Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Kings—Hants. We just heard a speech by the Leader of the Opposition that was once again full of catchphrases. I think he came here just to record his social media sound bites for this week. If Canadians are interested in practical measures, then they need to look to this side of the House. We are implementing measures to strengthen the Canadian economy, which is working for everyone. I think that Canadians see right through the official opposition’s tactics when they hear this kind of rhetoric. We need only look at the results of the most recent by-elections and polling numbers. Canadians clearly favour our approach, which is based on practical measures that make a difference in people’s lives. On that note, I will focus on the content of my speech, because today’s motion deals with the cost of living. To address the cost of living, we can implement immediate measures. I am thinking of the enhancement of what was previously known as the GST/HST credit and the tax cut for the middle class that we announced last year. These are measures that put money back into Canadians’ pockets now. That said, we need to think from a medium- and long-term perspective. I am thinking in particular of the national food security strategy that we launched earlier this year. This strategy aims to address factors within Canada’s agri-food ecosystem to help stabilize grocery prices over the medium and long term. One of the pillars of this strategy is to increase food production in Canada. To achieve this, we are implementing a range of programs designed to support innovation in the food sector, help our entrepreneurs modernize their equipment, and assist them in acquiring the capabilities needed to do more processing in Canada. Our goal is to have more Canadian food on our plates and to ensure that our entrepreneurs already active in the agri-food sector have the means to modernize and become more efficient: With the same workforce, how could they improve their equipment and processes so they can produce more food right here at home? I am also thinking of all the tax incentives we are putting in place to increase our production of fruits and vegetables in Canada year-round, particularly through our incentives for the construction of greenhouses and other controlled-environment growing facilities. Our goal is to increase Canada’s food sovereignty and reduce our dependence on others. Countries that are dependent on international trade are more likely to be affected by supply chain disruptions. That is why conflicts affect the price of groceries in Canada. However, if we boost domestic production, we are less likely to see price fluctuations based on changes happening abroad. I am also thinking about the exchange rate. When we import a lot of products and the exchange rate varies, that also affects prices. Strengthening our food sovereignty at home helps stabilize grocery prices over the longer term. Boosting competition is also important. We know that. In Canada, five major retailers control nearly 75% of Canada’s grocery market. Our national food security strategy will allow us to help independent grocers buy and transport products at competitive prices without relying on the big grocery chains. We need to make it easier for independent grocers to access supply chains through various programs, increase competition in the sector and improve grocery prices for consumers. Thanks to the national strategy, we will also be providing nearly $130 million to the Competition Bureau and the Competition Tribunal to investigate, prevent and counter anti-competitive business practices. Rules are in place, but we must have the means to enforce them. Finally, we need to reduce red tape. In fact, a bill has already been introduced to this end, because red tape can have an impact on production costs. Strengthening the Canadian economy and supporting Canadians also requires strategic investment in our infrastructure. These investments must be made in partnership not only with the provinces, but also with municipalities. At the end of the day, there is only one taxpayer, and it is that taxpayer who ultimately foots the bill. When we invest alongside local governments in infrastructure projects that are essential to our communities, we help place those municipalities on a sounder financial footing. If the federal government does not contribute to major infrastructure projects, local governments may have no choice but to adjust their tax rates, and this will be reflected in our constituents’ property tax bills. That is why I think it is important for the federal government to be involved when there are plans to upgrade water and sewer systems to increase housing capacity in our communities, for example. Last summer, I was involved in making three announcements where the federal government, the provincial government and the municipalities made joint investments in water and sewer infrastructure projects, not only because these systems were aging but also to increase housing capacity in the areas where the work is being done. If we want to grow our communities and increase our housing stock, we must ensure that we have the proper water and sewer infrastructure in place to support that growth. I am thinking about the announcement that I made last June in Campbellton, alongside the late Mayor Soucy, regarding the upgrades to infrastructure on Notre Dame Street in the Atholville area. I also made an announcement in Grand Falls about the relocation and replacement of older sanitary sewer infrastructure on Taylor Street, Park Street and O’Regan Street. In addition to supporting residential development in this area, this project will also address critical environmental challenges because the Saint John River is nearby and we could see that a manhole was on the verge of collapse. This could have led to a serious environmental incident in Grand Falls. Through these investments, we are not only supporting the construction of more housing but also addressing an environmental imperative. My last example is the announcement of more than $1 million that we made in Edmundston to extend water and sewer lines to service a residential project on Laboissonnière Avenue, des Mélèzes Street, and Mgr Lacroix Avenue. These are tangible ways that we can help our communities and all citizens who benefit from these projects. As for the cost of living, we know that the price of electricity is also a major concern for Canadians. We know that the heating method used can have a significant impact on electricity bills. That is why we recently announced the launch of the national heat pump rebate program to help up to 820,000 households across the country switch to more efficient electric heat pumps. Our goal is to increase the number of homes that are more energy efficient in order to reduce electricity consumption and save people money every month. Heat pump systems have several advantages over traditional heating systems. They are more energy efficient, lowering energy costs for consumers. They also combine heating and cooling within the same system for year-round comfort, in the summer with air conditioning and in the winter with heating. What is more, it helps us meet our greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Under this program, households with below-median incomes will get up to $10,000, and other households will get up to $2,000. This is another concrete measure put in place to help people cope with the cost of living and also to meet our environmental objectives. As for the cost of living, I think it is also important to mention our affordable child care program, which we launched in 2021. The results speak for themselves. The statistics show that the labour force participation rate of young parents, particularly young mothers, has increased since this program was launched. Child care spaces have been created and made available to families in multiple communities across Canada, and we continue to work with provinces and territories to strengthen the early learning and child care system across Canada for the long term. Huge progress has been made over the past five years, but we know that the needs are great and that there is still a need for more affordable child care in our communities. There are still waiting lists. There is more work to be done, but when we look at the progress made over the past five years in expanding access to affordable child care in Canada, we see that great strides have been made. In fact, last June, an announcement of up to $5.4 billion over two years was announced. This is in addition to the more than $58 billion in funding that has already been allocated to this program since 2021 under the current extension agreements with the provinces and territories. This is another example of a concrete investment that has an impact on the cost of living, on Canadian families and on their ability to fully participate in the labour market. I will conclude by saying that addressing the cost of living and strengthening the Canadian economy so that it works for everyone requires concrete measures and action, not just empty rhetoric. The official opposition’s rhetoric is always followed by votes against every measure we put in place. On this side of the aisle, we take the issues seriously, take action, and implement concrete measures.
