QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Budget 2024
April 9, 2024
Senator Gold, we have the budget coming up in one week, although we have already seen a lot of what’s in it as your Prime Minister has rolled out a series of photo ops, which he seems to like.
I think the interesting thing for Canadians will be what is not in the budget, and that’s a tangible, credible plan to help everyday Canadians who are struggling under the weight of your government’s fiscal mismanagement. Pierre Poilievre has sent the letter to your boss, Justin Trudeau, with three easy fixes that would not only help Canadians, but would earn Poilievre’s support for the budget, and God knows this government needs some credible support: one, axe the tax on farmers and food; two, build homes and not bureaucracy; three, cap spending with a dollar-for-dollar rule to bring down interest rates and inflation. Will your government commit to these three things to fix what will otherwise just be another Liberal budget with a lot of promises and no deliverables?
No. The answer is no. First of all, the government is doing an enormous amount to help Canadians and has been doing so for some time. The announcements to which you referred are further examples of targeted, practical, realistic and prudent measures to assist Canadians in housing and other areas where the costs of living continue to pose challenges, especially to younger people. I will not repeat because really it has become tedious that the government remains committed to the price on pollution, and the government remains — to your third point — committed to prudent, practical investments for the benefit of Canadians now and for future generations.
Senator Gold, here’s just another example of how badly things have been broken over the last eight years under Justin Trudeau. Prior to his election, a Canadian household earning the median income could cover the cost of owning an average home by spending 39% of their pay. Now, according to RBC, that number has jumped to a whopping 64%.
Senator Gold, why won’t your government finally take real action and axe the tax, build homes and cap spending?
You make it irresistible to respond in kind, senator. Since 2015, the government has helped over 2 million Canadians get the housing that they needed, and since September alone, a suite of measures has unlocked over 1.2 million homes. During the previous government, when your leader was the self-styled Minister of Housing, here are the statistics: in terms of co-op housing built, zero; in terms of apartments for middle-class families, zero; and in terms of affordable houses, a whopping six.
