QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Canada's Inflation Rate
November 30, 2021
Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Everyday life has become more unaffordable for Canadians under this Trudeau government, much as it did under the previous Trudeau government. Statistics Canada says that the inflation rate is now at its highest point in 18 years, yet we have a government that barely mentioned inflation in the Speech from the Throne and a finance minister who, not that long ago, believed that deflation is the greatest risk facing our economy.
Leader, your government’s answer, when asked about the rising cost of living, is to point to creating childcare spaces and building new housing — and that will be five years from now. How does that answer help a senior living on a fixed income struggling to buy groceries or medication? How does that help middle-class and poor Canadians when dealing with their day-to-day expenses? How does that help middle-class families with school-aged children trying to get by? Government leader, can you tell us what your government is going to do about this issue?
Thank you for your question. On behalf of all honourable senators, congratulations on assuming this role. I look forward to working with you, senator.
The Government of Canada remains focused on the important and troubling issues of affordability and the cost of living. The Government of Canada has and will continue to support seniors and others in need. This is what it has done throughout the pandemic and will continue to do.
The measures to which you referred, child care and housing, though in some cases will not bear fruit immediately, represent a profoundly important and structural contribution to making life more affordable for thousands, if not millions, of Canadian families. Certainly primary caregivers, most of whom are women, will have the opportunity — as we’ve seen in the province of Quebec — to return to the workforce as a result of affordable childcare. The Minister of Finance has announced that she will be providing a fiscal update this fall, and at that point we will learn more about the continued and continuing programs that the government is putting into place.
The Leader of the Government in the Senate will only say that inflation is a global phenomenon. As was the case last week, you are leading us to believe that the Trudeau government does not take seriously the accessibility crisis in our country and its effect on the lives of Canadians. However, the reality is that Canada’s inflation rate is the second highest in the G7. Across the country, the cost of food, housing, home heating and transportation has skyrocketed. What will the Trudeau government do to help all Canadians deal with the cost of living crisis? Will you cut your reckless spending, or will you continue to sit back and do nothing, under the pretext that inflation is a global problem?
I can give a brief answer; it will be neither of those. The Government of Canada takes the challenges facing Canadians very seriously and continues to monitor the inflation situation, not only in Canada but globally. It will continue to work tirelessly and diligently to help Canadians.
