hazylavender/hi huggingface dataset:
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Alain Therrien: I thank my worthy colleague for his question. He makes me dream of independence. We are talking about the public debt. It is simply unbelievable that there is a fiscal imbalance in Canada. The money is in Ottawa and the needs are in the provinces and in Quebec. There is a consensus on that. Although the government has the financial means, which, in a way, it has taken from the provinces, it is incapable of balancing the budget. That is very worrisome. No one wins with such a huge debt. It is unbelievable because the fiscal imbalance favours the government, and yet, it still manages to go into debt.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Alain Therrien: I did not address this issue. I think that the member will agree with us. Sustainable development and the green economy are very important to the Bloc Quebecois. There is little in the budget in that regard; worse, oil companies are being subsidized, when we should be decreasing oil production to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One does not need to be a math whiz to understand that the less oil we produce, the less pollution and the lower greenhouse gas emissions there will be. However, when the oil industry is being subsidized as the Liberals are doing and continue to do in this budget, it goes against what the general public wants. They want to ensure a better future for the next generation. I fully agree with the member.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux: the accuracy of information is important when a member speaks. For example, the member talks about the old age supplement, the OAS, and gives the impression that it is not being increased. However, it is actually increased multiple times a year depending on rates of inflation. The member says that we are not supporting seniors. However, if we take a look at the dental plan, the expansion is, in good part, for seniors. We could talk about the rebate the member made reference to. Seniors will benefit from that particular rebate, not to mention the climate action rebate. What about the $198 billion going toward public health over the next 10 years, a commitment of generational support for health care? One has to be pretty naive to believe that would not help seniors. How can the member stand in her place and give the false impression that this budget is not supporting seniors when, in fact, it is supporting seniors? I believe she knows that.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Andreanne Larouche: when I mentioned the importance of setting the record straight, I was referring to the type of comments the member just made. I would tell the member to refer to the press release from FADOQ. Yes, FADOQ acknowledges the one-time grocery rebate. Who could be against apple pie? Everyone is in favour of apple pie. FADOQ says that it is indeed a good measure. However, FADOQ goes on to say that the Liberal government could have done more, that it could have increased the guaranteed income supplement, that it broke its promise to bring in a tax credit for experienced workers, and that it could have taken this opportunity to increase old age security by 10%. I listen to seniors who say that there were not enough measures in this budget. As for dental care, that is Quebec's responsibility. The National Assembly of Quebec is calling for Quebec to get the money to run the dental program itself. That is what the National Assembly of Quebec is asking for. As far as the environment is concerned, how can we really talk about public health when the government keeps funding the oil companies that emit greenhouse gases? That is greenwashing, as the member said. There is greenwashing, but the member is also playing fast and loose with information on seniors. A one-time cheque does not help seniors in the long term.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Peter Julian: I would like to thank my colleague for her speech. I have a great deal of respect for her. I know that she works hard to help people. I know her riding of Shefford well. For years, I drove through Shefford almost every day, certainly every week, to get from the Eastern Townships to Montreal. I know the needs of her riding well. I also know how well my colleague represents the people in her riding. Thanks to the NDP's efforts, we are now seeing hundreds of children in the riding of Shefford, in Granby and elsewhere, who have already benefited from the dental program that the NDP forced the government to put in place. As we know, the next phase of this dental care program will benefit people with disabilities and seniors. Families and young people will be able to benefit from it. I just want to ask a question of my colleague, for whom, once again, I have great respect. Does she think it is a good thing that people in her riding who did not have access to dental care before now have access to the dental program?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Andreanne Larouche: I thank my colleague for his question. I have been hearing from the people of Shefford, especially from community groups. They are wondering about the details of this much-touted dental care program. They are finding that there is a lack of information. I am also getting questions about how it will fit in with what is already in place in Quebec. In short, I am seeing a lot of question marks and possible complications ahead. Let us keep things simple. We already have a dental care program in Quebec. The government needs to respond to the Quebec National Assembly's request and give Quebec the money it is due so it can continue to improve its projects and its health care system.