hazylavender/hi huggingface dataset:
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mrs. Laila Goodridge: prior to being elected to this place, I served as a provincial member in my home province of Alberta. Municipalities are the creation of provinces, and as such I am not suggesting that we take over the individual permitting. What the leader of the official opposition has suggested, and it is very smart, is to tie federal infrastructure money to having high development permits in certain areas, allowing us to have more homes being built in some of these communities where perhaps they are selling out and having a bit of a NIMBY perspective on it. This is not about the individual municipalities. The reality is that, since the government took office eight years ago, home prices have doubled in this country. Canada has tons of land, yet land costs have gone through the roof. We really need to do more to make houses more affordable so people can afford to live in this country.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Andreanne Larouche: I thank my colleague for her speech. Clearly, we are not going to agree on certain things, such as Bill C-11 and all the disinformation around it. No, Bill C-11 will not infringe on freedom of expression. However, we do agree on the issue of security, and I am very interested in hearing her talk about that. For example, it is deplorable that there is still no independent inquiry on Chinese interference, which is quite serious. We might have expected an announcement about some action being taken on this issue. Concerning arms trafficking, there are no measures to strengthen the control of gun smuggling across the border. That is very worrisome. I would like my colleague to talk about that.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mrs. Laila Goodridge: I thank my colleague for her question. I think she mentioned several issues that are top of mind for Canadians across the country and that were not addressed in the budget. One thing that struck me is that there are a lot of expenditures in this budget but no money to tackle Beijing's interference. There is also no money to reduce crime rates across the country. That is an area where more work needs to be done in order to ensure that Canadians have everything they need.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Alexandre Boulerice: I thank my hon. colleague for her speech. However, there is a difference between an expenditure and an investment, especially when it comes to investments in people, particularly in our seniors, our elders, who deserve respect. We in the NDP successfully forced the Liberal government to implement an actual dental program that will cover the bills for seniors who are living in poverty and need dental care. Is the member telling us that she is going to go back to her riding and tell seniors in precarious situations and those living in poverty that she does not want them to get their teeth fixed?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mrs. Laila Goodridge: that is absolutely hyperbolic from the NDP. Frankly, the Canadian Constitution is extremely clear that the delivery of health care is the sole jurisdiction of provincial governments. Provinces and territories all across the country have dental programs. Had the federal government wanted to have a well-costed program, it could have worked with provinces and territories to establish a program. Instead, the Liberals are saying what everyone in my constituency is always terrified of, which is, "I am here from Ottawa, and I am here to help." Frankly, I do not trust a government that has not been able to figure out how to pay its own employees over the last six years, having not been able to figure out the Phoenix pay centre and paying its own employees, will somehow administer a program this large and be successful. Therefore, no, I am--
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mark Gerretsen: that is an excellent question, and I am so glad that I was asked it. The reality is that if our economy continues to grow, and grow at a faster pace, which it is through immigration, through investing in people and businesses, then we are taking on debt and our net benefit, our net bottom line, is actually ahead. That is why Conservatives have done it. That is why Liberals have done it. That is why, out of the last 16 budgets introduced by Stephen Harper and Brian Mulroney, only two ran surpluses. Every other run ran a deficit, because they all understood the economics would be the exact same. I guarantee the member that if the Conservatives end up on this side of the House, they will continue to do the exact same thing.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Monique Pauze: since my colleague mentioned the environment a few times in his speech, I want to engage him on that issue. Much like the Bloc Quebecois, many groups recognize that the budget contains some positive measures for the environment. However, everyone sees eye to eye on criticizing the investments in carbon capture and storage, as this only offers a vague hope of a transition to a cleaner economy. Why, on the one hand, are we investing in greener technologies while, on the other hand, we keep funding a technology that is not well developed and that itself generates greenhouse gases?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mark Gerretsen: that is another great question. I appreciate it, but I do not think the future is in carbon capture. However, I do know that we have a limited runway in front of us to protect our environment for my children, the member's children and all members' children and grandchildren. We have to throw everything at the problem that we possibly can at this point in my opinion. So, if investing in carbon capture is not the best solution, I would agree, is it a solution that we can use at least in the interim? Possibly, and I want to see if that will materialize. I want to see if it is a possibility. At the end of the day, of course, I do not want to be capturing carbon forever. I do not want that to be the solution. I want to move away from the problem of even having to capture the carbon in the first place.