Discussion · Government Orders
Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Québécois
“I want the government to adopt our budget ideas. We want to increase benefits for people who cannot afford daily life, stop charging the federal sales tax on used goods, and send housing money straight to Quebec. We also want to make homelessness funding permanent so help groups can plan ahead.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I really appreciate her. She knows that. We always prepare budget proposals. It is not an easy exercise because our proposals actually pay for themselves. That means that we need to find the money, so it is an exercise in choices. As I said in my speech, we need to help those who are struggling the most right now with the cost of living by increasing the benefit. We also want to eliminate the GST on secondhand goods. Quebec is ahead of Ottawa in this respect. We need to stop taxing these goods twice. In fact, this would be an environmentally responsible policy. As for policies regarding housing, rent relief and homelessness, two things need to be done. First, the money must be sent to Quebec in order to avoid duplication, and, second, certain funding must be made permanent. I am thinking of the Reaching Home program, whose funding is ending in 2028. It is not right that, at a time when we are experiencing a crisis like the homelessness crisis, a crisis in transitioning away from homelessness, organizations do not know what their funding will look like beyond 2028. That requires planning. We have prepared a package of proposals, and we hope that the government will listen to them, especially since the government has had enough time to adjust the budget.”
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I really appreciate her. She knows that. We always prepare budget proposals. It is not an easy exercise because our proposals actually pay for themselves. That means that we need to find the money, so it is an exercise in choices. As I said in my speech, we need to help those who are struggling the most right now with the cost of living by increasing the benefit. We also want to eliminate the GST on secondhand goods. Quebec is ahead of Ottawa in this respect. We need to stop taxing these goods twice. In fact, this would be an environmentally responsible policy. As for policies regarding housing, rent relief and homelessness, two things need to be done. First, the money must be sent to Quebec in order to avoid duplication, and, second, certain funding must be made permanent. I am thinking of the Reaching Home program, whose funding is ending in 2028. It is not right that, at a time when we are experiencing a crisis like the homelessness crisis, a crisis in transitioning away from homelessness, organizations do not know what their funding will look like beyond 2028. That requires planning. We have prepared a package of proposals, and we hope that the government will listen to them, especially since the government has had enough time to adjust the budget.