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Pat Kelly: we usually hear from only two or three members over there when we are debating legislation, so it is nice to have a different voice. I wonder what the member's constituents have to say about a promise the government made when the Liberals won in 2015. They distinguished themselves from both the Conservatives and the NDP by promising to run deficits. There is a general consensus against running deficits and to not return to the days when Canada nearly had to be bailed out by the IMF as a result of the Prime Minister 's father's time in office. The member promised that the Liberals would run modest, $10-billion deficits to build unprecedented infrastructure, and then run balanced budgets. Every part of that promise was a lie and was broken. The promise that the party made was untrue, and I wonder how he squares up with his own constituents over the broken promises that got the government elected.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Peter Fonseca: I appreciate the opportunity from the Conservative member to really highlight the true colours of Conservatives. What they are talking about is that the Conservatives want to cut and cut. They want to cut programs. We talk about affordability, about supporting seniors, youth and business. We talk about investments in Canada and investments in Canadians. The results show it. We have more jobs and low unemployment, and Canadians are doing well. The member and his party voted against it. He votes for cryptocurrency for the Conservatives.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mrs. Caroline Desbiens: I commend my colleague on his enthusiasm and his faith in his budget. To me, the speech we just heard is too rosy and overly optimistic. I may be wearing rose-coloured glasses, but that does not stop me from seeing things as they are. Seniors are getting poorer. Seasonal workers have to deal with the spring gap, or maybe a black hole. There are things the Bloc Quebecois has been calling for for a long time. The environment is not about the environment, it is just greenwashing. What did my colleague not understand about the demands the Bloc Quebecois has been making for a while now? Let us support our seniors and propose ideas to encourage them to go back to work, if that is what they want. If they are unable to do so, then they need a basic income to get through the year. They are living below the poverty line. The same goes for seasonal workers. I do not understand my colleague, who seems to be saying that everything is just fine. I do not think things are fine. In any case, in my riding, things are not fine at all. Some people are going hungry. Others do not know if they will have enough credit to manage. It is very worrisome. This is nothing new. The government has been pushing us into increasing poverty for some time now. It is odd to say "increasing" when it comes to poverty, but it is what it is. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on my perspective.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Peter Fonseca: I thank the hon. member and the others, because it gives me the opportunity again to speak about our record. The Bloc members did not put in their platform, and nor did the Conservatives, the New Democrats and others, how they were going to help seniors with a 10% increase to the OAS as well as the GIS. However, the Liberals did, and we delivered for seniors. We increased the OAS. Since 1973, the OAS had never been increased by as much as we increased it. It would be good to see if the member would take some direction from the Liberals and be able to do more for seniors, because that is what we are doing. Since 2015, we have been here to support seniors, the OAS and the GIS. The Conservatives wanted to increase the age of retirement; we lowered the age of retirement to help seniors here in Canada.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Matthew Green: as a former city councillor, I was the first one in the province of Ontario to take on payday loans. I heard the hon. member mention the predatory practice of payday loan. At that point in time, it was a provincial Liberal government that was paying lip service to any kind of meaningful reform, yet in this budget, the remedies the Liberals have for payday loans are once again lip service. The Liberals would go to the industry and ask it to lower the rates, while the hon. member for New Westminster--Burnaby has Bill C-213 , a bill that is ready to go. It is a real, meaningful bill that would include amending the Criminal Code to lower the maximum legal interest rate from 60% to 30% and that would include the calculation of the interest rate within the overall charges for these payday loans. Why is it that, when the Liberal government has the power and the opportunity and the willing partners in the NDP to make true reforms to the predatory usury and the loan sharking that are payday loans, it refuses to do it? Is it because the past association president was Stan Keyes, the former Liberal?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Peter Fonseca: I want to thank the member, and his colleague next to him, because I know that, in my community and in communities right across our country, predatory lenders are out there taking advantage of people who find themselves in dire straits. I am glad this budget will be addressing the issue of predatory lending, so we can bring down those abysmal charges and interest rates, which these companies are driving onto people. I am with the member for Hamilton Centre and the member from B.C., and I support them on this.