and the fact that we cut taxes for millions of Canadians, this family will save over $50,000 a year. This is rea…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not understand how the Conservatives can look their constituents in the eye when all they do in the House is obstruct what we are doing and the progress we are making. We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We are making the national school food program permanent. This is going to help 400,000 kids eat healthy meals at school. We are saving families $16,000 per year through affor…
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Mr. Speaker, speaking of food banks, Food Banks Canada welcomes the introduction of the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, calling it “an important step to help people facing rising affordability pressures." While the members opposite obstruct real progress, we understand the affordability that is top of mind for Canadians. This is going to help 12 million Canadians. That is incredible. It i…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians made it clear in the last election that they want more homes built, especially for young Canadians trying to buy their first home. That is why this government is moving fast. We are cutting the GST for first-time homebuyers, with up to $50,000 in tax relief and nearly $4 billion in savings. This work is building on our first home savings account and the national housing stra…
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Mr. Speaker, this is coming from a member whose leader, when responsible for this file, only built six homes in this country. Conservatives claim to care about young people, yet every time a measure comes forward to support them, the Conservatives vote against it. They voted against the national housing strategy, against the first home savings account and against expanding mortgage criteria, and n…
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Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of Canadian industries, and that is why we introduced the buy Canadian policy to strengthen supply chains and support small businesses with opportunities to succeed right here in Canada. We are also supporting small businesses hardest hit by the tariffs, are expanding Business Development Bank of Canada loans by up to $5 million and have launc…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians trust that our government has their back. Why is this? It is because we are making life more affordable and have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. This is allowing Canadians to put more money back into their pockets. Speaking of food, there is good news: Our government is making the school food program permanent. This is going to put $800 back into Canadians' pockets and a…
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Mr. Speaker, our government understands that small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy, and that is why we launched the buy Canadian policy that will strengthen supply chains and create more opportunities for small businesses. We made it easier for them to access BDC loans so they can compete, grow and reach new markets. We are also stepping up to support small businesses, especial…
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Mr. Speaker, this week is a time to reflect on our accomplishments, and also the progress we have yet to make. Our government has implemented initiatives to help support women entrepreneurs, we implemented the national action plan to end gender-based violence, and we implemented pay equity legislation to level the playing field for women. We recognize there is more work to do, and that is why our …
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Mr. Speaker, we cannot build the strongest economy in the G7 without the full participation of women. Thanks to the women's entrepreneurship strategy, we have helped over 400,000 women in Canada. With the national action plan to end gender-based violence, we are taking action to end violence against women. This week, we acknowledge the progress achieved and we renew our commitment to gender equali…
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Mr. Speaker, as we know, small businesses are the backbone of our Canadian economy, and our new government has their back. We are cutting taxes for small businesses and red tape. We are breaking down interprovincial trade barriers by July 1 and helping businesses go digital. We also welcome our middle-class tax cut, which will help entrepreneurs get a well-deserved tax break while they can. We wil…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are distracting from the fact that the Bank of Canada has cut interest rates five times, down to 3.25%. Yesterday our government published the fall economic statement. I am happy to share that there is an investment of $189 million into the Black entrepreneurship program that has already helped 16,000 Black entrepreneurs across this country. We are going to be invest…
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Mr. Speaker, this is coming from a member whose leader calls our government supports big, fat government spending. When it is time to step up, the Conservative Party never steps up to support small businesses. We have cut taxes for small businesses from 11% to 9%, saving small businesses $6.3 billion every single year. We are putting more money back into the pockets of small businesses through our…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are all talk and no action. Starting December 14, Canadians will get a GST holiday. The Conservatives talk about axing the tax, but they voted against removing the GST from groceries and family essentials. They say they will build the homes but vow to cut the housing accelerator fund, which is helping build hundreds and thousands of homes right across the country. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians have seen many versions of the Conservative Party leader during his 20 years in Parliament, including the 2021 version that campaigned on the GST holiday. Unfortunately, this version has not supported small businesses. Our government is giving Canadians a GST tax break starting December 14 that will benefit retailers across Canada. In fact, the Retail Council of Canada affir…
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Mr. Speaker, I have already addressed this question. What Canadians really want to know is why the leader of the Conservative Party refuses to get his security clearance. Our leader has his security clearance. The NDP leader has his security clearance. The Bloc leader has his security clearance, and the Green Party leader has her security clearance. Two former CSIS directors have made it clear the…
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Mr. Speaker, our government helped nearly 900,000 small businesses through its CEBA loans, and more than 80% of them have paid back their loan and took advantage of the loan forgiveness program. We extended the deadline of the loan not once, but twice. We did what we had to do to help small businesses.
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Mr. Speaker, I find the Bloc Québécois's position hypocritical. Their request to extend the Canada emergency business account would have generated higher costs. Small businesses asked for help to keep their doors open and their employees working, and that is what we did. Small businesses know we will always be there for them.
