00:01:51.640Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Leader of the Official Opposition of something he should have figured out when he was the responsible minister.
00:01:58.700The CPP and EI contributions every working Canadian makes are how we all pay for our retirement and how we create a safety net for every Canadian in case we lose our jobs.
00:02:12.800These contributions do not go into general government revenue.
00:02:16.500At a time of global economic uncertainty, it is the height of irresponsibility for the Conservatives to suggest that we as a country stop putting money away for our retirement.
00:02:28.400The Honourable Leader of the Opposition.
00:02:33.180Mr. Speaker, in fact, EI premiums do go into general revenues when they go into a surplus.
00:02:38.380And that is what the government plans to do.
00:02:40.700They plan to raise both EI and CPP premiums, the paycheck tax, right at a time when it is we are facing 40-year highs in inflation, all-time highs in increased housing prices, 40-year highs in food price inflation, record food bank use.
00:02:58.980This is the last time that anyone should be raising any tax.
00:03:02.820Will the government back down from its planned tax hikes on paychecks and on energy?
00:03:08.380Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the economy, expectations matter.
00:03:18.900And that is why it is so irresponsible for these Conservatives to talk down the Canadian economy.
00:03:26.400Yes, things are hard right now, but Canada is better positioned than any country in the world.
00:03:31.800We have the strongest economic growth and the lowest deficit in the G7.
00:03:41.480Inflation is lower in Canada than the U.S., the U.K., and the Eurozone, and it has now come down for two months in a row.
00:03:47.900We will get through these tough times together.
00:03:49.800The Honourable Leader of the Opposition.
00:03:52.400Well, now the Liberals would have Canadians believe that they have never had it so good.
00:03:57.800Well, I guess if you are jetting around the world singing songs in a beautiful lobby, then that might be true.
00:04:03.500But if you are the 30-year-old stuck living in your parents' basements because the Liberals have doubled housing prices, you might disagree.
00:04:12.140If you cannot fill up your tank with gas, you might disagree.
00:04:15.900If you are among the four in five families that have cut their diets because they cannot afford food, you might disagree.
00:04:21.620And the last thing you would want is a tax hike on your paycheck and on your energy use.
00:04:26.060Mr. Speaker, if you are a Canadian struggling today to make ends meet, the last thing you're going to want to do is trust these highly irresponsible Conservatives.
00:04:47.060After all, just this spring, their new leader described crypto as, quote, a way to opt out of inflation.
00:04:57.380Since then, Bitcoin has crashed by 56%.
00:05:01.480A Canadian who invested in Bitcoin, according to the reckless advice of this new leader, would have seen her life savings destroyed.
00:05:11.340That's irresponsible, and Canadians are smart enough to know it.