QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Cost of Living
June 18, 2024
Senator Gold, after nine years of Justin Trudeau, more and more Canadians are fleeing our country for the United States. Census data shows more than 126,000 people left Canada for the U.S. in 2022. That’s a 70% increase from a decade ago. For those who can’t do the math, that was the year before the spend-happy, scandal-ridden Prime Minister took office. Now your government thinks, “Let’s drive even more Canadians away from home,” with their latest job-killing, investment-killing tax. I’m sure you are going to tell me about all the wonderful things your government is doing, but at some point the cash dries up. Your government has already doubled rent, mortgage payments and down payments for Canadians. Your record deficits have driven interest rates sky-high, and food banks received a record 2 million visits in a single month last year with 1 million additional people expected in 2024. Are you seriously going to stand here and tell me that you’re proud of all this?
I am seriously going to stand here and challenge your assumption that the federal government has doubled rent in Canada. With all due respect, for someone with a business background, that is an absurdity. The fact is, as any competent student, much less expert, in these matters knows, many factors — international factors and some domestic factors — combine to affect these matters in our day-to-day life. The fact is that inflation is coming down. It is within the targets now. More work needs to be done, and we hope Canadians will continue to look forward to some relief from the high interest rates that they have been exposed to in the post-pandemic period.
Inflation is still closer to 3% than 2%, Senator Gold. That’s just a fact.
Senator Gold, it’s not me or Pierre Poilievre saying this. After nine years of Justin Trudeau, Canada is on track for its “. . . worst decline in living standards in 40 years . . . .” That’s from the Fraser Institute. Canada has experienced the worst growth in income per person under any prime minister since the 1930s. That’s the Financial Post. Further, “. . . nine in 10 middle-class families now pay more . . . .” income tax than ever before. Again, that’s from the Fraser Institute.
Senator Gold, even you can admit that Justin Trudeau is not worth the cost by your calculations.
You are entitled to quote the sources you choose to quote, which are well known to many in this chamber — including the Financial Post, dare I say. To be very brief, if not blunt, Senator Housakos, I don’t agree with your premise or your conclusions.
