QP Tax Cut Realities

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Speaker, yesterday and again today, this government pointed out that their tax cut is saving Nova Scotians $1,000 a year. That sounds okay until you look at the reality for a mom renting in Halifax. Since this government took office, her rent has gone up by $4,400. Her power bill has gone up by $400. Cuts to HARP have cost her $600 a year; lost savings from not having free birth control, $300; lost savings from not having the promised $10-a-day daycare, $3,640 per year. This government's inaction is costing her $9,340 a year.

Is the minister really surprised that we're not celebrating that they are helping people get by?

HON. JOHN LOHR « » : Speaker, I may not have been an MLA, but I remember well the Dexter government, which ran on cutting taxes and then immediately raised the HST by 2 percent.

The reality is we're cutting taxes for Nova Scotians. We're in an unprecedented build - the first time in 30 years - for public housing. We have increased rent supplements. We're doing everything that we can for Nova Scotians. We will continue to do that.

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : We hear a lot about investments and we hear very little about outcomes. Under this government, Nova Scotia has become a very expensive place to have a family. It is now as expensive as Toronto for renters, and child care costs are just as high. While families in St. John's and Charlottetown have $10-a-day child care, parents in Nova Scotia are paying $24 an hour for infants and $22 for young children. That means that every single month, parents here pay double what families in other Atlantic Canadian cities do, and that's if they're lucky enough to find a spot. Young people won't stay if they can't afford to live here; $10-a-day child care would make a big difference.

Will this government keep their promise of instituting $10-a-day child care in this mandate?

JOHN LOHR « » : Speaker, I'm proud of our government and all the things that we are doing to increase affordability for Nova Scotians. The truth is, we recognize the pressures on families. That's why we're doing things like feeding 104,000 students every day lunch at schools - a program, I will remind the member, that her party voted against in the budget.

We are doing everything that we can. We will continue to do more. We're working hard for Nova Scotians.