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Alexandre Boulerice: my colleague mentioned the carbon tax. That is something that the NDP agrees with. However, his government continues to give subsidies to oil and gas companies. On one hand, the government wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but on the other hand, it is using taxpayers' money to continue supporting fossil fuels that produce huge amounts of greenhouse gases. Does he not think that is a contradictory position?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mark Gerretsen: this is an interesting point that NDP members always bring up. They say we are investing in fossil fuel subsidies. However, no, the subsidies have actually been going down. What we have been investing in, which makes it look like they have been going up, is dealing with things like orphan wells. We should not be in a position where previous companies that have gone out of business left wells behind for society to deal with, but the reality is that those wells are there and we have to deal with them. When the NDP talks about our increase in subsidies, they are adding into that calculation money used for dealing with orphan wells, and I would submit that it is not a subsidy. This is something that we need to do as a society because, as a society, we allowed companies to not deal with them effectively themselves when they should have.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux: I wanted to pick up on the issue of housing because back in the nineties, there was a big push from all political parties inside the chamber that the federal government not play a role in national housing. I was an MLA at the time, and I believed that that was wrong. We would have to go back generations to see a federal government like the one we have today, playing such a strong leadership role on housing, including the first-ever national strategy on housing. The federal government needs to play a strong role, but we also need to see the municipalities in particular, as well as the provinces and other stakeholders, step up and play a very important role so that Canadians can get that affordable housing. Could my colleague provide his thoughts about this?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Alexandre Boulerice: I agree with my colleague. All levels of government have a responsibility when it comes to housing. That is true. However, the federal government has fallen behind. It is appalling. Nothing has been done for years, and now we have a lot of catching up to do. As far as Quebec is concerned, it is a shame that it took three years of negotiations between Ottawa and Quebec to finally get the money out the door and see projects get off the ground. We are very behind. In Montreal alone, there are 24,000 people on a waiting list for social housing. Social housing is the best way to lift people out of poverty and give them a real hand up. The federal government is still not doing enough. While it is true that a housing strategy has been put in place, it has not been improved and it is not meeting the real needs of people in the community. We want to see the federal government investing more heavily in social housing.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Monique Pauze: I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the federal and provincial areas of jurisdiction. There is a Quebec Solidaire motion before the Quebec National Assembly that states that health care falls under Quebec's exclusive jurisdiction. Quebec is asking for unconditional financial compensation for dental care, and it wants that amount transferred so it can improve coverage for a program it already has. I would like to know what the member for Rosemont--La Petite-Patrie thinks of that request for unconditional financial compensation.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Alexandre Boulerice: I will quickly respond with "a promise is a promise". We campaigned on that. We promised Quebeckers and Canadians that if they elected us to the House, we would work to make dental care accessible for the most vulnerable members of society and the middle class. That is exactly what we are doing, without interfering in Quebec's health care system. We will not tell hospitals what to do. We will not even open dental clinics. We will take the bill and pay it. That will make a significant difference in the lives of people in need, those without private insurance who cannot afford to see a dentist. I am very eager to go see Quebeckers and tell them that, thanks to the NDP, they can now have nice teeth, a beautiful smile, and pay their dental bill.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Taylor Bachrach: I thank my brilliant colleague for his remarks. He spoke a bit about the excess profits in the grocery sector. This is something I have heard about from constituents. They go to the grocery store and are astounded by how few groceries they can buy with the same money that just months ago, if not years ago, bought much more food to put on the table. Then they turn on their television and see that the CEO of a big grocery corporation is getting a raise in the millions of dollars. I think for many people, this is simply unacceptable. What approach would my colleague have liked to see in this budget to properly tackle the issue of grocery prices?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Alexandre Boulerice: unfortunately, it appears that a millionaire's appetite for spending millions of dollars of ordinary people's money has no bounds, even though people are going hungry and would like to eat real food. One thing that was not in this budget but that the NDP is proposing is a wealth tax. This would ensure that wealthy families with substantial means would pay for some of the investments needed to truly make it possible for people to help those most in need and to lift people out of poverty. That is the minimum for social justice.