Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today and to speak to Bill C‑30 and the programming motion about how the government is going to pass it. Bill C‑30 is a continuation of the good news we heard in the spring economic update, Bill C‑31. We know there were positive economic signs. The deficit was $11 billion less than expected, which is good, and there is a plan to balance the operating budget in just a few years, which is a good sign. We have the highest growth in the G7, three times the rate of Italy and twice the rate of Germany and Japan, which is also good news. All these things are indicators that the economy is starting to click. There has definitely been a pause, but we are getting back to a good place. The investment per capita is also the highest in the G7. This is really good news, because for a while, foreign investment was fleeing the country, so to have it returning, as well as to have the highest investment per capita, is another positive indicator. I am personally quite proud of the Prime Minister’s efforts to diversify our trade. In just one year, there have been 21 agreements made, and project announcements are coming forward, such as the Bombardier $15‑billion plane announcement and a number of the projects that are starting to roll. These are all signs that our diversification of trade away from the U.S., so we are not so dependent on it, is working. There was a lovely graph in the spring economic update. If people have not seen it, they should look. It showed the progress we are making. These are all signs that we are going in the direction of good. People are still suffering under the affordability crisis, for sure, but wages are increasing at a greater rate than inflation. It is the first time that has happened in quite a while, which is also a very good sign. In addition to that, the government’s plan is working in terms of creating jobs. The jobs numbers are starting to come up. I heard the Minister of Industry announce the other day that 88,000 jobs were created in the last month. We know that the jobs are going to come with the major projects we are building, the 14 major projects in that category, and there are all kinds of other ones as well. I was really interested to hear of a particular one. I have been talking for a long time about aluminum and the unjustified tariffs with the U.S. We should not be shipping our aluminum to the U.S., having it turned into beer cans and pop cans and bringing them back to Canada at a higher cost. We should be making those things here. I have just heard that there are three plants that are going to be making those cans here in Canada, creating jobs for Canadians and reducing the damage we are suffering from the unjustified tariff war. I think that is a very good thing as well. In terms of some of the programs that are coming, build Canada strong is something everybody can get behind. We all want the country to flourish. There is a combination of things that are needed in order to make that happen. I spoke a bit about the major projects, which is a key thing, but we also know that we need to build affordable housing. In my riding of Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, this is the number one priority. We have a gap of about 1,800 affordable spaces that are needed, and that is in just one riding. Think about that added up all over the country. The need is great. Our new government has done great on focusing plans and putting incentives in place that will not just build homes but also make those homes more affordable. The initiative to work with, for example, the province of Ontario to get rid of permitting fees will take about $200,000 off the price of a house. That is really substantial, especially for first-time homebuyers who are trying to get into the market. Taking the GST off homes up to a value of $1 million is also tangible evidence that we are getting the price of houses down. Across the nation, the price of houses is down 20%, and rents are down 9%, other encouraging signs. I feel a little like the Minister of Finance, saying, “more good news”, because there is a lot of good news to be shared with the House. The other thing I really like is building team Canada, right from starting off with something that is near and dear to my heart and my riding: $6 billion announced for apprenticeships to get Red Seal certification. We have about 6,000 trades and, I would say, one of the world‑class quality, safety and productivity trades in Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong. I was really pleased to have the Secretary of State for Labour come meet with LiUNA and St. Clair Mechanical, the shops that do the training of these apprentices. As members may know, one of the apprentices we met actually won a gold medal in Ontario for the welding competition and is on his way to nationals, so I send a shout‑out to Ryan Beattie for that. Making sure that our young people have well‑paying jobs is just one of the things we need to do. There are measures as well that will give them some relief on their student debt, and there are incentives in this budget that are going to open doors. I love the playground to podium initiative, because we all need to get interested in sports. In my long life so far, I have been involved in many areas of sport. I received my black belt in tae kwon do, was a triathlete and did long‑distance running. I was also a spin cycling instructor. We know that for people who get involved in sport, it is not just about being healthy. It also teaches us a lot about leadership, teamwork and other things we need. We are so proud, and it really unites the country, when we see Canada on the podium winning gold. It does not matter what the sport is. Everybody has their favourite. I am sure there are people out there right now who just cannot wait for the FIFA