Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, can members imagine being told they cannot see their newborn child until they agree to a procedure that will mean they will never have another child in their life or being sterilized with no knowledge or consent? This is the reality for at least 60 indigenous women in this country of Canada, with some cases as recent as 2017. This is more than just a gross violation of human rights and a product of systemic racism, this is enough, enough apologies, enough talking points. How will the current government make sure that it never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear. We know that the coerced sterilization of women is indeed a gross violation of human rights. It is a violation of women's reproductive rights. We are actively working with partners in provinces. We are working with faculties of medical education and health professionals to ensure that culturally safe care is available across the country. This is not something that any one order of government can address alone. All Canadians have a responsibility to ensure that these practices never happen again.
Mr. Speaker, despite concerted opposition from economic and political stakeholders in AbitibiTémiscamingue, protests from air carriers, and the devastating impact it will have on economic development and tourism in the region, Nav Canada continues to defend its recommendations to shut down overnight services provided by the Rouyn-Noranda flight service station. Even Nav Canada admits that this closure is penny-wise and pound foolish.Does the Minister of Transport plan to act on Nav Canada's recommendations, despite the unanimous opposition?
Mr. Speaker, the coerced sterilization of any woman is a clear violation of her reproductive rights. We know that, unfortunately, indigenous women and other vulnerable women have faced coerced sterilization. We absolutely abhor this practice and we are working with partners, including the provinces, health care providers and medical professionals, to make sure that it is very clear that this should not go on. We are working with the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to ensure that indigenous peoples have access to culturally appropriate and safe health care.
Mr. Speaker, business leaders say that the Liberals' anti-energy policies are borderline treasonous. Brett Wilson said that Bill C-69 is lunacy. NuVista's CEO said it needs to be completely killed or radically changed. Susan Johns, a British fund manager, said that Canadian oil and gas is being strangled by regulation, carbon taxes and the inability of producers to get their product to world markets.Clearly the Liberals' anti-energy agenda is the problem, not the solution. When will the Liberals stop killing Canadian jobs and withdraw their no more pipelines Bill C-69?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals actually have a credibility gap problem. The defence minister has misled Canadians. For months he has justified buying old, used Australian fighter jets that were destined for the scrap heap by claiming there was a capability gap in our current fleet. Now detailed government documents reveal that the minister's statements were patently false. The Liberals manufactured a fake capability gap to give political cover for the Prime Minister's naive election campaign promise.Why are the Liberals betraying our air force and misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, while Canada Post refuses to acknowledge the needs of those who deliver the mail, CUPW is literally fighting for workers' lives. Postal transformation is taking its toll on workers' bodies, mental health and families. Despite the Harper Conservatives' imposed legislation in 2011 being deemed unconstitutional, this Prime Minister is threatening to do the same, all in the interest of greasing the wheels of commerce.Well, the cost is too high. Why are Black Friday profits more important than workers' lives?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I marched with my NDP colleagues and more than 5,000 people in Montreal in support of local food and to speak out against the fact that agriculture is being used as a bargaining chip in trade agreements. Farmers have been clear: the lack of reciprocity in standards and the concessions that have been made in trade agreements are a direct attack on our food sovereignty. Can the government tell us today what it intends to do to stop abusing our food producers in Quebec?
Mr. Speaker, there has been no shortage of promises, lip service and fake news stories, but Canada's biggest shipyard, the Davie shipyard, has gotten nothing but peanuts. The shipbuilding strategy is not working. There have been cost overruns, and ships are not being delivered. The Davie shipyard is ready.What is stopping the government from ordering the Obelix now? This is a national security issue. What are the Liberals afraid of? Who are they protecting?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles that the industry and both Alberta and Saskatchewan are facing relating to the price differential. We need to make sure that we expand our pipeline capacity so that our non-U.S. market is expanded. The challenge we are facing is that 99% of our natural resources in Canada are being sold to only one country, the United States.We need to reduce that dependency, and that is exactly what we are working on.
Mr. Speaker, about 5,000 people gathered in Montreal yesterday. I was there along with dairy, chicken, beef, pork, poultry and organic farmers, who all came together to showcase our local produce. There were 5,000 people there, but not one representative of the Liberal government. Not one of the 40 Liberal MPs from Quebec was there to stand up for our local produce. Why are they hiding? Because they know they have to save face for the minister, who did a bad job of negotiating the USMCA.How can the Prime Minister justify this lack of respect for Quebec's farmers?
Mr. Speaker, francophones and francophiles across the country are outraged by the Ontario government's unwarranted decision to eliminate the French Language Services Commissioner and scrap plans for a university in Toronto.That lack of vision is a direct attack on the Franco-Ontarian community and official languages. The Prime Minister needs to go to the mat to convince Mr. Ford to reconsider his decision and stand up for official languages and francophones.What are the Liberals going to do to protect minority francophone communities across the country?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Brampton North for her strong advocacy on this issue.Protecting the safety of Canadians is a top priority for our government, and that is why we were proud to announce $86 million for front-line law enforcement to keep our communities safe. What the Conservatives have proposed is not a real plan. Experts have noted that they demonstrate either little knowledge of the criminal justice system or they are deliberately trying to mislead Canadians. The Conservative plan typically offers no new supports for law enforcement and it is hard to imagine how they are going to deal with guns and gangs when they appear afraid to utter the word guns.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister breaking his word and failing Canadians is nothing new. He does it all the time. However, the fact that he is using our kids and our grandkids' money to pay for his out-of-control spending is shameful. It is irresponsible for a government to run massive deficits with no plan and no time frame for when it will return to balance.If the Liberals truly care about our youth and future generations, which are going to have to pay for today's spending and deficit, will they answer this simple question. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, the forced sterilization of women is still happening in other parts of the world, and believe it or not, it is also still happening here in Canada to indigenous women.Article 22.2 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires that all states take measures to ensure that indigenous women enjoy full protection against all forms of violence and discrimination.Will the Liberals launch an inquiry to put an end to this situation and make restitution for the harm done to the victims and their families?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has decided go after Quebec's health care system. The threat is clear: either Quebec bans private clinics or Ottawa will cut transfers.Can the minister explain the twisted logic that led her to believe that cutting transfers would be a good way to meet the needs of Quebeckers who need health care right now?
Mr. Speaker, we understand well the Conservative approach. Their idea was to make cuts. What would have happened is we would have put our economy into recession. Our idea was to make investments. What happened? People had more disposable income, our economy started growing. Right now, we have the lowest levels of unemployment we have seen in 40 years. However, more important, we have more people working among working age Canadians than in the history of Canada. Therefore, we are doing very well economically. We will continue to make investments, while the people opposite will think about where they can make cuts, cuts across the country.
Mr. Speaker, Doug Ford's decision to attack the language rights of Franco-Ontarians is unacceptable. Creating a French-language university is critical to the Franco-Ontarian community.The Conservative Party needs to understand that we are no longer in the 1950s. Francophones are going to stand up for their rights.What specific action does the government plan to take to protect official languages in Ontario?
Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the current government cannot provide our military with the equipment it needs, as demonstrated by the fact that the government is going to buy used F-18s from Australia.According to defence experts, this interim procurement strategy is risky, expensive and, above all, pointless. A capability gap is cited as the reason for this procurement, but there is no documentation to back that up.Why has the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians about the capability gap?
Mr. Speaker, actually it is not just Conservatives who are sounding the alarm, looking for more fiscal responsibility from these Liberals. Small businesses are asking the Liberals to commit to getting back to balanced budgets, and recently the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy said that the current fiscal policy of the government is without a rudder and an anchor, and that now is the time to rein in budgetary deficits.Maybe the minister, who appears to be the minister of no rudder and no anchor, could tell us when the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to providing the Royal Canadian Air Force with the critical equipment it needs to be fully operational, now and in the future. Our government believes it is unacceptable to take risks with respect to Canada's ability to simultaneously meet its commitments to NORAD and NATO.We are convinced that the Australian aircraft can meet interim needs while the CF-18 permanent replacement is being carried out.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister inherited a balanced budget in 2015.Today, Canada's budget is being crushed under the weight of deficits that our children and grandchildren will have to pay. It is unacceptable. It has gotten to the point where my daughter, who turned 17 yesterday, will be 45 by the time the budget is balanced.If Canadians managed their finances the way the Liberal government does, we would all be bankrupt.I will repeat my question for the Prime Minister for the third time: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, we have learned through media reports that the Liberals are considering a bailout package for Canada's struggling news industry in this week's fall economic statement. We hope this is merely a trial balloon because a healthy democracy relies on a free and independent press. It would be unacceptable for the Liberals to even appear to be trying to influence favour with the media.Will the minister confirm that the Liberals will not attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, Jerry Dias, the head of the union representing thousands of Canadian journalists, confirmed in a tweet last week that his union will campaign aggressively to help the Liberals in the next election. The very same day, he was quoted in the Toronto Star asking the Liberals for more money. Now Canadians learn the Liberals plan to cave in to this demand with a major cash infusion for media outlets.Does the minister not see that this bailout could be easily perceived as an attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, more than ever, I wear this pin with pride in Ontario. All citizens, including the 600,000 Franco-Ontarians, are concerned and shocked by the Ontario government's decision. It will have a devastating impact on the rights of the Franco-Ontarian community.Canadians recognize the importance of protecting our rights and our official languages, and the government has a role to play in the matter.Can the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie inform the House
Mr. Speaker, constituents in my riding of Brampton North have identified gun and gang violence as a significant public safety issue that must be addressed. However, it apparently is not an issue of concern for the Leader of the Opposition, who has not yet proposed a practical solution to deal with the increase in these violent acts. He recently visited my city of Brampton and, unfortunately, proposed redundant, unconstitutional and, ultimately, ineffective measures.Can the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction
Mr. Speaker, Canadians were misled three years ago, because on page 76 of the Liberal Party election platform, the Liberals said they would run modest deficits for three years and then return to a balanced budget in 2019. The modest deficits became huge deficits, and balancing the budget in 2019 is sheer fantasy. With this Wednesday's economic update, will the Minister of Finance, who broke his election promise, at least have the honour and decency to tell Canadians when we will return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud to have ensured that Canada was the first G7 country to emerge from the worst economic crisis the world had ever seen.However, our country is governed by a man who came up with the unbelievable economic theory that, and I quote, the budget will balance itself.In real life, budgets do not balance themselves, so could the Minister of Finance finally tell us when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite continues to mislead Canadians. This is not a partisan initiative. It is Statistics Canada. It is an independent agency that has the respect and admiration of Canadians. It has put forward a pilot project to deal with this issue and it has made it very clear that it wants to deal with issues around privacy and data protection. According to subsection 17(1) of the Statistics Act, no government, no opposition member and no prime minister can compel Statistics Canada for this personal information. It never has and never will compromise on personal information.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that the American government indicated quite clearly that it was going to destroy the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it would not happen, and it did not happen. We do understand there is an impact on our farmers, and we are committed to fully and fairly helping them to continue to succeed. We have and will continue to support our agriculture sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, obviously, it is very important to find an approach that works. Unfortunately, the previous Conservative government had an approach that created lots of deficit but not a lot of growth.Our approach is very different. We are investing in Canadian families. We have one of the highest levels of growth in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years. We are going to continue with our approach because it is working.
Mr. Speaker, when Statistics Canada asks more than 500,000 households for information on their bank accounts, their investments, their mortgages, and their credit card statements, that starts to be a bit much. One million Canadians feel compelled to allow the government to intrude into their financial affairs. It is completely unacceptable.When will the Liberal government cancel this project that is much too intrusive into Canadians' private lives?
Mr. Speaker, with the lack of pipeline capacity, the price of western Canadian heavy oil has fallen to a record low, undercutting employment and public revenues.The Alberta government and industry are considering temporarily cutting output to improve prices, but are concerned about federal competition rules.Can the government assure Alberta and Saskatchewan that the federal Competition Bureau will not interfere if they coordinate a production cut?
Mr. Speaker, the ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is especially troubling because this is the largest outbreak since the virus was discovered in that country in 1976. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development update the House on what the government is doing to address this issue?
Mr. Speaker, four new pipelines were built under the Conservatives. Darren Peers from Capital Group, a big investor in Canadian oil, points out the reality that no major pipeline project is yet assured under these Liberals, and that energy investors are questioning the merits of investing because of them.What is certain is the Liberals are driving billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs out of Canada. Cenovus warns that Canada ignores these red flags at its peril. Provinces are against Bill C-69, too.Will the minister cancel his job-killing, no more pipelines Bill C-69 before it is too late?
Mr. Speaker, in a country as rich as Canada, too many families are living paycheque to paycheque or are living in poverty. While Liberals continue to claim that the economy is doing well, they fail to acknowledge that families in Canada are dealing with record levels of debt. Time and time again, Liberals show they are more interested in giving tax breaks to wealthy corporations, while telling Canadians they have to wait.Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have sent our plan to the finance minister. Will he listen, stop with the corporate giveaways and invest in Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing some rather concerning rumours about the economic and fiscal update.The Minister of Finance seems to be under pressure from Bay Street to lower corporate taxes, on the grounds that he should keep step with the United States. The problem is that the tax cuts in the U.S. did not create jobs. They largely served to boost senior executives' salaries. Furthermore, the United States is on track to post a $1-trillion deficit.Will the Minister of Finance confirm right here that he will not be announcing corporate tax cuts?
Mr. Speaker, cutting transfers is not the way to work with the Quebec government.The same thing is happening this year. Health care costs keep going up, and the government is heartlessly cutting the health transfer escalator. Now, it wants to put more pressure on the public system by prohibiting access to private clinics, which everyone knows will affect wait times at public institutions.When will the government let Quebec manage its own health system and stop going after people who use Quebec's health care network?
Mr. Speaker, the only fact that the minister is overlooking is that the Liberals promised to be transparent, and they have been non-transparent on this particular file. It was only through media reports that we found out about this. The type of information Liberals want to collect is highly personal. This information is also highly valued by large multinationals that want to sell more of their products. We know that Statistics Canada already sells access to some of its data, 115 million dollars' worth last year. Will the government confirm today whether or not the results of this new scheme to harvest Canadians' most personal financial data will also be put on sale to the private sector?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians continue to express their absolute rejection of the Liberal plan to secretly force banks and other financial institutions to release their personal financial information of their clients without their consent. The Liberals justify this intrusion claiming it will help make better decisions. If the Liberals believe that this surveillance is justifiable, will they explain why they refuse to at least ask Canadians for their consent?
Mr. Speaker, the question the member should be asking is: where are we now?We are in a situation where the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years. More people are working now than ever before in the history of Canada. That is an excellent situation for Canadian families and middle-class families.We will continue to invest to grow our economy for the future.
Mr. Speaker, the federal Liberals are in power, and look what is happening in Ontario. They did nothing to protect Franco-Ontarians.The centralist Liberal government wants to control law-abiding citizens. It wants to meddle in bank accounts. Our purchases, withdrawals, payments and financial commitments are our business. Did the Liberals invent Big Brother?Will the government govern for once, give clear instructions and cancel the plan to have Statistics Canada collect banking information?When will the government stop
Mr. Speaker, we understand exactly what the Conservatives want to do. They want to cut all kinds of things, including services to francophones. We are well aware of that.We will continue to invest. Our approach is working. Our economy is growing. That is very important to us, and it is certainly the most important thing to families across the country. Our rate of growth is good, our unemployment rate is very low, and our future is full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear that a modern fighter jet fleet is essential to defending Canada and Canadian sovereignty. That is why we are acquiring 88 fighter jets to replace the aging CF-18 fleet. We welcome the Auditor General's advice in this matter, and look forward to his report. When? Tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, let us consider what we actually inherited. We inherited $150 billion of additional debt generated by the previous government. We inherited an unemployment rate of 7.1%. We inherited a growth rate that was among the lowest since the Great Depression. Where did we get to? We turned that around with one of the highest rates of growth in the G7 and the lowest rates of unemployment. I will take the Liberal economic record over Conservative economic rhetoric every day of the week.
Mr. Speaker, even if we take into consideration the $800 tax increase on every middle-class family in this country, the tax increase targeted at moms and dads who take their kids to sports or students who buy textbooks or pay tuition or the tax increases on small businesses, even if we take into consideration the $20 billion of extra revenue that poured into the government's coffers last year, it has blown every single nickel. The question is this. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, privacy and data protection are absolutely essential. The member opposite knows full well from the testimony given by the chief statistician before committee members in the Senate and in the House that he will only proceed once issues around privacy and data protection are dealt with. With respect to personal information, that will be removed. More importantly, this is a pilot project. No information has been obtained and no information has been provided. Let us stick with the facts and not the over-the-top rhetoric by the members opposite.
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are dealing with record levels of debt. The Liberals now have our plan, so they have no excuse not to make the right choices. Canadians expect investments this week that will lessen the financial burden on Canadian families and help businesses thrive. The time for eternal discussions on universal, single-payer pharmacare has long passed. Canadians and businesses continue to spend billions of dollars on medication for themselves and their employees. Would the Liberals make the right decision and implement universal pharmacare now?
Mr. Speaker, just to think about where we are right now from a small business standpoint, as of January 2019, we will have a combined federal-provincial tax rate of 12.2%, the lowest among G7 countries. It is a very strong position so those businesses can make investments. We have been able to do that while keeping to a very fiscally responsible approach.Canada has the lowest level of debt to GDP among G7 countries. It is on a downward trajectory. That is fiscal responsibility, and we are able to do it while investing in Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the facts.Personal information will be removed. Canadians can rest assured that their banking information remains protected and private. Statistics Canada can absolutely not share this information with anyone, not with any agency or government, and not with the Prime Minister. Canadians' privacy will be protected.
Mr. Speaker, on August 27, 2015, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to run a modest deficit and then balance the budget in 2019.Here is what the situation looks like today. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that, instead of balancing the budget as promised, the Liberals have accumulated a massive deficit of over $20 billion for this year alone and a deficit of over $21 billion for next year.My question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, no matter what the Minister of Finance says, the forecast speaks for itself.The Parliamentary Budget Officer says there is just a 10% chance of balancing the budget in 2021-22 and a 30% chance of balancing it six years from now in 2023-24.The next election is just one year away and the Liberal government promised to balance the budget by the end of the current term.Once again, my question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for that excellent question. The Ontario Conservatives' decision is a direct attack on Franco-Ontarians, and I will be happy to work with him to protect them. The fact is, one party is not standing up to protect Franco-Ontarians, and that is the Conservative Party. We fully expect the Conservative leader to speak out against this situation and talk to Mr. Ford in the interest of protecting francophones in Ontario and across the country. We, as a government, will stand up for francophones.
Mr. Speaker, I guess it is important to deal with the facts one by one by one. Let us think about what was just said. What was just said was that people's taxes went up. Wrong. People's taxes went down. What was said is people are worse off. Wrong. What we have is a Canada child benefit, making the vast majority of families better off. Most importantly, what we find is that for small businesses there were lower tax rates in 2018, and lower tax rates in 2019.The facts are just wrong. The good news is the economy is growing. We have the lowest unemployment rates we have seen in a generation. We have much more confidence for the future.
Mr. Speaker, the update will be presented on Wednesday. Any accountant in any company will make sure the numbers balance when giving an economic update. However, it is certain that the numbers will not balance on Wednesday. There will be a deficit. If the Minister of Finance cannot keep the promise he made to balance the budget in 2019, could he at least give Canadians an update and tell them when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent question.Millions of francophones and francophiles are going to fight alongside our government and all parties who want to stand up for Franco-Ontarians. I would ask the Conservative leader to talk to his boss, Doug Ford, in Ontario and get the Conservative government to back down on that decision, which is
Mr. Speaker, I will let my colleague have some fun with his conspiracy theories. Practically speaking, we all know that professional journalismhigh-quality, independent newsis one of the pillars of democracy. On this side of the House, we respect journalistic independence. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $50 million, including $14 million for minority communities and CBC/Radio-Canada. They do not like that. One thing is clear: journalism is important. We will respect journalistic independence and we will be there.
Mr. Speaker, we saw one of the largest private sector investments in the history of our country, a $40-billion investment in the oil and gas sector.When the Harper government came into office in 2006, 99% of Alberta's oil was sold to the U.S. When the Conservatives left office in 2015, 99% of Alberta's oil was still sold to the U.S. That is the failed record of the Harper government.We are expanding our non-U.S. markets. We are working hard to make sure it happens.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London North Centre for his commitment to international issues.Controlling outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, such as ebola, is extremely important to ensure the health and safety of Canadians and citizens around the world. This year we provided $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance for tackling the recent ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We just approved an additional allocation of $750,000 to support infection prevention and provide emergency assistance.
Mr. Speaker, we know it is very important that we continue with our approach, which is improving the lives of Canadians across the country. This approach is working for people who now have good jobs. We will have the opportunity to continue with our approach and make sure that we are investing for the future, not only in the business world, but also to make things better for families.
