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Results: 181 - 210 of 742
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, our budget is strongly focused on productivity and economic growth. That is something members of the Standing Committee on Finance heard from Stephen Poloz in his testimony at committee last week.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Yes, Mr. Chair, targets are definitely important, and let me talk about probably the target that is the most important to Canadians, which is the one million jobs promised in the throne speech. This budget will create them by the end of the—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, what I am going to do is talk about some of the things our government has done to support Canadians. How about this number: 876,000 businesses across the country have been supported by a CEBA loan.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, here is another number that might interest the member opposite: 182,000 businesses across the country benefited from the rent subsidy and emergency lockdown—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, one of the most important elements in the budget is investments in small businesses. There is the digital adoption program that is going to help drive a surge in productivity, and the tax credit for up to $1.5 million a year.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, that is actually precisely the opposite of what I said. When it comes to small and medium-sized businesses, this budget makes a historic, unprecedented investment. One of the most important elements is the tax expensing of $1.5 million for three years.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, if the member opposite is concerned about his grandchildren, as I am sure he is, and all of us care very much about our children and grandchildren, what I hope he will tell them is that this government is investing in the future. It is investing in jobs and growth. It is investing precisely in those grandchildren.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, let me start by congratulating the hon. member and all the people of B.C. for the announced plan for reopening and for the successful efforts of B.C. in pushing back the third wave of the coronavirus.
When it comes to tourism, we are very aware that this sector is particularly challenged. That is why the budget includes a billion dollars of additional support for tourism. That includes $400 million to support major and local festivals, $100 million to Destination Canada and $500 million to the tourism relief fund.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I am really pleased that our government has been able to support 8.9 million Canadians through the CERB and another 1.95 million Canadians through CRB.
The member spoke about this specific constituent as being a parent with children. If those children are under six years old, the good news is, thanks to the fall economic statement finally being passed by this House, that member should be getting $1,200 per child under six to provide some further support because we know families need it.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, there are lots of questions in there. I will go through them quickly.
On the independent travel advisers, let me remind the member opposite that there is a billion dollars in the budget specifically for tourism. The hiring credit will be very helpful for the tourism sector and all-season businesses. It is designed to provide them with particular support. I will also point out that the way we have structured the voucher refund program takes into account the needs of travel advisers as expressed to us.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I will remind the member of the specific support that is being directed to the tourism sector. There is $1 billion, including $400 million for major and local festivals and a $500-million tourism relief fund.
I also urge the member to be in touch with the RDA. B.C. has now its own RDA, and in some special circumstances, the RDAs are the best places to go for support.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, the government definitely supports a harm reduction approach to the opioid crisis. I would like to really salute the important work being done in B.C. on this issue. The budget invests $116 million to support community substance use and addiction treatment, and that is on top of $66 million in the fall economic statement.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, as I said, our government absolutely agrees with the member opposite that opioid-related deaths are a real tragedy in Canada. That is why we are investing significantly to support work in this space and to save lives. We absolutely believe in a harm reduction approach.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Chair, I am delighted to get a question about Vancouver's Chinatown. As part of my post-budget virtual tour, I had conversations with some of the great entrepreneurs in Vancouver's Chinatown. They told me about an innovative program they have to ensure that Chinatown businesses in Vancouver are aware of all the business support programs. I have part of Toronto's Chinatown in my riding, and I am working hard at the constituency level to try to use some of the innovative techniques pioneered in Vancouver's Chinatown to share the news with businesses in my riding.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely believes that affordable housing is a priority for Canadians. It is a priority for our government. That is why we are acting.
I will list some of the things we have been doing. Over $70 billion has been invested in the national housing strategy, which will support the construction of up to 125,000 affordable homes. There is also the rapid housing initiative, which is addressing urgent housing needs for vulnerable Canadians. It is a $1-billion program and is set to be expanded by an additional $1.5 billion in the recent federal budget. On January 1—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government is working closely with provinces and territories to get Canada vaccinated as quickly as possible. To date, we have sent over 20.2 million vaccines to provinces and territories with millions more arriving in the weeks to come. Let me remind the member opposite that the budget bill includes $1 billion to support provinces and territories in their vaccination efforts.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government has the highest opinion of Canadians and I believe every single member of the House does, too. All of us are privileged to serve our Canadian constituents.
