hazylavender/hi huggingface dataset:
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Doug Shipley: the biggest concern is, quite frankly, that people listened to and believed the Prime Minister when he stood in front of the country and said that inflation rates would remain low for a very long time. He should be someone Canadians can look up to, believe and respect. Obviously, in this case it did not happen and rates have gone up drastically. People are now struggling. In my community, they have locked in on those rates. I personally spoke with a bank manager who said there are many families right now on the verge of losing their homes because they did not think rates would go up that much. People were told by the Prime Minister to hang in and lock in, and that rates would remain low. They did not, and Canadians are struggling.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mrs. Julie Vignola: I think we can agree that the budget is not all bad. There are some good intentions in there. That said, as my colleague mentioned, there are also things missing. I would like his opinion on one thing that I noted was missing, and that is respect for the jurisdictions of Quebec and the Canadian provinces, as defined by the Constitution. I would like my colleague to tell us more about this lack of respect for the Constitution in current budgets.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Doug Shipley: I do not know how much of that is in the budget, but I think there should definitely always be respect among the federal government, the provincial governments and all municipal governments. Sometimes, what is lacking in politics these days is respect among all politicians. I agree with the member opposite that we should all be respecting each other and our boundaries and should be working together to get things done for Canadians.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Lisa Marie Barron: I most definitely agree with the member's comments about us working together to get things done for people. The member mentioned in his speech the many Canadians who desperately need a break, and I would ask if he could speak to the implementation of a windfall tax on those who are earning excess profits at a time when many are struggling the most. I heard about those struggling to purchase groceries in the grocery store. Does the member feel there are benefits to our taxing those who are earning profits off the backs of those who are struggling in the grocery stores? We could then use that money toward, as just one example, those living with disabilities, who are struggling now more than ever. Could I get the member's thoughts on this issue?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Doug Shipley: I do not think we have a tax problem in this country. I think we have a spending issue. Taxing more really does not solve a lot of issues. It could perhaps drive people out of the country, and we need good people to create good jobs, good businesses and a good economic situation. I really do think raising taxes is never a good idea, unless it is absolutely necessary. What we need to do is rein in some spending, not increase taxes.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mrs. Stephanie Kusie: as someone currently in the role of shadow minister for the Treasury Board, I am always very interested in the public accounts and how we can show more transparency to Canadians. With his experience as a municipal councillor, can the member please express to the House what he would like to see in the budget and how he would like to see more transparency for Canadians in the budget?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Doug Shipley: as we have seen many times over, the Liberal government ran in 2015 on being open and transparent, and on sunny ways. I have heard many times from many of my residents that it is anything but that. They are having trouble getting access to many documents, many institutions and many facts along the way. Hopefully, we can correct that as we go forward. Some day soon, Conservatives will be on that side, and we will be open and fair and let people know what is going on.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mrs. Jenica Atwin: I share this passion. I am deeply concerned about housing in my own riding, and there has been significant federal investment in the Fredericton region. I think of the Oak Centre. We have supportive housing on multiple levels. We have 12 Neighbours, which is about tiny home investments, a really creative model. I work to support the shelter network in my community. It is always about building that collaboration with municipalities and the provincial government. I agree that housing is absolutely a human right, and we need to decommodify the housing system. My question for the hon. member is simply: How many houses did the Conservative government build when it was in power?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Ryan Williams: it is an easy answer. We had house prices that were half of what they are now. However, I want to focus the answer to the member's question specifically on how we have more collaboration. In our region, we have an amazing group. Hastings County has put together a "7 in 7" plan where it is going to build 7,000 homes in seven years. It is going to do it by working with the municipalities, the province and innovative groups like Phil Spry and Bob Cottrell who have discovered how to put developers together with not-for-profits. The developer takes the risk and the not-for-profit runs the programs using the government. They have actually been able to build homes faster. Seven thousand homes in seven years, which I know the member for Kingston and the Islands will benefit from, is an innovative program that is going to benefit eastern Ontario. That is the kind of innovation we look at in the future--
