Pierre Pollievre's Voting Record on Lower to Middle Income Taxes and Benefits
2015 – Middle-Class Tax Cut (Bill C-2): Poilievre and the Conservative caucus voted against the Liberal government's proposal to reduce the second federal income tax bracket from 22% to 20.5%, which was intended to benefit middle-income earners.
2016 – Canada Child Benefit (Bill C-15): He opposed the introduction of the Canada Child Benefit, a tax-free monthly payment designed to assist families with children, particularly those with lower incomes.
2022 – GST Rebate and Dental Care (Bill C-31): While Poilievre supported Bill C-30, which doubled the GST rebate for low-income Canadians, he voted against Bill C-31. This bill included a $500 one-time rent supplement for low-income renters and a dental care benefit for children under 12 from low-income families.
2021 – $10-a-Day Childcare Program (Bill C-30): Poilievre voted against the Liberal budget that introduced the $10-a-day childcare program, arguing it was fiscally irresponsible.
2024 – National School Food Program (Bill C-69): He opposed the Liberal budget that included funding for a national school food program aimed at providing meals to children in need.
Pierre's Notable Voting Record on Affordable Housing
2014 – Motion on Social Housing Funding Motion Text: The House recognized a housing crunch due to chronic underfunding of affordable housing and called for renewed long-term social housing funding. Poilievre's Vote: Voted against the motion. Details: The motion aimed to address rising housing costs and growing waiting lists by urging collaboration across government levels to invest in affordable housing units.
January 31, 2019 – Opposition Motion on Affordable Housing (42nd Parliament, 1st Session): Poilievre voted against an NDP motion urging the government to build 500,000 affordable housing units over ten years, with 250,000 completed within five years. Additional Reference: Canada.ca: Affordable Housing and Groceries Act Receives Royal Assent to Build More Rental Homes and Stabilize Grocery Prices
2023 – Bill C-56: Affordable Housing and Groceries Act Bill Overview: Proposed to temporarily remove the GST on new residential rental developments and amend competition laws to address grocery prices. Poilievre's Position: Criticized the bill, advocating for GST removal only on below-market-rate rentals. Details: While the bill aimed to incentivize rental housing construction, Poilievre argued for targeted tax relief rather than broad measures.
Pierre on Healthcare and Cost of Living:
June 16, 2021 – Motion for a Federal Dental Care Plan (Vote #147, 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session): Poilievre voted against an NDP motion proposing the establishment of a federal dental care plan for families earning under $90,000 without existing coverage, as an interim step toward integrating dental care into Canada's public healthcare system.
October 18, 2022 – Bill C-31: Cost of Living Relief Measures Act: Poilievre voted against this bill, which included provisions for a dental benefit for children under 12 in low-income families and a one-time $500 housing benefit for low-income renters.
May 22, 2024 – Bill C-64: An Act Respecting Pharmacare: Poilievre voted against this bill, which aimed to lay the groundwork for a national pharmacare program, including the establishment of a Canadian Drug Agency and the development of a national formulary.
February 15, 2022 – Bill C-12: An Act to Amend the Old Age Security Act (Guaranteed Income Supplement): Poilievre voted against this bill, which sought to amend the Old Age Security Act to provide a one-time payment to Guaranteed Income Supplement recipients who had their benefits reduced due to pandemic-related income support programs.
Doug Ford on Privatizing Healthcare:
Bill 60 – Your Health Act, 2023 Summary: This legislation permits private, for-profit clinics to perform publicly funded surgeries and diagnostic procedures, such as cataract surgeries and MRIs, under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Critics argue that this move diverts resources from public hospitals and may lead to increased costs for patients.
Bill 74 – The People's Health Care Act, 2019 Summary: This act amalgamated 20 health agencies into a single "super agency" called Ontario Health, centralizing control and granting the government extensive powers to restructure and potentially privatize healthcare services.
Bill 175 – Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020 Summary: This legislation dismantled existing public oversight of home and community care, enabling the transfer of services to private and for-profit providers, raising concerns about reduced transparency and accountability.
Bill 135 – Convenient Care at Home Act, 2023 Summary: This bill proposes further privatization of home care services by amalgamating 14 regional agencies into one and allowing increased subcontracting to private entities, potentially reducing public oversight.
Doug Ford on Wage Suppression for Blue Collar Union Healthcare Employees:
Bill 124 – Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 Summary: This law capped annual wage increases for public sector workers, including nurses, at 1% for three years. It was ruled unconstitutional in 2022 and 2024 for violating collective bargaining rights.
Impacts of Bill 124, and the Direct Spending Associated:
FAO Report: 2023-24 Expenditure Monitor: Q3
Bill 124, enacted in 2019, capped annual wage increases for public sector workers at 1%. This legislation faced legal challenges from various unions, leading to significant financial consequences for the province:
- Legal Fees: Ontario taxpayers incurred $4.3 million in legal costs after the province lost two court cases defending Bill 124. This includes $3.45 million paid to unions for their legal expenses and $856,482 to the law firm Lenczner Slaght for handling the province's appeal.
- Retroactive Pay: Following the courts' decisions deeming the bill unconstitutional, Ontario has paid $6.7 billion in retroactive salary increases to affected public sector workers.
- Total Estimated Cost: The Financial Accountability Office (FAO) projected that the total cost of Bill 124, including legal fees and retroactive pay, could exceed $13 billion.
Doug Ford on Underspending in Healthcare (and Even His Own Budgets):
Financial Accountability Office Report (2023) Summary: The report indicated that the Ford government planned to spend $21.3 billion less than needed to maintain current healthcare programs and expansion plans in hospitals, home care, and long-term care.
Public Health Funding Cuts (2019) Summary: The provincial budget proposed a 27% cut to public health funding and a reduction in the number of local public health units from 35 to 10, leading to concerns about diminished public health services.
Doug Ford's Relative Budgets and Spending on a "Provincial Stage":
Per Capita Health Spending (2022): Ontario spent $4,889 per person on health care, the lowest among all provinces and $876 (15.2%) below the average of the other provinces.
Hospital Expenditure (2023): Ontario's per capita hospital expenditure was $1,885, the lowest in Canada. If Ontario had matched the average hospital spending of other provinces ($2,127 per capita), it would have required an additional $3.7 billion in funding.
Total Health Care Expenditure (2023): Ontario's total health care expenditure across all sectors was $5,340 per capita, again the lowest among provinces. Matching the average per capita health care spending of other provinces ($5,924) would have necessitated an additional $8.9 billion in spending.