Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, housing rental affordability continues to improve. Asking rents have declined for 18 consecutive months. Every single month that this government has been in office, Canadian average salaries have increased. Now the IMF says that Canada will be the second-strongest economy in the G7 this year and next. We are growing Canada strong.
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Mr. Speaker, of course everyone will have to wait until the economic update is delivered. Our great Minister of Finance will deliver it on April 24, and there will be more good news for Canadians. As for the government's strategy, we are building a strong, affordable, resilient Canada that is more independent from the United States.
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Mr. Speaker, asking rents have declined, year on year, for the 18th consecutive month. Growth in housing expenses has increased at less than the Bank of Canada's target, marking the 16th straight month of annual declines. Salaries continue to grow at more than twice the rate of inflation. Affordability is improving, but this government is just getting started and we will not stop.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to read into the record, for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition, that I work for Canadians, and only Canadians, to improve their affordability. That is why we have the groceries and essentials benefit, over $500 for 12 million Canadians on June 5. That is why we are cutting the federal tax on fuel. That is why we are providing Canada's average family with over $20,000 …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the opposition member for his question, which is an important one. The new U.S. section 232 tariffs are all-encompassing. Yes, the government is considering transitional measures for businesses and individuals, including the affected workers.
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Mr. Speaker, we are currently negotiating with the Americans to renew CUSMA. The most important sectors are the aluminum, steel, softwood lumber and automotive sectors. Negotiations will continue, but our starting point is the world's best trade agreement with the United States.
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Mr. Speaker, the U.S. tariff rate for Canada has gone down since last April, since the election. The rate was over 10%, but it went down to 5.5% and is now sitting at 4.4%. We have made progress, but we want more. We are working hard on all this. I believe the message from Terrebonne was clear. We must work to build Quebec strong and Canada strong.
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Mr. Speaker, the government has a comprehensive plan to make life more affordable for Canadians, and that includes suspending the excise tax on gasoline, lowering taxes for the middle class and providing the Canada groceries and essentials benefit and other programs. All of that amounts to $20,000 per family per year.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I am the Prime Minister of Canada, not the Premier of Ontario, the Premier of Quebec or the Premier of British Columbia. The biggest gas taxes are provincial taxes. Second, Canada's inflation rate is lower than the Bank of Canada's target. Moreover, Canadians' wages have gone up by 4.7% per year, which is about double the inflation rate.
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Mr. Speaker, to learn a lesson, one has to have ears to hear. There are some on the benches opposite who have been listening, and they will notice that wages are growing at more than twice the rate of inflation in this country. They will notice that rents have gone down relative to incomes for 33 straight months. They will notice that I am out of time.
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Mr. Speaker, yes, we are working on that and we are working with our corporations, businesses, workers and unions to build Quebec strong and build Canada strong.
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Mr. Speaker, one thing I have learned in my economics education is that one has to study history and look at numbers. My record as a central bank governor is inflation less than 2% at the Bank of Canada and inflation less than 2% at the Bank of England. Let us get back to where we are today, which is that wages in this country are growing at more than twice the rate of inflation. I will spell it o…
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Mr. Speaker, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, I feel like I am in the presence of students. On that account, I do not think the Leader of the Opposition would pass the exam with those answers. As the IMF confirmed yesterday, Canada will have the second-fastest growth in the G7 this year. As the IMF confirmed yesterday, we have the best fiscal position in the G7, point final. As we have confirmed, we hav…
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Mr. Speaker, what the government is proposing is to cut the excise tax, 10¢ a litre for gasoline and four cents on diesel. We have already cut the consumer carbon tax, 18¢ per litre. We are recycling all the excess revenues from higher oil prices to Canadians. What we are not doing is what the Leader of the Opposition is proposing, which is to substantially increase the deficit, something he is re…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, yesterday, in the presence of the Leader of the Opposition, members of the NDP, the leader of the Green Party and even the Speaker of the House, I quoted the Bible and I also quoted Marcus Aurelius, like the Leader of the Opposition. That is because there are some principles that are universal. I am talking about virtues, values and examples. These are examples of virtue, example…
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Mr. Speaker, we are getting this country moving with the biggest transformation of this economy in generations. We are building unprecedented amounts of affordable housing. We are building clean energy. We are lowering energy costs for Canadians. We are building a defence industrial strategy that this country has not seen since the Second World War. We are protecting Canadians. We are building thi…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a fundamental question. The opposition member's question has to do with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is the federal government's responsibility to defend the charter. Proceedings are currently under way before the Supreme Court of Canada. We are awaiting the outcome.
