Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for bringing members into the House, and I thank my colleagues for being here today.
When I went out to meet with people, the number one issue I heard about was the cost of living, which folks are concerned about. However, contrary to what our Conservative colleagues like to claim about us living in a vacuum, my constituents understand that the global context is having an impact on the cost of living and the dependence on supply chains. The physical wars in Ukraine and Iran are also having an impact. The illegal and unfair tariff wars are affecting input costs.
What I am hearing from people is that it is absolutely critical that we maintain the programs that are helping the most vulnerable Canadians. It is often said in the House that our programs are handouts given to Canadians. These are not handouts. These programs help families make ends meet and have a better life every day.
For example, 26,000 people in my riding, Trois-Rivières, are benefiting from the dental plan. There is the Canada child benefit, which 8,700 households back home are receiving. More than 35,000 people in Trois-Rivières are receiving the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. Of course, we cannot overlook the school food program. Thousands of young people in the 22 most disadvantaged schools in my riding are receiving food assistance through the school food program. Canadians are proud that their government has succeeded in protecting its social programs, even in the current context.
I would like to talk a little about the housing crisis. We know that rent is one of the biggest expenses for families. That is why we need to build housing faster. Obviously, we have launched Build Canada Homes. In fact, soon we will be studying Bill C-20, which we hope our colleagues will support. Agreements have already been signed to build more than 10,000 units, and construction will begin in the coming weeks.
We have also proposed a GST rebate for first-time homebuyers. More recently, we announced $1.7 billion in transfers to the provinces to encourage cities and provinces to reduce barriers to construction, whether related to zoning, densification, or permitting. These are important measures.
It is also important to give our young people hope that one day, they will have good jobs and be able to buy a home. That is why, in this economic statement, we invested $750 million in sports infrastructure. We also increased the number of summer jobs, and this summer, 100,000 young people will get their first job experience. In my riding of Trois‑Rivières, these investments add up to nearly $1.2 million. This will give small businesses a break. It will help non-profit organizations expand their services. For example, the Trois-Rivières Native Friendship Centre will be able to accommodate 30 more children at its upcoming summer camp with the help it received from Canada summer jobs.
With the economic statement, we are moving ahead with the team Canada strong initiative, which involves a $10-billion investment in recruiting, training and hiring 80,000 to 100,000 new Red Seal trades workers. We want to build at speed and scale. That takes labour. We are rolling out the programs needed to equip ourselves to get there.
The people I spoke to also talked to me a lot about the economy. It was the second-most important issue when I met with people in recent weeks. They understand the global context and they understand the repercussions of what is happening south of the border. People told me that they are very satisfied with the government and with the actions that the government and our Prime Minister are taking.
I want to quickly tell members what people told me about the Prime Minister. They said that he was the right man for the job, that he governs with his head and that he is the adult in the room. They also told me to imagine what things would be like if the other guy were in power, referring to the Leader of the Opposition.
Above all, people talked to me about pride. They are proud that Canada is taking its rightful place in the world. They are proud of the investments that we are making in the Canadian Armed Forces. They are proud of the fact that Canada is not giving in to the will of the President of the United States just to secure an agreement at any cost. They also told me that it is time to build and time to do things differently, to turn things around and to take every opportunity that presents itself.
That is what we have been proposing since our government was elected in 2025. Through the Major Projects Office, for example, we will build and expand the port of Contrecoeur. There is the high-speed rail project, which I am sure my colleagues will want to discuss shortly. There is the defence industrial strategy, which will create up to 125,000 jobs. The build communities strong fund provides $51 billion to ensure our communities have the necessary infrastructure. Above all, there is the “buy Canadian” policy to favour Canadian companies in procurement processes.
We know that none of this will be built overnight. In the meantime, we know that our industries are suffering because of the global context and the unjust and illegal tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration. That is why we are here to support our businesses and our workers, notably through the regional tariff response initiative, which we enhanced in the latest economic statement: The funding was originally set at $1 billion, but we have added $500 million.
In my riding, companies such as FAB 3R, AGT Robotics and Captel are being hit hard by the tariffs. With these investments, they can diversify, protect jobs and modernize their production. This is in addition to other programs, such as the $5‑billion strategic response fund, which helps businesses adapt to the global context.
Just recently, Minister Joly joined me in my riding to announce—