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Peter Fonseca: it is so important. Over the last two weeks, we were in our constituencies, knocking on doors and speaking to families that have had the opportunity to avail themselves of our dental program, which is right now for kids under age 12, but will be expanded to seniors and to kids up to age 18. It makes a tremendous difference for those families, along with many of the supports that we have put in place, which are allowing youth to have a vision for their careers and their futures.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Deputy Speaker: Order. It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Kitchener Centre , Housing; the hon. member for Dufferin--Caledon , Democratic Institutions; the hon. member for Port Moody--Coquitlam , Persons with Disabilities.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. James Bezan: the member talked about Ukraine, but this budget has absolutely nothing in it for Ukraine. It has nothing in it for the Canadian Armed Forces, and it has nothing to ensure that Ukraine would be victorious over its Russian aggressors. I do not know how she could stand in this place to talk about all that the Liberals are doing for Ukraine. As someone of Ukrainian heritage, I found it was incredibly disappointing and insulting that there was not anything there, other than loans, at a time when the country is getting invaded. I want to talk about the Washington Post article that just came out this afternoon. It came from documents through the Discord messaging app, which said that the Prime Minister had absolutely no intent of ever meeting our NATO targets. According to the article, the report that was released, and it comes from the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "'Widespread defense shortfalls hinder Canadian capabilities,' the document says, 'while straining partner relationships and alliance contributions.'" Why is the member supporting a government that continues to undermine our bilateral relationship with the United States and our collective security?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Rachel Bendayan: I appreciate the opportunity to talk about our support for Ukraine. It was not something I detailed in my speech, but I am happy to talk about it. This government has put over $5 billion forward to support Ukrainians in their fight against Russia. We have been recognized by President Zelenskyy as being among the countries that are leading in support for Ukraine. We have been thanked on many occasions as a prime leader in the discussions at the G7 and G20 ensuring support from around the world for Ukraine. Also, our Leopards have arrived in Ukraine. However, I would point out that the member opposite actually voted to lift sanctions on Russia for fertilizer. It is not the time to lift sanctions on Russia. It is the time to get tough on Russia, and it is an embarrassment that the Conservatives want to weaken our sanctions regime.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Kristina Michaud: I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on the environmental portion of her government's budget. I think it is a bit of a shame that, in this era of fighting climate change, we are putting all industries on the same footing, even the heavy polluters. That has been proven. I question the idea of offering more public funds to companies that make millions, if not billions, of dollars in profits per year, to help them develop new technologies that have not yet been proven effective. I am thinking about carbon capture and storage in particular. All that money could have been directed elsewhere. They could have invested more in renewable energy, green energy. I spoke to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change about it, and he said that if we help one, we have no choice but to help them all. I am still having a hard time with that. We know that some companies are heavy polluters and that we should not encourage them to produce more. Instead, we should encourage them to produce less, so that they produce fewer greenhouse gases. I would like to hear my colleague's opinion about giving equal footing to industries that are receiving public funds, even if they make billions of dollars in profits.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Rachel Bendayan: I very much appreciate my colleague's work to make gains in our fight against climate change. She talks about investing in green, clean energy. That is exactly what we are doing in this budget. In fact, I was surprised to learn that the Bloc Quebecois was going to vote against this budget, given that it is a budget that truly responds to Quebeckers' demands to accelerate the country's green transition. I would like to point out to my colleague that, according to the latest figures, our emissions are down almost 10% from the 2005 level, which is our reference year. We must continue. We need to accelerate these gains. That is why we have invested heavily in the green transition in this budget.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Peter Julian: I had to give my head a shake because the member, a Conservative, talked about how it has been so difficult for poor Canadians and middle-class Canadians. I have to go back and mention the 10 dismal years of the Harper decade, when in this House we saw the Conservatives slashing health care, forcing seniors to work longer, depriving them of their pensions and systematically making it tough for working people to survive. We saw this routinely when workers were exercising their collective right to negotiate and would occasionally go on strike. The Conservative government, during the dismal Harper decade, forced those workers back to work. I see all that. I see the fact that Canadians are struggling. What the NDP has offered is dental care, while pushing for pharmacare and pushing for real supports for Canadians. Was the member asleep during the 10 dismal years when Harper ripped apart the social fabric of this country? He took away health care and all of the other programs that Canadians depended on. Was he asleep during that entire decade?