Mr. Speaker, I want to offer condolences to my friend for his recent loss.We believe that a health card, not a credit card, is the only card a Canadian should need to receive health care. Our health care system is a source of pride across the country because it allows everyone to receive treatment, regardless of whether they have money. We will continue to work with Quebec and the other provinces and territories to ensure that our health care system is a good one.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, we had a lot to do with the introduction of the Canada child benefit, which made a huge difference across the country. What we had the most to do with is the fact that the average family with two children in 2019 will have $2,000 more in their pocket than in 2015. Canadians are better off. Those are the facts. Those are the facts that matter for Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, everybody on the government side supports the supply-management system. It is unfortunate that not all among the Conservative opposition do. We understand what took place. The U.S. government indicated quite clearly that it wanted to dismantle the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it did not happen.We also understand that our farmers are impacted by the new deal and we will fully and fairly make sure that they are
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Minister of Finance thought it was a good question, but I would have liked an answer.The federal tax rate for large corporations has fallen from 28% to 15% since 2000. The amount of dead money, meaning assets and cash held by those corporations, increased dramatically beginning in 2000. On the whole, corporate tax cuts have not helped create jobs, and that money has not been invested. It has been channelled into financial speculation and massive corporate executive paycheques.Here, again, is my question for the Minister of Finance. Will he refrain from cutting corporate taxes in his Wednesday update?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear how important and sensitive this topic is. Unfortunately, we saw how the people across the way behaved during question period. On our side, we hope that we can all work together in the interest of all francophones or anglophones in minority situations in Canada.Despite everything I am hearing and the partisanship that the Liberals continue to display, I would like to seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that the House express its support for Franco-Ontarians and other official language minority communities across Canada; that it reiterate its support for Canada's official bilingualism as a strength and asset that should be cherished and protected; that it recognize and respect the rights and responsibilities of the provincial and territorial governments to legislate in their areas of jurisdiction; and that it urge the Prime Minister to present a plan outlining the measures that the Government of Canada will take in its areas of jurisdiction to ensure that all services to official language minority communities are protected, and to present this plan within 30 days of adoption of this motion.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in Canadians. In fact, what we know is that approach has absolutely worked over the last three years. We have brought hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty through the Canada child benefit. We have helped innumerable seniors through the guaranteed income supplement increase.We are going to continue to focus on our core goal of assuring that families across the country are doing well, and that those who are challenged have a great opportunity. We will do that by making sure not only that they are doing well, but that we are investing in our future.
Mr. Speaker, actually we had a whole lot to do with what is going on for Canadian families across the country. We had a lot to do with lowering the middle-class tax rate from $45,000 to $90,000 by 7%. We had a lot to do with
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the government indicate by the end of the week the year in which the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has determined that we do not need a second Asterix or Obelix while Seaspan is building the joint support ships. We appreciate Davie's excellent work on the Asterix, but we do not need a second ship.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue with our approach, which is to ensure that we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of all G7 countries. That is very important. At the same time, we will continue investing in the future. Our investments are really working. We need only consider the unemployment rate or Canada's economic growth, which was the highest in the G7 last year.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are proud of their publicly funded health care system, one that is based on their needs and not on their ability to pay. However, we also recognize that we can do better and that is why I was pleased in March of this year that we announced the implementation of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare program. I truly look forward to receiving the recommendations of Dr. Hoskins that will be brought forward in the spring of 2019.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles in the energy sector and the price differential the industry is facing. We are working very diligently with provinces and are moving forward on expanding our global market to make sure that Alberta's oil sector resources are able to get to non-U.S. markets.What we are seeing today is the result of a decade of failure and inaction on behalf of the former Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, our government takes Canadians' privacy very seriously and understands their concerns. The head of Statistics Canada has clearly said that the pilot project is still in the design stage. He said that the project would move forward only once Canadians' concerns have been addressed. The Privacy Commissioner did his job. No information was shared or collected by Statistics Canada as part of this pilot project.
Mr. Speaker, we know that in 2015, we were in a very difficult situation. The growth rate was very low. The unemployment rate was 7.1%. Things were very difficult for middle-class families across the country.We made investments. Now, the situation is very different. We have one of the highest growth rates in the G7, and our unemployment rate is at its lowest in 40 years. That is great. We are going to continue investing so we can have a future full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, what we can say is that it is very important to have a certain level of investment in our country. We need to make sure our system is competitive but fair. That balance is very important. That is our goal, but we know that when things are going as well as they are now, when our economy is growing and our unemployment rate is very low, it is time to secure our future. That is our goal for Wednesday's update.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that this House recognizes the importance of the Franco-Ontarian community within the Canadian Francophonie, and denounces, unequivocally, the decision of the Government of Ontario to terminate the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, and the Francophone Ontario University project.
Mr. Speaker, the trust fund twins, the Prime Minister and finance minister, inherited great fortune: a balanced budget, booming world and U.S. economies, rising commodity prices, record low interest rates, and roaring housing markets in Vancouver and Toronto. That was a $20-billion windfall for the Liberals and they blew every single penny. The Prime Minister keeps telling us that the budget will balance itself. If so, when?
Mr. Speaker, the government promised small deficits of $10 billion for the first two years and a balanced budget in 2019. However, we have since found out that we will end up with a deficit of close to $80 billion over a four-year period, thanks to this government.My question for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance is very simple: how can they promise a return to a balanced budget when it will not actually happen until 2045? When will the budget be balanced? This is a very simple question.
Mr. Speaker, we believe that it is not acceptable for some people to access care more quickly just because they have more money. I have been working closely with my colleagues, with all provinces and territories, for some time to resolve this situation, which, when it comes down to it, is unfair. We will continue to work together to protect our health system, better serve patients and protect patients in Quebec and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from GlengarryPrescottRussell for his question. He is a strong advocate for official languages and an excellent representative of his Franco-Ontarian community.We have invested $2.7 billion in official languages, including $500 million in new money. We are here to support the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne. We support organizations that are working across the country to oppose the Conservative government's decision. We stand with them.
Mr. Speaker, at the request of Transport Canada, Nav Canada is taking a second look at the specific situation in Rouyn-Noranda. That study is currently under way, and we will have the results soon.
Mr. Speaker, our government has clearly taken a different approach to labour relations from the previous government. We strongly believe in and respect the collective bargaining process. We know that a deal is the strongest when both parties can work out that deal together. For nearly a year, we have been supporting the parties with services and support to reach a negotiated agreement. We also know that Canadians and businesses rely on Canada Post and its workers during the holiday season. This ongoing work stoppage has had negative impacts on Canadians, our economy, international commerce and, of course, Canada Post and its workers. We strongly encourage both parties to work hard and get a deal.
Mr. Speaker, when Jim Flaherty became finance minister, he made the responsible decision to pay off $30 billion in debt, which prepared Canada for the great global recession, the greatest financial crisis in world history since the Depression. That is why we were the last to go in and the first to come out of that crisis. By contrast, the current Liberal government has a booming world and U.S. economy, with record low interest rates, multiple factors with which it had nothing whatsoever to do, and it has squandered all of it. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, journalism plays a fundamental role. It is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we invested $50 million in journalism in the last budget. We invested $14 million in minority communities. We helped strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada. I am currently touring the country and talking to the media and journalists. We are looking at other ways in which we can work together and collaborate. We will have more to say about this in the future.
Mr. Speaker, that is a good question, and balance is always necessary. We need to consider how we can remain competitive while still ensuring that our tax system is fair. Our goal is to achieve balance in a system that works for the country. We will be able to do both at the same time. That will be our approach.
Mr. Speaker, the facts are somewhat different.The Harper government left us $150 billion in debt. That was a problem from the start, not to mention having to deal with the lowest growth rate since 1981, or in nearly 40 years.We are now in a very different situation thanks to our investments and the fact that we have one of the highest growth rates in the G7. It is a good situation for Canada's middle class.
Mr. Speaker, can members imagine being told they cannot see their newborn child until they agree to a procedure that will mean they will never have another child in their life or being sterilized with no knowledge or consent? This is the reality for at least 60 indigenous women in this country of Canada, with some cases as recent as 2017. This is more than just a gross violation of human rights and a product of systemic racism, this is enough, enough apologies, enough talking points. How will the current government make sure that it never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear. We know that the coerced sterilization of women is indeed a gross violation of human rights. It is a violation of women's reproductive rights. We are actively working with partners in provinces. We are working with faculties of medical education and health professionals to ensure that culturally safe care is available across the country. This is not something that any one order of government can address alone. All Canadians have a responsibility to ensure that these practices never happen again.
Mr. Speaker, despite concerted opposition from economic and political stakeholders in AbitibiTémiscamingue, protests from air carriers, and the devastating impact it will have on economic development and tourism in the region, Nav Canada continues to defend its recommendations to shut down overnight services provided by the Rouyn-Noranda flight service station. Even Nav Canada admits that this closure is penny-wise and pound foolish.Does the Minister of Transport plan to act on Nav Canada's recommendations, despite the unanimous opposition?
Mr. Speaker, the coerced sterilization of any woman is a clear violation of her reproductive rights. We know that, unfortunately, indigenous women and other vulnerable women have faced coerced sterilization. We absolutely abhor this practice and we are working with partners, including the provinces, health care providers and medical professionals, to make sure that it is very clear that this should not go on. We are working with the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to ensure that indigenous peoples have access to culturally appropriate and safe health care.
Mr. Speaker, business leaders say that the Liberals' anti-energy policies are borderline treasonous. Brett Wilson said that Bill C-69 is lunacy. NuVista's CEO said it needs to be completely killed or radically changed. Susan Johns, a British fund manager, said that Canadian oil and gas is being strangled by regulation, carbon taxes and the inability of producers to get their product to world markets.Clearly the Liberals' anti-energy agenda is the problem, not the solution. When will the Liberals stop killing Canadian jobs and withdraw their no more pipelines Bill C-69?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals actually have a credibility gap problem. The defence minister has misled Canadians. For months he has justified buying old, used Australian fighter jets that were destined for the scrap heap by claiming there was a capability gap in our current fleet. Now detailed government documents reveal that the minister's statements were patently false. The Liberals manufactured a fake capability gap to give political cover for the Prime Minister's naive election campaign promise.Why are the Liberals betraying our air force and misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, while Canada Post refuses to acknowledge the needs of those who deliver the mail, CUPW is literally fighting for workers' lives. Postal transformation is taking its toll on workers' bodies, mental health and families. Despite the Harper Conservatives' imposed legislation in 2011 being deemed unconstitutional, this Prime Minister is threatening to do the same, all in the interest of greasing the wheels of commerce.Well, the cost is too high. Why are Black Friday profits more important than workers' lives?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I marched with my NDP colleagues and more than 5,000 people in Montreal in support of local food and to speak out against the fact that agriculture is being used as a bargaining chip in trade agreements. Farmers have been clear: the lack of reciprocity in standards and the concessions that have been made in trade agreements are a direct attack on our food sovereignty. Can the government tell us today what it intends to do to stop abusing our food producers in Quebec?
Mr. Speaker, there has been no shortage of promises, lip service and fake news stories, but Canada's biggest shipyard, the Davie shipyard, has gotten nothing but peanuts. The shipbuilding strategy is not working. There have been cost overruns, and ships are not being delivered. The Davie shipyard is ready.What is stopping the government from ordering the Obelix now? This is a national security issue. What are the Liberals afraid of? Who are they protecting?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles that the industry and both Alberta and Saskatchewan are facing relating to the price differential. We need to make sure that we expand our pipeline capacity so that our non-U.S. market is expanded. The challenge we are facing is that 99% of our natural resources in Canada are being sold to only one country, the United States.We need to reduce that dependency, and that is exactly what we are working on.
Mr. Speaker, about 5,000 people gathered in Montreal yesterday. I was there along with dairy, chicken, beef, pork, poultry and organic farmers, who all came together to showcase our local produce. There were 5,000 people there, but not one representative of the Liberal government. Not one of the 40 Liberal MPs from Quebec was there to stand up for our local produce. Why are they hiding? Because they know they have to save face for the minister, who did a bad job of negotiating the USMCA.How can the Prime Minister justify this lack of respect for Quebec's farmers?
Mr. Speaker, francophones and francophiles across the country are outraged by the Ontario government's unwarranted decision to eliminate the French Language Services Commissioner and scrap plans for a university in Toronto.That lack of vision is a direct attack on the Franco-Ontarian community and official languages. The Prime Minister needs to go to the mat to convince Mr. Ford to reconsider his decision and stand up for official languages and francophones.What are the Liberals going to do to protect minority francophone communities across the country?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Brampton North for her strong advocacy on this issue.Protecting the safety of Canadians is a top priority for our government, and that is why we were proud to announce $86 million for front-line law enforcement to keep our communities safe. What the Conservatives have proposed is not a real plan. Experts have noted that they demonstrate either little knowledge of the criminal justice system or they are deliberately trying to mislead Canadians. The Conservative plan typically offers no new supports for law enforcement and it is hard to imagine how they are going to deal with guns and gangs when they appear afraid to utter the word guns.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister breaking his word and failing Canadians is nothing new. He does it all the time. However, the fact that he is using our kids and our grandkids' money to pay for his out-of-control spending is shameful. It is irresponsible for a government to run massive deficits with no plan and no time frame for when it will return to balance.If the Liberals truly care about our youth and future generations, which are going to have to pay for today's spending and deficit, will they answer this simple question. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, the forced sterilization of women is still happening in other parts of the world, and believe it or not, it is also still happening here in Canada to indigenous women.Article 22.2 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires that all states take measures to ensure that indigenous women enjoy full protection against all forms of violence and discrimination.Will the Liberals launch an inquiry to put an end to this situation and make restitution for the harm done to the victims and their families?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has decided go after Quebec's health care system. The threat is clear: either Quebec bans private clinics or Ottawa will cut transfers.Can the minister explain the twisted logic that led her to believe that cutting transfers would be a good way to meet the needs of Quebeckers who need health care right now?
Mr. Speaker, we understand well the Conservative approach. Their idea was to make cuts. What would have happened is we would have put our economy into recession. Our idea was to make investments. What happened? People had more disposable income, our economy started growing. Right now, we have the lowest levels of unemployment we have seen in 40 years. However, more important, we have more people working among working age Canadians than in the history of Canada. Therefore, we are doing very well economically. We will continue to make investments, while the people opposite will think about where they can make cuts, cuts across the country.
Mr. Speaker, Doug Ford's decision to attack the language rights of Franco-Ontarians is unacceptable. Creating a French-language university is critical to the Franco-Ontarian community.The Conservative Party needs to understand that we are no longer in the 1950s. Francophones are going to stand up for their rights.What specific action does the government plan to take to protect official languages in Ontario?
Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the current government cannot provide our military with the equipment it needs, as demonstrated by the fact that the government is going to buy used F-18s from Australia.According to defence experts, this interim procurement strategy is risky, expensive and, above all, pointless. A capability gap is cited as the reason for this procurement, but there is no documentation to back that up.Why has the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians about the capability gap?
Mr. Speaker, actually it is not just Conservatives who are sounding the alarm, looking for more fiscal responsibility from these Liberals. Small businesses are asking the Liberals to commit to getting back to balanced budgets, and recently the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy said that the current fiscal policy of the government is without a rudder and an anchor, and that now is the time to rein in budgetary deficits.Maybe the minister, who appears to be the minister of no rudder and no anchor, could tell us when the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to providing the Royal Canadian Air Force with the critical equipment it needs to be fully operational, now and in the future. Our government believes it is unacceptable to take risks with respect to Canada's ability to simultaneously meet its commitments to NORAD and NATO.We are convinced that the Australian aircraft can meet interim needs while the CF-18 permanent replacement is being carried out.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister inherited a balanced budget in 2015.Today, Canada's budget is being crushed under the weight of deficits that our children and grandchildren will have to pay. It is unacceptable. It has gotten to the point where my daughter, who turned 17 yesterday, will be 45 by the time the budget is balanced.If Canadians managed their finances the way the Liberal government does, we would all be bankrupt.I will repeat my question for the Prime Minister for the third time: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, we have learned through media reports that the Liberals are considering a bailout package for Canada's struggling news industry in this week's fall economic statement. We hope this is merely a trial balloon because a healthy democracy relies on a free and independent press. It would be unacceptable for the Liberals to even appear to be trying to influence favour with the media.Will the minister confirm that the Liberals will not attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, Jerry Dias, the head of the union representing thousands of Canadian journalists, confirmed in a tweet last week that his union will campaign aggressively to help the Liberals in the next election. The very same day, he was quoted in the Toronto Star asking the Liberals for more money. Now Canadians learn the Liberals plan to cave in to this demand with a major cash infusion for media outlets.Does the minister not see that this bailout could be easily perceived as an attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, more than ever, I wear this pin with pride in Ontario. All citizens, including the 600,000 Franco-Ontarians, are concerned and shocked by the Ontario government's decision. It will have a devastating impact on the rights of the Franco-Ontarian community.Canadians recognize the importance of protecting our rights and our official languages, and the government has a role to play in the matter.Can the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie inform the House
Mr. Speaker, constituents in my riding of Brampton North have identified gun and gang violence as a significant public safety issue that must be addressed. However, it apparently is not an issue of concern for the Leader of the Opposition, who has not yet proposed a practical solution to deal with the increase in these violent acts. He recently visited my city of Brampton and, unfortunately, proposed redundant, unconstitutional and, ultimately, ineffective measures.Can the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction
Mr. Speaker, Canadians were misled three years ago, because on page 76 of the Liberal Party election platform, the Liberals said they would run modest deficits for three years and then return to a balanced budget in 2019. The modest deficits became huge deficits, and balancing the budget in 2019 is sheer fantasy. With this Wednesday's economic update, will the Minister of Finance, who broke his election promise, at least have the honour and decency to tell Canadians when we will return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud to have ensured that Canada was the first G7 country to emerge from the worst economic crisis the world had ever seen.However, our country is governed by a man who came up with the unbelievable economic theory that, and I quote, the budget will balance itself.In real life, budgets do not balance themselves, so could the Minister of Finance finally tell us when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite continues to mislead Canadians. This is not a partisan initiative. It is Statistics Canada. It is an independent agency that has the respect and admiration of Canadians. It has put forward a pilot project to deal with this issue and it has made it very clear that it wants to deal with issues around privacy and data protection. According to subsection 17(1) of the Statistics Act, no government, no opposition member and no prime minister can compel Statistics Canada for this personal information. It never has and never will compromise on personal information.
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that the American government indicated quite clearly that it was going to destroy the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it would not happen, and it did not happen. We do understand there is an impact on our farmers, and we are committed to fully and fairly helping them to continue to succeed. We have and will continue to support our agriculture sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, obviously, it is very important to find an approach that works. Unfortunately, the previous Conservative government had an approach that created lots of deficit but not a lot of growth.Our approach is very different. We are investing in Canadian families. We have one of the highest levels of growth in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years. We are going to continue with our approach because it is working.
Mr. Speaker, when Statistics Canada asks more than 500,000 households for information on their bank accounts, their investments, their mortgages, and their credit card statements, that starts to be a bit much. One million Canadians feel compelled to allow the government to intrude into their financial affairs. It is completely unacceptable.When will the Liberal government cancel this project that is much too intrusive into Canadians' private lives?
Mr. Speaker, with the lack of pipeline capacity, the price of western Canadian heavy oil has fallen to a record low, undercutting employment and public revenues.The Alberta government and industry are considering temporarily cutting output to improve prices, but are concerned about federal competition rules.Can the government assure Alberta and Saskatchewan that the federal Competition Bureau will not interfere if they coordinate a production cut?
Mr. Speaker, the ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is especially troubling because this is the largest outbreak since the virus was discovered in that country in 1976. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development update the House on what the government is doing to address this issue?
Mr. Speaker, four new pipelines were built under the Conservatives. Darren Peers from Capital Group, a big investor in Canadian oil, points out the reality that no major pipeline project is yet assured under these Liberals, and that energy investors are questioning the merits of investing because of them.What is certain is the Liberals are driving billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs out of Canada. Cenovus warns that Canada ignores these red flags at its peril. Provinces are against Bill C-69, too.Will the minister cancel his job-killing, no more pipelines Bill C-69 before it is too late?
Mr. Speaker, in a country as rich as Canada, too many families are living paycheque to paycheque or are living in poverty. While Liberals continue to claim that the economy is doing well, they fail to acknowledge that families in Canada are dealing with record levels of debt. Time and time again, Liberals show they are more interested in giving tax breaks to wealthy corporations, while telling Canadians they have to wait.Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have sent our plan to the finance minister. Will he listen, stop with the corporate giveaways and invest in Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing some rather concerning rumours about the economic and fiscal update.The Minister of Finance seems to be under pressure from Bay Street to lower corporate taxes, on the grounds that he should keep step with the United States. The problem is that the tax cuts in the U.S. did not create jobs. They largely served to boost senior executives' salaries. Furthermore, the United States is on track to post a $1-trillion deficit.Will the Minister of Finance confirm right here that he will not be announcing corporate tax cuts?
Mr. Speaker, cutting transfers is not the way to work with the Quebec government.The same thing is happening this year. Health care costs keep going up, and the government is heartlessly cutting the health transfer escalator. Now, it wants to put more pressure on the public system by prohibiting access to private clinics, which everyone knows will affect wait times at public institutions.When will the government let Quebec manage its own health system and stop going after people who use Quebec's health care network?
Mr. Speaker, the only fact that the minister is overlooking is that the Liberals promised to be transparent, and they have been non-transparent on this particular file. It was only through media reports that we found out about this. The type of information Liberals want to collect is highly personal. This information is also highly valued by large multinationals that want to sell more of their products. We know that Statistics Canada already sells access to some of its data, 115 million dollars' worth last year. Will the government confirm today whether or not the results of this new scheme to harvest Canadians' most personal financial data will also be put on sale to the private sector?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians continue to express their absolute rejection of the Liberal plan to secretly force banks and other financial institutions to release their personal financial information of their clients without their consent. The Liberals justify this intrusion claiming it will help make better decisions. If the Liberals believe that this surveillance is justifiable, will they explain why they refuse to at least ask Canadians for their consent?
