Bill C-15

Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1

An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025

Part 1 implements certain measures in respect of the Income Tax Act and the Income Tax Regulations by
(a) expanding the rollover for small business corporation shares;
(b) expanding the list of expenses recognized under the Disability Supports Deduction;
(c) exempting the Canada Disability Benefit from income;
(d) aligning the taxation of investment income and active business income earned and distributed by controlled foreign affiliates with the rules that currently apply to Canadian-controlled private corporations;
(e) extending the deadline for making certain charitable donations eligible for tax support in the 2024 tax year;
(f) increasing the limit under the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption so that it applies on up to $1.25 million of eligible capital gains, applicable to dispositions that occur on or after June 25, 2024, with indexation of the limit to resume in 2026;
(g) exempting the first $10 million in capital gains on the sale of a business to a worker cooperative and amending the corresponding exemption for sales to an employee ownership trust;
(h) removing the tax-indifferent investor exception to the synthetic equity arrangement anti-avoidance rule;
(i) improving the efficiency of the Home Accessibility Tax Credit;
(j) implementing the Personal Support Workers Tax Credit;
(k) enhancing the SR&ED program by increasing the annual expenditure limit and taxable capital phase-out thresholds for the enhanced 35% SR&ED credit, extending the enhanced credit to eligible Canadian public corporations and restoring the eligibility of SR&ED capital expenditures;
(l) extending the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit for individuals who invest in eligible mining flow-through shares for two years to March 31, 2027 at the current rate of 15%;
(m) expanding the eligibility of the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit to bismuth, cesium, chromium, fluorspar, germanium, indium, manganese, molybdenum, niobium, phosphate, tantalum, tin and tungsten;
(n) amending the Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses;
(o) extending the full credit rates for the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage investment tax credit to 2035;
(p) expanding the eligibility for the clean technology investment tax credit to support the generation of electricity and heat from waste biomass;
(q) expanding the eligibility for the clean technology manufacturing investment tax credit to investments in eligible polymetallic projects and to additional qualifying materials;
(r) providing a refundable investment tax credit to qualifying corporations and trusts for investments in certain clean electricity property;
(s) amending the alternative minimum tax to exempt certain trusts for the benefit of Indigenous groups;
(t) precluding a corporation from qualifying as a mutual fund corporation where it is controlled by or for the benefit of a corporate group;
(u) extending the period during which agricultural cooperatives can distribute tax-deferred patronage dividends paid in shares to their members until the end of 2030;
(v) narrowing the rules related to reporting by trusts;
(w) providing the Minister of National Revenue with the authority to waive the withholding requirement for payments to certain non-resident service providers;
(x) allowing the sharing of information for the purposes of administering and enforcing the Canada Labour Code as it relates to the misclassification of employees;
(y) reforming Canada’s transfer pricing rules;
(z) reinstating the accelerated investment incentive and immediate expensing for certain qualifying assets;
(z.1) providing an accelerated capital cost allowance of 10% for new eligible purpose-built rental projects;
(z.2) providing immediate expensing for new additions of property in respect of productivity-enhancing assets;
(z.3) introducing a temporary non-refundable tax credit applicable where an individual’s non-refundable tax credit amounts exceed the first income tax bracket threshold; and
(z.4) implementing a number of technical amendments to correct inconsistencies and to better align the law with its intended policy objectives.
It also makes a related amendment to the Excise Tax Act .
Part 2 repeals the Digital Services Tax Act and the Digital Services Tax Regulations and makes consequential amendments to other legislation.
Part 3 amends the Excise Tax Act , the Underused Housing Tax Act , the Select Luxury Items Tax Act and other related texts to implement various measures.
Division 1 of Part 3 implements certain measures in respect of the Excise Tax Act and a related text by
(a) clarifying that supplies of osteopathic services rendered by individuals who are not osteopathic physicians are taxable under the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax;
(b) extending the Enhanced (100%) Goods and Services Tax Rental Rebate to qualifying cooperative housing corporations and student residences built by universities, public colleges and school authorities; and
(c) allowing input tax credits for redeemed coupons to be available only for payments made exclusively in the course of commercial activities.
Division 2 of Part 3 amends the Underused Housing Tax Act to end the underused housing tax in respect of 2025 and future calendar years. It also subsequently repeals the Underused Housing Tax Act and the Underused Housing Tax Regulations .
Division 3 of Part 3 amends the Select Luxury Items Tax Act to end the luxury tax in respect of subject aircraft and subject vessels. It also makes the Select Luxury Items Tax Regulations to provide greater clarity on the tax treatment of subject items.
Part 4 amends the First Nations Goods and Services Tax Act to, among other things,
(a) establish an opt-in framework for interested Indigenous governments to levy a value-added sales tax, under their own laws, on fuel, alcohol, cannabis, tobacco and vaping products within their reserves or settlement lands; and
(b) make process-type improvements and machinery of government changes to streamline the administration of taxes under that Act.
It also makes consequential amendments to the Excise Tax Act and to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act .
Part 5 enacts and amends several Acts in order to implement various measures.
