Finance Committee on Feb. 3rd, 2026

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Madam Chair, do I still have time to answer?

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

You have two seconds....

Thank you, Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Kelly.

Mr. Lavoie, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Minister, thank you for being with us this evening.

I am going to bring the discussion back down to earth, as we say back home in the riding of Beauport—Limoilou, where I am proud to have been elected.

Early on in my career, I worked for a period of time in banks, mostly granting loans. Some clients had to hand me their keys because they were no longer able to pay back their loan. As a result, I experienced people's misery and the difficulty they had making ends meet, so this is something that affects me a great deal.

Over the holidays, I toured all the seniors' residences. I have a lot of them in my riding. I took the time to visit the families. Just last Friday, I was at Entraide Agapè, a centre that helps people and has more than 100 volunteers.

I was listening to people speak earlier and it made me smile to think that there were a lot of economists here. I was thinking about the people in my riding of Beauport—Limoilou. They are not economists, but I can tell you that they know how to count money. Today, some people have written to me to say that what worries them is not whether they will receive a cheque every month or every three months, but whether they will actually receive the money, whether what is promised in Bill C‑19 will actually get done.

So I have two questions for you.

The first question is the one I just asked you: Are the people really going to see any of that money?

Second, how will this benefit complement other financial measures that have been put in place, such as the Canada child benefit, the guaranteed income supplement, the national school food program and the Canadian dental care plan?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Thank you for bringing some empathy back into this discussion, Mr. Lavoie. I came here to testify tonight and I talked about humility, empathy and authenticity, so I would like to see that in everyone. There is nothing political about what we are doing tonight. I do not understand the line of questioning from the Conservatives. They voted in favour of it, then came to the committee with a view that they were against it. I think it is a bit confusing for people. I hear you. I come from Shawinigan. People back home who are watching this tonight are wondering how you can support something and then be so against it in the comments. You are right to bring it back to the floor. That is a good thing.

We talked a lot about the benefit, but we forgot to talk about all the structural measures. As I said, one-time measures are proposed to help people, but there are also structural measures to make food production more resilient. For example, I know that Mr. Garon will be pleased to hear that, in Quebec, the people I spoke with at the Union des producteurs agricoles gave us ideas, particularly on structural measures. Food security requires producing more at home and having more fluidity in the food production chain, for example. Obviously, we live in a northern country, so we import a lot of fruits and vegetables. We need to increase production in certain sectors, and that is why we focused on that.

Then we said that we had to help people by taking action on competition. I mentioned, for example, the price per unit, which is a Quebec measure. In Quebec, we take it for granted, but it is a measure that does not exist in a structured way in the other Canadian provinces. Consumer protection in Quebec is very advanced.

You are right. As I am trying to explain to our Conservative colleagues this evening, we cannot consider this in isolation, because we also have the Canada child benefit, the Canada school food program, the Canada workers benefit and the Canadian dental care plan, for example. This is a set of measures through which we are supporting Canadians at a time when they need it. I know that even our Conservative colleagues, although they will not tell the committee, understand that our investments are going to grow the Canadian economy. That is why we need a one-time measure and an increase in funding as well, which will allow us to bridge the gap until the Canadian economy gets better.

You are right that people are able to sort things out. I know they are watching television tonight and they are sorting it out. They know what politics is, and they can see when we are genuine and ready to answer questions. Those questions are fair, and we present the facts to people. This evening, I am pleased to be here with you, before the committee, and to see you shed light on this. We need to educate people on these policies. The fact that we voted unanimously on this is a good example of democracy. However, this evening, I think people are a bit confused about some of the positions taken and some of the questions asked.

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I think I have 20 seconds left. What still needs to happen before people get the money?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Well, we need to pass Bill C‑19. It still has to go through some stages, and that's why I'm appealing to our opposition colleagues' common sense and asking them to support this measure. I think the Bloc Québécois should be firmly in favour, as should the Conservative Party, because this measure will help 12 million Canadians.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Thank you, Mr. Lavoie.

We will continue with Ms. Cobena for five minutes.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'd like to start by giving the minister time to answer my colleague's question, which he did not answer.

The question was this: In 2023, you promised to bring grocery prices down, but they have since gone up 7.8%. Do you have the humility to apologize to Canadians for putting them through this hardship?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

I would say it's a work in progress. Tonight is a great step in what we're doing to help Canadian families. I'm glad you supported it. I'm sure your line of questioning will be about support.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Minister, the question is actually quite straightforward. The question is very simple. You made a promise, but you broke it. It was under your watch that grocery prices went up 7.8%. Will you apologize to Canadians?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

I would say everyone in this room should show—

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Okay, so the answer is no.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

—a bit of humility and authenticity.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

How much will this program cost?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

We have been able to table the exact cost of it. You have the PBO report. You also have our estimate, which is—

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

I just want a number, please. How much will this cost?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

—north of $11 billion.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

How much?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

It will cost $11.3 billion.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

It will cost $11.3 billion. We are operating under a deficit here. Will you be printing money or putting it on the line of credit?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Will you support Canadian families or not?

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

The question is this: Will you be printing money, or will it go on the line of credit?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

The question is this: Will you support Canadian families? You voted in favour.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Minister, when I speak to people in my riding, they are tired of politics. They want simple answers.

Whether it's $11 billion or $11.3 billion, will you be printing money or putting it on a line of credit?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

How are you going to explain to the people in your riding that you voted in favour...?