Mr. Speaker, the question the member should be asking is: where are we now?We are in a situation where the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years. More people are working now than ever before in the history of Canada. That is an excellent situation for Canadian families and middle-class families.We will continue to invest to grow our economy for the future.
Mr. Speaker, the federal Liberals are in power, and look what is happening in Ontario. They did nothing to protect Franco-Ontarians.The centralist Liberal government wants to control law-abiding citizens. It wants to meddle in bank accounts. Our purchases, withdrawals, payments and financial commitments are our business. Did the Liberals invent Big Brother?Will the government govern for once, give clear instructions and cancel the plan to have Statistics Canada collect banking information?When will the government stop
Mr. Speaker, we understand exactly what the Conservatives want to do. They want to cut all kinds of things, including services to francophones. We are well aware of that.We will continue to invest. Our approach is working. Our economy is growing. That is very important to us, and it is certainly the most important thing to families across the country. Our rate of growth is good, our unemployment rate is very low, and our future is full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear that a modern fighter jet fleet is essential to defending Canada and Canadian sovereignty. That is why we are acquiring 88 fighter jets to replace the aging CF-18 fleet. We welcome the Auditor General's advice in this matter, and look forward to his report. When? Tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, let us consider what we actually inherited. We inherited $150 billion of additional debt generated by the previous government. We inherited an unemployment rate of 7.1%. We inherited a growth rate that was among the lowest since the Great Depression. Where did we get to? We turned that around with one of the highest rates of growth in the G7 and the lowest rates of unemployment. I will take the Liberal economic record over Conservative economic rhetoric every day of the week.
Mr. Speaker, even if we take into consideration the $800 tax increase on every middle-class family in this country, the tax increase targeted at moms and dads who take their kids to sports or students who buy textbooks or pay tuition or the tax increases on small businesses, even if we take into consideration the $20 billion of extra revenue that poured into the government's coffers last year, it has blown every single nickel. The question is this. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, privacy and data protection are absolutely essential. The member opposite knows full well from the testimony given by the chief statistician before committee members in the Senate and in the House that he will only proceed once issues around privacy and data protection are dealt with. With respect to personal information, that will be removed. More importantly, this is a pilot project. No information has been obtained and no information has been provided. Let us stick with the facts and not the over-the-top rhetoric by the members opposite.
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are dealing with record levels of debt. The Liberals now have our plan, so they have no excuse not to make the right choices. Canadians expect investments this week that will lessen the financial burden on Canadian families and help businesses thrive. The time for eternal discussions on universal, single-payer pharmacare has long passed. Canadians and businesses continue to spend billions of dollars on medication for themselves and their employees. Would the Liberals make the right decision and implement universal pharmacare now?
Mr. Speaker, just to think about where we are right now from a small business standpoint, as of January 2019, we will have a combined federal-provincial tax rate of 12.2%, the lowest among G7 countries. It is a very strong position so those businesses can make investments. We have been able to do that while keeping to a very fiscally responsible approach.Canada has the lowest level of debt to GDP among G7 countries. It is on a downward trajectory. That is fiscal responsibility, and we are able to do it while investing in Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the facts.Personal information will be removed. Canadians can rest assured that their banking information remains protected and private. Statistics Canada can absolutely not share this information with anyone, not with any agency or government, and not with the Prime Minister. Canadians' privacy will be protected.
Mr. Speaker, on August 27, 2015, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to run a modest deficit and then balance the budget in 2019.Here is what the situation looks like today. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that, instead of balancing the budget as promised, the Liberals have accumulated a massive deficit of over $20 billion for this year alone and a deficit of over $21 billion for next year.My question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, no matter what the Minister of Finance says, the forecast speaks for itself.The Parliamentary Budget Officer says there is just a 10% chance of balancing the budget in 2021-22 and a 30% chance of balancing it six years from now in 2023-24.The next election is just one year away and the Liberal government promised to balance the budget by the end of the current term.Once again, my question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for that excellent question. The Ontario Conservatives' decision is a direct attack on Franco-Ontarians, and I will be happy to work with him to protect them. The fact is, one party is not standing up to protect Franco-Ontarians, and that is the Conservative Party. We fully expect the Conservative leader to speak out against this situation and talk to Mr. Ford in the interest of protecting francophones in Ontario and across the country. We, as a government, will stand up for francophones.
Mr. Speaker, I guess it is important to deal with the facts one by one by one. Let us think about what was just said. What was just said was that people's taxes went up. Wrong. People's taxes went down. What was said is people are worse off. Wrong. What we have is a Canada child benefit, making the vast majority of families better off. Most importantly, what we find is that for small businesses there were lower tax rates in 2018, and lower tax rates in 2019.The facts are just wrong. The good news is the economy is growing. We have the lowest unemployment rates we have seen in a generation. We have much more confidence for the future.
Mr. Speaker, the update will be presented on Wednesday. Any accountant in any company will make sure the numbers balance when giving an economic update. However, it is certain that the numbers will not balance on Wednesday. There will be a deficit. If the Minister of Finance cannot keep the promise he made to balance the budget in 2019, could he at least give Canadians an update and tell them when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent question.Millions of francophones and francophiles are going to fight alongside our government and all parties who want to stand up for Franco-Ontarians. I would ask the Conservative leader to talk to his boss, Doug Ford, in Ontario and get the Conservative government to back down on that decision, which is
Mr. Speaker, I will let my colleague have some fun with his conspiracy theories. Practically speaking, we all know that professional journalismhigh-quality, independent newsis one of the pillars of democracy. On this side of the House, we respect journalistic independence. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $50 million, including $14 million for minority communities and CBC/Radio-Canada. They do not like that. One thing is clear: journalism is important. We will respect journalistic independence and we will be there.
Mr. Speaker, we saw one of the largest private sector investments in the history of our country, a $40-billion investment in the oil and gas sector.When the Harper government came into office in 2006, 99% of Alberta's oil was sold to the U.S. When the Conservatives left office in 2015, 99% of Alberta's oil was still sold to the U.S. That is the failed record of the Harper government.We are expanding our non-U.S. markets. We are working hard to make sure it happens.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London North Centre for his commitment to international issues.Controlling outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, such as ebola, is extremely important to ensure the health and safety of Canadians and citizens around the world. This year we provided $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance for tackling the recent ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We just approved an additional allocation of $750,000 to support infection prevention and provide emergency assistance.
Mr. Speaker, we know it is very important that we continue with our approach, which is improving the lives of Canadians across the country. This approach is working for people who now have good jobs. We will have the opportunity to continue with our approach and make sure that we are investing for the future, not only in the business world, but also to make things better for families.
Mr. Speaker, I want to offer condolences to my friend for his recent loss.We believe that a health card, not a credit card, is the only card a Canadian should need to receive health care. Our health care system is a source of pride across the country because it allows everyone to receive treatment, regardless of whether they have money. We will continue to work with Quebec and the other provinces and territories to ensure that our health care system is a good one.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, we had a lot to do with the introduction of the Canada child benefit, which made a huge difference across the country. What we had the most to do with is the fact that the average family with two children in 2019 will have $2,000 more in their pocket than in 2015. Canadians are better off. Those are the facts. Those are the facts that matter for Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, everybody on the government side supports the supply-management system. It is unfortunate that not all among the Conservative opposition do. We understand what took place. The U.S. government indicated quite clearly that it wanted to dismantle the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it did not happen.We also understand that our farmers are impacted by the new deal and we will fully and fairly make sure that they are
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Minister of Finance thought it was a good question, but I would have liked an answer.The federal tax rate for large corporations has fallen from 28% to 15% since 2000. The amount of dead money, meaning assets and cash held by those corporations, increased dramatically beginning in 2000. On the whole, corporate tax cuts have not helped create jobs, and that money has not been invested. It has been channelled into financial speculation and massive corporate executive paycheques.Here, again, is my question for the Minister of Finance. Will he refrain from cutting corporate taxes in his Wednesday update?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear how important and sensitive this topic is. Unfortunately, we saw how the people across the way behaved during question period. On our side, we hope that we can all work together in the interest of all francophones or anglophones in minority situations in Canada.Despite everything I am hearing and the partisanship that the Liberals continue to display, I would like to seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that the House express its support for Franco-Ontarians and other official language minority communities across Canada; that it reiterate its support for Canada's official bilingualism as a strength and asset that should be cherished and protected; that it recognize and respect the rights and responsibilities of the provincial and territorial governments to legislate in their areas of jurisdiction; and that it urge the Prime Minister to present a plan outlining the measures that the Government of Canada will take in its areas of jurisdiction to ensure that all services to official language minority communities are protected, and to present this plan within 30 days of adoption of this motion.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in Canadians. In fact, what we know is that approach has absolutely worked over the last three years. We have brought hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty through the Canada child benefit. We have helped innumerable seniors through the guaranteed income supplement increase.We are going to continue to focus on our core goal of assuring that families across the country are doing well, and that those who are challenged have a great opportunity. We will do that by making sure not only that they are doing well, but that we are investing in our future.
Mr. Speaker, actually we had a whole lot to do with what is going on for Canadian families across the country. We had a lot to do with lowering the middle-class tax rate from $45,000 to $90,000 by 7%. We had a lot to do with
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the government indicate by the end of the week the year in which the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has determined that we do not need a second Asterix or Obelix while Seaspan is building the joint support ships. We appreciate Davie's excellent work on the Asterix, but we do not need a second ship.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue with our approach, which is to ensure that we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of all G7 countries. That is very important. At the same time, we will continue investing in the future. Our investments are really working. We need only consider the unemployment rate or Canada's economic growth, which was the highest in the G7 last year.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are proud of their publicly funded health care system, one that is based on their needs and not on their ability to pay. However, we also recognize that we can do better and that is why I was pleased in March of this year that we announced the implementation of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare program. I truly look forward to receiving the recommendations of Dr. Hoskins that will be brought forward in the spring of 2019.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles in the energy sector and the price differential the industry is facing. We are working very diligently with provinces and are moving forward on expanding our global market to make sure that Alberta's oil sector resources are able to get to non-U.S. markets.What we are seeing today is the result of a decade of failure and inaction on behalf of the former Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, our government takes Canadians' privacy very seriously and understands their concerns. The head of Statistics Canada has clearly said that the pilot project is still in the design stage. He said that the project would move forward only once Canadians' concerns have been addressed. The Privacy Commissioner did his job. No information was shared or collected by Statistics Canada as part of this pilot project.
Mr. Speaker, we know that in 2015, we were in a very difficult situation. The growth rate was very low. The unemployment rate was 7.1%. Things were very difficult for middle-class families across the country.We made investments. Now, the situation is very different. We have one of the highest growth rates in the G7, and our unemployment rate is at its lowest in 40 years. That is great. We are going to continue investing so we can have a future full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, what we can say is that it is very important to have a certain level of investment in our country. We need to make sure our system is competitive but fair. That balance is very important. That is our goal, but we know that when things are going as well as they are now, when our economy is growing and our unemployment rate is very low, it is time to secure our future. That is our goal for Wednesday's update.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that this House recognizes the importance of the Franco-Ontarian community within the Canadian Francophonie, and denounces, unequivocally, the decision of the Government of Ontario to terminate the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, and the Francophone Ontario University project.
Mr. Speaker, the trust fund twins, the Prime Minister and finance minister, inherited great fortune: a balanced budget, booming world and U.S. economies, rising commodity prices, record low interest rates, and roaring housing markets in Vancouver and Toronto. That was a $20-billion windfall for the Liberals and they blew every single penny. The Prime Minister keeps telling us that the budget will balance itself. If so, when?
Mr. Speaker, the government promised small deficits of $10 billion for the first two years and a balanced budget in 2019. However, we have since found out that we will end up with a deficit of close to $80 billion over a four-year period, thanks to this government.My question for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance is very simple: how can they promise a return to a balanced budget when it will not actually happen until 2045? When will the budget be balanced? This is a very simple question.
Mr. Speaker, we believe that it is not acceptable for some people to access care more quickly just because they have more money. I have been working closely with my colleagues, with all provinces and territories, for some time to resolve this situation, which, when it comes down to it, is unfair. We will continue to work together to protect our health system, better serve patients and protect patients in Quebec and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from GlengarryPrescottRussell for his question. He is a strong advocate for official languages and an excellent representative of his Franco-Ontarian community.We have invested $2.7 billion in official languages, including $500 million in new money. We are here to support the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne. We support organizations that are working across the country to oppose the Conservative government's decision. We stand with them.
Mr. Speaker, at the request of Transport Canada, Nav Canada is taking a second look at the specific situation in Rouyn-Noranda. That study is currently under way, and we will have the results soon.
Mr. Speaker, our government has clearly taken a different approach to labour relations from the previous government. We strongly believe in and respect the collective bargaining process. We know that a deal is the strongest when both parties can work out that deal together. For nearly a year, we have been supporting the parties with services and support to reach a negotiated agreement. We also know that Canadians and businesses rely on Canada Post and its workers during the holiday season. This ongoing work stoppage has had negative impacts on Canadians, our economy, international commerce and, of course, Canada Post and its workers. We strongly encourage both parties to work hard and get a deal.
Mr. Speaker, when Jim Flaherty became finance minister, he made the responsible decision to pay off $30 billion in debt, which prepared Canada for the great global recession, the greatest financial crisis in world history since the Depression. That is why we were the last to go in and the first to come out of that crisis. By contrast, the current Liberal government has a booming world and U.S. economy, with record low interest rates, multiple factors with which it had nothing whatsoever to do, and it has squandered all of it. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, journalism plays a fundamental role. It is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we invested $50 million in journalism in the last budget. We invested $14 million in minority communities. We helped strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada. I am currently touring the country and talking to the media and journalists. We are looking at other ways in which we can work together and collaborate. We will have more to say about this in the future.
Mr. Speaker, that is a good question, and balance is always necessary. We need to consider how we can remain competitive while still ensuring that our tax system is fair. Our goal is to achieve balance in a system that works for the country. We will be able to do both at the same time. That will be our approach.
Mr. Speaker, the facts are somewhat different.The Harper government left us $150 billion in debt. That was a problem from the start, not to mention having to deal with the lowest growth rate since 1981, or in nearly 40 years.We are now in a very different situation thanks to our investments and the fact that we have one of the highest growth rates in the G7. It is a good situation for Canada's middle class.
Most negative speeches
Mr. Speaker, there has been no shortage of promises, lip service and fake news stories, but Canada's biggest shipyard, the Davie shipyard, has gotten nothing but peanuts. The shipbuilding strategy is not working. There have been cost overruns, and ships are not being delivered. The Davie shipyard is ready.What is stopping the government from ordering the Obelix now? This is a national security issue. What are the Liberals afraid of? Who are they protecting?
Mr. Speaker, more than ever, I wear this pin with pride in Ontario. All citizens, including the 600,000 Franco-Ontarians, are concerned and shocked by the Ontario government's decision. It will have a devastating impact on the rights of the Franco-Ontarian community.Canadians recognize the importance of protecting our rights and our official languages, and the government has a role to play in the matter.Can the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie inform the House
Mr. Speaker, about 5,000 people gathered in Montreal yesterday. I was there along with dairy, chicken, beef, pork, poultry and organic farmers, who all came together to showcase our local produce. There were 5,000 people there, but not one representative of the Liberal government. Not one of the 40 Liberal MPs from Quebec was there to stand up for our local produce. Why are they hiding? Because they know they have to save face for the minister, who did a bad job of negotiating the USMCA.How can the Prime Minister justify this lack of respect for Quebec's farmers?
Mr. Speaker, francophones and francophiles across the country are outraged by the Ontario government's unwarranted decision to eliminate the French Language Services Commissioner and scrap plans for a university in Toronto.That lack of vision is a direct attack on the Franco-Ontarian community and official languages. The Prime Minister needs to go to the mat to convince Mr. Ford to reconsider his decision and stand up for official languages and francophones.What are the Liberals going to do to protect minority francophone communities across the country?
Mr. Speaker, with the lack of pipeline capacity, the price of western Canadian heavy oil has fallen to a record low, undercutting employment and public revenues.The Alberta government and industry are considering temporarily cutting output to improve prices, but are concerned about federal competition rules.Can the government assure Alberta and Saskatchewan that the federal Competition Bureau will not interfere if they coordinate a production cut?
Mr. Speaker, despite concerted opposition from economic and political stakeholders in AbitibiTémiscamingue, protests from air carriers, and the devastating impact it will have on economic development and tourism in the region, Nav Canada continues to defend its recommendations to shut down overnight services provided by the Rouyn-Noranda flight service station. Even Nav Canada admits that this closure is penny-wise and pound foolish.Does the Minister of Transport plan to act on Nav Canada's recommendations, despite the unanimous opposition?
Mr. Speaker, business leaders say that the Liberals' anti-energy policies are borderline treasonous. Brett Wilson said that Bill C-69 is lunacy. NuVista's CEO said it needs to be completely killed or radically changed. Susan Johns, a British fund manager, said that Canadian oil and gas is being strangled by regulation, carbon taxes and the inability of producers to get their product to world markets.Clearly the Liberals' anti-energy agenda is the problem, not the solution. When will the Liberals stop killing Canadian jobs and withdraw their no more pipelines Bill C-69?
Mr. Speaker, constituents in my riding of Brampton North have identified gun and gang violence as a significant public safety issue that must be addressed. However, it apparently is not an issue of concern for the Leader of the Opposition, who has not yet proposed a practical solution to deal with the increase in these violent acts. He recently visited my city of Brampton and, unfortunately, proposed redundant, unconstitutional and, ultimately, ineffective measures.Can the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction
Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the current government cannot provide our military with the equipment it needs, as demonstrated by the fact that the government is going to buy used F-18s from Australia.According to defence experts, this interim procurement strategy is risky, expensive and, above all, pointless. A capability gap is cited as the reason for this procurement, but there is no documentation to back that up.Why has the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians about the capability gap?
Mr. Speaker, our government takes Canadians' privacy very seriously and understands their concerns. The head of Statistics Canada has clearly said that the pilot project is still in the design stage. He said that the project would move forward only once Canadians' concerns have been addressed. The Privacy Commissioner did his job. No information was shared or collected by Statistics Canada as part of this pilot project.
Mr. Speaker, even if we take into consideration the $800 tax increase on every middle-class family in this country, the tax increase targeted at moms and dads who take their kids to sports or students who buy textbooks or pay tuition or the tax increases on small businesses, even if we take into consideration the $20 billion of extra revenue that poured into the government's coffers last year, it has blown every single nickel. The question is this. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, we saw one of the largest private sector investments in the history of our country, a $40-billion investment in the oil and gas sector.When the Harper government came into office in 2006, 99% of Alberta's oil was sold to the U.S. When the Conservatives left office in 2015, 99% of Alberta's oil was still sold to the U.S. That is the failed record of the Harper government.We are expanding our non-U.S. markets. We are working hard to make sure it happens.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister inherited a balanced budget in 2015.Today, Canada's budget is being crushed under the weight of deficits that our children and grandchildren will have to pay. It is unacceptable. It has gotten to the point where my daughter, who turned 17 yesterday, will be 45 by the time the budget is balanced.If Canadians managed their finances the way the Liberal government does, we would all be bankrupt.I will repeat my question for the Prime Minister for the third time: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the facts.Personal information will be removed. Canadians can rest assured that their banking information remains protected and private. Statistics Canada can absolutely not share this information with anyone, not with any agency or government, and not with the Prime Minister. Canadians' privacy will be protected.
Mr. Speaker, obviously, it is very important to find an approach that works. Unfortunately, the previous Conservative government had an approach that created lots of deficit but not a lot of growth.Our approach is very different. We are investing in Canadian families. We have one of the highest levels of growth in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years. We are going to continue with our approach because it is working.
Mr. Speaker, four new pipelines were built under the Conservatives. Darren Peers from Capital Group, a big investor in Canadian oil, points out the reality that no major pipeline project is yet assured under these Liberals, and that energy investors are questioning the merits of investing because of them.What is certain is the Liberals are driving billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs out of Canada. Cenovus warns that Canada ignores these red flags at its peril. Provinces are against Bill C-69, too.Will the minister cancel his job-killing, no more pipelines Bill C-69 before it is too late?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals actually have a credibility gap problem. The defence minister has misled Canadians. For months he has justified buying old, used Australian fighter jets that were destined for the scrap heap by claiming there was a capability gap in our current fleet. Now detailed government documents reveal that the minister's statements were patently false. The Liberals manufactured a fake capability gap to give political cover for the Prime Minister's naive election campaign promise.Why are the Liberals betraying our air force and misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we know that in 2015, we were in a very difficult situation. The growth rate was very low. The unemployment rate was 7.1%. Things were very difficult for middle-class families across the country.We made investments. Now, the situation is very different. We have one of the highest growth rates in the G7, and our unemployment rate is at its lowest in 40 years. That is great. We are going to continue investing so we can have a future full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians continue to express their absolute rejection of the Liberal plan to secretly force banks and other financial institutions to release their personal financial information of their clients without their consent. The Liberals justify this intrusion claiming it will help make better decisions. If the Liberals believe that this surveillance is justifiable, will they explain why they refuse to at least ask Canadians for their consent?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear how important and sensitive this topic is. Unfortunately, we saw how the people across the way behaved during question period. On our side, we hope that we can all work together in the interest of all francophones or anglophones in minority situations in Canada.Despite everything I am hearing and the partisanship that the Liberals continue to display, I would like to seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that the House express its support for Franco-Ontarians and other official language minority communities across Canada; that it reiterate its support for Canada's official bilingualism as a strength and asset that should be cherished and protected; that it recognize and respect the rights and responsibilities of the provincial and territorial governments to legislate in their areas of jurisdiction; and that it urge the Prime Minister to present a plan outlining the measures that the Government of Canada will take in its areas of jurisdiction to ensure that all services to official language minority communities are protected, and to present this plan within 30 days of adoption of this motion.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has decided go after Quebec's health care system. The threat is clear: either Quebec bans private clinics or Ottawa will cut transfers.Can the minister explain the twisted logic that led her to believe that cutting transfers would be a good way to meet the needs of Quebeckers who need health care right now?