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux: if I were closing my eyes and just listening to the member, I would think she is a Conservative member of Parliament. At the end of the day, the member says there is no accountability or transparency, but let me give an example of where she is critical. The Bloc party does not support tax credits. That is what she is arguing. There is a tax credit for tradespeople to acquire the tools that are necessary. In a local hardware store in Montreal or a Home Depot in Winnipeg, tools are very expensive. For carpenters or people who are part of the trades, being able to write them off in the form of a tax credit is of great benefit. Am I now to believe that the Bloc party does not support tradespeople being able to write off, as part of a tax credit, the purchasing of their tools?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagne: unfortunately, I do not think that my colleague listened to my speech, or else he simply did not understand it. Throughout my speech, I gave examples of tax credits that are supposed to fight climate change and help the environment but that will not actually work. I did not say anything about the tax credit to help construction workers, which unfortunately represents only a very small portion of the budget. The government is not giving those people very much help in this budget. If they lose their job, they may not even be covered by employment insurance. There are reforms that are not included in this budget, which is very problematic. What makes us different from the Conservatives is that we want real change for the environment and a real energy transition. This budget obviously does not address that.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Taylor Bachrach: I want to acknowledge that one my colleague's biggest fans may have been in the building while she was speaking. Thinking about the topic of her remarks, particularly her remarks about the climate crisis, and thinking about her children and my children, the fact is that despite all of the good words from across the aisle, emissions in this country last year went up. We are giving money to fossil fuel companies at a time when emissions are heading in the wrong direction. How does that feel for her knowing the future we are about to hand our children?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagne: I thank my colleague for his excellent question. I certainly am very concerned. I even began my speech by saying how troubling it is to see that the budget does not address the real problems. In the end, all this government did was make some nice promises. We are seeing that in many areas. Unfortunately, we are not seeing anything specific to protect the environment. We are seeing that the government is doing everything it can to maintain the petro-state in Canada. I am very concerned about that, particularly when it comes to the environment. I would like to leave a healthy, livable planet to my son, who members have heard many times. Unfortunately, that will not be the case.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Monique Pauze: I would like my colleague to clarify what I think I understood. Tax credits are harder to track than direct subsidies to oil companies, because there may not be an audit for five or 10 years. The information is being somewhat hidden. At the end of 2023, the government could say that it got rid of fossil fuel subsidies, when in fact they have simply been converted to tax credits.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagne: my colleague completely understood the point of my speech and I thank her. That is precisely it. Now, instead of paying fossil fuel subsidies directly, the Liberals are going to do it in a roundabout way by giving tax credits. It will be very hard for the average citizen to know where this public money is going. It will even be hard for parliamentarians, yet it is their job to know where our money is going.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Monique Pauze: that is a whole other topic, but we do know that herbicides and pesticides are bad for human health, so that is what we need to focus on. That is true for all pollution. It affects people's health. This has been proven and calculated. Its economic impact has even been measured. We need to do something about it. There are many avenues ahead of us, but we need to take them all at the same time because it is urgent.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Alexandre Boulerice: I thank my colleague from Repentigny for her very interesting speech on the lack of tax credits, as well as on carbon capture and hydrogen made from natural gas. However, I would like to point out a few things that the NDP insisted on and that we are quite happy to see in this budget. For instance, regarding the infamous growth fund for the energy transition, we made sure that the unions will be at the table, because there are no solutions without the workers. I see that as a win. In addition, doubling the GST tax credit to help the most disadvantaged was another one of the conditions we set. This means that more than two million Quebeckers will receive up to $460 next summer. I think it is important to emphasize this good news.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Monique Pauze: absolutely, getting everyone around the table and being able to talk about innovation funds and so on is important. However, I just came from a committee where we talked about what happened with Imperial Oil in Alberta. When company representatives are sitting around a table, it becomes clear that there are people who listen, people who do not listen at all and people who do not consult at all. We have to keep that in mind when considering what my colleague from Rosemont--La Petite-Patrie is putting forward.