Division 1 of Part 5 enacts the High-Speed Rail Network Act , which establishes a legislative framework to facilitate the implementation of a rail network that allows for the carrying of passengers at high speed between Quebec and Ontario. That Act, among other things,
(a) deems the construction of the railway lines that are to be part of the high-speed rail network to have been approved under section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act ;
(b) provides that the construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of each segment of the high-speed rail network, and any incidental physical activity, is subject to the Impact Assessment Act ;
(c) permits certain land to be subject to a notice of right of first refusal or a notice of prohibition on work;
(d) amends the expropriation process in relation to the high-speed rail network;
(e) provides that Indigenous knowledge that is provided in confidence in relation to the high-speed rail network is treated as confidential; and
(f) makes certain Parts of the Official Languages Act applicable to certain entities, including those that operate a railway that is part of the high-speed rail network.
The Division also makes a consequential amendment to the Access to Information Act .
Division 2 of Part 5 amends the Canada Post Corporation Act to repeal the power to make regulations prescribing rates of postage and the terms and conditions related to the payment of postage and instead provide the Canada Post Corporation with the authority to establish those rates and terms and conditions and provide for exceptions.
Division 3 of Part 5 provides, among other things, that an aggregate amount not exceeding $11.5 billion to fund the operations and activities of Build Canada Homes and an aggregate amount not exceeding $1.515 billion as a contribution of capital to, or to purchase shares in, Canada Lands Company Limited may be paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Division 4 of Part 5 amends the Canada Infrastructure Bank Act to increase the aggregate amount that the Minister of Finance may pay to the Canada Infrastructure Bank to $45,000,000,000.
Division 5 of Part 5 amends the Red Tape Reduction Act to, among other things, authorize, subject to certain conditions, ministers to grant temporary exemptions from the application of provisions of certain Acts of Parliament and instruments with the aim of facilitating the design, modification or administration of regulatory regimes to encourage innovation, competitiveness or economic growth in the clean technology or financial technology sector.
Division 6 of Part 5 amends the Public Service Superannuation Act to, among other things, expand the eligibility for early retirement available to certain contributors employed in operational service to new groups of contributors.
Division 7 of Part 5 amends the Public Service Superannuation Act to authorize certain contributors to exercise a temporary early retirement option during a period for which a workforce reduction initiative is in effect. It also makes a related amendment to the Income Tax Regulations .
Division 8 of Part 5 amends the Farm Credit Canada Act to, among other things, provide for a review of the provisions and operation of that Act within five years after the day on which the amendment comes into force and every 10 years after that.
Division 9 of Part 5 repeals the Consumer-Driven Banking Act and enacts a new Consumer-Driven Banking Act to ensure that individuals and businesses can safely and securely share their data with the participating entities of their choice. That Act addresses, among other things, accreditation, national security, data sharing, security safeguards, consent, authentication, liability, complaints, administration and enforcement and screen scraping. The Division also makes related amendments to the Access to Information Act , the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada Act and the Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1 .
Division 10 of Part 5 amends the Trust and Loan Companies Act , the Bank Act and the Insurance Companies Act to extend the period during which federal financial institutions governed by those Acts may carry on business.
Division 11 of Part 5 amends the Trust and Loan Companies Act , the Bank Act and the Insurance Companies Act to, among other things, modernize prudential limits by repealing certain provisions that impose limits on federally regulated financial institutions with respect to debt obligations and borrowing, consumer and commercial loans and investments in real property and equity.
Division 12 of Part 5 amends the Bank Act , the Trust and Loan Companies Act and the Insurance Companies Act to allow for the electronic delivery of certain documents to shareholders, members and policyholders without their consent, while ensuring that they receive paper copies if they request them.
Division 13 of Part 5 amends the Trust and Loan Companies Act , the Bank Act and the Insurance Companies Act to increase the equity threshold related to the public holding requirement from $2 billion to $4 billion and to make changes to other provisions that include that threshold.
Division 14 of Part 5 amends the Trust and Loan Companies Act , the Bank Act , the Insurance Companies Act and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Act to, among other things,
(a) clarify the powers of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions in respect of the adherence by federally regulated financial institutions to their policies and procedures to protect themselves against threats to their integrity or security;
(b) provide the Superintendent of Financial Institutions with powers to issue directions of compliance in respect of unsafe or unsound practices in the conduct of the affairs of those financial institutions; and
(c) provide that the Superintendent of Financial Institutions is not prevented from disclosing information to any federal government agency or body for purposes related to the Superintendent’s regulation or supervision of financial institutions.
Division 15 of Part 5 amends the Bank Act to raise the amount of funds that can be withdrawn immediately from a retail deposit account after the deposit of a cheque or other instrument and to remove the delay for the withdrawal of funds deposited by a cheque or other instrument that is not deposited in person.
Division 16 of Part 5 amends the Bank Act to, among other things,