Mr. Speaker, no matter what the Minister of Finance says, the forecast speaks for itself.The Parliamentary Budget Officer says there is just a 10% chance of balancing the budget in 2021-22 and a 30% chance of balancing it six years from now in 2023-24.The next election is just one year away and the Liberal government promised to balance the budget by the end of the current term.Once again, my question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to providing the Royal Canadian Air Force with the critical equipment it needs to be fully operational, now and in the future. Our government believes it is unacceptable to take risks with respect to Canada's ability to simultaneously meet its commitments to NORAD and NATO.We are convinced that the Australian aircraft can meet interim needs while the CF-18 permanent replacement is being carried out.
Mr. Speaker, the ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is especially troubling because this is the largest outbreak since the virus was discovered in that country in 1976. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development update the House on what the government is doing to address this issue?
Mr. Speaker, at the request of Transport Canada, Nav Canada is taking a second look at the specific situation in Rouyn-Noranda. That study is currently under way, and we will have the results soon.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that this House recognizes the importance of the Franco-Ontarian community within the Canadian Francophonie, and denounces, unequivocally, the decision of the Government of Ontario to terminate the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, and the Francophone Ontario University project.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the government indicate by the end of the week the year in which the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, cutting transfers is not the way to work with the Quebec government.The same thing is happening this year. Health care costs keep going up, and the government is heartlessly cutting the health transfer escalator. Now, it wants to put more pressure on the public system by prohibiting access to private clinics, which everyone knows will affect wait times at public institutions.When will the government let Quebec manage its own health system and stop going after people who use Quebec's health care network?
Mr. Speaker, Doug Ford's decision to attack the language rights of Franco-Ontarians is unacceptable. Creating a French-language university is critical to the Franco-Ontarian community.The Conservative Party needs to understand that we are no longer in the 1950s. Francophones are going to stand up for their rights.What specific action does the government plan to take to protect official languages in Ontario?
Mr. Speaker, the government promised small deficits of $10 billion for the first two years and a balanced budget in 2019. However, we have since found out that we will end up with a deficit of close to $80 billion over a four-year period, thanks to this government.My question for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance is very simple: how can they promise a return to a balanced budget when it will not actually happen until 2045? When will the budget be balanced? This is a very simple question.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister breaking his word and failing Canadians is nothing new. He does it all the time. However, the fact that he is using our kids and our grandkids' money to pay for his out-of-control spending is shameful. It is irresponsible for a government to run massive deficits with no plan and no time frame for when it will return to balance.If the Liberals truly care about our youth and future generations, which are going to have to pay for today's spending and deficit, will they answer this simple question. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, can members imagine being told they cannot see their newborn child until they agree to a procedure that will mean they will never have another child in their life or being sterilized with no knowledge or consent? This is the reality for at least 60 indigenous women in this country of Canada, with some cases as recent as 2017. This is more than just a gross violation of human rights and a product of systemic racism, this is enough, enough apologies, enough talking points. How will the current government make sure that it never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, actually it is not just Conservatives who are sounding the alarm, looking for more fiscal responsibility from these Liberals. Small businesses are asking the Liberals to commit to getting back to balanced budgets, and recently the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy said that the current fiscal policy of the government is without a rudder and an anchor, and that now is the time to rein in budgetary deficits.Maybe the minister, who appears to be the minister of no rudder and no anchor, could tell us when the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, I guess it is important to deal with the facts one by one by one. Let us think about what was just said. What was just said was that people's taxes went up. Wrong. People's taxes went down. What was said is people are worse off. Wrong. What we have is a Canada child benefit, making the vast majority of families better off. Most importantly, what we find is that for small businesses there were lower tax rates in 2018, and lower tax rates in 2019.The facts are just wrong. The good news is the economy is growing. We have the lowest unemployment rates we have seen in a generation. We have much more confidence for the future.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite continues to mislead Canadians. This is not a partisan initiative. It is Statistics Canada. It is an independent agency that has the respect and admiration of Canadians. It has put forward a pilot project to deal with this issue and it has made it very clear that it wants to deal with issues around privacy and data protection. According to subsection 17(1) of the Statistics Act, no government, no opposition member and no prime minister can compel Statistics Canada for this personal information. It never has and never will compromise on personal information.
Mr. Speaker, our government has clearly taken a different approach to labour relations from the previous government. We strongly believe in and respect the collective bargaining process. We know that a deal is the strongest when both parties can work out that deal together. For nearly a year, we have been supporting the parties with services and support to reach a negotiated agreement. We also know that Canadians and businesses rely on Canada Post and its workers during the holiday season. This ongoing work stoppage has had negative impacts on Canadians, our economy, international commerce and, of course, Canada Post and its workers. We strongly encourage both parties to work hard and get a deal.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Brampton North for her strong advocacy on this issue.Protecting the safety of Canadians is a top priority for our government, and that is why we were proud to announce $86 million for front-line law enforcement to keep our communities safe. What the Conservatives have proposed is not a real plan. Experts have noted that they demonstrate either little knowledge of the criminal justice system or they are deliberately trying to mislead Canadians. The Conservative plan typically offers no new supports for law enforcement and it is hard to imagine how they are going to deal with guns and gangs when they appear afraid to utter the word guns.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud to have ensured that Canada was the first G7 country to emerge from the worst economic crisis the world had ever seen.However, our country is governed by a man who came up with the unbelievable economic theory that, and I quote, the budget will balance itself.In real life, budgets do not balance themselves, so could the Minister of Finance finally tell us when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, journalism plays a fundamental role. It is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we invested $50 million in journalism in the last budget. We invested $14 million in minority communities. We helped strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada. I am currently touring the country and talking to the media and journalists. We are looking at other ways in which we can work together and collaborate. We will have more to say about this in the future.
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are dealing with record levels of debt. The Liberals now have our plan, so they have no excuse not to make the right choices. Canadians expect investments this week that will lessen the financial burden on Canadian families and help businesses thrive. The time for eternal discussions on universal, single-payer pharmacare has long passed. Canadians and businesses continue to spend billions of dollars on medication for themselves and their employees. Would the Liberals make the right decision and implement universal pharmacare now?
Mr. Speaker, the forced sterilization of women is still happening in other parts of the world, and believe it or not, it is also still happening here in Canada to indigenous women.Article 22.2 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires that all states take measures to ensure that indigenous women enjoy full protection against all forms of violence and discrimination.Will the Liberals launch an inquiry to put an end to this situation and make restitution for the harm done to the victims and their families?
Mr. Speaker, the coerced sterilization of any woman is a clear violation of her reproductive rights. We know that, unfortunately, indigenous women and other vulnerable women have faced coerced sterilization. We absolutely abhor this practice and we are working with partners, including the provinces, health care providers and medical professionals, to make sure that it is very clear that this should not go on. We are working with the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to ensure that indigenous peoples have access to culturally appropriate and safe health care.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians were misled three years ago, because on page 76 of the Liberal Party election platform, the Liberals said they would run modest deficits for three years and then return to a balanced budget in 2019. The modest deficits became huge deficits, and balancing the budget in 2019 is sheer fantasy. With this Wednesday's economic update, will the Minister of Finance, who broke his election promise, at least have the honour and decency to tell Canadians when we will return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, privacy and data protection are absolutely essential. The member opposite knows full well from the testimony given by the chief statistician before committee members in the Senate and in the House that he will only proceed once issues around privacy and data protection are dealt with. With respect to personal information, that will be removed. More importantly, this is a pilot project. No information has been obtained and no information has been provided. Let us stick with the facts and not the over-the-top rhetoric by the members opposite.
Mr. Speaker, actually we had a whole lot to do with what is going on for Canadian families across the country. We had a lot to do with lowering the middle-class tax rate from $45,000 to $90,000 by 7%. We had a lot to do with
Mr. Speaker, the federal Liberals are in power, and look what is happening in Ontario. They did nothing to protect Franco-Ontarians.The centralist Liberal government wants to control law-abiding citizens. It wants to meddle in bank accounts. Our purchases, withdrawals, payments and financial commitments are our business. Did the Liberals invent Big Brother?Will the government govern for once, give clear instructions and cancel the plan to have Statistics Canada collect banking information?When will the government stop
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London North Centre for his commitment to international issues.Controlling outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, such as ebola, is extremely important to ensure the health and safety of Canadians and citizens around the world. This year we provided $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance for tackling the recent ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We just approved an additional allocation of $750,000 to support infection prevention and provide emergency assistance.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Minister of Finance thought it was a good question, but I would have liked an answer.The federal tax rate for large corporations has fallen from 28% to 15% since 2000. The amount of dead money, meaning assets and cash held by those corporations, increased dramatically beginning in 2000. On the whole, corporate tax cuts have not helped create jobs, and that money has not been invested. It has been channelled into financial speculation and massive corporate executive paycheques.Here, again, is my question for the Minister of Finance. Will he refrain from cutting corporate taxes in his Wednesday update?
Mr. Speaker, we have learned through media reports that the Liberals are considering a bailout package for Canada's struggling news industry in this week's fall economic statement. We hope this is merely a trial balloon because a healthy democracy relies on a free and independent press. It would be unacceptable for the Liberals to even appear to be trying to influence favour with the media.Will the minister confirm that the Liberals will not attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, on August 27, 2015, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to run a modest deficit and then balance the budget in 2019.Here is what the situation looks like today. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that, instead of balancing the budget as promised, the Liberals have accumulated a massive deficit of over $20 billion for this year alone and a deficit of over $21 billion for next year.My question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear. We know that the coerced sterilization of women is indeed a gross violation of human rights. It is a violation of women's reproductive rights. We are actively working with partners in provinces. We are working with faculties of medical education and health professionals to ensure that culturally safe care is available across the country. This is not something that any one order of government can address alone. All Canadians have a responsibility to ensure that these practices never happen again.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue with our approach, which is to ensure that we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of all G7 countries. That is very important. At the same time, we will continue investing in the future. Our investments are really working. We need only consider the unemployment rate or Canada's economic growth, which was the highest in the G7 last year.
Mr. Speaker, while Canada Post refuses to acknowledge the needs of those who deliver the mail, CUPW is literally fighting for workers' lives. Postal transformation is taking its toll on workers' bodies, mental health and families. Despite the Harper Conservatives' imposed legislation in 2011 being deemed unconstitutional, this Prime Minister is threatening to do the same, all in the interest of greasing the wheels of commerce.Well, the cost is too high. Why are Black Friday profits more important than workers' lives?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing some rather concerning rumours about the economic and fiscal update.The Minister of Finance seems to be under pressure from Bay Street to lower corporate taxes, on the grounds that he should keep step with the United States. The problem is that the tax cuts in the U.S. did not create jobs. They largely served to boost senior executives' salaries. Furthermore, the United States is on track to post a $1-trillion deficit.Will the Minister of Finance confirm right here that he will not be announcing corporate tax cuts?
Mr. Speaker, the only fact that the minister is overlooking is that the Liberals promised to be transparent, and they have been non-transparent on this particular file. It was only through media reports that we found out about this. The type of information Liberals want to collect is highly personal. This information is also highly valued by large multinationals that want to sell more of their products. We know that Statistics Canada already sells access to some of its data, 115 million dollars' worth last year. Will the government confirm today whether or not the results of this new scheme to harvest Canadians' most personal financial data will also be put on sale to the private sector?
Mr. Speaker, I want to offer condolences to my friend for his recent loss.We believe that a health card, not a credit card, is the only card a Canadian should need to receive health care. Our health care system is a source of pride across the country because it allows everyone to receive treatment, regardless of whether they have money. We will continue to work with Quebec and the other provinces and territories to ensure that our health care system is a good one.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles in the energy sector and the price differential the industry is facing. We are working very diligently with provinces and are moving forward on expanding our global market to make sure that Alberta's oil sector resources are able to get to non-U.S. markets.What we are seeing today is the result of a decade of failure and inaction on behalf of the former Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, I will let my colleague have some fun with his conspiracy theories. Practically speaking, we all know that professional journalismhigh-quality, independent newsis one of the pillars of democracy. On this side of the House, we respect journalistic independence. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $50 million, including $14 million for minority communities and CBC/Radio-Canada. They do not like that. One thing is clear: journalism is important. We will respect journalistic independence and we will be there.
Mr. Speaker, the update will be presented on Wednesday. Any accountant in any company will make sure the numbers balance when giving an economic update. However, it is certain that the numbers will not balance on Wednesday. There will be a deficit. If the Minister of Finance cannot keep the promise he made to balance the budget in 2019, could he at least give Canadians an update and tell them when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, the facts are somewhat different.The Harper government left us $150 billion in debt. That was a problem from the start, not to mention having to deal with the lowest growth rate since 1981, or in nearly 40 years.We are now in a very different situation thanks to our investments and the fact that we have one of the highest growth rates in the G7. It is a good situation for Canada's middle class.
Mr. Speaker, when Statistics Canada asks more than 500,000 households for information on their bank accounts, their investments, their mortgages, and their credit card statements, that starts to be a bit much. One million Canadians feel compelled to allow the government to intrude into their financial affairs. It is completely unacceptable.When will the Liberal government cancel this project that is much too intrusive into Canadians' private lives?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I marched with my NDP colleagues and more than 5,000 people in Montreal in support of local food and to speak out against the fact that agriculture is being used as a bargaining chip in trade agreements. Farmers have been clear: the lack of reciprocity in standards and the concessions that have been made in trade agreements are a direct attack on our food sovereignty. Can the government tell us today what it intends to do to stop abusing our food producers in Quebec?
Mr. Speaker, we believe that it is not acceptable for some people to access care more quickly just because they have more money. I have been working closely with my colleagues, with all provinces and territories, for some time to resolve this situation, which, when it comes down to it, is unfair. We will continue to work together to protect our health system, better serve patients and protect patients in Quebec and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, Jerry Dias, the head of the union representing thousands of Canadian journalists, confirmed in a tweet last week that his union will campaign aggressively to help the Liberals in the next election. The very same day, he was quoted in the Toronto Star asking the Liberals for more money. Now Canadians learn the Liberals plan to cave in to this demand with a major cash infusion for media outlets.Does the minister not see that this bailout could be easily perceived as an attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, let us consider what we actually inherited. We inherited $150 billion of additional debt generated by the previous government. We inherited an unemployment rate of 7.1%. We inherited a growth rate that was among the lowest since the Great Depression. Where did we get to? We turned that around with one of the highest rates of growth in the G7 and the lowest rates of unemployment. I will take the Liberal economic record over Conservative economic rhetoric every day of the week.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles that the industry and both Alberta and Saskatchewan are facing relating to the price differential. We need to make sure that we expand our pipeline capacity so that our non-U.S. market is expanded. The challenge we are facing is that 99% of our natural resources in Canada are being sold to only one country, the United States.We need to reduce that dependency, and that is exactly what we are working on.
Mr. Speaker, when Jim Flaherty became finance minister, he made the responsible decision to pay off $30 billion in debt, which prepared Canada for the great global recession, the greatest financial crisis in world history since the Depression. That is why we were the last to go in and the first to come out of that crisis. By contrast, the current Liberal government has a booming world and U.S. economy, with record low interest rates, multiple factors with which it had nothing whatsoever to do, and it has squandered all of it. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that the American government indicated quite clearly that it was going to destroy the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it would not happen, and it did not happen. We do understand there is an impact on our farmers, and we are committed to fully and fairly helping them to continue to succeed. We have and will continue to support our agriculture sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear that a modern fighter jet fleet is essential to defending Canada and Canadian sovereignty. That is why we are acquiring 88 fighter jets to replace the aging CF-18 fleet. We welcome the Auditor General's advice in this matter, and look forward to his report. When? Tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, in a country as rich as Canada, too many families are living paycheque to paycheque or are living in poverty. While Liberals continue to claim that the economy is doing well, they fail to acknowledge that families in Canada are dealing with record levels of debt. Time and time again, Liberals show they are more interested in giving tax breaks to wealthy corporations, while telling Canadians they have to wait.Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have sent our plan to the finance minister. Will he listen, stop with the corporate giveaways and invest in Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, everybody on the government side supports the supply-management system. It is unfortunate that not all among the Conservative opposition do. We understand what took place. The U.S. government indicated quite clearly that it wanted to dismantle the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it did not happen.We also understand that our farmers are impacted by the new deal and we will fully and fairly make sure that they are
Mr. Speaker, the trust fund twins, the Prime Minister and finance minister, inherited great fortune: a balanced budget, booming world and U.S. economies, rising commodity prices, record low interest rates, and roaring housing markets in Vancouver and Toronto. That was a $20-billion windfall for the Liberals and they blew every single penny. The Prime Minister keeps telling us that the budget will balance itself. If so, when?
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in Canadians. In fact, what we know is that approach has absolutely worked over the last three years. We have brought hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty through the Canada child benefit. We have helped innumerable seniors through the guaranteed income supplement increase.We are going to continue to focus on our core goal of assuring that families across the country are doing well, and that those who are challenged have a great opportunity. We will do that by making sure not only that they are doing well, but that we are investing in our future.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent question.Millions of francophones and francophiles are going to fight alongside our government and all parties who want to stand up for Franco-Ontarians. I would ask the Conservative leader to talk to his boss, Doug Ford, in Ontario and get the Conservative government to back down on that decision, which is
Mr. Speaker, just to think about where we are right now from a small business standpoint, as of January 2019, we will have a combined federal-provincial tax rate of 12.2%, the lowest among G7 countries. It is a very strong position so those businesses can make investments. We have been able to do that while keeping to a very fiscally responsible approach.Canada has the lowest level of debt to GDP among G7 countries. It is on a downward trajectory. That is fiscal responsibility, and we are able to do it while investing in Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we understand exactly what the Conservatives want to do. They want to cut all kinds of things, including services to francophones. We are well aware of that.We will continue to invest. Our approach is working. Our economy is growing. That is very important to us, and it is certainly the most important thing to families across the country. Our rate of growth is good, our unemployment rate is very low, and our future is full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has determined that we do not need a second Asterix or Obelix while Seaspan is building the joint support ships. We appreciate Davie's excellent work on the Asterix, but we do not need a second ship.
Mr. Speaker, we understand well the Conservative approach. Their idea was to make cuts. What would have happened is we would have put our economy into recession. Our idea was to make investments. What happened? People had more disposable income, our economy started growing. Right now, we have the lowest levels of unemployment we have seen in 40 years. However, more important, we have more people working among working age Canadians than in the history of Canada. Therefore, we are doing very well economically. We will continue to make investments, while the people opposite will think about where they can make cuts, cuts across the country.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, we had a lot to do with the introduction of the Canada child benefit, which made a huge difference across the country. What we had the most to do with is the fact that the average family with two children in 2019 will have $2,000 more in their pocket than in 2015. Canadians are better off. Those are the facts. Those are the facts that matter for Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, what we can say is that it is very important to have a certain level of investment in our country. We need to make sure our system is competitive but fair. That balance is very important. That is our goal, but we know that when things are going as well as they are now, when our economy is growing and our unemployment rate is very low, it is time to secure our future. That is our goal for Wednesday's update.
Mr. Speaker, we know it is very important that we continue with our approach, which is improving the lives of Canadians across the country. This approach is working for people who now have good jobs. We will have the opportunity to continue with our approach and make sure that we are investing for the future, not only in the business world, but also to make things better for families.
Mr. Speaker, that is a good question, and balance is always necessary. We need to consider how we can remain competitive while still ensuring that our tax system is fair. Our goal is to achieve balance in a system that works for the country. We will be able to do both at the same time. That will be our approach.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are proud of their publicly funded health care system, one that is based on their needs and not on their ability to pay. However, we also recognize that we can do better and that is why I was pleased in March of this year that we announced the implementation of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare program. I truly look forward to receiving the recommendations of Dr. Hoskins that will be brought forward in the spring of 2019.
Mr. Speaker, the question the member should be asking is: where are we now?We are in a situation where the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years. More people are working now than ever before in the history of Canada. That is an excellent situation for Canadian families and middle-class families.We will continue to invest to grow our economy for the future.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from GlengarryPrescottRussell for his question. He is a strong advocate for official languages and an excellent representative of his Franco-Ontarian community.We have invested $2.7 billion in official languages, including $500 million in new money. We are here to support the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne. We support organizations that are working across the country to oppose the Conservative government's decision. We stand with them.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for that excellent question. The Ontario Conservatives' decision is a direct attack on Franco-Ontarians, and I will be happy to work with him to protect them. The fact is, one party is not standing up to protect Franco-Ontarians, and that is the Conservative Party. We fully expect the Conservative leader to speak out against this situation and talk to Mr. Ford in the interest of protecting francophones in Ontario and across the country. We, as a government, will stand up for francophones.
