Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to rise on behalf of the good people of Scarborough Southwest to speak about their stories and, of course, join in debate to discuss our government’s plan, which has made targeted and high-impact investments for Canadians while maintaining the fiscal sustainability that is so necessary for our country right now. I believe I will be able to shed some light on some of the work that we have been doing, and maybe address some of the misconceptions, and the negative energy, frankly, that we hear from the other side every single day. If the Conservatives could just get on board and actually understand the reality of what Canadians are facing every single day, we would be able to work together to actually address some of the challenges that all of us in the House have talked about. We have heard about food banks. Since the pandemic and throughout the last couple of years, we have seen the lines increase at every food bank. In Scarborough, I have seen that myself. Just recently, when I talk to the food banks, they say they are getting to a point where they are seeing the numbers decrease. We are actually finding solutions. We are actually able to help people. We are helping students who used to line up at those food banks and families who used to line up at those food banks. I really hope that we are able to have a discussion where we understand that the Conservatives have really highlighted this debate and made it about fiscal responsibility versus economic growth, as a choice. It is one or the other. I want to say that we need both. We need to have fiscal responsibility, and we also need to have economic growth, not one versus the other. We cannot choose one over the other. That is why it is so important that we are being disciplined, controlled in our measures and focused on that fiscal sustainability. How did our government do that? Let us talk about some of the plans that our government worked on. When we look at our budgets, for example, the way we spend money, something that I have said over the years in my time as a public representative, standing up for the people I represent in my community, is that a budget is a moral document. That means a budget highlights the values that we are focusing on, what we are spending on and what our priorities are. It really is a moral document on how we take care of one another. When we look at the way we have spent and what our government has been focusing on, the number one priority that I see every single day, that I know is important for my community, is a plan to build housing. I see that as a priority for our government, and we are already working on that. Our plan also builds on major infrastructure to transform and connect our economy. We have had Conservatives in government for years, but one of the things we failed to do in the past was to actually connect our provinces and territories to one another. This government made an intentional effort to make sure that we are able to connect our provinces to one another so that we can actually have an economy that functions in a seamless way. It also means that we diversify our trades with countries across the world, make new friends and build capacity. That is exactly what we have done. Another thing that we have done is our plan to lower costs to help families get ahead. That means helping families with our groceries benefit and a child care plan, and focusing on a national school food plan that helps in multiple cities. I know in the city of Toronto, that was something that a lot of schools and a lot of parents appreciated. Canadians expect their government to manage public finances responsibly, and rightly so. Now rising debt servicing costs reinforce that responsibility, because when we look at the rising debt servicing costs, it is about how we are focusing on that responsibility. Fiscal responsibility is not just about balancing a number on the balance sheet, and it is not just about reducing that number and forgetting everything else, which goes back to what I was saying about that choice between fiscal responsibility versus economic growth. It involves making careful choices. It is about making choices today that strengthen our economy for tomorrow. It is about making choices that improve Canada’s ability to stand up for the future and for the children of tomorrow. In our April economic update, the finance minister gave us a clear and transparent account of Canada’s economic performance in an increasingly, if I may remind everyone, uncertain world. It has done two things, I would say. One is that it has given transparency to our businesses, not just small and local businesses but all scales of businesses, so they can seize new opportunities and make sure they are able to thrive. It also helped families. It gave families the confidence to plan for their future. A lot of families were starting to feel that the uncertainties seen around the world were having an impact at home. When we formed government and came into power, within months, families had the confidence to understand how they can move ahead. Yes, it will be tough, and it will get tougher, but we have a plan, and we will work toward making sure we are able to help families move forward. How did we do that? We remained focused and we were disciplined. We focused on what we can control. That means balancing our day-to-day operating spending with revenues by 2028-29 and maintaining our fiscal anchors. We heard many of my colleagues speak to that in the House. We also looked at every dollar spent. It is not the government’s money, but people’s hard-earned dollars. We are responsible for people’s tax dollars, and we are making sure that people’s money is spent on behalf of Canadians to support growth, resilience and their well-being, to make sure they are able to get ahead. We have a responsibility to spend every single dollar in a way that helps Canadians every single day. This is the approach that is very important for those on the other side to understand, especially for today’s debate. Controlling the cost of government while making the investments needed for a stronger economy is what the government has done. It looked at what we could reduce spending on, and we focused on government spending. We looked at how we could build resilience and focus on building a stronger economy for our nation. Our government knows that we cannot just stand still. It is not an option. There cannot be inaction like we have seen in the past. Underinvestment can be detrimental and cost us significantly. I want to focus on one more thing before I conclude. It is really important for us to understand that we are facing a time when people across the country want us to unite and help them. Canada is a country where we take care of one another, and if we are building resilience and a stronger economy, we must come together and make sure we are building an economy that helps our future generations.