(a) prohibit the activation of certain capabilities for a personal deposit account in Canada without the express consent of the natural person in whose name the account is kept;
(b) permit a natural person in whose name such an account is kept to deactivate certain account capabilities;
(c) permit a natural person in whose name such an account is kept to adjust certain transaction limits on the account;
(d) require institutions to establish policies and procedures for detecting and preventing consumer-targeted fraud and mitigating its impacts; and
(e) require institutions and the Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to prepare annual reports on consumer-targeted fraud.
Division 17 of Part 5 amends the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act , the Bank Act and the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada Act to support the growth of federal credit unions, including by way of amalgamation or asset acquisition and by permitting them to engage in motor vehicle leasing in certain circumstances.
Division 18 of Part 5 amends the Special Economic Measures Act to, among other things,
(a) provide that the Minister of Finance must be consulted before an order or regulation identifying certain persons is made under subsection 4(1) of that Act;
(b) authorize the Governor in Council to make regulations requiring financial institutions to provide to the Minister of Finance information on property that is in their possession or control and that is owned, held or controlled by a person, including a foreign state, identified under that Act and information on profits realized from such property; and
(c) authorize the Minister of Finance to make an order directing a financial institution to pay such profits to the Receiver General.
It also makes related and consequential amendments to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act .
Division 19 of Part 5 amends the Pension Act to, among other things,
(a) set out in a schedule to that Act the amounts of the basic pension payable during the period beginning on April 1, 1985 and ending on December 31, 2025;
(b) authorize the Governor in Council to amend that schedule;
(c) define the term “province” for the purposes of paragraph 75(1)(b) of that Act; and
(d) update certain regulation-making powers.
It also amends the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act to provide that, beginning on January 1, 2027, certain benefits are to be adjusted only on the basis of the Consumer Price Index.
Finally, it amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Act and the Veterans Health Care Regulations to retroactively clarify the meaning of the term “province” with respect to the calculation of the accommodation and meals charge for the recipients of intermediate and long term care.
Division 20 of Part 5 retroactively amends the Veterans Well-being Regulations to specify that the first annual adjustment to certain amounts used in the calculation of the earnings loss benefit is to be prorated to the number of days remaining in the calendar year. It also authorizes the Governor in Council to make regulations respecting the earnings loss benefit under the Veterans Well-being Act , as it read from time to time before April 1, 2019.
Division 21 of Part 5 amends the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act , among other things, to specify that claims for awards made under Part II of that Act are to be dealt with and determined by the Minister who administers the Pension Act . It also enacts related provisions.
Division 22 of Part 5 enacts the Canada Development Investment Corporation Act , which continues the Canada Development Investment Corporation and sets out its purpose to assist in the creation and development of businesses, resources, property and industries of Canada by providing advice and support to the Government of Canada and by making investments and managing assets that advance Canada’s economic growth and development. The Division also makes a consequential amendment to the Access to Information Act .
Division 23 of Part 5 amends the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act to require that an organization disclose to another organization an individual’s personal information, at the individual’s request, if both organizations are subject to a data mobility framework.
Division 24 of Part 5 amends the Broadcasting Act to provide that it is to be construed and applied in a manner that is consistent with the right to privacy of individuals.
Division 25 of Part 5 amends the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act to, among other things, reaffirm that security of the public is a key purpose of that Act, provide that the Minister of Health must establish and update a registry that will replace Schedules 1 to 4, add requirements for persons who carry out activities in relation to high risk human pathogens and toxins, increase the maximum penalties to which a person who commits an offence under that Act is liable and establish an administrative monetary penalty regime for certain contraventions of that Act or its regulations.
Division 26 of Part 5 amends the Customs Tariff to amend the definition “obsolete or surplus goods” to allow for the refund of duties paid in respect of certain goods that are donated to a registered charity.
Division 27 of Part 5 amends the Export and Import Permits Act to authorize the Governor in Council to add articles to the Export Control List and the Import Control List for reasons related to Canada’s economic security interests.
Division 28 of Part 5 amends the Aeronautics Act to, among other things,
(a) authorize the Minister of Transport to make interim orders that give effect to international standards, agreements, conventions and arrangements;
(b) extend the effective period of interim orders;
(c) modernize regulation-making powers respecting the development of, and compliance with, systems, processes, procedures, programs, plans and documents in relation to aviation safety and security;
(d) provide that air traffic service providers and certain maintenance organizations may be found vicariously liable for offences or violations;
(e) authorize the electronic service of documents;
(f) prohibit interference with the operation of a remotely piloted aircraft system unless authorized by the Minister;
(g) modernize the administrative monetary penalties framework and increase the maximum amounts for penalties and fines; and
