QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Cost of Living
June 18, 2024
Leader, according to a report released this morning, visits in 2023 increased by 32%. There were two million visits per month, and monthly visits are expected to rise in 2024 by another million, for a total of more than three million visitors per month. I’m not talking about tourism in Montreal. I am talking about food banks, leader.
The organization estimates that 25% of Canadians are currently living below the poverty line. This is obviously the result of nine years of Justin Trudeau’s policies. We will be voting this week on more inflationary budgets, specifically, Bill C-59 and Bill C-69. When will the government realize that the only thing its fiscal policies are doing is exacerbating poverty in Canada, and when will it follow our lead and bring in some common-sense policies?
Thank you for the question. The numbers you shared with us aren’t simply disappointing, they’re downright unacceptable in a country like ours. The government recognizes the challenges facing Canadians. However, the government rejects your reasoning that its economic policies are to blame. What the government is doing, and will continue to do in its budgets, is to provide support not only to Canadians, individually, but also to organizations that provide assistance to our fellow Canadians in need.
Thank you. The International Monetary Fund has stated that, after increasing the capital gains tax, Canada should now increase the GST. Senator Gold, does your government intend to increase the GST, by how much, and when?
Obviously, you were not here yesterday, or maybe you didn’t like my answer. Yesterday, I answered that, according to my information, the government has no intention of raising the GST.