Mr. Speaker, there has been no shortage of promises, lip service and fake news stories, but Canada's biggest shipyard, the Davie shipyard, has gotten nothing but peanuts. The shipbuilding strategy is not working. There have been cost overruns, and ships are not being delivered. The Davie shipyard is ready.What is stopping the government from ordering the Obelix now? This is a national security issue. What are the Liberals afraid of? Who are they protecting?
Mr. Speaker, more than ever, I wear this pin with pride in Ontario. All citizens, including the 600,000 Franco-Ontarians, are concerned and shocked by the Ontario government's decision. It will have a devastating impact on the rights of the Franco-Ontarian community.Canadians recognize the importance of protecting our rights and our official languages, and the government has a role to play in the matter.Can the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie inform the House
Mr. Speaker, about 5,000 people gathered in Montreal yesterday. I was there along with dairy, chicken, beef, pork, poultry and organic farmers, who all came together to showcase our local produce. There were 5,000 people there, but not one representative of the Liberal government. Not one of the 40 Liberal MPs from Quebec was there to stand up for our local produce. Why are they hiding? Because they know they have to save face for the minister, who did a bad job of negotiating the USMCA.How can the Prime Minister justify this lack of respect for Quebec's farmers?
Mr. Speaker, francophones and francophiles across the country are outraged by the Ontario government's unwarranted decision to eliminate the French Language Services Commissioner and scrap plans for a university in Toronto.That lack of vision is a direct attack on the Franco-Ontarian community and official languages. The Prime Minister needs to go to the mat to convince Mr. Ford to reconsider his decision and stand up for official languages and francophones.What are the Liberals going to do to protect minority francophone communities across the country?
Mr. Speaker, with the lack of pipeline capacity, the price of western Canadian heavy oil has fallen to a record low, undercutting employment and public revenues.The Alberta government and industry are considering temporarily cutting output to improve prices, but are concerned about federal competition rules.Can the government assure Alberta and Saskatchewan that the federal Competition Bureau will not interfere if they coordinate a production cut?
Mr. Speaker, despite concerted opposition from economic and political stakeholders in AbitibiTémiscamingue, protests from air carriers, and the devastating impact it will have on economic development and tourism in the region, Nav Canada continues to defend its recommendations to shut down overnight services provided by the Rouyn-Noranda flight service station. Even Nav Canada admits that this closure is penny-wise and pound foolish.Does the Minister of Transport plan to act on Nav Canada's recommendations, despite the unanimous opposition?
Mr. Speaker, business leaders say that the Liberals' anti-energy policies are borderline treasonous. Brett Wilson said that Bill C-69 is lunacy. NuVista's CEO said it needs to be completely killed or radically changed. Susan Johns, a British fund manager, said that Canadian oil and gas is being strangled by regulation, carbon taxes and the inability of producers to get their product to world markets.Clearly the Liberals' anti-energy agenda is the problem, not the solution. When will the Liberals stop killing Canadian jobs and withdraw their no more pipelines Bill C-69?
Mr. Speaker, constituents in my riding of Brampton North have identified gun and gang violence as a significant public safety issue that must be addressed. However, it apparently is not an issue of concern for the Leader of the Opposition, who has not yet proposed a practical solution to deal with the increase in these violent acts. He recently visited my city of Brampton and, unfortunately, proposed redundant, unconstitutional and, ultimately, ineffective measures.Can the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction
Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the current government cannot provide our military with the equipment it needs, as demonstrated by the fact that the government is going to buy used F-18s from Australia.According to defence experts, this interim procurement strategy is risky, expensive and, above all, pointless. A capability gap is cited as the reason for this procurement, but there is no documentation to back that up.Why has the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians about the capability gap?
Mr. Speaker, our government takes Canadians' privacy very seriously and understands their concerns. The head of Statistics Canada has clearly said that the pilot project is still in the design stage. He said that the project would move forward only once Canadians' concerns have been addressed. The Privacy Commissioner did his job. No information was shared or collected by Statistics Canada as part of this pilot project.
Mr. Speaker, even if we take into consideration the $800 tax increase on every middle-class family in this country, the tax increase targeted at moms and dads who take their kids to sports or students who buy textbooks or pay tuition or the tax increases on small businesses, even if we take into consideration the $20 billion of extra revenue that poured into the government's coffers last year, it has blown every single nickel. The question is this. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, we saw one of the largest private sector investments in the history of our country, a $40-billion investment in the oil and gas sector.When the Harper government came into office in 2006, 99% of Alberta's oil was sold to the U.S. When the Conservatives left office in 2015, 99% of Alberta's oil was still sold to the U.S. That is the failed record of the Harper government.We are expanding our non-U.S. markets. We are working hard to make sure it happens.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister inherited a balanced budget in 2015.Today, Canada's budget is being crushed under the weight of deficits that our children and grandchildren will have to pay. It is unacceptable. It has gotten to the point where my daughter, who turned 17 yesterday, will be 45 by the time the budget is balanced.If Canadians managed their finances the way the Liberal government does, we would all be bankrupt.I will repeat my question for the Prime Minister for the third time: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the facts.Personal information will be removed. Canadians can rest assured that their banking information remains protected and private. Statistics Canada can absolutely not share this information with anyone, not with any agency or government, and not with the Prime Minister. Canadians' privacy will be protected.
Mr. Speaker, obviously, it is very important to find an approach that works. Unfortunately, the previous Conservative government had an approach that created lots of deficit but not a lot of growth.Our approach is very different. We are investing in Canadian families. We have one of the highest levels of growth in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years. We are going to continue with our approach because it is working.
Mr. Speaker, four new pipelines were built under the Conservatives. Darren Peers from Capital Group, a big investor in Canadian oil, points out the reality that no major pipeline project is yet assured under these Liberals, and that energy investors are questioning the merits of investing because of them.What is certain is the Liberals are driving billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs out of Canada. Cenovus warns that Canada ignores these red flags at its peril. Provinces are against Bill C-69, too.Will the minister cancel his job-killing, no more pipelines Bill C-69 before it is too late?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals actually have a credibility gap problem. The defence minister has misled Canadians. For months he has justified buying old, used Australian fighter jets that were destined for the scrap heap by claiming there was a capability gap in our current fleet. Now detailed government documents reveal that the minister's statements were patently false. The Liberals manufactured a fake capability gap to give political cover for the Prime Minister's naive election campaign promise.Why are the Liberals betraying our air force and misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we know that in 2015, we were in a very difficult situation. The growth rate was very low. The unemployment rate was 7.1%. Things were very difficult for middle-class families across the country.We made investments. Now, the situation is very different. We have one of the highest growth rates in the G7, and our unemployment rate is at its lowest in 40 years. That is great. We are going to continue investing so we can have a future full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians continue to express their absolute rejection of the Liberal plan to secretly force banks and other financial institutions to release their personal financial information of their clients without their consent. The Liberals justify this intrusion claiming it will help make better decisions. If the Liberals believe that this surveillance is justifiable, will they explain why they refuse to at least ask Canadians for their consent?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear how important and sensitive this topic is. Unfortunately, we saw how the people across the way behaved during question period. On our side, we hope that we can all work together in the interest of all francophones or anglophones in minority situations in Canada.Despite everything I am hearing and the partisanship that the Liberals continue to display, I would like to seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that the House express its support for Franco-Ontarians and other official language minority communities across Canada; that it reiterate its support for Canada's official bilingualism as a strength and asset that should be cherished and protected; that it recognize and respect the rights and responsibilities of the provincial and territorial governments to legislate in their areas of jurisdiction; and that it urge the Prime Minister to present a plan outlining the measures that the Government of Canada will take in its areas of jurisdiction to ensure that all services to official language minority communities are protected, and to present this plan within 30 days of adoption of this motion.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has decided go after Quebec's health care system. The threat is clear: either Quebec bans private clinics or Ottawa will cut transfers.Can the minister explain the twisted logic that led her to believe that cutting transfers would be a good way to meet the needs of Quebeckers who need health care right now?
Mr. Speaker, no matter what the Minister of Finance says, the forecast speaks for itself.The Parliamentary Budget Officer says there is just a 10% chance of balancing the budget in 2021-22 and a 30% chance of balancing it six years from now in 2023-24.The next election is just one year away and the Liberal government promised to balance the budget by the end of the current term.Once again, my question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to providing the Royal Canadian Air Force with the critical equipment it needs to be fully operational, now and in the future. Our government believes it is unacceptable to take risks with respect to Canada's ability to simultaneously meet its commitments to NORAD and NATO.We are convinced that the Australian aircraft can meet interim needs while the CF-18 permanent replacement is being carried out.
Mr. Speaker, the ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is especially troubling because this is the largest outbreak since the virus was discovered in that country in 1976. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development update the House on what the government is doing to address this issue?
Mr. Speaker, at the request of Transport Canada, Nav Canada is taking a second look at the specific situation in Rouyn-Noranda. That study is currently under way, and we will have the results soon.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that this House recognizes the importance of the Franco-Ontarian community within the Canadian Francophonie, and denounces, unequivocally, the decision of the Government of Ontario to terminate the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, and the Francophone Ontario University project.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the government indicate by the end of the week the year in which the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, cutting transfers is not the way to work with the Quebec government.The same thing is happening this year. Health care costs keep going up, and the government is heartlessly cutting the health transfer escalator. Now, it wants to put more pressure on the public system by prohibiting access to private clinics, which everyone knows will affect wait times at public institutions.When will the government let Quebec manage its own health system and stop going after people who use Quebec's health care network?
Mr. Speaker, Doug Ford's decision to attack the language rights of Franco-Ontarians is unacceptable. Creating a French-language university is critical to the Franco-Ontarian community.The Conservative Party needs to understand that we are no longer in the 1950s. Francophones are going to stand up for their rights.What specific action does the government plan to take to protect official languages in Ontario?
Mr. Speaker, the government promised small deficits of $10 billion for the first two years and a balanced budget in 2019. However, we have since found out that we will end up with a deficit of close to $80 billion over a four-year period, thanks to this government.My question for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance is very simple: how can they promise a return to a balanced budget when it will not actually happen until 2045? When will the budget be balanced? This is a very simple question.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister breaking his word and failing Canadians is nothing new. He does it all the time. However, the fact that he is using our kids and our grandkids' money to pay for his out-of-control spending is shameful. It is irresponsible for a government to run massive deficits with no plan and no time frame for when it will return to balance.If the Liberals truly care about our youth and future generations, which are going to have to pay for today's spending and deficit, will they answer this simple question. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, can members imagine being told they cannot see their newborn child until they agree to a procedure that will mean they will never have another child in their life or being sterilized with no knowledge or consent? This is the reality for at least 60 indigenous women in this country of Canada, with some cases as recent as 2017. This is more than just a gross violation of human rights and a product of systemic racism, this is enough, enough apologies, enough talking points. How will the current government make sure that it never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, actually it is not just Conservatives who are sounding the alarm, looking for more fiscal responsibility from these Liberals. Small businesses are asking the Liberals to commit to getting back to balanced budgets, and recently the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy said that the current fiscal policy of the government is without a rudder and an anchor, and that now is the time to rein in budgetary deficits.Maybe the minister, who appears to be the minister of no rudder and no anchor, could tell us when the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, I guess it is important to deal with the facts one by one by one. Let us think about what was just said. What was just said was that people's taxes went up. Wrong. People's taxes went down. What was said is people are worse off. Wrong. What we have is a Canada child benefit, making the vast majority of families better off. Most importantly, what we find is that for small businesses there were lower tax rates in 2018, and lower tax rates in 2019.The facts are just wrong. The good news is the economy is growing. We have the lowest unemployment rates we have seen in a generation. We have much more confidence for the future.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite continues to mislead Canadians. This is not a partisan initiative. It is Statistics Canada. It is an independent agency that has the respect and admiration of Canadians. It has put forward a pilot project to deal with this issue and it has made it very clear that it wants to deal with issues around privacy and data protection. According to subsection 17(1) of the Statistics Act, no government, no opposition member and no prime minister can compel Statistics Canada for this personal information. It never has and never will compromise on personal information.
Mr. Speaker, our government has clearly taken a different approach to labour relations from the previous government. We strongly believe in and respect the collective bargaining process. We know that a deal is the strongest when both parties can work out that deal together. For nearly a year, we have been supporting the parties with services and support to reach a negotiated agreement. We also know that Canadians and businesses rely on Canada Post and its workers during the holiday season. This ongoing work stoppage has had negative impacts on Canadians, our economy, international commerce and, of course, Canada Post and its workers. We strongly encourage both parties to work hard and get a deal.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Brampton North for her strong advocacy on this issue.Protecting the safety of Canadians is a top priority for our government, and that is why we were proud to announce $86 million for front-line law enforcement to keep our communities safe. What the Conservatives have proposed is not a real plan. Experts have noted that they demonstrate either little knowledge of the criminal justice system or they are deliberately trying to mislead Canadians. The Conservative plan typically offers no new supports for law enforcement and it is hard to imagine how they are going to deal with guns and gangs when they appear afraid to utter the word guns.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud to have ensured that Canada was the first G7 country to emerge from the worst economic crisis the world had ever seen.However, our country is governed by a man who came up with the unbelievable economic theory that, and I quote, the budget will balance itself.In real life, budgets do not balance themselves, so could the Minister of Finance finally tell us when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, journalism plays a fundamental role. It is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we invested $50 million in journalism in the last budget. We invested $14 million in minority communities. We helped strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada. I am currently touring the country and talking to the media and journalists. We are looking at other ways in which we can work together and collaborate. We will have more to say about this in the future.
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are dealing with record levels of debt. The Liberals now have our plan, so they have no excuse not to make the right choices. Canadians expect investments this week that will lessen the financial burden on Canadian families and help businesses thrive. The time for eternal discussions on universal, single-payer pharmacare has long passed. Canadians and businesses continue to spend billions of dollars on medication for themselves and their employees. Would the Liberals make the right decision and implement universal pharmacare now?
Mr. Speaker, the forced sterilization of women is still happening in other parts of the world, and believe it or not, it is also still happening here in Canada to indigenous women.Article 22.2 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires that all states take measures to ensure that indigenous women enjoy full protection against all forms of violence and discrimination.Will the Liberals launch an inquiry to put an end to this situation and make restitution for the harm done to the victims and their families?
Mr. Speaker, the coerced sterilization of any woman is a clear violation of her reproductive rights. We know that, unfortunately, indigenous women and other vulnerable women have faced coerced sterilization. We absolutely abhor this practice and we are working with partners, including the provinces, health care providers and medical professionals, to make sure that it is very clear that this should not go on. We are working with the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to ensure that indigenous peoples have access to culturally appropriate and safe health care.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians were misled three years ago, because on page 76 of the Liberal Party election platform, the Liberals said they would run modest deficits for three years and then return to a balanced budget in 2019. The modest deficits became huge deficits, and balancing the budget in 2019 is sheer fantasy. With this Wednesday's economic update, will the Minister of Finance, who broke his election promise, at least have the honour and decency to tell Canadians when we will return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, privacy and data protection are absolutely essential. The member opposite knows full well from the testimony given by the chief statistician before committee members in the Senate and in the House that he will only proceed once issues around privacy and data protection are dealt with. With respect to personal information, that will be removed. More importantly, this is a pilot project. No information has been obtained and no information has been provided. Let us stick with the facts and not the over-the-top rhetoric by the members opposite.
Mr. Speaker, actually we had a whole lot to do with what is going on for Canadian families across the country. We had a lot to do with lowering the middle-class tax rate from $45,000 to $90,000 by 7%. We had a lot to do with
Mr. Speaker, the federal Liberals are in power, and look what is happening in Ontario. They did nothing to protect Franco-Ontarians.The centralist Liberal government wants to control law-abiding citizens. It wants to meddle in bank accounts. Our purchases, withdrawals, payments and financial commitments are our business. Did the Liberals invent Big Brother?Will the government govern for once, give clear instructions and cancel the plan to have Statistics Canada collect banking information?When will the government stop
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London North Centre for his commitment to international issues.Controlling outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, such as ebola, is extremely important to ensure the health and safety of Canadians and citizens around the world. This year we provided $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance for tackling the recent ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We just approved an additional allocation of $750,000 to support infection prevention and provide emergency assistance.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Minister of Finance thought it was a good question, but I would have liked an answer.The federal tax rate for large corporations has fallen from 28% to 15% since 2000. The amount of dead money, meaning assets and cash held by those corporations, increased dramatically beginning in 2000. On the whole, corporate tax cuts have not helped create jobs, and that money has not been invested. It has been channelled into financial speculation and massive corporate executive paycheques.Here, again, is my question for the Minister of Finance. Will he refrain from cutting corporate taxes in his Wednesday update?
Mr. Speaker, we have learned through media reports that the Liberals are considering a bailout package for Canada's struggling news industry in this week's fall economic statement. We hope this is merely a trial balloon because a healthy democracy relies on a free and independent press. It would be unacceptable for the Liberals to even appear to be trying to influence favour with the media.Will the minister confirm that the Liberals will not attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, on August 27, 2015, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to run a modest deficit and then balance the budget in 2019.Here is what the situation looks like today. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that, instead of balancing the budget as promised, the Liberals have accumulated a massive deficit of over $20 billion for this year alone and a deficit of over $21 billion for next year.My question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear. We know that the coerced sterilization of women is indeed a gross violation of human rights. It is a violation of women's reproductive rights. We are actively working with partners in provinces. We are working with faculties of medical education and health professionals to ensure that culturally safe care is available across the country. This is not something that any one order of government can address alone. All Canadians have a responsibility to ensure that these practices never happen again.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue with our approach, which is to ensure that we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of all G7 countries. That is very important. At the same time, we will continue investing in the future. Our investments are really working. We need only consider the unemployment rate or Canada's economic growth, which was the highest in the G7 last year.
Mr. Speaker, while Canada Post refuses to acknowledge the needs of those who deliver the mail, CUPW is literally fighting for workers' lives. Postal transformation is taking its toll on workers' bodies, mental health and families. Despite the Harper Conservatives' imposed legislation in 2011 being deemed unconstitutional, this Prime Minister is threatening to do the same, all in the interest of greasing the wheels of commerce.Well, the cost is too high. Why are Black Friday profits more important than workers' lives?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing some rather concerning rumours about the economic and fiscal update.The Minister of Finance seems to be under pressure from Bay Street to lower corporate taxes, on the grounds that he should keep step with the United States. The problem is that the tax cuts in the U.S. did not create jobs. They largely served to boost senior executives' salaries. Furthermore, the United States is on track to post a $1-trillion deficit.Will the Minister of Finance confirm right here that he will not be announcing corporate tax cuts?
Mr. Speaker, the only fact that the minister is overlooking is that the Liberals promised to be transparent, and they have been non-transparent on this particular file. It was only through media reports that we found out about this. The type of information Liberals want to collect is highly personal. This information is also highly valued by large multinationals that want to sell more of their products. We know that Statistics Canada already sells access to some of its data, 115 million dollars' worth last year. Will the government confirm today whether or not the results of this new scheme to harvest Canadians' most personal financial data will also be put on sale to the private sector?
Mr. Speaker, I want to offer condolences to my friend for his recent loss.We believe that a health card, not a credit card, is the only card a Canadian should need to receive health care. Our health care system is a source of pride across the country because it allows everyone to receive treatment, regardless of whether they have money. We will continue to work with Quebec and the other provinces and territories to ensure that our health care system is a good one.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles in the energy sector and the price differential the industry is facing. We are working very diligently with provinces and are moving forward on expanding our global market to make sure that Alberta's oil sector resources are able to get to non-U.S. markets.What we are seeing today is the result of a decade of failure and inaction on behalf of the former Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, I will let my colleague have some fun with his conspiracy theories. Practically speaking, we all know that professional journalismhigh-quality, independent newsis one of the pillars of democracy. On this side of the House, we respect journalistic independence. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $50 million, including $14 million for minority communities and CBC/Radio-Canada. They do not like that. One thing is clear: journalism is important. We will respect journalistic independence and we will be there.
Mr. Speaker, the update will be presented on Wednesday. Any accountant in any company will make sure the numbers balance when giving an economic update. However, it is certain that the numbers will not balance on Wednesday. There will be a deficit. If the Minister of Finance cannot keep the promise he made to balance the budget in 2019, could he at least give Canadians an update and tell them when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, the facts are somewhat different.The Harper government left us $150 billion in debt. That was a problem from the start, not to mention having to deal with the lowest growth rate since 1981, or in nearly 40 years.We are now in a very different situation thanks to our investments and the fact that we have one of the highest growth rates in the G7. It is a good situation for Canada's middle class.
Mr. Speaker, when Statistics Canada asks more than 500,000 households for information on their bank accounts, their investments, their mortgages, and their credit card statements, that starts to be a bit much. One million Canadians feel compelled to allow the government to intrude into their financial affairs. It is completely unacceptable.When will the Liberal government cancel this project that is much too intrusive into Canadians' private lives?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I marched with my NDP colleagues and more than 5,000 people in Montreal in support of local food and to speak out against the fact that agriculture is being used as a bargaining chip in trade agreements. Farmers have been clear: the lack of reciprocity in standards and the concessions that have been made in trade agreements are a direct attack on our food sovereignty. Can the government tell us today what it intends to do to stop abusing our food producers in Quebec?
