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Results: 181 - 240 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.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the commissioner has investigated the matter, and the report released today cleared the Prime Minister of all allegations.
I will quote directly from the report. On page 3, it says that the Prime Minister “did not contravene subsection 6(1), section 7 or section 21 of the Act”. The commissioner is conclusive on page 40, where he says, “I cannot conclude that a contravention has occurred.”
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the member's question gives me an opportunity to talk about how important it is that our business support programs, including the wage subsidy, continue to be in place and will be in place until September 25. The wage subsidy alone has supported more than 5.3 million jobs, that is 5.3 million Canadians and Canadian families.
When it comes to small business and women entrepreneurs, I am very pleased to inform the member opposite that this budget provides unprecedented support for small business and unprecedented support for women entrepreneurs.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of suppositions in that question that are not accurate, but let me talk about the most important thing, which is that our business and income support programs have provided and continue to provide a critical lifeline to Canadians and to Canadian businesses. The wage subsidy alone has supported 5.3 million jobs across the country. We are going to be there to support Canadians as we fight this third wave.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, which gives me an opportunity to reassure all Canadians and all Canadian businesses that the federal government will be there for them. All of our programs to support businesses and Canadians have served a critical purpose, especially now as the third wave of the pandemic is hitting us hard. The wage subsidy enabled 5.3 million Canadians to keep their jobs.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his concern for working Canadians.
Let me take this opportunity to point out to him that the wage subsidy has protected the jobs of 621,000 workers in his province of British Columbia. Across Canada, more than 5.3 million jobs have been supported by the wage subsidy.
The CRA website makes clear that the wage subsidy can only be claimed for employee remuneration. It cannot be used for other purposes.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that there is no special exemption for Netflix or for any other digital company.
In fact, on July 1, for the first time in Canada's history, we will be imposing GST and HST on digital service providers such as Netflix. This amount is included in the budget implementation act and should result in $1.2 billion in revenue over five years.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, local public health authorities have had to impose the necessary restrictions to fight the third wave, and those restrictions have had repercussions on Canadians' jobs.
That is why our budget extends the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the Canada emergency rent subsidy and the recovery benefits. This will help Canadians and Canadian businesses get through the pandemic.
I hope all members of the House—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, it is puzzling to me why the Conservatives constantly try to talk down Canada and Canadians. The reality is that Canadians and Canadian businesses have been astonishingly resilient, notwithstanding COVID.
In the fourth quarter, our GDP grew by 10%. In the first quarter, it grew by 6.5%. In both cases, that is stronger growth than in the U.S. When it comes to jobs, notwithstanding today's very difficult numbers, 83% of COVID job losses have been recovered in Canada compared to just 63% in the United States.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, yet again, let me urge our Conservative colleagues to pick a lane. Half of the time, the Conservatives complain about debt and deficits, and accuse our government of investing too much to help Canadians finish the fight against COVID and have a strong and robust recovery.
What we believe Canada needs is the support to get through this difficult wave, which our budget provides, and strong investment to come roaring back. That is what we are going to do.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we are so enthusiastic about home retrofits. I think that all members of this House will agree that supporting Canadians in making their homes more energy efficient is a great way for us to work together to fight climate change and create great jobs in Canada in putting these retrofits in place.
The program that the member mentioned is very important and, in the budget, we also committed to moving ahead with an additional program to provide credit for Canadians who want to have deep retrofits of their homes.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, this budget makes unprecedented investments in reconciliation and in supporting indigenous people across Canada, with $18 billion over five years. That includes significant investments in supporting indigenous businesses and indigenous entrepreneurship. Moreover, this budget includes more than $1 billion to support tourism across Canada.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
moved that Bill C-30, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 19, 2021 and other measures, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
She said: Mr. Speaker, it is my sincere pleasure to join this debate on Bill C-30, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 19, 2021 and other measures.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have done everything necessary to protect Canadians’ health and safety, to help businesses weather the storm and to position our country for a strong recovery. After 14 months of uncertainty and hardship, Canadians continue to fight COVID-19 with determination and courage.
Right now we are being hit hard by the third wave, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. More and more Canadians are getting vaccinated. The recovery is around the corner. The bill before us today would implement our plan to finish the fight against COVID-19, create jobs, grow the economy and ensure a robust recovery from which all Canadians would benefit.
The budget I presented to the House on April 19 contains further details about the plan. The budget focuses on middle-class Canadians and seeks to help more Canadians join the middle class. It is also in line with the global shift to a green, clean economy.
This plan will help Canadians and Canadian businesses heal the wounds left by COVID-19 and come back stronger than ever.