As a former journalist and editor, let me assure Canadians that our government understands how essential freedom of expression is to democracy. We will never limit freedom of expression. This bill does not do that.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, speaking very personally as a former journalist and editor, I absolutely understand how important freedom of expression is. It is a foundation and pillar of our democracy, and I want to assure all members of the House and all Canadians that our government will never limit freedom of expression. That is not what this bill does.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely against censorship, and I believe that every member of this House is too.
Canadians expect us to be there to support our artists and our creators. That is why our government was very pleased to see a unanimous resolution at the National Assembly of Quebec to support Bill C-10.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, as a former journalist and writer, I can assure you that I am acutely aware that Canadians have the right to freedom of expression. Our government would never limit freedom of expression. That is not what Bill C-10 does.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, as we have always said, protecting and promoting French is a priority for our government.
The federal government has recognized for the first time that the situation of French in this country is unique and that the government has a responsibility to protect and promote French. We acknowledge the bill introduced by the Government of Quebec and we will study its content carefully.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, protecting and promoting French is a priority for our government.
In fact, our government has recognized for the first time that the situation of French in this country is unique and that the federal government has a responsibility to protect and promote French. It is a responsibility that we take very seriously, and it will be a pleasure for us to work with all members in doing so.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question. Speaking as a member of Parliament, that is something that I have spoken to many, many of my constituents about. I know it gravely concerns many Canadians. Our government absolutely shares those concerns. At the same time, we respect the independence of Canadian institutions, especially when it comes to medical and scientific issues.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that our government agrees that this is a discriminatory practice that is hurting a lot of Canadians. Our government is working very hard right now to eliminate it, but we must work in collaboration with medical and scientific experts.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I am so glad to get this question because it gives me an opportunity to talk about how well the Canadian economy is doing. Let me talk about some verdicts that really matter. Standard & Poor's, the international ratings agency, reaffirmed our AAA rating one week after the budget and said the outlook for Canada is stable. It does not get better than that and that should assure all Canadians.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives may have their own partisan reasons for talking down the Canadian economy, but I am so proud of how resilient and innovative Canadians are. That resilience is showing in the numbers. In the fourth quarter, our economy grew by 10%. In the first quarter of this year, it grew by 6.5%. In the first quarter, the U.S. grew by only 6.3%. The Bank of Canada has upgraded its forecast for this year to 6.5% growth.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, our government always chooses to support Canadians and Quebeckers. That is exactly what we did.
The Canada emergency wage subsidy supported 5.3 million workers in Canada, 1.29 million of them in Quebec alone.
It is very important to support Canadians now, and that is exactly what our government will do.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that our government has been there for Canadians since the pandemic began, and we will continue to be there.
All told, 873,000 small businesses received assistance from our government through the Canada emergency business account, or CEBA. Our government has supported over 10 million working Canadians. We know that we must support Canadians, and that is exactly what we are doing.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, that question I am afraid betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of how bankruptcy protection works in Canada and what it is intended to do. Bankruptcy protection is intended to enable companies to restructure and to emerge as viable businesses. It is entirely appropriate for companies during that process to be encouraged to maintain employment.
That is exactly what the wage subsidy does and continues to do. It has supported the jobs of 5.3 million Canadians. We are proud of that.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, what I think is ethical is doing whatever it takes to support Canadians and Canadian businesses get through this once-in-a-generation pandemic, and that is why I am so pleased that 873,000 small businesses across the country have been able to receive the CEBA loan. In the member's own province of Manitoba, 22,603 small businesses have received the CEBA loan. The wage subsidy in Manitoba alone has supported 175,000 jobs.
Results: 181 - 210 of 742 | Page: 7 of 25

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