(h) establish a regime for the voluntary provision of information related to aviation safety and security and set out limits on the disclosure and use of information provided under that regime.
It also makes a consequential amendment to the Access to Information Act and a related amendment to the Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1 .
Division 29 of Part 5 amends the Canada Transportation Act to provide the Minister of Transport with the authority to make interim orders to give effect to international standards or ensure compliance with Canada’s international obligations.
Division 30 of Part 5 amends the Judges Act to increase the number of salaries authorized for judges of the Court of Appeal for Ontario and judges of unified family courts in the provinces. It also reduces in a corresponding manner the number of salaries authorized for judges of superior courts in the provinces other than appeal courts.
Division 31 of Part 5 amends the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada Act to create a Schedule 2 to that Act, allow the Minister of Justice to add territorial bodies to that Schedule and to allow the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada to provide support services and facilities to those bodies.
Division 32 of Part 5 amends the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 to provide for the establishment of the Environmental Protection Tribunal of Canada and the transfer of the functions of the Chief Review Officer and review officers to that Tribunal. It also amends the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada Act to enable the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada to provide the Tribunal with any necessary support services and facilities and makes consequential amendments to other Acts.
Division 33 of Part 5 authorizes the taking of various measures with respect to the divestiture and dissolution of all or any part of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. It also makes consequential amendments to other Acts and repeals the Freshwater Fish Marketing Act .
Division 34 of Part 5 repeals section 16 of the Government Annuities Improvement Act .
Division 35 of Part 5 repeals sections 195 and 196 of the Naskapi and the Cree-Naskapi Commission Act .
Division 36 of Part 5 amends the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act to deny the provision of financial assistance to qualifying students in relation to designated educational institutions outside Canada that are private and for-profit and offer courses at a post-secondary school level. It also amends that Act to empower the Minister of Employment and Social Development to suspend or deny the provision of financial assistance in certain circumstances in order to align with a provincial suspension or denial.
Division 37 of Part 5 amends the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to
(a) clarify that all regulations made under that Act are to be made on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance;
(b) clarify that paragraph 36(3.01)(b) of that Act applies to donations that are not charitable donations; and
(c) prohibit the disclosure of reports, or the information contained in them, related to discrepancies in information discovered in the course of verifying the identity of persons having beneficial ownership or control of an entity.
It also amends the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Regulations to
(a) clarify that paragraph 138(5)(b) of those Regulations applies to donations that are not charitable donations; and
(b) clarify the application of those Regulations to mortgage administrators, mortgage brokers and mortgage lenders.
Finally, it makes a consequential amendment to the Access to Information Act .
Division 38 of Part 5 amends the Borrowing Authority Act to increase the maximum amount of certain borrowings.
Division 39 of Part 5 amends the Canada Business Corporations Act , the Canada Cooperatives Act and the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act to provide an additional ground on which the Director appointed under the Act in question may dissolve a corporation or a cooperative, as the case may be, namely, when the Director is notified that it is a “listed entity” as defined in subsection 83.01(1) of the Criminal Code .
Division 40 of Part 5 amends the Building Canada Act to add to the information that must be included in the public registry of national interest projects the extent to which each project can contribute to clean growth and to meeting Canada’s objectives with respect to climate change.
Division 41 of Part 5 amends the Canadian Energy Regulator Act to set the maximum duration of licences for the exportation of liquefied natural gas at 50 years.
Division 42 of Part 5 amends the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 to, among other things, remove the mandatory five-year limit for agreements made under subsection 9(5) or 10(3).
Division 43 of Part 5 amends the Competition Act to remove the requirement that the substantiation of representations about the environmental benefits of businesses or business activities must be done in accordance with internationally recognized methodology. It also amends that Act to exclude the application of the provision respecting those representations from proceedings before the Competition Tribunal that are initiated by a person other than the Commissioner of Competition.
Division 44 of Part 5 enacts the National School Food Program Act , which sets out the Government of Canada’s vision for the National School Food Program. That Act also sets out the Government of Canada’s commitment to maintaining long-term funding to be provided to the provinces, the territories and Indigenous peoples for the ongoing implementation and maintenance of the Program.
Division 45 of Part 5 enacts the Stablecoin Act , which imposes duties on persons that create stablecoins and make them available for purchase, directly or indirectly, by persons in Canada. That Act sets out the objects of the Bank of Canada in respect of stablecoin and requires the Bank to maintain a public registry of stablecoin issuers. That Act also addresses, among other things, the redemption of stablecoins by issuers, the reserve of assets that issuers must maintain to fulfill their redemption obligations and the policies that they must establish. The Division also makes consequential and related amendments to the Access to Information Act , the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and the Retail Payment Activities Act .

Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Madam Speaker, our friend from Winnipeg North is very likeable, but he makes it sound as though we all have to belong to the Prime Minister's fan club, and the moment we disagree with the budget measures, we are being obstructionist.

The budget timeline was moved up. It is not uncommon to see budgets that, given that they were tabled in the fall, would have passed in March or April. That is why there is a notice of ways and means motion, why the tax measures apply, and why we are voting on the estimates. It was well done. For specific measures that fall under other departments, we needed time, but we have not had that time yet. We have been faster than the government could have hoped for in its wildest dreams. Government members are still rising to express their displeasure. Had we passed it the day after it was tabled, we would have been criticized for not sleeping the night before.

Come on; we may be in the opposition, but we are still elected, and we still have a job to do and a role to play. We need only look at what is happening around the world, in the United States, and in many places where institutions are being dismantled. In those places they could only dream of having an opposition like the one we have here to do the work that we are doing.

Beyond the rhetoric, the government should recognize that.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would simply like to make a comment for the hon. member's consideration.

One of the top issues I hear across northwestern Ontario is with respect to the rising cost of living, in particular the cost of food. We know that Canada has the highest grocery price inflation of the G7 countries. People are looking for a plan in this budget to cut taxes, cut inflationary spending and bring down the deficit in order to bring down the cost of living. Instead, we see the exact opposite, so the question I often hear is why the Liberals are going forward with $90 billion of new spending and a $78-billion deficit, which will only drive up the cost of living at a time when so many people are struggling to get by.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Madam Speaker, this gives me the opportunity to say the following. Once again, the government has completely changed the budget time frame. It announced a $78-billion deficit in the fall. Since then, the Liberals have realized that people who could not afford groceries needed a cheque. Another $4 billion was added between when the budget should have been tabled and when it was actually tabled. We may now be looking at a $83-billion deficit. Not a single parliamentarian here knows the true figure for the deficit, because the Minister of Finance and National Revenue has decided, once again, to dodge the issue, to push public servants and to move too quickly, with all the unintended consequences that may entail.

My colleague's comment clearly demonstrates that.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, first off, let me comment on the previous speaker's concerns. I was trying to quickly find the quote on this by the managing director of the IMF, a very important world organization. This is what the managing director had to say about Canada:

Both Germany and Canada recognize that in this very testing time, they need to use their fiscal space.

She continued:

In the case of Canada, the Canadian authorities have been very decisive to take action in the context of changing relations with their main trading partner. And one of these actions is indeed to reform—modernize the budget framework by...separat[ing] operating expenses in the budget from investment—that ability to then focus strategically on investment[s] that are progrowth, that can lift up productivity.

That was back in October.