This budget meets three fundamental challenges. First, we must conquer COVID. That means buying vaccines and supporting provincial and territorial health care systems. It means enforcing quarantine rules at the border and within the country. It means providing Canadians and Canadian businesses with the support they need to get through these final lockdowns.
Second, we must punch our way out of the COVID recession. That means ensuring that lost jobs are recovered as swiftly as possible and hard-hit businesses rebound quickly. It means providing support where COVID has hit hardest: to women, to young people, to racialized Canadians and low-wage workers, and to small and medium-sized businesses, especially in tourism and hospitality. When fully enacted, this budget will create, in total, nearly 500,000 new training and work opportunities for Canadians.
Third, the major challenge is to build a more resilient Canada: better, more fair, more prosperous and more innovative. That means investing in Canada's green transition and the green jobs that go with it, in Canada's digital transformation and in Canadian innovation, and it means building infrastructure for a dynamic, growing country. This budget invests in social infrastructure and in physical infrastructure. It invests in human capital and in physical capital. It invests in Canadians and it invests in Canada.
Vaccine campaigns are accelerating, and that is such a good thing, but we need to vaccinate even more Canadians even more quickly. Thanks to plentiful and growing vaccine supply, that is something team Canada can get done working together. This legislation proposes a one-time payment of $1 billion to provinces and territories to reinforce and roll out vaccination programs.
Canadians should take advantage of our increasing vaccine supply and, when it is their turn, go and get the first Health Canada-approved vaccine available to them. I was vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine nine days ago at a Toronto pharmacy, and I am so grateful I was able to be vaccinated when it was my turn.
COVID-19 has placed extreme pressure on health care systems across the country. The pandemic is still with us and Canadians do need help urgently. That is why we propose to provide $4 billion through the Canada health transfer to help provinces and territories address immediate health care system pressures.
These funds are in addition to our unprecedented investments in the health care systems during the pandemic, including the $13.8 billion invested in health care under the safe restart agreement.
A full recovery from this pandemic requires new, long-term investments in social infrastructure, from early learning and child care to student grants to income top-ups, so that the middle class can flourish and so that more Canadians can join it.
COVID-19 has brutally exposed what women have long known: Without child care, parents, usually mothers, cannot work outside the home. A cornerstone of our jobs and growth plan is a historic investment of $30 billion over five years, reaching $9.2 billion annually in permanent investments when combined with previous commitments, to build a high-quality, affordable and accessible early learning and child care system across Canada.
Within five years, families everywhere in Canada should have access to high-quality child care for an average of $10 a day. This will help increase parents', and especially women's, participation in the workforce. It will create jobs for child care workers, more than 95% of whom are women. It will give every child in Canada the best possible start in life. Early learning and child care has long been a feminist issue. COVID has shown us that it is an urgent economic issue as well.
As we make this historic commitment, I would like to thank the visionary leaders in Quebec, and in particular Quebec feminists, who led the way for the rest of Canada. I am very grateful to these women.
Of course, the plan also includes additional resources for Quebec that could be used to provide further support for its early learning and child care system, a system that is already the envy of the rest of Canada and, indeed, much of the world.
We also recognize the continuing need to bridge Canadians and Canadian businesses through this tough third wave of the virus and into a full recovery. To date, the Canada emergency wage subsidy has helped more than 5.3 million Canadians keep their jobs. The Canada emergency rent subsidy and lockdown support have helped more than 175,000 organizations with rent, mortgage and other expenses.
The wage subsidy, rent subsidy and lockdown support were set to expire in June 2021. Bill C-30 extends these measures through to September 25, 2021, for a total of $12.1 billion in additional support. Extending the support will mean that millions of jobs will be protected, as they have been throughout this crisis.
To help people who still cannot work, we also propose maintaining flexible access to employment insurance benefits for another year, until fall 2022.
We also plan to extend the number of weeks for certain major income support measures, including the Canada recovery benefit and the Canada recovery caregiver benefit.
We are providing an extra 12 weeks of benefits to recipients of the Canada recovery benefit, which was created to help Canadians who are not eligible for employment insurance.
Bill C-30 also proposes extending the Canada recovery caregiver benefit by 4 weeks, up to a maximum of 42 weeks at $500 a week. This will help when the economy begins its safe reopening.
For caregivers who cannot find a solution, especially those who take care of children, the employment insurance sickness benefit will be extended from 15 to 26 weeks.
Canada's prosperity depends on every Canadian having a fair chance to join the middle class. Low-wage workers in Canada work harder than anyone else in the country and for less pay. In the past year, they have faced both significant infection risks and job losses. Many live below the poverty line, even though they work full time. We are Canadian, and this should not be acceptable to any of us.