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Martin Champoux: I would like to mention that I was surprised to hear that there is a connection between the glaring problem of drug abuse and the fact that people do not have a door to lock so they need to stay awake and watch over their children. That does not add up to me. I would probably put more blame on mental health issues in general, but I have a different question for my colleague. I am going to touch on something other than housing, because I thought that part of his speech was pretty interesting. I would like to know what he thinks about the fact that, even though the situation is critical, the government is not proposing EI reform in the 2023 budget.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Ryan Williams: yes, we need reforms in EI for sure, but let us get back to the subject at hand: We need homes for people. As I said in my speech, shelter, transitionary homes and affordable market rent are the three answers to housing. When we talk about mental health and addictions, what is nice about a transitionary home is that it actually provides those supports to residents to overcome addictions and to deal with mental health. We talk about everyday residents who have to wait sometimes six months just for one appointment with one counsellor for mental health. I agree that there is a mental health crisis in our country, but let us talk about it as it comes back to the street where all of that is compounded, especially because people do not have a place of their own. We need more supports and to focus on the three answers.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Lisa Marie Barron: the member said "build baby build" many times, which has a good ring to it, but I am concerned it is another Conservative slogan that is not actually based on fact. I wonder if the member could share his thoughts around the fact that we are seeing developers building all around us. We are seeing new units popping up, but the problem is that we are seeing more unaffordable homes, more unaffordable units, popping up around us, which is not going to resolve the issue that we are currently experiencing with the ongoing commodification of housing that has happened over the last 30 years by consecutive Conservative and Liberal governments. Would the member agree that in order to ensure that those he was referencing, including military, veterans and seniors, have access to the affordable housing they need, we need to see more social housing put into place, more affordable housing put into place, so everybody can have a place to call home?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Ryan Williams: I did answer that in my speech. Build baby build means for everyone. We need affordable housing. We need market rent. We need transitionary housing. We need to ensure we are building housing for our military and indigenous. We need housing of every stripe, which means we need more. We need 2.8 million units today, and that only happens if we build them, not by wishing they came in but actually making that happen. It is going to take a lot of work, and a Conservative government would ensure it happens at the end of the day.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Arnold Viersen: one thing that I am concerned about is the $43-billion deficit that is projected by the budget this year. Back in 2015, when the Liberals took power, they promised they would run four consecutive deficits of only $10 billion, and after that, they would return to a balanced budget. Why does the member continue to support deficit spending? Does he think this has an impact on inflation?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Chandra Arya: let us take the way I personally look at the deficit of $43 billion. For me, as a working Canadian, I do not like credit card loans. However, I do like having a mortgage because it helps me to invest in my long-term future and long-term assets. The deficit we have is basically going towards long-term investments required for Canada so that we can continue to be competitive in this world, improve our long-term transportation network and invest in long-term things required for clean energy growth. Those are the kinds of long-term infrastructure-related investments that are required, and these things are primarily contributing to the deficit we have today.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Monique Pauze: my colleague mentioned the U.S.'s Inflation Reduction Act more than once in his speech. On page 56 of the "Statement and Impacts Report on Gender, Diversity, and Quality of Life", the companion paper to the budget, there is a measure entitled "Future Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Development". Does Canada want to embark on that adventure, which is both unacceptable and inconceivable when we think of the environment and the future, because it wants to follow the lead of the U.S. President, who has announced drilling in Alaska?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Chandra Arya: when we were discussing the Inflation Reduction Act at the international trade committee, one union leader put it very neatly and simply. He said we cannot match the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act dollar for dollar, but we can provide a smart response. We do not have to pick and choose everything in the Inflation Reduction Act and do as they are doing, whether drilling in the Arctic or not. However, as Canadians, we can respond in a smart way. We have taken care of some of the measures that are in the Inflation Reduction Act in our budget. We took care of some measures even before the Inflation Reduction Act came into being by lobbying very heavily with the U.S. administration. Because of the lobbying effort and our team Canada approach, we were able to secure the subsidies and incentives that the U.S. government announced in the IRA. They are applicable to all North American manufactured vehicles.