I say that because it is important for us to recognize that, as of today, the Prime Minister has been elected for less than one year. Conservatives ask why we did not present a budget in the late spring. Election day was April 28. The Prime Minister and the government, I would argue, made a wise decision to put the budget off to the fall and reset the framework so all future budgets will be presented in the fall. It helps Canadians in terms of economic growth by supporting the beginning of the construction season, for example, among many other things. I would suggest that it has been widely accepted. As a provincial MLA, I remember having a desire to have the provincial budgets presented in the spring and the federal budgets presented in the fall. We finally have a Prime Minister who understands the benefit of doing so.

I raise that because of the question I asked the member from the Bloc. We need to go back to last fall, when the budget implementation bill was introduced. Opposition members had a choice. They did not have to wait until the new year, 2026, to allow it to pass it at second reading. There was opportunity for the official opposition and the Bloc party to pass it at second reading last fall. Nothing prevented them from doing that. Rather, we saw filibustering on the floor of the House.

That is one of the reasons that last fall, I stood in my place and suggested that the opposition agree to sit until midnight for a couple of weeks, if their concern was having more debate in the chamber. Not one government member disagreed with that idea. It was only opposition members who disagreed with it. It was not that they needed more debate on the budget implementation bill but that they did not want it to go to committee. If they had allowed it to go to committee and worked with the government House leader in a co-operative way as opposed to filibustering and preventing legislation from passing last fall, then maybe the committee could have had more opportunity to have more detailed discussions.

For those who say it could never have been enough, standing committees operate on their own. If members were concerned about the high-speed rail, the standing committee would have been able to conduct its own study on the issue. Instead, collectively, the opposition members found it easier to point fingers at the government and blame it for their inability to do what I would suggest they should have done last fall.

Yes, we have a very aggressive, proactive Prime Minister who has goals set for Canada in terms of building Canada strong. He made that commitment back during the last federal election, and this budget implementation bill is a major part of that. That means, as a legislature, we have to be prepared to move maybe a little more quickly than some might like, but it does not mean that there has to be less accountability. We still have a Prime Minister who is committed to ensuring accountability and transparency, and that is something we will continue to push for.

If members are suggesting that we should have more time to debate, it is not the government that prevents that. Members will often say that Liberals are filibustering something at the committee stage. I have not necessarily been at all the committees, but I would suggest that maybe we look at what motion was presented that might have caused the government some issues or concerns. That might be one of the reasons we see some filibustering taking place.

Equally, we see filibustering from opposition members, I would suggest. That is one of the reasons I would love to see changes to our Standing Orders that would better facilitate members who really want to get into the nuts and bolts of a wide spectrum of issues. We have over 20 standing committees in the House of Commons. I would suggest to members that there are lots of substantive issues. If committees want to debate and discuss those issues, there are plenty of opportunities for that, but when members try to come to the floor to say they have not had enough opportunity for debate, I have a tough time accepting that, especially on this particular piece of legislation.

That is because we need to remember that there was unanimous consent. The reason we are at the stage we are at today is that every member of Parliament actually agreed to have it go through this process. Do not get me wrong. I am grateful. In the last little while, we have seen some encouraging signs, coming particularly from the official opposition. I am grateful for that.

Let me go back to the quote I made reference to, in terms of what we have actually been able to do as a government within one year. To reflect on that, less than a year ago, we had an election. I am very grateful to the residents of Winnipeg North personally, in the sense that I have been one of their representatives for a number of years: five elections at the provincial level and now six elections at the federal level. One of the things that inspire me, besides my constituents, is the Prime Minister and the way in which he believes the government needs to move forward. I concur with the Prime Minister and the general attitude in terms of why we need to take a team Canada approach to build a strong Canada.

From day one, that is in fact what we have seen. We have seen a Prime Minister focused and concentrated on working with Canadians, in particular our premiers, territorial leaders and indigenous leaders. That is one of the reasons we have Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, which was supported and actually passed back in June, shortly after the election. The Prime Minister has met with all the premiers on numerous occasions. We can, in fact, recognize that working together we can accomplish a great deal.

We have the Major Projects Office that was established in Calgary, with the first five projects having been approved. Think of the investment, estimated to be $60 billion, with a six and a zero. By working with the different stakeholders, we were able to achieve that.

This is not to mention the second announcement that came out sometime between September and November. I think it was closer to November. Those additional projects enhanced the total potential investment through those major projects to over $125 billion. I think it is closer to $150 billion. That is investing in Canada. It is supporting the people of Canada in every region, whether it is LNG in the province of British Columbia, copper in areas like Saskatchewan or nuclear power in the province of Ontario.