Mr. Speaker, we believe that it is not acceptable for some people to access care more quickly just because they have more money. I have been working closely with my colleagues, with all provinces and territories, for some time to resolve this situation, which, when it comes down to it, is unfair. We will continue to work together to protect our health system, better serve patients and protect patients in Quebec and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, Jerry Dias, the head of the union representing thousands of Canadian journalists, confirmed in a tweet last week that his union will campaign aggressively to help the Liberals in the next election. The very same day, he was quoted in the Toronto Star asking the Liberals for more money. Now Canadians learn the Liberals plan to cave in to this demand with a major cash infusion for media outlets.Does the minister not see that this bailout could be easily perceived as an attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, let us consider what we actually inherited. We inherited $150 billion of additional debt generated by the previous government. We inherited an unemployment rate of 7.1%. We inherited a growth rate that was among the lowest since the Great Depression. Where did we get to? We turned that around with one of the highest rates of growth in the G7 and the lowest rates of unemployment. I will take the Liberal economic record over Conservative economic rhetoric every day of the week.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles that the industry and both Alberta and Saskatchewan are facing relating to the price differential. We need to make sure that we expand our pipeline capacity so that our non-U.S. market is expanded. The challenge we are facing is that 99% of our natural resources in Canada are being sold to only one country, the United States.We need to reduce that dependency, and that is exactly what we are working on.
Mr. Speaker, when Jim Flaherty became finance minister, he made the responsible decision to pay off $30 billion in debt, which prepared Canada for the great global recession, the greatest financial crisis in world history since the Depression. That is why we were the last to go in and the first to come out of that crisis. By contrast, the current Liberal government has a booming world and U.S. economy, with record low interest rates, multiple factors with which it had nothing whatsoever to do, and it has squandered all of it. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that the American government indicated quite clearly that it was going to destroy the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it would not happen, and it did not happen. We do understand there is an impact on our farmers, and we are committed to fully and fairly helping them to continue to succeed. We have and will continue to support our agriculture sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear that a modern fighter jet fleet is essential to defending Canada and Canadian sovereignty. That is why we are acquiring 88 fighter jets to replace the aging CF-18 fleet. We welcome the Auditor General's advice in this matter, and look forward to his report. When? Tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, in a country as rich as Canada, too many families are living paycheque to paycheque or are living in poverty. While Liberals continue to claim that the economy is doing well, they fail to acknowledge that families in Canada are dealing with record levels of debt. Time and time again, Liberals show they are more interested in giving tax breaks to wealthy corporations, while telling Canadians they have to wait.Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have sent our plan to the finance minister. Will he listen, stop with the corporate giveaways and invest in Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, everybody on the government side supports the supply-management system. It is unfortunate that not all among the Conservative opposition do. We understand what took place. The U.S. government indicated quite clearly that it wanted to dismantle the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it did not happen.We also understand that our farmers are impacted by the new deal and we will fully and fairly make sure that they are
Mr. Speaker, the trust fund twins, the Prime Minister and finance minister, inherited great fortune: a balanced budget, booming world and U.S. economies, rising commodity prices, record low interest rates, and roaring housing markets in Vancouver and Toronto. That was a $20-billion windfall for the Liberals and they blew every single penny. The Prime Minister keeps telling us that the budget will balance itself. If so, when?
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in Canadians. In fact, what we know is that approach has absolutely worked over the last three years. We have brought hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty through the Canada child benefit. We have helped innumerable seniors through the guaranteed income supplement increase.We are going to continue to focus on our core goal of assuring that families across the country are doing well, and that those who are challenged have a great opportunity. We will do that by making sure not only that they are doing well, but that we are investing in our future.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent question.Millions of francophones and francophiles are going to fight alongside our government and all parties who want to stand up for Franco-Ontarians. I would ask the Conservative leader to talk to his boss, Doug Ford, in Ontario and get the Conservative government to back down on that decision, which is
Mr. Speaker, just to think about where we are right now from a small business standpoint, as of January 2019, we will have a combined federal-provincial tax rate of 12.2%, the lowest among G7 countries. It is a very strong position so those businesses can make investments. We have been able to do that while keeping to a very fiscally responsible approach.Canada has the lowest level of debt to GDP among G7 countries. It is on a downward trajectory. That is fiscal responsibility, and we are able to do it while investing in Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we understand exactly what the Conservatives want to do. They want to cut all kinds of things, including services to francophones. We are well aware of that.We will continue to invest. Our approach is working. Our economy is growing. That is very important to us, and it is certainly the most important thing to families across the country. Our rate of growth is good, our unemployment rate is very low, and our future is full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has determined that we do not need a second Asterix or Obelix while Seaspan is building the joint support ships. We appreciate Davie's excellent work on the Asterix, but we do not need a second ship.
Mr. Speaker, we understand well the Conservative approach. Their idea was to make cuts. What would have happened is we would have put our economy into recession. Our idea was to make investments. What happened? People had more disposable income, our economy started growing. Right now, we have the lowest levels of unemployment we have seen in 40 years. However, more important, we have more people working among working age Canadians than in the history of Canada. Therefore, we are doing very well economically. We will continue to make investments, while the people opposite will think about where they can make cuts, cuts across the country.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, we had a lot to do with the introduction of the Canada child benefit, which made a huge difference across the country. What we had the most to do with is the fact that the average family with two children in 2019 will have $2,000 more in their pocket than in 2015. Canadians are better off. Those are the facts. Those are the facts that matter for Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, what we can say is that it is very important to have a certain level of investment in our country. We need to make sure our system is competitive but fair. That balance is very important. That is our goal, but we know that when things are going as well as they are now, when our economy is growing and our unemployment rate is very low, it is time to secure our future. That is our goal for Wednesday's update.
Mr. Speaker, we know it is very important that we continue with our approach, which is improving the lives of Canadians across the country. This approach is working for people who now have good jobs. We will have the opportunity to continue with our approach and make sure that we are investing for the future, not only in the business world, but also to make things better for families.
Mr. Speaker, that is a good question, and balance is always necessary. We need to consider how we can remain competitive while still ensuring that our tax system is fair. Our goal is to achieve balance in a system that works for the country. We will be able to do both at the same time. That will be our approach.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are proud of their publicly funded health care system, one that is based on their needs and not on their ability to pay. However, we also recognize that we can do better and that is why I was pleased in March of this year that we announced the implementation of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare program. I truly look forward to receiving the recommendations of Dr. Hoskins that will be brought forward in the spring of 2019.
Mr. Speaker, the question the member should be asking is: where are we now?We are in a situation where the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years. More people are working now than ever before in the history of Canada. That is an excellent situation for Canadian families and middle-class families.We will continue to invest to grow our economy for the future.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from GlengarryPrescottRussell for his question. He is a strong advocate for official languages and an excellent representative of his Franco-Ontarian community.We have invested $2.7 billion in official languages, including $500 million in new money. We are here to support the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne. We support organizations that are working across the country to oppose the Conservative government's decision. We stand with them.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for that excellent question. The Ontario Conservatives' decision is a direct attack on Franco-Ontarians, and I will be happy to work with him to protect them. The fact is, one party is not standing up to protect Franco-Ontarians, and that is the Conservative Party. We fully expect the Conservative leader to speak out against this situation and talk to Mr. Ford in the interest of protecting francophones in Ontario and across the country. We, as a government, will stand up for francophones.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for that excellent question. The Ontario Conservatives' decision is a direct attack on Franco-Ontarians, and I will be happy to work with him to protect them. The fact is, one party is not standing up to protect Franco-Ontarians, and that is the Conservative Party. We fully expect the Conservative leader to speak out against this situation and talk to Mr. Ford in the interest of protecting francophones in Ontario and across the country. We, as a government, will stand up for francophones.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from GlengarryPrescottRussell for his question. He is a strong advocate for official languages and an excellent representative of his Franco-Ontarian community.We have invested $2.7 billion in official languages, including $500 million in new money. We are here to support the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne. We support organizations that are working across the country to oppose the Conservative government's decision. We stand with them.
Mr. Speaker, the question the member should be asking is: where are we now?We are in a situation where the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years. More people are working now than ever before in the history of Canada. That is an excellent situation for Canadian families and middle-class families.We will continue to invest to grow our economy for the future.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are proud of their publicly funded health care system, one that is based on their needs and not on their ability to pay. However, we also recognize that we can do better and that is why I was pleased in March of this year that we announced the implementation of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare program. I truly look forward to receiving the recommendations of Dr. Hoskins that will be brought forward in the spring of 2019.
Mr. Speaker, that is a good question, and balance is always necessary. We need to consider how we can remain competitive while still ensuring that our tax system is fair. Our goal is to achieve balance in a system that works for the country. We will be able to do both at the same time. That will be our approach.
Mr. Speaker, we know it is very important that we continue with our approach, which is improving the lives of Canadians across the country. This approach is working for people who now have good jobs. We will have the opportunity to continue with our approach and make sure that we are investing for the future, not only in the business world, but also to make things better for families.
Mr. Speaker, what we can say is that it is very important to have a certain level of investment in our country. We need to make sure our system is competitive but fair. That balance is very important. That is our goal, but we know that when things are going as well as they are now, when our economy is growing and our unemployment rate is very low, it is time to secure our future. That is our goal for Wednesday's update.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, we had a lot to do with the introduction of the Canada child benefit, which made a huge difference across the country. What we had the most to do with is the fact that the average family with two children in 2019 will have $2,000 more in their pocket than in 2015. Canadians are better off. Those are the facts. Those are the facts that matter for Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, we understand well the Conservative approach. Their idea was to make cuts. What would have happened is we would have put our economy into recession. Our idea was to make investments. What happened? People had more disposable income, our economy started growing. Right now, we have the lowest levels of unemployment we have seen in 40 years. However, more important, we have more people working among working age Canadians than in the history of Canada. Therefore, we are doing very well economically. We will continue to make investments, while the people opposite will think about where they can make cuts, cuts across the country.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has determined that we do not need a second Asterix or Obelix while Seaspan is building the joint support ships. We appreciate Davie's excellent work on the Asterix, but we do not need a second ship.
Mr. Speaker, we understand exactly what the Conservatives want to do. They want to cut all kinds of things, including services to francophones. We are well aware of that.We will continue to invest. Our approach is working. Our economy is growing. That is very important to us, and it is certainly the most important thing to families across the country. Our rate of growth is good, our unemployment rate is very low, and our future is full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, just to think about where we are right now from a small business standpoint, as of January 2019, we will have a combined federal-provincial tax rate of 12.2%, the lowest among G7 countries. It is a very strong position so those businesses can make investments. We have been able to do that while keeping to a very fiscally responsible approach.Canada has the lowest level of debt to GDP among G7 countries. It is on a downward trajectory. That is fiscal responsibility, and we are able to do it while investing in Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent question.Millions of francophones and francophiles are going to fight alongside our government and all parties who want to stand up for Franco-Ontarians. I would ask the Conservative leader to talk to his boss, Doug Ford, in Ontario and get the Conservative government to back down on that decision, which is
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in Canadians. In fact, what we know is that approach has absolutely worked over the last three years. We have brought hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty through the Canada child benefit. We have helped innumerable seniors through the guaranteed income supplement increase.We are going to continue to focus on our core goal of assuring that families across the country are doing well, and that those who are challenged have a great opportunity. We will do that by making sure not only that they are doing well, but that we are investing in our future.
Mr. Speaker, the trust fund twins, the Prime Minister and finance minister, inherited great fortune: a balanced budget, booming world and U.S. economies, rising commodity prices, record low interest rates, and roaring housing markets in Vancouver and Toronto. That was a $20-billion windfall for the Liberals and they blew every single penny. The Prime Minister keeps telling us that the budget will balance itself. If so, when?
Mr. Speaker, everybody on the government side supports the supply-management system. It is unfortunate that not all among the Conservative opposition do. We understand what took place. The U.S. government indicated quite clearly that it wanted to dismantle the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it did not happen.We also understand that our farmers are impacted by the new deal and we will fully and fairly make sure that they are
Mr. Speaker, in a country as rich as Canada, too many families are living paycheque to paycheque or are living in poverty. While Liberals continue to claim that the economy is doing well, they fail to acknowledge that families in Canada are dealing with record levels of debt. Time and time again, Liberals show they are more interested in giving tax breaks to wealthy corporations, while telling Canadians they have to wait.Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have sent our plan to the finance minister. Will he listen, stop with the corporate giveaways and invest in Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear that a modern fighter jet fleet is essential to defending Canada and Canadian sovereignty. That is why we are acquiring 88 fighter jets to replace the aging CF-18 fleet. We welcome the Auditor General's advice in this matter, and look forward to his report. When? Tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, when Jim Flaherty became finance minister, he made the responsible decision to pay off $30 billion in debt, which prepared Canada for the great global recession, the greatest financial crisis in world history since the Depression. That is why we were the last to go in and the first to come out of that crisis. By contrast, the current Liberal government has a booming world and U.S. economy, with record low interest rates, multiple factors with which it had nothing whatsoever to do, and it has squandered all of it. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that the American government indicated quite clearly that it was going to destroy the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it would not happen, and it did not happen. We do understand there is an impact on our farmers, and we are committed to fully and fairly helping them to continue to succeed. We have and will continue to support our agriculture sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles that the industry and both Alberta and Saskatchewan are facing relating to the price differential. We need to make sure that we expand our pipeline capacity so that our non-U.S. market is expanded. The challenge we are facing is that 99% of our natural resources in Canada are being sold to only one country, the United States.We need to reduce that dependency, and that is exactly what we are working on.
Mr. Speaker, let us consider what we actually inherited. We inherited $150 billion of additional debt generated by the previous government. We inherited an unemployment rate of 7.1%. We inherited a growth rate that was among the lowest since the Great Depression. Where did we get to? We turned that around with one of the highest rates of growth in the G7 and the lowest rates of unemployment. I will take the Liberal economic record over Conservative economic rhetoric every day of the week.
Mr. Speaker, Jerry Dias, the head of the union representing thousands of Canadian journalists, confirmed in a tweet last week that his union will campaign aggressively to help the Liberals in the next election. The very same day, he was quoted in the Toronto Star asking the Liberals for more money. Now Canadians learn the Liberals plan to cave in to this demand with a major cash infusion for media outlets.Does the minister not see that this bailout could be easily perceived as an attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, we believe that it is not acceptable for some people to access care more quickly just because they have more money. I have been working closely with my colleagues, with all provinces and territories, for some time to resolve this situation, which, when it comes down to it, is unfair. We will continue to work together to protect our health system, better serve patients and protect patients in Quebec and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I marched with my NDP colleagues and more than 5,000 people in Montreal in support of local food and to speak out against the fact that agriculture is being used as a bargaining chip in trade agreements. Farmers have been clear: the lack of reciprocity in standards and the concessions that have been made in trade agreements are a direct attack on our food sovereignty. Can the government tell us today what it intends to do to stop abusing our food producers in Quebec?
Mr. Speaker, the facts are somewhat different.The Harper government left us $150 billion in debt. That was a problem from the start, not to mention having to deal with the lowest growth rate since 1981, or in nearly 40 years.We are now in a very different situation thanks to our investments and the fact that we have one of the highest growth rates in the G7. It is a good situation for Canada's middle class.
Mr. Speaker, when Statistics Canada asks more than 500,000 households for information on their bank accounts, their investments, their mortgages, and their credit card statements, that starts to be a bit much. One million Canadians feel compelled to allow the government to intrude into their financial affairs. It is completely unacceptable.When will the Liberal government cancel this project that is much too intrusive into Canadians' private lives?
Mr. Speaker, the update will be presented on Wednesday. Any accountant in any company will make sure the numbers balance when giving an economic update. However, it is certain that the numbers will not balance on Wednesday. There will be a deficit. If the Minister of Finance cannot keep the promise he made to balance the budget in 2019, could he at least give Canadians an update and tell them when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, I will let my colleague have some fun with his conspiracy theories. Practically speaking, we all know that professional journalismhigh-quality, independent newsis one of the pillars of democracy. On this side of the House, we respect journalistic independence. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $50 million, including $14 million for minority communities and CBC/Radio-Canada. They do not like that. One thing is clear: journalism is important. We will respect journalistic independence and we will be there.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles in the energy sector and the price differential the industry is facing. We are working very diligently with provinces and are moving forward on expanding our global market to make sure that Alberta's oil sector resources are able to get to non-U.S. markets.What we are seeing today is the result of a decade of failure and inaction on behalf of the former Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, I want to offer condolences to my friend for his recent loss.We believe that a health card, not a credit card, is the only card a Canadian should need to receive health care. Our health care system is a source of pride across the country because it allows everyone to receive treatment, regardless of whether they have money. We will continue to work with Quebec and the other provinces and territories to ensure that our health care system is a good one.
Mr. Speaker, the only fact that the minister is overlooking is that the Liberals promised to be transparent, and they have been non-transparent on this particular file. It was only through media reports that we found out about this. The type of information Liberals want to collect is highly personal. This information is also highly valued by large multinationals that want to sell more of their products. We know that Statistics Canada already sells access to some of its data, 115 million dollars' worth last year. Will the government confirm today whether or not the results of this new scheme to harvest Canadians' most personal financial data will also be put on sale to the private sector?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing some rather concerning rumours about the economic and fiscal update.The Minister of Finance seems to be under pressure from Bay Street to lower corporate taxes, on the grounds that he should keep step with the United States. The problem is that the tax cuts in the U.S. did not create jobs. They largely served to boost senior executives' salaries. Furthermore, the United States is on track to post a $1-trillion deficit.Will the Minister of Finance confirm right here that he will not be announcing corporate tax cuts?
Mr. Speaker, while Canada Post refuses to acknowledge the needs of those who deliver the mail, CUPW is literally fighting for workers' lives. Postal transformation is taking its toll on workers' bodies, mental health and families. Despite the Harper Conservatives' imposed legislation in 2011 being deemed unconstitutional, this Prime Minister is threatening to do the same, all in the interest of greasing the wheels of commerce.Well, the cost is too high. Why are Black Friday profits more important than workers' lives?
Mr. Speaker, we will continue with our approach, which is to ensure that we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of all G7 countries. That is very important. At the same time, we will continue investing in the future. Our investments are really working. We need only consider the unemployment rate or Canada's economic growth, which was the highest in the G7 last year.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear. We know that the coerced sterilization of women is indeed a gross violation of human rights. It is a violation of women's reproductive rights. We are actively working with partners in provinces. We are working with faculties of medical education and health professionals to ensure that culturally safe care is available across the country. This is not something that any one order of government can address alone. All Canadians have a responsibility to ensure that these practices never happen again.
Mr. Speaker, on August 27, 2015, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to run a modest deficit and then balance the budget in 2019.Here is what the situation looks like today. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that, instead of balancing the budget as promised, the Liberals have accumulated a massive deficit of over $20 billion for this year alone and a deficit of over $21 billion for next year.My question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, we have learned through media reports that the Liberals are considering a bailout package for Canada's struggling news industry in this week's fall economic statement. We hope this is merely a trial balloon because a healthy democracy relies on a free and independent press. It would be unacceptable for the Liberals to even appear to be trying to influence favour with the media.Will the minister confirm that the Liberals will not attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Minister of Finance thought it was a good question, but I would have liked an answer.The federal tax rate for large corporations has fallen from 28% to 15% since 2000. The amount of dead money, meaning assets and cash held by those corporations, increased dramatically beginning in 2000. On the whole, corporate tax cuts have not helped create jobs, and that money has not been invested. It has been channelled into financial speculation and massive corporate executive paycheques.Here, again, is my question for the Minister of Finance. Will he refrain from cutting corporate taxes in his Wednesday update?
Mr. Speaker, actually we had a whole lot to do with what is going on for Canadian families across the country. We had a lot to do with lowering the middle-class tax rate from $45,000 to $90,000 by 7%. We had a lot to do with
Mr. Speaker, the federal Liberals are in power, and look what is happening in Ontario. They did nothing to protect Franco-Ontarians.The centralist Liberal government wants to control law-abiding citizens. It wants to meddle in bank accounts. Our purchases, withdrawals, payments and financial commitments are our business. Did the Liberals invent Big Brother?Will the government govern for once, give clear instructions and cancel the plan to have Statistics Canada collect banking information?When will the government stop
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London North Centre for his commitment to international issues.Controlling outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, such as ebola, is extremely important to ensure the health and safety of Canadians and citizens around the world. This year we provided $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance for tackling the recent ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We just approved an additional allocation of $750,000 to support infection prevention and provide emergency assistance.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians were misled three years ago, because on page 76 of the Liberal Party election platform, the Liberals said they would run modest deficits for three years and then return to a balanced budget in 2019. The modest deficits became huge deficits, and balancing the budget in 2019 is sheer fantasy. With this Wednesday's economic update, will the Minister of Finance, who broke his election promise, at least have the honour and decency to tell Canadians when we will return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, privacy and data protection are absolutely essential. The member opposite knows full well from the testimony given by the chief statistician before committee members in the Senate and in the House that he will only proceed once issues around privacy and data protection are dealt with. With respect to personal information, that will be removed. More importantly, this is a pilot project. No information has been obtained and no information has been provided. Let us stick with the facts and not the over-the-top rhetoric by the members opposite.
Mr. Speaker, the coerced sterilization of any woman is a clear violation of her reproductive rights. We know that, unfortunately, indigenous women and other vulnerable women have faced coerced sterilization. We absolutely abhor this practice and we are working with partners, including the provinces, health care providers and medical professionals, to make sure that it is very clear that this should not go on. We are working with the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to ensure that indigenous peoples have access to culturally appropriate and safe health care.
Mr. Speaker, the forced sterilization of women is still happening in other parts of the world, and believe it or not, it is also still happening here in Canada to indigenous women.Article 22.2 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires that all states take measures to ensure that indigenous women enjoy full protection against all forms of violence and discrimination.Will the Liberals launch an inquiry to put an end to this situation and make restitution for the harm done to the victims and their families?