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Alexandre Boulerice: there are many people in our society who are struggling with the increased cost of living. The cost of groceries and rent continues to rise, and people are struggling to survive and make ends meet. Meanwhile, the ultra-rich are lining their pockets. I am talking mainly about the CEOs of the large grocery chains who are earning $5 million, $12 million and $13 million a year. Does my colleague not find it indecent that these people are getting richer by creating hardship for others? Does he not think it would be a good idea to have a wealth tax so that these large multimillionaire families finally have to pay their fair share and so that we have a more just society?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Chandra Arya: fundamentally everybody has to pay their fair share of taxes. To help vulnerable Canadians, who are deeply affected by the rising cost of living, we took several measures before the budget, as well as in the budget. To be very clear, we cannot tax anybody to death. Therefore, we are collecting taxes from the rich with the existing tax structure; in my view, this structure is quite adequate. At the same time, we are investing in providing support to vulnerable Canadians.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Majid Jowhari: we are all concerned about inflation. We are all concerned about affordability. That is why the measures not only in budget 2022 but also in budget 2023 have clearly focused on the most vulnerable who are impacted by the rising costs of food as well as issues with affordability. As it relates to the so-called deficit, as my colleague from Nepean indicated before, this is an investment that we are making. This is very similar to the decision that any parents make when they make an investment in their home, when they make an investment in children's education, when they make an investment for a better future, not only for themselves but their families. This is indeed exactly what our government has done. It has made a conscious decision to make an investment in Canadians and that is what we are doing.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Martin Champoux: my colleague for Repentigny has been up and down so often to talk about carbon capture technology she must be getting dizzy. Maybe my Liberal colleagues should have a word with their speech writers, because everything they say is something they have said before. Here we are, still talking about this technology, when better-informed countries across the world are moving away from it, now that it is known to be ineffective. The United States is dropping its incentives to use carbon capture technology, while we are adding more. I would like to understand the logic of it all. The government says it wants to fight climate change, yet it encourages the oil companies with measures like this one.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Majid Jowhari: what I would like to remind my colleague is the fact that our approach is a comprehensive multipronged approach. Yes, we are talking about investing and providing tax incentives for organizations that need to focus on carbon capture, but we are also focusing on incentivizing companies that are focusing on solar, wind and renewable energy, as well as others, such as nuclear energy.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Charlie Angus: Joe Biden has just announced a dramatic shift in EV investment, that they will have 67% of American cars running electrical within nine years. That is extraordinary, but what that is also going to mean is that if Canada does not keep up, we will be left behind. However, this government continues to put massive investments into the Trans Mountain pipeline, over $30 billion. If we are looking at 67% of vehicles in the United States going to electric within nine years, we are going to have a lot of stranded assets. I want to ask my colleague why the government continues to subsidize Trans Mountain when it has been proven to be a money loser. This is taxpayers' money that we are not going to get back and we are now $30 billion-plus and rising on Trans Mountain.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Majid Jowhari: well, yes, there is an investment made in the Trans Mountain pipeline. However, let us talk about the investment that has been made in hydrogen. Let us talk about the investment that we are making in critical minerals. Let us talk about the investment that we are making in ensuring that there are electrical batteries being developed close to the facilities where these critical minerals are being extracted. The most important thing: let us talk about other countries and other organizations from across the world that are making the conscious decision to come to Canada and set up their leading clean tech and EV battery plants here, such as Volkswagen.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mark Gerretsen, Lib.): there is so much to unpack there, but let us just talk about a couple of issues. First of all, at the beginning of his speech the member talked about the grocery rebate being a gimmicky thing the government has come up with. Let us not lose sight of the fact that it is a top-up to the existing GST rebates that are given to Canadians. We know what the Conservatives did last time we introduced that. First they said they would not vote for it. Then maybe there was some pressure, but they backpedalled a bit and said that they would vote for it. If the member wants to call it a gimmick, that is fine. If Conservatives want to say that we are just trying to package up the GST rebate as a gimmick, that is fine. However, let us not forget, that at the end of the day, what they would be voting against would be giving more of that GST rebate to Canadians. Could the member explain to the House why he was in favour of it recently, when the Conservatives did their flip-flop, but now, he suddenly does not want to see it? How is the GST rebate this time not as beneficial to Canadians as it was the last time?