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Len Webber: right now, it is our oil industry that pays for the hon. member's dental plan. It is our oil industry that has supported this country for decades. I have a Statistics Canada report here that says oil and gas companies have almost half a trillion dollars in assets in Canada. That is $452 billion in investments here in Canada, yet the government is decimating that industry. Who does the member think is going to pay for all of this? It is going to be the revenue coming into our coffers from the oil and gas industry. We need to support Alberta's oil and gas industry.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Rachel Bendayan: I appreciated the speech by my colleague, particularly the opening when he indicated that he was very open to agreeing with and saluting certain specific measures. He mentioned in his speech that he is very dedicated to curbing crime and violence in this country. Does he agree with our proposal to use existing funds, not new money, to take further action to tackle drug trafficking and stem the flow of drugs coming into our country, particularly from across borders?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Len Webber: absolutely we need to curb the problem of illegal drugs coming into this country. We need to do whatever we can and spend whatever we can, but who will pay for it? It is the taxpayers who pay for this. They also pay for the dental plan and everything the government is offering in its budget. How do we pay for all this? It is with a strong oil and gas industry in Alberta, an industry that provides us billions of dollars. In 2021 alone, this single industry generated $105 billion for our GDP while supporting almost 400,000 jobs, and the government is decimating it. If we continue to increase our debt in this country, we are in a lot of trouble.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Michael Coteau: while I listened to the member's speech, I was thinking a lot about many of the benefits we put forward to help young people in this country, specifically children and youth, when it comes to the dental program, interest relief on student debt, the child benefit and child care in general. These are huge programs that help young people. If the member was in charge, what would he do differently, specifically when we are talking about children and youth?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Adam Chambers: that is a great question. First, on child care, as far as I understand there is not one child care provider in my riding who is offering $10-a-day day care. Second, let us talk about what we would do differently. Do members know what the biggest waste of $500 million a year is? It is interest-free loans for students. Why? It is because it costs $500 million a year and we could give that money to low-income students so they can obtain an education. In fact, the government took grants for low-income students from $6,000 to $3,200 and claimed it was an increase. That is definitely not something we would have done. We could have given that $500 million to low-income students to obtain an education.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Andreanne Larouche: I thank my colleague for his speech. I am always fascinated to see how populist and simplistic the Conservative rhetoric is. He makes it sound as though cancelling the carbon tax would completely resolve the problem of inflation. I think that the Conservatives are simplifying things too much and that they are proposing solutions that are far too simplistic. At the same time, the more the government spends with the help of the NDP, the more it fuels inflation. I sometimes feel as though the Liberals are just hoping that this is all going to sort itself out and that they will not have to do anything. That is the case in the budget. What balance is there? I am thinking, in particular, of much more practical measures that could be put in place to deal with the labour shortage, for example. That would help the economy. We made specific proposals in that regard. I am always fascinated by the Conservatives' rhetoric on lavish spending and by their economic plan, which is far too simplistic. That was more of a comment than a question. I do not think that we are going to solve anything by suggesting that the government cancel the carbon tax.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Adam Chambers: the Bloc has put forward some interesting solutions. We work very well together at committee with the member of that party. I do not find anything simplistic or disingenuous about reducing the carbon tax on an energy bill. I have people emailing my office and sending energy bills that have $50 or $60 of carbon tax per month. They are on a fixed income. It is not unreasonable to recommend, at least temporarily, to remove that charge from people's energy bills.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Leah Gazan: I know the Conservatives often put down the New Democratic Party for offering much-needed programs to Canadians, like dental care. However, I would have to agree with my colleague from the Bloc that their analysis is quite simplistic. We know where the answer lies, and it is something the Conservatives are never willing to do: go after the ultrawealthy and tax the corporate elite. The Conservatives always talk about placing the onus on the taxpayer, but when it comes to the real problem in the room, which is the greedy corporate elite, I wonder if my colleague is willing to join the NDP in our call to tax the ultrarich and go after the corporate elite to pay for the programs Canadians need.