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are dealing with record levels of debt. The Liberals now have our plan, so they have no excuse not to make the right choices. Canadians expect investments this week that will lessen the financial burden on Canadian families and help businesses thrive. The time for eternal discussions on universal, single-payer pharmacare has long passed. Canadians and businesses continue to spend billions of dollars on medication for themselves and their employees. Would the Liberals make the right decision and implement universal pharmacare now?
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud to have ensured that Canada was the first G7 country to emerge from the worst economic crisis the world had ever seen.However, our country is governed by a man who came up with the unbelievable economic theory that, and I quote, the budget will balance itself.In real life, budgets do not balance themselves, so could the Minister of Finance finally tell us when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, journalism plays a fundamental role. It is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we invested $50 million in journalism in the last budget. We invested $14 million in minority communities. We helped strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada. I am currently touring the country and talking to the media and journalists. We are looking at other ways in which we can work together and collaborate. We will have more to say about this in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Brampton North for her strong advocacy on this issue.Protecting the safety of Canadians is a top priority for our government, and that is why we were proud to announce $86 million for front-line law enforcement to keep our communities safe. What the Conservatives have proposed is not a real plan. Experts have noted that they demonstrate either little knowledge of the criminal justice system or they are deliberately trying to mislead Canadians. The Conservative plan typically offers no new supports for law enforcement and it is hard to imagine how they are going to deal with guns and gangs when they appear afraid to utter the word guns.
Mr. Speaker, our government has clearly taken a different approach to labour relations from the previous government. We strongly believe in and respect the collective bargaining process. We know that a deal is the strongest when both parties can work out that deal together. For nearly a year, we have been supporting the parties with services and support to reach a negotiated agreement. We also know that Canadians and businesses rely on Canada Post and its workers during the holiday season. This ongoing work stoppage has had negative impacts on Canadians, our economy, international commerce and, of course, Canada Post and its workers. We strongly encourage both parties to work hard and get a deal.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite continues to mislead Canadians. This is not a partisan initiative. It is Statistics Canada. It is an independent agency that has the respect and admiration of Canadians. It has put forward a pilot project to deal with this issue and it has made it very clear that it wants to deal with issues around privacy and data protection. According to subsection 17(1) of the Statistics Act, no government, no opposition member and no prime minister can compel Statistics Canada for this personal information. It never has and never will compromise on personal information.
Mr. Speaker, I guess it is important to deal with the facts one by one by one. Let us think about what was just said. What was just said was that people's taxes went up. Wrong. People's taxes went down. What was said is people are worse off. Wrong. What we have is a Canada child benefit, making the vast majority of families better off. Most importantly, what we find is that for small businesses there were lower tax rates in 2018, and lower tax rates in 2019.The facts are just wrong. The good news is the economy is growing. We have the lowest unemployment rates we have seen in a generation. We have much more confidence for the future.
Mr. Speaker, actually it is not just Conservatives who are sounding the alarm, looking for more fiscal responsibility from these Liberals. Small businesses are asking the Liberals to commit to getting back to balanced budgets, and recently the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy said that the current fiscal policy of the government is without a rudder and an anchor, and that now is the time to rein in budgetary deficits.Maybe the minister, who appears to be the minister of no rudder and no anchor, could tell us when the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, can members imagine being told they cannot see their newborn child until they agree to a procedure that will mean they will never have another child in their life or being sterilized with no knowledge or consent? This is the reality for at least 60 indigenous women in this country of Canada, with some cases as recent as 2017. This is more than just a gross violation of human rights and a product of systemic racism, this is enough, enough apologies, enough talking points. How will the current government make sure that it never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister breaking his word and failing Canadians is nothing new. He does it all the time. However, the fact that he is using our kids and our grandkids' money to pay for his out-of-control spending is shameful. It is irresponsible for a government to run massive deficits with no plan and no time frame for when it will return to balance.If the Liberals truly care about our youth and future generations, which are going to have to pay for today's spending and deficit, will they answer this simple question. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, Doug Ford's decision to attack the language rights of Franco-Ontarians is unacceptable. Creating a French-language university is critical to the Franco-Ontarian community.The Conservative Party needs to understand that we are no longer in the 1950s. Francophones are going to stand up for their rights.What specific action does the government plan to take to protect official languages in Ontario?
Mr. Speaker, the government promised small deficits of $10 billion for the first two years and a balanced budget in 2019. However, we have since found out that we will end up with a deficit of close to $80 billion over a four-year period, thanks to this government.My question for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance is very simple: how can they promise a return to a balanced budget when it will not actually happen until 2045? When will the budget be balanced? This is a very simple question.
Mr. Speaker, cutting transfers is not the way to work with the Quebec government.The same thing is happening this year. Health care costs keep going up, and the government is heartlessly cutting the health transfer escalator. Now, it wants to put more pressure on the public system by prohibiting access to private clinics, which everyone knows will affect wait times at public institutions.When will the government let Quebec manage its own health system and stop going after people who use Quebec's health care network?
Mr. Speaker, no matter what the Minister of Finance says, the forecast speaks for itself.The Parliamentary Budget Officer says there is just a 10% chance of balancing the budget in 2021-22 and a 30% chance of balancing it six years from now in 2023-24.The next election is just one year away and the Liberal government promised to balance the budget by the end of the current term.Once again, my question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to providing the Royal Canadian Air Force with the critical equipment it needs to be fully operational, now and in the future. Our government believes it is unacceptable to take risks with respect to Canada's ability to simultaneously meet its commitments to NORAD and NATO.We are convinced that the Australian aircraft can meet interim needs while the CF-18 permanent replacement is being carried out.
Mr. Speaker, the ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is especially troubling because this is the largest outbreak since the virus was discovered in that country in 1976. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development update the House on what the government is doing to address this issue?
Mr. Speaker, at the request of Transport Canada, Nav Canada is taking a second look at the specific situation in Rouyn-Noranda. That study is currently under way, and we will have the results soon.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that this House recognizes the importance of the Franco-Ontarian community within the Canadian Francophonie, and denounces, unequivocally, the decision of the Government of Ontario to terminate the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, and the Francophone Ontario University project.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the government indicate by the end of the week the year in which the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has decided go after Quebec's health care system. The threat is clear: either Quebec bans private clinics or Ottawa will cut transfers.Can the minister explain the twisted logic that led her to believe that cutting transfers would be a good way to meet the needs of Quebeckers who need health care right now?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear how important and sensitive this topic is. Unfortunately, we saw how the people across the way behaved during question period. On our side, we hope that we can all work together in the interest of all francophones or anglophones in minority situations in Canada.Despite everything I am hearing and the partisanship that the Liberals continue to display, I would like to seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that the House express its support for Franco-Ontarians and other official language minority communities across Canada; that it reiterate its support for Canada's official bilingualism as a strength and asset that should be cherished and protected; that it recognize and respect the rights and responsibilities of the provincial and territorial governments to legislate in their areas of jurisdiction; and that it urge the Prime Minister to present a plan outlining the measures that the Government of Canada will take in its areas of jurisdiction to ensure that all services to official language minority communities are protected, and to present this plan within 30 days of adoption of this motion.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians continue to express their absolute rejection of the Liberal plan to secretly force banks and other financial institutions to release their personal financial information of their clients without their consent. The Liberals justify this intrusion claiming it will help make better decisions. If the Liberals believe that this surveillance is justifiable, will they explain why they refuse to at least ask Canadians for their consent?
Mr. Speaker, we know that in 2015, we were in a very difficult situation. The growth rate was very low. The unemployment rate was 7.1%. Things were very difficult for middle-class families across the country.We made investments. Now, the situation is very different. We have one of the highest growth rates in the G7, and our unemployment rate is at its lowest in 40 years. That is great. We are going to continue investing so we can have a future full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals actually have a credibility gap problem. The defence minister has misled Canadians. For months he has justified buying old, used Australian fighter jets that were destined for the scrap heap by claiming there was a capability gap in our current fleet. Now detailed government documents reveal that the minister's statements were patently false. The Liberals manufactured a fake capability gap to give political cover for the Prime Minister's naive election campaign promise.Why are the Liberals betraying our air force and misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, four new pipelines were built under the Conservatives. Darren Peers from Capital Group, a big investor in Canadian oil, points out the reality that no major pipeline project is yet assured under these Liberals, and that energy investors are questioning the merits of investing because of them.What is certain is the Liberals are driving billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs out of Canada. Cenovus warns that Canada ignores these red flags at its peril. Provinces are against Bill C-69, too.Will the minister cancel his job-killing, no more pipelines Bill C-69 before it is too late?
Mr. Speaker, obviously, it is very important to find an approach that works. Unfortunately, the previous Conservative government had an approach that created lots of deficit but not a lot of growth.Our approach is very different. We are investing in Canadian families. We have one of the highest levels of growth in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years. We are going to continue with our approach because it is working.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister inherited a balanced budget in 2015.Today, Canada's budget is being crushed under the weight of deficits that our children and grandchildren will have to pay. It is unacceptable. It has gotten to the point where my daughter, who turned 17 yesterday, will be 45 by the time the budget is balanced.If Canadians managed their finances the way the Liberal government does, we would all be bankrupt.I will repeat my question for the Prime Minister for the third time: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the facts.Personal information will be removed. Canadians can rest assured that their banking information remains protected and private. Statistics Canada can absolutely not share this information with anyone, not with any agency or government, and not with the Prime Minister. Canadians' privacy will be protected.
Mr. Speaker, we saw one of the largest private sector investments in the history of our country, a $40-billion investment in the oil and gas sector.When the Harper government came into office in 2006, 99% of Alberta's oil was sold to the U.S. When the Conservatives left office in 2015, 99% of Alberta's oil was still sold to the U.S. That is the failed record of the Harper government.We are expanding our non-U.S. markets. We are working hard to make sure it happens.
Mr. Speaker, even if we take into consideration the $800 tax increase on every middle-class family in this country, the tax increase targeted at moms and dads who take their kids to sports or students who buy textbooks or pay tuition or the tax increases on small businesses, even if we take into consideration the $20 billion of extra revenue that poured into the government's coffers last year, it has blown every single nickel. The question is this. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, our government takes Canadians' privacy very seriously and understands their concerns. The head of Statistics Canada has clearly said that the pilot project is still in the design stage. He said that the project would move forward only once Canadians' concerns have been addressed. The Privacy Commissioner did his job. No information was shared or collected by Statistics Canada as part of this pilot project.
Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the current government cannot provide our military with the equipment it needs, as demonstrated by the fact that the government is going to buy used F-18s from Australia.According to defence experts, this interim procurement strategy is risky, expensive and, above all, pointless. A capability gap is cited as the reason for this procurement, but there is no documentation to back that up.Why has the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians about the capability gap?
Mr. Speaker, constituents in my riding of Brampton North have identified gun and gang violence as a significant public safety issue that must be addressed. However, it apparently is not an issue of concern for the Leader of the Opposition, who has not yet proposed a practical solution to deal with the increase in these violent acts. He recently visited my city of Brampton and, unfortunately, proposed redundant, unconstitutional and, ultimately, ineffective measures.Can the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction
Mr. Speaker, business leaders say that the Liberals' anti-energy policies are borderline treasonous. Brett Wilson said that Bill C-69 is lunacy. NuVista's CEO said it needs to be completely killed or radically changed. Susan Johns, a British fund manager, said that Canadian oil and gas is being strangled by regulation, carbon taxes and the inability of producers to get their product to world markets.Clearly the Liberals' anti-energy agenda is the problem, not the solution. When will the Liberals stop killing Canadian jobs and withdraw their no more pipelines Bill C-69?
Mr. Speaker, despite concerted opposition from economic and political stakeholders in AbitibiTémiscamingue, protests from air carriers, and the devastating impact it will have on economic development and tourism in the region, Nav Canada continues to defend its recommendations to shut down overnight services provided by the Rouyn-Noranda flight service station. Even Nav Canada admits that this closure is penny-wise and pound foolish.Does the Minister of Transport plan to act on Nav Canada's recommendations, despite the unanimous opposition?
Mr. Speaker, with the lack of pipeline capacity, the price of western Canadian heavy oil has fallen to a record low, undercutting employment and public revenues.The Alberta government and industry are considering temporarily cutting output to improve prices, but are concerned about federal competition rules.Can the government assure Alberta and Saskatchewan that the federal Competition Bureau will not interfere if they coordinate a production cut?
Mr. Speaker, francophones and francophiles across the country are outraged by the Ontario government's unwarranted decision to eliminate the French Language Services Commissioner and scrap plans for a university in Toronto.That lack of vision is a direct attack on the Franco-Ontarian community and official languages. The Prime Minister needs to go to the mat to convince Mr. Ford to reconsider his decision and stand up for official languages and francophones.What are the Liberals going to do to protect minority francophone communities across the country?
Mr. Speaker, about 5,000 people gathered in Montreal yesterday. I was there along with dairy, chicken, beef, pork, poultry and organic farmers, who all came together to showcase our local produce. There were 5,000 people there, but not one representative of the Liberal government. Not one of the 40 Liberal MPs from Quebec was there to stand up for our local produce. Why are they hiding? Because they know they have to save face for the minister, who did a bad job of negotiating the USMCA.How can the Prime Minister justify this lack of respect for Quebec's farmers?
Mr. Speaker, more than ever, I wear this pin with pride in Ontario. All citizens, including the 600,000 Franco-Ontarians, are concerned and shocked by the Ontario government's decision. It will have a devastating impact on the rights of the Franco-Ontarian community.Canadians recognize the importance of protecting our rights and our official languages, and the government has a role to play in the matter.Can the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie inform the House
Mr. Speaker, there has been no shortage of promises, lip service and fake news stories, but Canada's biggest shipyard, the Davie shipyard, has gotten nothing but peanuts. The shipbuilding strategy is not working. There have been cost overruns, and ships are not being delivered. The Davie shipyard is ready.What is stopping the government from ordering the Obelix now? This is a national security issue. What are the Liberals afraid of? Who are they protecting?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for that excellent question. The Ontario Conservatives' decision is a direct attack on Franco-Ontarians, and I will be happy to work with him to protect them. The fact is, one party is not standing up to protect Franco-Ontarians, and that is the Conservative Party. We fully expect the Conservative leader to speak out against this situation and talk to Mr. Ford in the interest of protecting francophones in Ontario and across the country. We, as a government, will stand up for francophones.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from GlengarryPrescottRussell for his question. He is a strong advocate for official languages and an excellent representative of his Franco-Ontarian community.We have invested $2.7 billion in official languages, including $500 million in new money. We are here to support the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne. We support organizations that are working across the country to oppose the Conservative government's decision. We stand with them.
Mr. Speaker, the question the member should be asking is: where are we now?We are in a situation where the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years. More people are working now than ever before in the history of Canada. That is an excellent situation for Canadian families and middle-class families.We will continue to invest to grow our economy for the future.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are proud of their publicly funded health care system, one that is based on their needs and not on their ability to pay. However, we also recognize that we can do better and that is why I was pleased in March of this year that we announced the implementation of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare program. I truly look forward to receiving the recommendations of Dr. Hoskins that will be brought forward in the spring of 2019.
Mr. Speaker, that is a good question, and balance is always necessary. We need to consider how we can remain competitive while still ensuring that our tax system is fair. Our goal is to achieve balance in a system that works for the country. We will be able to do both at the same time. That will be our approach.
Mr. Speaker, we know it is very important that we continue with our approach, which is improving the lives of Canadians across the country. This approach is working for people who now have good jobs. We will have the opportunity to continue with our approach and make sure that we are investing for the future, not only in the business world, but also to make things better for families.
Mr. Speaker, what we can say is that it is very important to have a certain level of investment in our country. We need to make sure our system is competitive but fair. That balance is very important. That is our goal, but we know that when things are going as well as they are now, when our economy is growing and our unemployment rate is very low, it is time to secure our future. That is our goal for Wednesday's update.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, we had a lot to do with the introduction of the Canada child benefit, which made a huge difference across the country. What we had the most to do with is the fact that the average family with two children in 2019 will have $2,000 more in their pocket than in 2015. Canadians are better off. Those are the facts. Those are the facts that matter for Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, we understand well the Conservative approach. Their idea was to make cuts. What would have happened is we would have put our economy into recession. Our idea was to make investments. What happened? People had more disposable income, our economy started growing. Right now, we have the lowest levels of unemployment we have seen in 40 years. However, more important, we have more people working among working age Canadians than in the history of Canada. Therefore, we are doing very well economically. We will continue to make investments, while the people opposite will think about where they can make cuts, cuts across the country.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has determined that we do not need a second Asterix or Obelix while Seaspan is building the joint support ships. We appreciate Davie's excellent work on the Asterix, but we do not need a second ship.
Mr. Speaker, we understand exactly what the Conservatives want to do. They want to cut all kinds of things, including services to francophones. We are well aware of that.We will continue to invest. Our approach is working. Our economy is growing. That is very important to us, and it is certainly the most important thing to families across the country. Our rate of growth is good, our unemployment rate is very low, and our future is full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, just to think about where we are right now from a small business standpoint, as of January 2019, we will have a combined federal-provincial tax rate of 12.2%, the lowest among G7 countries. It is a very strong position so those businesses can make investments. We have been able to do that while keeping to a very fiscally responsible approach.Canada has the lowest level of debt to GDP among G7 countries. It is on a downward trajectory. That is fiscal responsibility, and we are able to do it while investing in Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent question.Millions of francophones and francophiles are going to fight alongside our government and all parties who want to stand up for Franco-Ontarians. I would ask the Conservative leader to talk to his boss, Doug Ford, in Ontario and get the Conservative government to back down on that decision, which is
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in Canadians. In fact, what we know is that approach has absolutely worked over the last three years. We have brought hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty through the Canada child benefit. We have helped innumerable seniors through the guaranteed income supplement increase.We are going to continue to focus on our core goal of assuring that families across the country are doing well, and that those who are challenged have a great opportunity. We will do that by making sure not only that they are doing well, but that we are investing in our future.
Mr. Speaker, the trust fund twins, the Prime Minister and finance minister, inherited great fortune: a balanced budget, booming world and U.S. economies, rising commodity prices, record low interest rates, and roaring housing markets in Vancouver and Toronto. That was a $20-billion windfall for the Liberals and they blew every single penny. The Prime Minister keeps telling us that the budget will balance itself. If so, when?
Mr. Speaker, everybody on the government side supports the supply-management system. It is unfortunate that not all among the Conservative opposition do. We understand what took place. The U.S. government indicated quite clearly that it wanted to dismantle the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it did not happen.We also understand that our farmers are impacted by the new deal and we will fully and fairly make sure that they are
Mr. Speaker, in a country as rich as Canada, too many families are living paycheque to paycheque or are living in poverty. While Liberals continue to claim that the economy is doing well, they fail to acknowledge that families in Canada are dealing with record levels of debt. Time and time again, Liberals show they are more interested in giving tax breaks to wealthy corporations, while telling Canadians they have to wait.Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have sent our plan to the finance minister. Will he listen, stop with the corporate giveaways and invest in Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear that a modern fighter jet fleet is essential to defending Canada and Canadian sovereignty. That is why we are acquiring 88 fighter jets to replace the aging CF-18 fleet. We welcome the Auditor General's advice in this matter, and look forward to his report. When? Tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, when Jim Flaherty became finance minister, he made the responsible decision to pay off $30 billion in debt, which prepared Canada for the great global recession, the greatest financial crisis in world history since the Depression. That is why we were the last to go in and the first to come out of that crisis. By contrast, the current Liberal government has a booming world and U.S. economy, with record low interest rates, multiple factors with which it had nothing whatsoever to do, and it has squandered all of it. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that the American government indicated quite clearly that it was going to destroy the supply-management system. We made sure as a government that it would not happen, and it did not happen. We do understand there is an impact on our farmers, and we are committed to fully and fairly helping them to continue to succeed. We have and will continue to support our agriculture sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles that the industry and both Alberta and Saskatchewan are facing relating to the price differential. We need to make sure that we expand our pipeline capacity so that our non-U.S. market is expanded. The challenge we are facing is that 99% of our natural resources in Canada are being sold to only one country, the United States.We need to reduce that dependency, and that is exactly what we are working on.
Mr. Speaker, let us consider what we actually inherited. We inherited $150 billion of additional debt generated by the previous government. We inherited an unemployment rate of 7.1%. We inherited a growth rate that was among the lowest since the Great Depression. Where did we get to? We turned that around with one of the highest rates of growth in the G7 and the lowest rates of unemployment. I will take the Liberal economic record over Conservative economic rhetoric every day of the week.
Mr. Speaker, Jerry Dias, the head of the union representing thousands of Canadian journalists, confirmed in a tweet last week that his union will campaign aggressively to help the Liberals in the next election. The very same day, he was quoted in the Toronto Star asking the Liberals for more money. Now Canadians learn the Liberals plan to cave in to this demand with a major cash infusion for media outlets.Does the minister not see that this bailout could be easily perceived as an attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, we believe that it is not acceptable for some people to access care more quickly just because they have more money. I have been working closely with my colleagues, with all provinces and territories, for some time to resolve this situation, which, when it comes down to it, is unfair. We will continue to work together to protect our health system, better serve patients and protect patients in Quebec and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I marched with my NDP colleagues and more than 5,000 people in Montreal in support of local food and to speak out against the fact that agriculture is being used as a bargaining chip in trade agreements. Farmers have been clear: the lack of reciprocity in standards and the concessions that have been made in trade agreements are a direct attack on our food sovereignty. Can the government tell us today what it intends to do to stop abusing our food producers in Quebec?
