Ali Ehsassi

In response to a question from Grant Jackson

“We know Canadians are struggling to buy food and pay for daily life. We are replacing the sales tax credit with a bigger benefit that gives more money to millions of people. We made school meals permanent to help feed kids and save parents money. We are also spending money to support food banks, lower farming costs, and help businesses with supply issues.”

“Madam Speaker, affordability is at the forefront of the government’s attention. That includes, of course, food affordability, so I am very happy to provide a response. As I suggested to the previous member, the global landscape is rapidly changing, leaving economies, businesses and workers under a cloud of uncertainty. In response, our new government has focused on what we can control, such as building a stronger economy to make life more affordable for Canadians. We understand that many Canadians are struggling to make ends meet and need immediate support. We can all definitely understand this situation. This is why we launched the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will provide support for more than 12 million Canadians. This new benefit will replace the current GST credit, but it will be much more generous, as I am sure the member can agree. This will start with a one-time top-up next week on June 5. We will also increase the value of the GST credit by 25% for five years starting in July of this year. This will make a real difference for Canadians who are struggling to make ends meet. Combined, this means that a family of four will receive up to $1,890 this year and about $1,400 a year for the next four years. A single person will receive up to $950 this year and about $700 a year for the next four years. This new benefit will be indexed to inflation. This means that the amounts paid to Canadians will increase each year in line with the rising cost of living. We have also made the national school food program permanent. This will provide up to 400,000 children with meals at school each year, helping families save an average of $800 annually. These two measures represent real and immediate help. We are also working on solutions for the long term. The government has announced a series of measures to help bring down costs for Canadians. We have set aside $500 million from the strategic response fund to help businesses address the cost of supply chain disruptions. We are creating a $150-million food security fund under the existing regional tariff response initiative for small and medium-sized enterprises. Our plan also includes immediate expensing for greenhouse buildings to lower the cost of food production. In addition, we are providing $20 million to the local food infrastructure fund to support food banks and other national, regional and local organizations to deliver more nutritious food to families in need. We are also going to develop a national food security strategy that would strengthen domestic food production and improve access to affordable food, including measures to encourage unit price labelling and support for the work of the Competition Bureau. Our government remains focused on empowering Canadians by lowering costs, making groceries and other essentials more affordable and expanding opportunity. We have announced a series of new measures to help Canadians make ends meet, and we will continue to remain focused on affordability measures.”

• Echo ×14

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  “We have also made the national school food program permanent.”

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In response to a question from Jacob Mantle

“We welcome outside investment to grow our economy. Canadian institutions want to fund infrastructure projects, which creates jobs. We are also hosting an investment summit in September to help us build big projects.”

“Madam Speaker, I can only go by the question the member provided us with earlier. If the question is whether we are the type of country that is welcoming investment from various sources to make sure there is economic growth, the answer is absolutely. He knows full well that there are a number of Canadian institutions that are very interested in investing in infrastructure projects, and that, of course, creates jobs. In addition to that, as the member is fully aware, in September we will have an investment summit. We are doing everything within our power to make sure that we are building, that we are building bold and that we are building big. That, of course, will include investments from various institutions.”

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In response to a question from Jacob Mantle

“Life is expensive, so our government is helping Canadians with their costs. We created a benefit to help people pay for groceries, paused the fuel tax for the summer, cancelled the consumer carbon tax, cut income taxes, and cut sales tax on new homes for first-time buyers. We also made our school food program permanent.”

“Madam Speaker, allow me to start off by emphasizing that the global landscape is rapidly changing, leaving businesses, workers and families under a cloud of uncertainty. As a result of all these geopolitical shifts, the costs of groceries and everyday essentials in Canada have been high for way too long. We believe our economy is stronger when it serves everyone. That is why we took action to make groceries and other essentials more affordable in the near term and, in parallel, to promote food security and support innovation in the agricultural and food sectors. To support the people most affected by the rising price of food, in January 2026 we announced a new Canada groceries and essentials benefit to help more than 12 million Canadians afford day-to-day essentials. The Canada groceries and essentials benefit builds on the existing goods and services tax credit and will provide $11.7 billion in additional support over six years. This includes a one-time top-up payment to be issued June 5, equal to a 50% increase in the annual 2025-26 value of the GST credit. This delivers, of course, $3.1 billion in assistance to individuals and families who currently get the GST credit. We know that Canadian household budgets are feeling the squeeze from higher costs. There is no doubt that this spike is causing financial difficulties for far too many individual Canadians. To help Canadians and businesses manage such pressures, our government introduced a temporary suspension of the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels. The suspension came into effect on April 20 and will stay in place until and including Labour Day, September 7. This step is expected to lower Canadian bills at the gas station by up to 10¢ per litre in gasoline and four cents on diesel. Such temporary suspensions are expected to save Canadians up to an estimated $5.75 on gasoline when filling up a typical 50-litre tank of fuel. Overall, the suspension is estimated to provide relief of over $2.4 billion in 2026-27. We have done even more to alleviate the pressure from the high cost of fuels on Canadian household budgets. Right after taking office, the Prime Minister cancelled the federal consumer fuel charge, effective April 1, 2025, in a move that directly helped Canadians save money at the pump. As of that very same date, our government also removed the requirement for provinces and territories to have a consumer-facing carbon price. These actions helped reduce gas prices in most provinces and territories by about 18¢ per litre in comparison to 2024-25. There is more. Our government is also delivering major tax breaks to Canadians. Since July 1, Canadians have been paying less tax, after the government lowered the first marginal personal income tax rate from 15% to 14%. Thanks to this change, I would add, 22 million Canadians benefit from tax relief of up to $420 per person, saving two-income families up to $840 this year. Our government has eliminated the GST for first-time buyers on new homes up to $1 million and reduced the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes between $1 million and $1.5 million. In addition, we have also made the national school food program permanent, providing school meals for up to 400,000 children each year. Despite what the member is suggesting, there are a number of different affordability measures in the update. We are working on that. We are working on investments, and we will continue—”

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• Echo ×29

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  “We introduced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit.”

  Said 29 times by 19 members since April 23.

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“Canada is strongest when governments, workers, and businesses work together. That is why we created a new committee yesterday to share advice on our trade and economy with the United States.”

“Mr. Speaker, let me assure the member that we all stand at the ready. Canada is at its strongest when governments, workers, businesses and industry are all pulling in the same direction. By strengthening our engagement, we are ensuring Canada is well-positioned. That is why, as the member is well aware, yesterday we announced the creation of the advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations. This will serve as a forum for knowledge sharing, expertise and feedback on all issues.”