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Elizabeth May: my colleague talked about fossil fuel profits and the fact that big business pocketed more than $38 billion this year alone. I find it very mysterious, however, that the costs associated with the Trans Mountain pipeline, which have ballooned to more than $30 billion, are nowhere to be found in the budget. There is absolutely no mention of the Trans Mountain pipeline issues in the budget. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that. Why has the government not cancelled this awful project already?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Monique Pauze: at a Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development meeting I attended before the two-week break, I asked the Minister of Environment and Climate Change why it was impossible to get out of this bottomless financial hole. He replied that I should ask the Minister of Finance . I said I was asking the Minister of Environment because he is the one who knows what is going on, who reads the summary reports and who is responsible for ensuring that Canada meets its international commitments. That is the response I got from the Minister of Environment.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay: I thank my colleague for her eloquent presentation. The parts about carbon capture caught my attention. It seems to me that it has practically become a new religion. It is all we hear about. It is portrayed as a miracle solution. It will be universal, and it will bring happiness to the entire planet. My colleague explained that the science seems to indicate the opposite, so why is the government still going ahead with this?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Monique Pauze: I agree that we need to ask ourselves why the government is continuing to move forward with this. I just want to remind the House that 100 of the 149 global carbon capture and storage projects were cancelled and that, in the United States, despite significant industry and government investment in the technology, 80% of the proposed projects failed to become operational because of high costs, low technological readiness, the lack of a credible financial return, and dependence on government incentives. Public money should go to known solutions. It should not go into the pockets of the oil and gas industry for futile projects they try to sell us on.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Assistant Deputy Speaker: I want to remind members to be careful with respect to the words they use in the House. I know the hon. member did not pinpoint anybody in particular. Again, I know there are words that are mentioned from time to time on both sides of the House, but I want to make sure that individuals are very careful regarding the language they use in the House. The hon. parliamentary secretary.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Larry Maguire: it is my pleasure to ask a question of my colleague from Winnipeg North . He just made the comment that this is a budget for all Canadians, and it certainly is. Every Canadian is going to have to repay the extreme debt the Liberals have put this country in. It is the biggest debt ever. He talked about accountability. The current government said it spent $500 billion for COVID, and the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer of Canada indicated that 40% of that had nothing to do with COVID. That has contributed to inflation. It will continue to, and even at the rates we have, it is the worst in decades. He can compare it to wherever he likes, but comparing it to ourselves, it is still the worst ever. Can he give us an accounting of why we are still 3.5 million houses short, if the Liberals' housing program is working so well?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux: we are spending $198 billion on health care. We are spending billions of dollars on a child care program. By the way, in February it was shown that we have the highest ever percentage of women in the workforce, because we wanted to ensure that child care is affordable. We have ultimately gone through a pandemic where we have spent billions of dollars to support small businesses and billions of dollars in order to be able to provide direct financial support for Canadians, i.e., the CERB wage loss program. We literally saved thousands of businesses from going bankrupt by doing so and literally put food and other necessities on the table for Canadians during the pandemic. Yes, we have spent money, and I suspect now, even though the Conservatives supported a lot of those measures, they want to oppose them for political convenience, so that they can say that we are spending too much money. The bottom line is that this is a government that has had the backs of Canadians, and it will continue to do so.
Date: 2023_04_17
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Greg McLean: I do not know how much I have to beseech the members on the other side to actually read the report they are referring to here, because they will find the numbers somewhat instructive. However, let us go "deja vu, all over again" because we can look at the 1980s for massive government deficits at the time that led to high inflation, just like today. The U.S. fought this with what is called the strong dollar policy, which means higher interest rates on its bonds all the way through the economy. This penalized the developing world because most of the developing world has to pay its debt in U.S. dollars and with U.S. interest rates. This led to a decade of economic stagnation in the developing world, and some economies actually went negative over the decade of the 1980s to the 1990s. Therefore, this was predominantly thrust upon the world's poor to address inflation. However, one issue that addressed inflation was the fact that there was cheap energy, because oil became less than $10 a barrel at the time. Let me ask the question again. These are costs. Will the minister take a lesson and acknowledge that she is on the wrong path?