Mr. Speaker, the facts are somewhat different.The Harper government left us $150 billion in debt. That was a problem from the start, not to mention having to deal with the lowest growth rate since 1981, or in nearly 40 years.We are now in a very different situation thanks to our investments and the fact that we have one of the highest growth rates in the G7. It is a good situation for Canada's middle class.
Mr. Speaker, when Statistics Canada asks more than 500,000 households for information on their bank accounts, their investments, their mortgages, and their credit card statements, that starts to be a bit much. One million Canadians feel compelled to allow the government to intrude into their financial affairs. It is completely unacceptable.When will the Liberal government cancel this project that is much too intrusive into Canadians' private lives?
Mr. Speaker, the update will be presented on Wednesday. Any accountant in any company will make sure the numbers balance when giving an economic update. However, it is certain that the numbers will not balance on Wednesday. There will be a deficit. If the Minister of Finance cannot keep the promise he made to balance the budget in 2019, could he at least give Canadians an update and tell them when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, I will let my colleague have some fun with his conspiracy theories. Practically speaking, we all know that professional journalismhigh-quality, independent newsis one of the pillars of democracy. On this side of the House, we respect journalistic independence. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $50 million, including $14 million for minority communities and CBC/Radio-Canada. They do not like that. One thing is clear: journalism is important. We will respect journalistic independence and we will be there.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the struggles in the energy sector and the price differential the industry is facing. We are working very diligently with provinces and are moving forward on expanding our global market to make sure that Alberta's oil sector resources are able to get to non-U.S. markets.What we are seeing today is the result of a decade of failure and inaction on behalf of the former Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, I want to offer condolences to my friend for his recent loss.We believe that a health card, not a credit card, is the only card a Canadian should need to receive health care. Our health care system is a source of pride across the country because it allows everyone to receive treatment, regardless of whether they have money. We will continue to work with Quebec and the other provinces and territories to ensure that our health care system is a good one.
Mr. Speaker, the only fact that the minister is overlooking is that the Liberals promised to be transparent, and they have been non-transparent on this particular file. It was only through media reports that we found out about this. The type of information Liberals want to collect is highly personal. This information is also highly valued by large multinationals that want to sell more of their products. We know that Statistics Canada already sells access to some of its data, 115 million dollars' worth last year. Will the government confirm today whether or not the results of this new scheme to harvest Canadians' most personal financial data will also be put on sale to the private sector?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing some rather concerning rumours about the economic and fiscal update.The Minister of Finance seems to be under pressure from Bay Street to lower corporate taxes, on the grounds that he should keep step with the United States. The problem is that the tax cuts in the U.S. did not create jobs. They largely served to boost senior executives' salaries. Furthermore, the United States is on track to post a $1-trillion deficit.Will the Minister of Finance confirm right here that he will not be announcing corporate tax cuts?
Mr. Speaker, while Canada Post refuses to acknowledge the needs of those who deliver the mail, CUPW is literally fighting for workers' lives. Postal transformation is taking its toll on workers' bodies, mental health and families. Despite the Harper Conservatives' imposed legislation in 2011 being deemed unconstitutional, this Prime Minister is threatening to do the same, all in the interest of greasing the wheels of commerce.Well, the cost is too high. Why are Black Friday profits more important than workers' lives?
Mr. Speaker, we will continue with our approach, which is to ensure that we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of all G7 countries. That is very important. At the same time, we will continue investing in the future. Our investments are really working. We need only consider the unemployment rate or Canada's economic growth, which was the highest in the G7 last year.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear. We know that the coerced sterilization of women is indeed a gross violation of human rights. It is a violation of women's reproductive rights. We are actively working with partners in provinces. We are working with faculties of medical education and health professionals to ensure that culturally safe care is available across the country. This is not something that any one order of government can address alone. All Canadians have a responsibility to ensure that these practices never happen again.
Mr. Speaker, on August 27, 2015, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to run a modest deficit and then balance the budget in 2019.Here is what the situation looks like today. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that, instead of balancing the budget as promised, the Liberals have accumulated a massive deficit of over $20 billion for this year alone and a deficit of over $21 billion for next year.My question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, we have learned through media reports that the Liberals are considering a bailout package for Canada's struggling news industry in this week's fall economic statement. We hope this is merely a trial balloon because a healthy democracy relies on a free and independent press. It would be unacceptable for the Liberals to even appear to be trying to influence favour with the media.Will the minister confirm that the Liberals will not attempt to buy off the media in an election year?
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Minister of Finance thought it was a good question, but I would have liked an answer.The federal tax rate for large corporations has fallen from 28% to 15% since 2000. The amount of dead money, meaning assets and cash held by those corporations, increased dramatically beginning in 2000. On the whole, corporate tax cuts have not helped create jobs, and that money has not been invested. It has been channelled into financial speculation and massive corporate executive paycheques.Here, again, is my question for the Minister of Finance. Will he refrain from cutting corporate taxes in his Wednesday update?
Mr. Speaker, actually we had a whole lot to do with what is going on for Canadian families across the country. We had a lot to do with lowering the middle-class tax rate from $45,000 to $90,000 by 7%. We had a lot to do with
Mr. Speaker, the federal Liberals are in power, and look what is happening in Ontario. They did nothing to protect Franco-Ontarians.The centralist Liberal government wants to control law-abiding citizens. It wants to meddle in bank accounts. Our purchases, withdrawals, payments and financial commitments are our business. Did the Liberals invent Big Brother?Will the government govern for once, give clear instructions and cancel the plan to have Statistics Canada collect banking information?When will the government stop
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London North Centre for his commitment to international issues.Controlling outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, such as ebola, is extremely important to ensure the health and safety of Canadians and citizens around the world. This year we provided $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance for tackling the recent ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We just approved an additional allocation of $750,000 to support infection prevention and provide emergency assistance.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians were misled three years ago, because on page 76 of the Liberal Party election platform, the Liberals said they would run modest deficits for three years and then return to a balanced budget in 2019. The modest deficits became huge deficits, and balancing the budget in 2019 is sheer fantasy. With this Wednesday's economic update, will the Minister of Finance, who broke his election promise, at least have the honour and decency to tell Canadians when we will return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, privacy and data protection are absolutely essential. The member opposite knows full well from the testimony given by the chief statistician before committee members in the Senate and in the House that he will only proceed once issues around privacy and data protection are dealt with. With respect to personal information, that will be removed. More importantly, this is a pilot project. No information has been obtained and no information has been provided. Let us stick with the facts and not the over-the-top rhetoric by the members opposite.
Mr. Speaker, the coerced sterilization of any woman is a clear violation of her reproductive rights. We know that, unfortunately, indigenous women and other vulnerable women have faced coerced sterilization. We absolutely abhor this practice and we are working with partners, including the provinces, health care providers and medical professionals, to make sure that it is very clear that this should not go on. We are working with the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to ensure that indigenous peoples have access to culturally appropriate and safe health care.
Mr. Speaker, the forced sterilization of women is still happening in other parts of the world, and believe it or not, it is also still happening here in Canada to indigenous women.Article 22.2 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires that all states take measures to ensure that indigenous women enjoy full protection against all forms of violence and discrimination.Will the Liberals launch an inquiry to put an end to this situation and make restitution for the harm done to the victims and their families?
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are dealing with record levels of debt. The Liberals now have our plan, so they have no excuse not to make the right choices. Canadians expect investments this week that will lessen the financial burden on Canadian families and help businesses thrive. The time for eternal discussions on universal, single-payer pharmacare has long passed. Canadians and businesses continue to spend billions of dollars on medication for themselves and their employees. Would the Liberals make the right decision and implement universal pharmacare now?
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud to have ensured that Canada was the first G7 country to emerge from the worst economic crisis the world had ever seen.However, our country is governed by a man who came up with the unbelievable economic theory that, and I quote, the budget will balance itself.In real life, budgets do not balance themselves, so could the Minister of Finance finally tell us when he will balance the budget?
Mr. Speaker, journalism plays a fundamental role. It is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we invested $50 million in journalism in the last budget. We invested $14 million in minority communities. We helped strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada. I am currently touring the country and talking to the media and journalists. We are looking at other ways in which we can work together and collaborate. We will have more to say about this in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Brampton North for her strong advocacy on this issue.Protecting the safety of Canadians is a top priority for our government, and that is why we were proud to announce $86 million for front-line law enforcement to keep our communities safe. What the Conservatives have proposed is not a real plan. Experts have noted that they demonstrate either little knowledge of the criminal justice system or they are deliberately trying to mislead Canadians. The Conservative plan typically offers no new supports for law enforcement and it is hard to imagine how they are going to deal with guns and gangs when they appear afraid to utter the word guns.
Mr. Speaker, our government has clearly taken a different approach to labour relations from the previous government. We strongly believe in and respect the collective bargaining process. We know that a deal is the strongest when both parties can work out that deal together. For nearly a year, we have been supporting the parties with services and support to reach a negotiated agreement. We also know that Canadians and businesses rely on Canada Post and its workers during the holiday season. This ongoing work stoppage has had negative impacts on Canadians, our economy, international commerce and, of course, Canada Post and its workers. We strongly encourage both parties to work hard and get a deal.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite continues to mislead Canadians. This is not a partisan initiative. It is Statistics Canada. It is an independent agency that has the respect and admiration of Canadians. It has put forward a pilot project to deal with this issue and it has made it very clear that it wants to deal with issues around privacy and data protection. According to subsection 17(1) of the Statistics Act, no government, no opposition member and no prime minister can compel Statistics Canada for this personal information. It never has and never will compromise on personal information.
Mr. Speaker, I guess it is important to deal with the facts one by one by one. Let us think about what was just said. What was just said was that people's taxes went up. Wrong. People's taxes went down. What was said is people are worse off. Wrong. What we have is a Canada child benefit, making the vast majority of families better off. Most importantly, what we find is that for small businesses there were lower tax rates in 2018, and lower tax rates in 2019.The facts are just wrong. The good news is the economy is growing. We have the lowest unemployment rates we have seen in a generation. We have much more confidence for the future.
Mr. Speaker, actually it is not just Conservatives who are sounding the alarm, looking for more fiscal responsibility from these Liberals. Small businesses are asking the Liberals to commit to getting back to balanced budgets, and recently the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy said that the current fiscal policy of the government is without a rudder and an anchor, and that now is the time to rein in budgetary deficits.Maybe the minister, who appears to be the minister of no rudder and no anchor, could tell us when the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, can members imagine being told they cannot see their newborn child until they agree to a procedure that will mean they will never have another child in their life or being sterilized with no knowledge or consent? This is the reality for at least 60 indigenous women in this country of Canada, with some cases as recent as 2017. This is more than just a gross violation of human rights and a product of systemic racism, this is enough, enough apologies, enough talking points. How will the current government make sure that it never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister breaking his word and failing Canadians is nothing new. He does it all the time. However, the fact that he is using our kids and our grandkids' money to pay for his out-of-control spending is shameful. It is irresponsible for a government to run massive deficits with no plan and no time frame for when it will return to balance.If the Liberals truly care about our youth and future generations, which are going to have to pay for today's spending and deficit, will they answer this simple question. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, Doug Ford's decision to attack the language rights of Franco-Ontarians is unacceptable. Creating a French-language university is critical to the Franco-Ontarian community.The Conservative Party needs to understand that we are no longer in the 1950s. Francophones are going to stand up for their rights.What specific action does the government plan to take to protect official languages in Ontario?
Mr. Speaker, the government promised small deficits of $10 billion for the first two years and a balanced budget in 2019. However, we have since found out that we will end up with a deficit of close to $80 billion over a four-year period, thanks to this government.My question for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance is very simple: how can they promise a return to a balanced budget when it will not actually happen until 2045? When will the budget be balanced? This is a very simple question.
Mr. Speaker, cutting transfers is not the way to work with the Quebec government.The same thing is happening this year. Health care costs keep going up, and the government is heartlessly cutting the health transfer escalator. Now, it wants to put more pressure on the public system by prohibiting access to private clinics, which everyone knows will affect wait times at public institutions.When will the government let Quebec manage its own health system and stop going after people who use Quebec's health care network?
Mr. Speaker, no matter what the Minister of Finance says, the forecast speaks for itself.The Parliamentary Budget Officer says there is just a 10% chance of balancing the budget in 2021-22 and a 30% chance of balancing it six years from now in 2023-24.The next election is just one year away and the Liberal government promised to balance the budget by the end of the current term.Once again, my question for the Prime Minister is this: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to providing the Royal Canadian Air Force with the critical equipment it needs to be fully operational, now and in the future. Our government believes it is unacceptable to take risks with respect to Canada's ability to simultaneously meet its commitments to NORAD and NATO.We are convinced that the Australian aircraft can meet interim needs while the CF-18 permanent replacement is being carried out.
Mr. Speaker, the ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is especially troubling because this is the largest outbreak since the virus was discovered in that country in 1976. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development update the House on what the government is doing to address this issue?
Mr. Speaker, at the request of Transport Canada, Nav Canada is taking a second look at the specific situation in Rouyn-Noranda. That study is currently under way, and we will have the results soon.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that this House recognizes the importance of the Franco-Ontarian community within the Canadian Francophonie, and denounces, unequivocally, the decision of the Government of Ontario to terminate the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, and the Francophone Ontario University project.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the government indicate by the end of the week the year in which the budget will be balanced.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has decided go after Quebec's health care system. The threat is clear: either Quebec bans private clinics or Ottawa will cut transfers.Can the minister explain the twisted logic that led her to believe that cutting transfers would be a good way to meet the needs of Quebeckers who need health care right now?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear how important and sensitive this topic is. Unfortunately, we saw how the people across the way behaved during question period. On our side, we hope that we can all work together in the interest of all francophones or anglophones in minority situations in Canada.Despite everything I am hearing and the partisanship that the Liberals continue to display, I would like to seek unanimous consent for the following motion: that the House express its support for Franco-Ontarians and other official language minority communities across Canada; that it reiterate its support for Canada's official bilingualism as a strength and asset that should be cherished and protected; that it recognize and respect the rights and responsibilities of the provincial and territorial governments to legislate in their areas of jurisdiction; and that it urge the Prime Minister to present a plan outlining the measures that the Government of Canada will take in its areas of jurisdiction to ensure that all services to official language minority communities are protected, and to present this plan within 30 days of adoption of this motion.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians continue to express their absolute rejection of the Liberal plan to secretly force banks and other financial institutions to release their personal financial information of their clients without their consent. The Liberals justify this intrusion claiming it will help make better decisions. If the Liberals believe that this surveillance is justifiable, will they explain why they refuse to at least ask Canadians for their consent?
Mr. Speaker, we know that in 2015, we were in a very difficult situation. The growth rate was very low. The unemployment rate was 7.1%. Things were very difficult for middle-class families across the country.We made investments. Now, the situation is very different. We have one of the highest growth rates in the G7, and our unemployment rate is at its lowest in 40 years. That is great. We are going to continue investing so we can have a future full of opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals actually have a credibility gap problem. The defence minister has misled Canadians. For months he has justified buying old, used Australian fighter jets that were destined for the scrap heap by claiming there was a capability gap in our current fleet. Now detailed government documents reveal that the minister's statements were patently false. The Liberals manufactured a fake capability gap to give political cover for the Prime Minister's naive election campaign promise.Why are the Liberals betraying our air force and misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, four new pipelines were built under the Conservatives. Darren Peers from Capital Group, a big investor in Canadian oil, points out the reality that no major pipeline project is yet assured under these Liberals, and that energy investors are questioning the merits of investing because of them.What is certain is the Liberals are driving billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs out of Canada. Cenovus warns that Canada ignores these red flags at its peril. Provinces are against Bill C-69, too.Will the minister cancel his job-killing, no more pipelines Bill C-69 before it is too late?
Mr. Speaker, obviously, it is very important to find an approach that works. Unfortunately, the previous Conservative government had an approach that created lots of deficit but not a lot of growth.Our approach is very different. We are investing in Canadian families. We have one of the highest levels of growth in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years. We are going to continue with our approach because it is working.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister inherited a balanced budget in 2015.Today, Canada's budget is being crushed under the weight of deficits that our children and grandchildren will have to pay. It is unacceptable. It has gotten to the point where my daughter, who turned 17 yesterday, will be 45 by the time the budget is balanced.If Canadians managed their finances the way the Liberal government does, we would all be bankrupt.I will repeat my question for the Prime Minister for the third time: when will we return to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the facts.Personal information will be removed. Canadians can rest assured that their banking information remains protected and private. Statistics Canada can absolutely not share this information with anyone, not with any agency or government, and not with the Prime Minister. Canadians' privacy will be protected.
Mr. Speaker, we saw one of the largest private sector investments in the history of our country, a $40-billion investment in the oil and gas sector.When the Harper government came into office in 2006, 99% of Alberta's oil was sold to the U.S. When the Conservatives left office in 2015, 99% of Alberta's oil was still sold to the U.S. That is the failed record of the Harper government.We are expanding our non-U.S. markets. We are working hard to make sure it happens.
Mr. Speaker, even if we take into consideration the $800 tax increase on every middle-class family in this country, the tax increase targeted at moms and dads who take their kids to sports or students who buy textbooks or pay tuition or the tax increases on small businesses, even if we take into consideration the $20 billion of extra revenue that poured into the government's coffers last year, it has blown every single nickel. The question is this. When will the budget be balanced?
Mr. Speaker, our government takes Canadians' privacy very seriously and understands their concerns. The head of Statistics Canada has clearly said that the pilot project is still in the design stage. He said that the project would move forward only once Canadians' concerns have been addressed. The Privacy Commissioner did his job. No information was shared or collected by Statistics Canada as part of this pilot project.
Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the current government cannot provide our military with the equipment it needs, as demonstrated by the fact that the government is going to buy used F-18s from Australia.According to defence experts, this interim procurement strategy is risky, expensive and, above all, pointless. A capability gap is cited as the reason for this procurement, but there is no documentation to back that up.Why has the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians about the capability gap?
Mr. Speaker, constituents in my riding of Brampton North have identified gun and gang violence as a significant public safety issue that must be addressed. However, it apparently is not an issue of concern for the Leader of the Opposition, who has not yet proposed a practical solution to deal with the increase in these violent acts. He recently visited my city of Brampton and, unfortunately, proposed redundant, unconstitutional and, ultimately, ineffective measures.Can the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction
Mr. Speaker, business leaders say that the Liberals' anti-energy policies are borderline treasonous. Brett Wilson said that Bill C-69 is lunacy. NuVista's CEO said it needs to be completely killed or radically changed. Susan Johns, a British fund manager, said that Canadian oil and gas is being strangled by regulation, carbon taxes and the inability of producers to get their product to world markets.Clearly the Liberals' anti-energy agenda is the problem, not the solution. When will the Liberals stop killing Canadian jobs and withdraw their no more pipelines Bill C-69?
Mr. Speaker, despite concerted opposition from economic and political stakeholders in AbitibiTémiscamingue, protests from air carriers, and the devastating impact it will have on economic development and tourism in the region, Nav Canada continues to defend its recommendations to shut down overnight services provided by the Rouyn-Noranda flight service station. Even Nav Canada admits that this closure is penny-wise and pound foolish.Does the Minister of Transport plan to act on Nav Canada's recommendations, despite the unanimous opposition?
Mr. Speaker, with the lack of pipeline capacity, the price of western Canadian heavy oil has fallen to a record low, undercutting employment and public revenues.The Alberta government and industry are considering temporarily cutting output to improve prices, but are concerned about federal competition rules.Can the government assure Alberta and Saskatchewan that the federal Competition Bureau will not interfere if they coordinate a production cut?
Mr. Speaker, francophones and francophiles across the country are outraged by the Ontario government's unwarranted decision to eliminate the French Language Services Commissioner and scrap plans for a university in Toronto.That lack of vision is a direct attack on the Franco-Ontarian community and official languages. The Prime Minister needs to go to the mat to convince Mr. Ford to reconsider his decision and stand up for official languages and francophones.What are the Liberals going to do to protect minority francophone communities across the country?
Mr. Speaker, about 5,000 people gathered in Montreal yesterday. I was there along with dairy, chicken, beef, pork, poultry and organic farmers, who all came together to showcase our local produce. There were 5,000 people there, but not one representative of the Liberal government. Not one of the 40 Liberal MPs from Quebec was there to stand up for our local produce. Why are they hiding? Because they know they have to save face for the minister, who did a bad job of negotiating the USMCA.How can the Prime Minister justify this lack of respect for Quebec's farmers?
Mr. Speaker, more than ever, I wear this pin with pride in Ontario. All citizens, including the 600,000 Franco-Ontarians, are concerned and shocked by the Ontario government's decision. It will have a devastating impact on the rights of the Franco-Ontarian community.Canadians recognize the importance of protecting our rights and our official languages, and the government has a role to play in the matter.Can the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie inform the House
Mr. Speaker, there has been no shortage of promises, lip service and fake news stories, but Canada's biggest shipyard, the Davie shipyard, has gotten nothing but peanuts. The shipbuilding strategy is not working. There have been cost overruns, and ships are not being delivered. The Davie shipyard is ready.What is stopping the government from ordering the Obelix now? This is a national security issue. What are the Liberals afraid of? Who are they protecting?