games to begin. I am married to a hockey player, a guy who loves hockey, so hockey is a 24‑7 passion in our house. Whatever the sport is, we need to invest in making sure Canada is represented and can be proud on the world stage. That is another very good thing. We live in a very volatile world, one that is increasingly dangerous, and it is really nice that we are starting to recognize we need to reinvest in our defence, reinvest in our military. I was disheartened to find out, as one of the military members told me, that we have only about 12 hours’ worth of ammunition. If we ever get into a conflict, that is it, and we do not have any domestic production. However, there is more good news: A munitions plant is going to be built in Ingersoll. There is more to come on all this. These are great things, and this is a way as well that we can protect ourselves from the unjustified tariffs from the U.S. A lot of the manufacturers and tool and die folks, especially in southwestern Ontario, have been hugely impacted by the section 232 tariffs. Not only has our government provided relief to get them through, such as $1 billion from the BDC and another $500 million in tariff relief funds, which were responsibly brought to the table when these tariffs arrived, but we are also seeing that people can pivot into the defence industry. With our having rolled out the buy Canadian procurement, everyone who has a business can sign up and get their number registered so they can see what government contracts are being let that they would be qualified to provide a service for. This will get more people to work and will, again, drive the economy. There is a lot of upside to that. I am very proud that we are increasing wages for the members who serve in the Canadian Armed Forces. These are men and women who sacrifice. They sacrifice with their families. They sacrifice with their bodies. They sacrifice a lot to be in these situations, so they deserve to be well rewarded. I would be remiss if I did not talk a bit about the measures to address affordability, because people are struggling. I hear about it in my riding, especially from single seniors. The ones on a fixed income are probably some of the poorest in our country, and it is a shame because many of them built the country, and they deserve to live with dignity. There are many measures the government has brought, such as the grocery benefit, which is $1,900 for a family of four and $800 for an individual, and the tax cut for 22 million people. There are the various programs for addressing the school food program. I do not know if members saw the announcement from the Prime Minister yesterday about food security and a huge investment of $3 billion to try to make sure that we can get food prices down and that we can produce more of our food supply domestically and become less dependent on others in the world. All of these are extremely good measures. This is the good news that we heard in the spring economic update, and it is just continuing on in Bill C‑30. One of the ideas in the bill is to modify the labour mobility deduction for eligible tradespeople. I know our new government has leveraged a lot of ideas from the members opposite, and I remember that one coming forward. It would also be making permanent the capital gains exemption for the sale of a business to an employee ownership trust or a worker co‑operative. This would be critical because a lot of people who own small businesses are getting long in the tooth and they are looking for a succession plan. In order to facilitate that succession plan, they need to have this kind of relief. There are many other things in Bill C‑30. Some are in regard to taxation measures and excise tax. I like the reduction of the amount people have to pay in to get CPP. I think it has been increased a number of times over the last decade, and it is nice to see some relief coming there for employers and for individuals. I want to provide some clarification on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. I have a lot of farmers in my riding, a lot of very innovative farmers who are into organic farming and some of the new things that are coming on. The CFIA needs this modernization activity that the government is focusing on. I think that is a very good thing. If we look at our core mission of building the infrastructure, empowering Canadians by lowering costs and protecting our communities, all of these things are intertwined. I can put an example out there of what the build Canada fund is going to provide. In my riding, I need seven stormwater and waste water upgrades in order to facilitate affordable house building. This is the kind of funding that is needed by the municipalities. I am sure I will not get all seven, but I will keep pestering until I get as many as I can. That is what we need. It is fundamental. As for the the building communities fund, Sarnia is the only city that does not have a rec centre of size. This building Canadian communities fund is a good fund to support things like that. We have been awarded the international plowing match in 2027. For those who have not seen an international plowing match, it is something to be seen. It attracts visitors from all over. There is huge economic development and huge economic activity, and some infrastructure is needed to prepare the grounds that the event will take place on. Again, the build Canada communities fund would be very useful for that. All in all, I would say our new government is on the right track. We are going to build Canada strong. We are already seeing the signs that things are going in the direction of good. We just need to keep on, we need to diversify away from the U.S., and we need to address CUSMA. All of these things are things the government is seized with, and we will continue to work for the good of all Canadians.