We can talk about the port of Montreal. We can talk about initiatives and ideas that are being promoted through major projects in every region of the country. This is what the Liberal members of our caucus have been working on because we believe in Canada. We know investing in projects of this nature will grow Canada's economy and that is what this should be all about: creating jobs, creating opportunities and building a stronger and healthier country.

We see that in terms of the major projects, but it is not just the major projects. Let us take a look at some of the areas we have reinforced or put in for the very first time. I was very proud when the Prime Minister and the government made the announcement that we are making permanent the national school food program. That was a very important step. Making that permanent sure made me feel good because I know the children of Canada, 400,000 children in particular, are going to benefit from that particular program.

That is an issue that I have seen first-hand as a parliamentarian going back as far as 1988 when we had individuals like Sharon Carstairs, who was the leader of the Liberal Party in the Manitoba legislature, talking about how children cannot learn on an empty stomach. We now have a prime minister and a government that have made the commitment to make it a permanent program, working with provinces and territories.

We then have the dental care program being reinforced, and millions of Canadians are being served by that particular program. Our new Prime Minister and government have said we are going to continue to support that program, just like we are going to continue to support the pharmacare program. Never before have we invested as much money, real dollars, in health care as we are doing today. It continues to grow.

When we talk about infrastructure expenditures, there is even a pot of money put there to encourage capital growth in our health care system. I would love to see the Seven Oaks General Hospital get its emergency room. I can say that, in the province of Manitoba, the new premier talked about it in the last provincial election. There is now a pot of money that he could tap into, which the federal government is providing. Those types of health supports and the dialogue and discussions that are taking place around personal home care, hospice care and mental illness are all important issues that I believe we are continuing to commit to and move forward with. That is why we are investing the number of health care dollars that we are.

I want to go back to another question I posed earlier this morning to members opposite. If we listen to what the Conservative Party members are saying, one should be a little concerned about what their policy is on growth and on supporting the economy. I asked the member for Calgary Centre if he supports the agreement, the MOU between Alberta and the Government of Canada, the entire MOU. I would have figured that this was a pretty soft question. It is an easy question. The answer should have been yes, but instead he starts questioning whether or not the Premier of Alberta knows what she is talking about.

[An hon. member]

Oh, is that what he was saying?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, absolutely, it was. The member can listen to it.

He was questioning the Alberta premier and the Canadian Prime Minister and whether the MOU they signed was of any real value. It is interesting that even the far-right Conservatives here are starting to criticize the Premier of Alberta. They opposed the MOU. On the one hand, they say they want pipelines, and then on the other hand, they do not support the MOU in Alberta. That was the one question I asked.

I asked another question about the high-speed train in Quebec and Ontario, and the member did not actually answer the question, but he addressed it in his speech. He did not answer the question. Apparently, he ran out of time and could not address it because he got so involved in why it was that he does not support the MOU. In his speech, as with other Conservatives, we get the impression that they do not support that because the question I asked him was very simple: Does the Conservative Party support high-speed rail?

On the one hand, the Conservatives do not like what we are doing and proposing with the Premier of Alberta and Alberta on the pipelines issue. They do not support that. Then when it comes to high-speed rail, again, they do not support it. They should be more honest and straightforward with the people of Ontario and Quebec in particular. This is a major project.

I look at the Conservatives in terms of economic development, and a good example is the Infrastructure Bank, which is referenced in the legislation we are debating today. I am still waiting for one Conservative member to stand in his or her place and say that they support the Canada Infrastructure Bank. I have never seen one. I have seen plenty of them, a lot of them, say they do not support the Canada Infrastructure Bank. I would encourage each and every one of us to skip the Conservative spin on it and do a Google search. The members all know how to use Google, I assume. If they do a Google search and look at the Canada Infrastructure Bank, what they will find is that there is literally tens of billions of dollars' worth and many projects that have been completed. Every region of the country has benefited from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, but every Conservative stands up and says it is a bad idea to have the Canada infrastructure program.

Unlike the Conservative Party of Canada, I can tell the House, whether it is the Prime Minister or any member of the Liberal caucus, we believe in Canadians. We understand the importance of investing in infrastructure. We are not going to travel around Canada and say Canada is broken. Why? It is because Canada is the best country in the world to call home. I only wish some of the Conservatives would understand that, appreciate that and start talking about the benefits of being in Canada and calling it home, as opposed to always trying to give the false impression that Canada is broken.