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Mr. Speaker, I am blessed with a strong cabinet that is working hard for a strong country. We are taking control of the immigration system. Asylum seekers are down by a third, foreign students are down by 60% and temporary foreign workers are down by 50%. The population equilibrated, is equal. We are investigating 100% of the fraud cases since the new government came to office. We have the system …
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Mr. Speaker, let us take a look at what has happened since this summer. The United States has lost 6,000—
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Mr. Speaker, I know the member opposite was not here in the spring. It is a source of great sadness. We got rid of the consumer carbon tax. That took off 18¢ per litre. What matters is the rate of growth of wages relative to overall inflation. Wages are growing at twice the rate. This country is moving forward.
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Mr. Speaker, we have the lowest debt burden in the G7. We have the lowest deficit in the G7. We have the highest credit rating in the G7. What is this government doing? It is putting it into action with a defence industrial strategy that will bring half a trillion dollars of investment. With an auto strategy, with an electricity strategy, with a climate competitiveness strategy and with a housing …
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Mr. Speaker, let us look at what has happened to the United States since the summer. It has lost 6,000 jobs. This country has created over 80,000 jobs since August. Let us look at what has happened to wages in this country. They are growing the highest in years at 4%. They are growing twice the rate of inflation. Canadians are getting ahead every single month with this government. Canadian wages h…
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Mr. Speaker, I am blessed with a strong cabinet that is working hard for a strong Canada. Canada's new government is regaining control of the immigration system. Asylum claims are down by a third. The number of international students has fallen by 70%. We have a strong Canada and a balanced immigration system.
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Mr. Speaker, that is a false dichotomy. The Bloc Québécois just made a choice about Bill C-9. It is Parliament's responsibility to protect the rights of religious communities, such as the Jewish community here in Canada, against hate. I am puzzled: Why did the opposition member support Bill C-9, which addresses this issue?
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Mr. Speaker, as I said in my book, as it is the policy of this government, we want the lowest-risk, the lowest-carbon and the lowest-cost oil and gas, and that is what makes ours competitive. That is the story of Canadian LNG. That is the story of the MOU with Alberta. That is the story of Bay du Nord. That is how we drive the country forward and not off a cliff like the member opposite.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a very serious situation. First, the government has already banned 10,000 IRGC officers from entering Canada. Second, 170 investigations are under way, and like the Minister of Public Safety said, 28 are currently being subject to an extensive review process.
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Mr. Speaker, as the government, we take this situation, like every other situation, seriously. That is because we are the government. Words are not facts, however. Cúram is not a financial disaster. There is a budget. Cúram is staying on budget.
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite thinks he is on a rich vein, but he is tapping a dry well. Under this government, production has never been so high. Exports have never been so high. We approved Bay du Nord. We are working with the Province of Alberta to produce the lowest-cost, lowest-carbon oil and gas. We are expanding our exports. We are expanding our future.
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Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that this is Service Canada's responsibility. Now there are 7.7 million people who are not having problems and for whom things are working well. Over the past week, the number of people experiencing delays related to these issues has been reduced by 10,000. There are some issues, but it is Service Canada's responsibility to implement solutions.