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Terry Dowdall: I will reiterate that it is a gimmicky rebate for the simple reason that we should not need to do that for Canadians. We now have 1.5 million people visiting food banks because of the policies of the Liberal government. We have people who need assistance. There is no doubt about it. However, all these increases have been created by Liberal policies. In my riding, whenever I am going out to see people, and I think maybe the member opposite should spend a lot of time doing that, I hear that that kind of money is not going to make a big difference when there is a carbon tax. On top of that, the government could lower the taxes for seniors. Those are the things I am hearing in my office. I would not be too proud of the fact that the government is giving a grocery rebate.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mrs. Julie Vignola: I thank my colleague for his passionate speech. He mentioned the government's deficit. What I have noticed is that the government announces spending, but does not manage to spend what it announces. In 2021-22, they failed to spend the $38 billion they announced. In 2022-23, they failed to spend the nearly $40 billion that was announced and we can expect the same amounts in the current budget. In short, the federal government announces deficits when in reality it is squirrelling away significant sums of money in its coffers. In the meantime, it refuses to increase seniors' pensions, to modernize the Employment Insurance Act and to meet the demands of Quebec and the Canadian provinces on health transfers. What does my colleague think of the federal government perpetuating the fiscal imbalance to the detriment of Quebec, the Canadian provinces and their populations?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Terry Dowdall: first of all, when we talk about announcements, I have never seen a government with more announcements and no delivery. It happens all the time. My office gets bombarded whenever the government makes an announcement, and then my staff is busy because there is no meat to what it is saying. I agree with the member that a lot of money is not spent. We could look at different departments each and every year. I am on the veterans affairs committee, and a lot of that money that has been earmarked for programs is not spent. I also think we need to respect provinces. We could do a lot better if we worked together, and we would be able to accomplish a lot more and solve a lot of the problems that we have here in Canada, from housing to health care. We need to work together and have open discussions, respecting one another. However, once again, we have a Prime Minister who likes to create division in all things, including with the provinces.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Charlie Angus: it is always quite entertaining to listen to the Conservatives tell us how much they care about seniors, veterans, single moms and working people. It is like being invited down to the riverbank to have a picnic with a crocodile. Maybe they have changed the way they do business, but if we look at historic records, we know it is not a good idea. Let us talk about the member's love for seniors. Let us remember Stephen Harper, who announced this big transformation in Canada. He was going to go after the public funding of seniors' pensions, and he was going to raise the seniors' pension age. Where did he do that? He did not talk to seniors. He went to Davos. Stephen Harper went to the World Economic Forum to announce that he was going after Canadian seniors. Would the hon. member explain why Stephen Harper thought it was better to tell Davos that he was targeting seniors than to have the guts to talk to senior citizens, face to face?
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Terry Dowdall: I do not know if the member still watches a black and white TV, but there are colour TVs now and we have moved forward as a country. I believe that seniors are extremely important. As I said, during the Harper days either, we never saw 1.5 million people at food banks. Quite frankly, I am not sure why we are talking about the past. Let us solve the problems today for all Canadians.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Leah Taylor Roy: I appreciate the comments made by the member opposite, but I am confused. The program we have in place to fight climate change, the price on pollution, has shown to be the best market mechanism to actually combat greenhouse gas emissions. This is about the future, as is investing in clean tech. I am wondering why the member opposite believes that we are not focused on the future when this budget is all about the future.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Melissa Lantsman: let me clear it up for the member. The carbon tax does not work; emissions have gone up. Canadians pay more than they get back. Therefore, the Liberals' claim that it is revenue neutral, both the parliamentary Budget Officer and the member's own Minister of Finance said the same thing. The carbon tax does not work. In fact, this is a government that reveres the President of the United States, who stood here and talked about a climate plan. The Liberals revere his climate plan, which has no consumer carbon tax. They should take a lesson from him.