There is a lot within this budget. There has been a great deal since the last federal election. We are going to continue to move forward to build Canada strong.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I always appreciate the volume of the member opposite's speech. With respect to the budget, one of the things I am hearing in my riding that people did not like was that the government put the Canada pension plan in the budget as an asset of the government. That is not an asset of the government. That is money that people and their employers have paid into it, which they are expecting to get back. They are worried that the government is going to do with it what it does with everything else, which is spread the money all over the world except where Canadians need it the most.

Why did the government do that when it is against Canadian accounting principles?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I am not going to concede that it is against Canadian accounting principles. I have more confidence in the Prime Minister of Canada, who has been the governor of the Bank of Canada and the governor of the Bank of England. He has impeccable economic credentials. We can contrast that to the leader of the Conservative Party, but it is probably better if I just leave it at that. I believe in the budget implementation bill in its entirety. There are many aspects of it that I could have talked about that are really there to support Canadians.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have repeatedly pointed out the lack of consistency in the budget regarding the tax credits that will be given to the oil and gas sector. The member for Winnipeg North is trying to tell us that this is the best thing since sliced bread.

However, one of his colleagues does not believe this. Just this week, on a podcast, the member for Laurier—Sainte‑Marie said that he has had many meetings with people from the oil and gas sector and that, each time, he had serious doubts about whether carbon capture and storage will be achieved. The member for Laurier—Sainte‑Marie, who is a former environment minister and former minister of Canadian identity and culture, even said that oil companies spend more on advertising than on their emissions reductions strategies. Not only that, but the member for Laurier—Sainte‑Marie says that the greenwashing that the government has just allowed directly responds to what the oil companies want.

What does the member for Winnipeg North think of his colleague's remarks?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, let me suggest to the member that as a political entity in the House, it would appear at times that the only party that truly believes in sustainable development is in fact the party that happens to be in government today. We have, on the one hand, the Bloc, which wants to shut down all of oil. We then have the Conservatives, who say one thing, until it comes to dealing with things like the MOU with the Province of Alberta, to try to give the impression that they support oil pipelines.

At the end of the day, it is about sustainable development. We can have a healthy environment as we continue to grow the economy and we can actually improve our environment. I believe we are on the right track.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask my hon. colleague if he could expand on the latter question he answered. I have listened to a lot of debates in the House about governments and who has the best record in providing the infrastructure needed to support Alberta and Saskatchewan's energy industry. I believe that our government has been the only one that has actually delivered substantive infrastructure that has addressed the issue, which simply was never addressed by the former Conservative government.

Could the member expand on the record of the two?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the question, especially from one of my Atlantic colleagues, because I can remember having discussions with some of my Atlantic colleagues in regard to the potential of legislation we passed that recognized wind and waves and how that could be converted into energy.

I believe it was two provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador along with, I think, Nova Scotia. Do not quote me on it. I can say there was a great buzz about the future of clean energy production that was coming from the east coast. The Conservatives actually voted against the legislation. It is the “we like to give a false impression” attitude that the Conservative Party of Canada has. In reality, when it comes to the environmentally sound economic development that we have seen literally from coast to coast to coast, they are found wanting. We are going to continue to move forward.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to make sure this is on the record, because the hon. member for Winnipeg North said clearly that everyone in the House was in favour of the process we are taking now because the motion received unanimous consent. The people who put it forward at that moment knew full well that I would object but that I was travelling with the Prime Minister to Tumbler Ridge. That is a choice I am very honoured to have made, and I am grateful to the Prime Minister for making it possible for all opposition party members to be on that flight. I did not know it would be to my disadvantage in saying no to the process we are now going through regarding the omnibus budget bill.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I believe the leader of the Green Party made the right decision to go to Tumbler Ridge. I would not question that particular decision.

In that situation, she was likely the only member of Parliament who did not support the process, because all other members of Parliament clearly supported it. If we had not had the unanimous consent motion, the filibustering would, in all likelihood, have continued. That would have been unfortunate, not unfortunate for the Liberal Party but unfortunate for Canadians.

There are benefits that Canadians deserve. The Prime Minister made commitments in the last election. One of the ways we are delivering on those commitments is through the budget. I, for one, am glad that it is finally coming to an end so we can deliver for Canadians.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of the Atlantic coast, just today we learned that LNG was brought up all the way to Canada from Australia. What happened to the incredible LNG that Canada has, and the opportunity to take care of ourselves? It is Canada first, remember?

Which does the member across the floor think is more environmentally friendly: shipping LNG all the way up from Australia or bringing it across our own nation?