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Mr. Speaker, the funny thing is that the government offered a briefing to the Bloc Québécois and has yet to receive a response. There was no response to our offer for a briefing. There were discussions in committee.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate receiving this gift on this day honouring Ireland. Canada has increased at record levels our oil exports. Canada has approved, under this government, Ksi Lisims. Canada has approved and started one of the biggest LNGs. Canada is working to the lowest-carbon LNG and the lowest-carbon oil exports in the world. We will maintain and increase our competitive position. We are d…
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Mr. Speaker, there are many policies of the member opposite that I will not adopt. One of them is flip-flopping, jumping around and searching for ridings every election. The second thing I will not adopt is the importance of having the most competitive oil and gas in the world. Our oil exports have never been higher. Under this government, exports are over five million barrels per day, and that wi…
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Mr. Speaker, this is the way the G7 oil reserve works: If a nation is an importer, it has to have an oil reserve. If a nation is an exporter, which Canada is under this government, if it has record exports, which Canada does under this government, that is how it supplies the world. I salute the work of the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of Finance, who, working with G7 counterparts…
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Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is interesting. It is a good idea to have a discussion before having an inquiry.
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Mr. Speaker, it feels like Groundhog Day. I am once again required to remind the member opposite that the impact of the industrial carbon tax on fuel prices is approximately zero. The impact, though, of our trade deals on the farmers in his constituency is absolutely enormous. It is almost planting season, and the farmers of Alberta, including in Battle River—Crowfoot, can plant canola.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's policy is clear: Canada supports the need to prevent Iran's nuclear program and the export of terrorism. Canada is not taking part in offensive operations by the United States and Israel, and it never will.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we want to protect synagogues, we want to protect community centres and we want to protect places of worship, which is why Bill C-9 is before the House today. I challenge the member opposite to put his votes behind his words to protect the Jewish community and to protect communities of faith across this country.
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Mr. Speaker, I just had a conversation with the chair of the G7, Mr. Macron. I had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan. I had a conversation with the President of the United States. That is three members of the G7. I am the fourth member. I will be meeting with Mr. Starmer, who is a fifth member of the G7 and with Ms. Meloni. Yes, we will find common ground within the G7. We will do that an…
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Mr. Speaker, our government condemns the shootings at synagogues in Toronto and at the U.S. consulate. That is one of the reasons why the government is vigilant when it comes to terrorists. The IRGC is listed as a terrorist group.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action against the IRGC. For example, 10,000 people are banned from entering Canada. We are taking action on Canadians' purchasing power. We have cut taxes and increased food support, and we are providing child care for Canadian families.
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Mr. Speaker, I have to go quickly. Bill C-14 would change the bail laws. The member might want to read it and definitely wants to support it. The member opposite has voted against every single gun control measure ever put before the House. The government has banned the Islamic guard. The government has sanctioned over 200 Iranian entities. The government is investigating over 17,000 individual cas…
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Mr. Speaker, the best option is de-escalation and peace. That is why I am having conversations with other members of the G7 and with leaders of Middle Eastern countries, such as Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. We also need to use the G7's oil reserves.
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Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that the member opposite read the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects the Torah, which protects the Bible and which protects freedom of expression. The House should not be otherwise informed by possible misrepresentation. We should follow the true word that protects all Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, first, we have strengthened Quebec's health care system. Second, we have strengthened Quebec's dental care system. We have strengthened Quebec's pharmacare and more.
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Mr. Speaker, the Cúram project has already been reviewed by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Auditor General. All amounts have been budgeted for, end of story.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to acknowledge that today marks the fourth anniversary of the beginning of Russia's unjustified and horrific war against Ukraine. Canada stands with Ukraine and we are sending more military and humanitarian aid today. With regard to the Leader of the Opposition's question, as far as I know, the Cúram process started in 2017. The project was expanded to inclu…
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Mr. Speaker, as I just said, the previous government began this project with OAS. We broadened the project's scope, adding EI, the GIS and the CPP. All amounts have been budgeted for and this project has already been reviewed by the Auditor General.
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Mr. Speaker, first, this project began in 2017. At that time, I was the governor of the Bank of England. Second, the project was expanded. All amounts have been budgeted for, including the $6 billion.
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Mr. Speaker, yes, Canada is not America. Yes, Canada provides essential health care to everyone in this country. The increase in costs for the program referenced in the opposition motion is a result of the increase in applicants for that program. Now, what has the government done? The government has taken back control of immigration. The government has reduced the number of temporary workers in th…
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