Through Bill C-30, we propose to expand the Canada workers benefit to invest $8.9 billion over six years in additional support for low-wage workers. This will extend income top-ups to about a million more workers and will lift 100,000 Canadians out of poverty. This legislation will also introduce a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage.
Young people have made extraordinary sacrifices over this past year to keep us, their elders, safe. We must not and we will not allow them to become a lost generation. Bill C-30 would make college and university more accessible and affordable. This legislation will extend the waiver of interest on federal student and apprentice loans to March 2023. Waiving the interest on student loans will provide savings for the approximately 1.5 million Canadians repaying student loans.
In the past 14 months, no one has felt the devastating health effects of COVID-19 more than seniors. They deserve a safe, secure and dignified retirement. We therefore propose a one-time payment of $500 in August 2021 to old age security recipients who are or will be 75 or over in June 2022.
Bill C-30 also includes a permanent 10% increase in the old age security benefit for people aged 75 and over as of July 2022.
Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy. Lockdowns, though necessary, have hit them hardest. To heal the wounds left by COVID, we have to put a small business rescue plan into action as well as a long-term plan to help them grow.
In addition to extending the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the Canada emergency rent subsidy and lockdown support, we also have to make sure that [Technical difficulty—Editor].
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I thank colleagues for their patience with my Internet difficulties today. I apologize and I do really appreciate their forbearance.
Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy and of every main street in Canada. Lockdowns, though necessary, have hit them hardest. To heal the wounds left by COVID, we have to put a small business rescue plan into action as well as a long-term plan to help them grow.
In addition to extending the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the Canada emergency rent subsidy and lockdown support, we also have to make sure that the hardest-hit businesses pivot back to growth and stay on track.
Bill C-30 proposes the new Canada recovery hiring program, which will run from June to November and make it easier for businesses to hire back laid-off employees or to hire new workers. We also intend to invest up to $4 billion to help up to 160,000 small and medium-sized businesses buy and adopt the new technologies they need to grow. We will encourage businesses to invest in themselves by allowing for the immediate expensing of up to $1.5 million of eligible investments by Canadian-controlled private corporations in each of the next three years.
Small businesses need access to financing in order to invest in people and innovation and to have the space to operate and grow. That is why Bill C-30 enhances the Canada small business financing program through amendments to the Canada Small Business Financing Act. This will mean broader eligibility and increased loan limits.
In 2021, job growth is green growth. This budget sets out an ambitious and realistic plan to help Canada get to net-zero emissions, and it puts in place the funding to achieve our 25% land and marine conservation targets by 2025. At the same time, we will make targeted investments in transformational technologies, helping our business growth and making us more productive and competitive around the world.
The hard and essential work of reconciliation continues. This budget commits to investing $18 billion over the next five years to narrow gaps between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, to support safe, healthy communities and to advance reconciliation. We are committing to investing $6 billion to improve infrastructure in indigenous communities.
Bill C-30 earmarks $2.2 billion to flow through the federal gas tax fund, renamed more appropriately the Canada community-building fund, to communities across Canada. Cities and towns have faced steep revenue declines because of COVID. This funding will help them maintain and build the local infrastructure on which Canadians depend.
Collaboration with all levels of government across Canada has been and will continue to be the cornerstone of our team Canada response to this pandemic. Together, we will finish the fight against COVID and together we will come roaring back.
Bill C-30 is essential if we are to activate our government's recovery plan as presented in budget 2021. Our people and our businesses cannot do without the support measures in this bill. This bill takes unprecedented steps to stimulate future growth.
This plan is about people. It will make a measurable, positive, tangible difference in the lives of millions of Canadians. It is about making concrete, targeted commitments to heal the wounds of COVID, to get us all back to work and to put us on a long-term path toward growth, prosperity and a clean, green future.
I urge all members to join me in supporting the speedy passage of this essential legislation.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I have a very high degree of confidence in our country's financial institutions. Indeed, the stability of Canada's financial institutions is one of our core economic strengths.
The CDIC is one of our key institutions, and the well-regulated, prudent way in which it operates is really central to Canada's stability. It is one of the reasons that Canada continues to enjoy a AAA credit rating.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. We do not always agree, but we always have useful discussions.
With respect to securities, I certainly understand Quebec's position. I have had constructive conversations about this with Minister Eric Girard.