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Mr. Speaker, it is nice to know there exists a report that the opposition can read without a security clearance. The member opposite and his party claim every single time that they care about small businesses, when in fact every single time we put efforts and support forward for small businesses, they always vote against and decline everything that we do. The fact is that the CEBA loans were there…
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Mr. Speaker, I already talked about the fact that there exists a report that the Conservatives can read that they do not need security clearance for, so here is the real bombshell: When it comes to security clearance, there are more allegations that have come forward with regard to foreign interference in the Conservative Party's leadership race, yet the Conservative leader chooses to ignore these…
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Mr. Speaker, the question comes from the Leader of the Opposition, who called our life-saving supports for small businesses “big, fat government [supports]” and said that the Conservatives do not believe in this kind of support. When times are tough, small businesses will not be supported by the Conservative Party of Canada. On this side of the House, we were there to support close to 900,000 smal…
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Mr. Speaker, I find the question ironic, because the member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon actually sent me a letter advocating for CEBA loans to support a small business in his own riding. The member understands the value of the CEBA loans, because they were a lifeline for small businesses during an unprecedented time. We are going to continue to help support businesses, keep their doors open,…
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Mr. Speaker, this tax holiday is not just good for Canadians, but it will also give a boost to small businesses. Restaurants Canada described this measure as a great victory for the restaurant industry and predicts that this tax relief would increase sales by 5%, which would give restaurants an extra $1 million in revenues. This tax holiday will allow more people to patronize small businesses, whi…
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Mr. Speaker, the only things the member and his party can offer small businesses are slogans on repeat, cuts to programs that are essential and cuts. Our tax break is not just good for small businesses; it is good for their customers. This tax break is not just helping families; it is also supporting the entire community in boosting the neighbourhood independent grocery stores, restaurants, retail…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge for his tireless advocacy. I am glad to say that, thanks to our government, Canadians across Canada will get a GST tax break from December 14 to February 15. Restaurants Canada indicated, “This is a big win for the restaurant industry.... [It] restores some much-needed hope in the industry and we are optimistic it will translate …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for putting forward this important legislation. I want to give a shout-out to all of our veterans and those who have served and who continue to serve our country, especially those from Mississauga—Streetsville's Legion 139. I think a few of us in this room were able to be on the veterans affairs committee, and while serving on that committee, we heard many di…
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moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in.
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moved that Bill C-69, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024, be read the third time and passed.
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, who continue to mock the supports we provide small businesses and actually vote against all the supports we have provided to small businesses, on this side of the House we will continue to support small businesses. In fact, on this side of the House we reduced small business taxes from 10.5% to 9%. We will continue to support small businesses and be there for…
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Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit a school in my riding in response to letters that some nine-year-olds and 10-year-olds had written to me. In their classroom, I asked the kids whether they knew about cyber-bullying, and all of them raised their hands because all of them had experienced it or knew to some degree what cyber-bullying is like. While I was talking about the t…
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Mr. Speaker, as a former small business entrepreneur myself, I know the importance of affordability for entrepreneurs. I am glad that, through budget 2024, our government is committed to delivering $2.5 billion to 600,000 small businesses across Canada through the Canada carbon rebate. Reports say that 60% of small businesses are directly impacted by climate change, and while the official oppositi…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that building a more inclusive economy means building a stronger economy. That is why our government has created the first-ever Black entrepreneurship program. This historic $265-million investment has supported over 9,000 Black entrepreneurs across this country and strengthens the ecosystem that supports them. It is disappointing that the Leader of the Opposition and the Cons…
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Mr. Speaker, nearly 80% of small businesses paid back their Canada emergency business account loan and were able to take advantage of the refundable portion of the loan. This being Black History Month, I would like to mention the Black entrepreneurship program. It is an historic investment of $266 million that, so far, has helped support more than 9,000 Black business owners across Canada. Nearly …
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Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the Canada emergency business account, or CEBA, was to help keep businesses afloat during the pandemic and give them some room to recover. Nearly 80% of small businesses have paid back the CEBA loan and were able to take advantage of the refundable portion of the loan. We are also reducing credit card transaction fees by up to a quarter to help small businesses keep mor…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that small businesses are still going through a tough time. They still have nearly three years to pay back their CEBA loan. We extended the term loan repayment deadline to ensure that small businesses can focus on their post-pandemic recovery. We are also cutting taxes for growing small businesses and lowering credit card fees up to a quarter.
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moved: That Vote 1b, in the amount of $124,893,005, under Department of Transport — Operating expenditures, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, be concurred in.
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moved: That Vote 10b, in the amount of $7,500,114, under Department of the Environment — Grants and contributions, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, be concurred in.
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moved: That Vote 5b, in the amount of $2,286,981, under Department of the Environment — Capital expenditures, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, be concurred in.
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Mr. Speaker, I can reassure my colleagues that we are here for small businesses. We have already given small businesses an extra year to access the forgivable part of the loan. They asked for more help, so we gave them more flexibility to refinance, more time to access loan forgiveness and a one-year extension of the repayment deadline.
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I had technical difficulties on the app, and I am requesting unanimous consent to allow me to change my vote on the opposition day motion to against.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform my hon. colleague that nearly 900,000 small businesses benefited from the CEBA. That is why we recently announced a one-year extension on the term loan repayment deadline, more flexibility on refinancing and more time to access loan forgiveness. We also increased the Canada child benefit and implemented $10-a-day child care, thus enabling more women than ever to…
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Mr. Speaker, we have already given small businesses an extra year to qualify for the forgivable portion of the loan. Since they asked for more help, we are offering them more flexibility on refinancing, more time to access loan forgiveness and a one-year extension on the repayment deadline. We are always there for our small businesses, unlike the Conservative leader, who wants to take us back to t…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for that question. That is why we are offering additional flexibilities for small businesses to repay their CEBA loans. This includes a full one-year extension on the term loan repayment deadline, more flexibility on refinancing and more time to access loan forgiveness, which is both balanced and fiscally responsible. We know times are tough, which is why our…
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Mr. Speaker, we did not abandon small businesses during the pandemic, nor did we abandon them after the pandemic. What did we do then? We created the Canada emergency business account loan to help small businesses keep their doors open. What are we doing now? We are offering more flexibility for them to repay their CEBA loans. What will we continue to do? We will continue to listen to and support …
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