While I certainly understand Quebec's position, I think that, with the agreement of all the provinces and territories, it is a good thing for the whole country to do things that help us establish a shared economy. One example of that is trade among the provinces and territories.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for New Westminster—Burnaby for his very great concern for the people he represents. I appreciate that.
I take a very different view about what this budget is putting forward. This budget would extend the emergency support measures for individuals and businesses through to the end of September. It would extend the enhanced EI benefits for a full year and would create a new hiring credit that would run from June to November. These are important support measures, and we are glad to put them in place.
When it comes to students and young people, I agree with the hon. member that we need to support them. That is why there is nearly $6 billion in this budget to support young Canadians.
Finally, when it comes to taxes, let me highlight a very important element of this budget: unprecedented efforts to fight tax evasion, to close loopholes, including action on—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I want to start my answer by paying tribute to my parliamentary secretary and highlighting the very personal role he played in putting together this budget. He has a constituent who had advocated, with huge energy and personal passion, for extending the EI sickness benefit from 15 to 26 weeks. The parliamentary secretary spoke to me about the personal story of this constituent. In his view, based on his constituency work as a MP, this was a measure we needed to put in place, as sick Canadians needed longer support. We acted on what he proposed, and I am very, very glad we were able to do that.
I would say to all members of the House that there are times when speaking up for an individual member of our constituencies can transform the lives of millions of Canadians. I think that is what the parliamentary secretary has done.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, earlier on, the parliamentary secretary spoke about his personal high regard for the member for Abbotsford and, I believe, his fondness for him. I must confess to the same weakness. I was glad to speak with him last week, and indeed to speak with him while we were putting the budget together. Notwithstanding that high regard, I disagree with some of the hon. member's contentions.
When it comes to the fiscal sustainability of our budget, let me point to something that is important for Canadians to know. I am holding it up now. A week after we delivered the budget, S&P Global, the ratings agency whose job it is to determine which sovereign borrower has a good plan and which does not, reaffirmed Canada's AAA rating. S&P said that it expects the Canadian economy will post a strong recovery in—
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Madam Speaker, I must say that I do not agree with the hon. member.
Earlier this week, I had a discussion with the Prime Minister and a group of Quebec seniors. We had an excellent conversation and these seniors really appreciated the OAS increase included in this budget.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
I want to point out that there is no specific exception for Netflix or any other digital company. In fact, on July 1, we will start charging GST and HST to digital service providers like Netflix for the first time in Canadian history. That provision is included in budget implementation act, 2021, no. 1 and should bring in $1.2 billion over five years.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
moved that a ways and means motion to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 19, 2021 and other measures be concurred in.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
moved that Bill C-30, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 19, 2021 and other measures, be read the first time.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, we knew that the third wave was coming. That is why, in March, we said we would be sending the provinces $4 billion to support them in their fight against the third wave of the virus. In March, we knew now important it was to accelerate the vaccination campaign. That is why we said the provinces would get $1 billion to do that. In this budget, we committed to extending business and income supports through to the end of September to help Canadians as we fight the third wave.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, maybe the member opposite missed our announcement at the end of March, but we and epidemiologists could see the third wave was coming. We knew provinces and territories needed support right away. That is why we then announced $4 billion to support the health care system and $1 billion to support vaccination campaigns. In this budget we committed more than $12 billion in additional support to maintain our business and income support programs for Canadians through the end of September.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, this is a budget targeted squarely at delivering jobs and increasing Canada's economic growth. This budget will create 500,000 work experience and job training opportunities. This budget will deliver on our throne speech commitment to create one million jobs by the end of this year. This budget is a budget that will help Canada come roaring back.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the member for Brampton West's service as a nurse on the front lines of the pandemic.
Our government recognizes the extraordinary and disproportionate toll this pandemic has taken on women, particularly racialized women and those with young children. That is why this budget commits up to $30 billion over five years, reaching $9.2 billion on a permanent basis, to build a high-quality, affordable and accessible early learning and child care system across Canada.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his hard work for his community.
We know that Canadian businesses need our support as we all fight this third wave of the virus. That is why this budget extends the wage subsidy, the rent subsidy and lockdown support for businesses and other employers until September 25, and extends the CEBA loan application window until June 30.
We will do whatever it takes to support Canadian businesses, as we all fight COVID together.
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party needs to be straight with Canadians and choose a fiscal policy.
First the Conservatives tell us that we are spending too much, and then they tell us that we need to spend more on health care.
What do the Conservatives really think?
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, Quebec's position is quite clear, and we had a good conversation with them. It is the Conservatives' position that is unclear. First they tell us that we are spending too much, and then they suggest a lot more spending.
Canadians need to know what the Conservative Party's position is.
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