Human Resources Committee on Nov. 25th, 2025

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

CUPE ran an entire campaign on unpaid hours.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Minister and Mr. Seeback.

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

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Madam Minister, the national school food program is the first of its kind in Canada. It was made permanent by the budget implementation bill.

Could you tell the committee about the positive impact that this program has already had on families?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Thank you very much for the question.

This is a new Government of Canada program. It was set up in collaboration with the provinces and territories. It's a key program.

Often, a program is available in one province or territory, but it isn't enough to meet the needs of all the children. This program supports the work of the provinces and territories in their education systems.

It's very important because it is a partnership with provinces and territories, but you've probably visited some of those schools, where you're seeing young people getting a healthy breakfast, or maybe it's at lunchtime. I certainly have.

We're getting incredible reports back from provinces and territories, as well as individual school boards and families, about the difference this is making. On average, it's saving parents about $800 a year, but it also gives you that freedom from worry, whether you're a lower-income parent or a middle-class parent. People forget lunches. There can be times when students show up and they haven't eaten breakfast that day. This school food program is really levelling the playing field for education.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Speaking of families, Madam Minister, we often hear about the impact of child care on affordability. However, there are also broader economic benefits.

Can you talk about how the expansion of early childhood education and care is boosting labour force participation, particularly for mothers, and the long‑term economic benefits of these investments?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Absolutely, and I would say that early learning and child care is an economic policy. It's about making sure people can get to school and to work and not worry about their children while they're doing that.

Obviously, it is also a huge affordability measure, and I mentioned that families are saving sometimes $1,500 a month for a family with two children. That $1,500 can go towards purchasing food and enrolling their children in school. Some families have reported saving up for a down payment on a house or paying their mortgage. The relief that we're hearing from families across the country who, on average, are paying $16.50 a day—in some provinces, it's $10 a day and in others, it's just slightly higher—is incredible.

I will say that this is supported by all provinces and territories, regardless of whether they're a Conservative province, a Liberal province or an NDP province. Provinces and territories see this as a huge economic driver for their own economies, because the more people they can actually support in being active in the workforce, the better the outcome.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Madam Minister, let's talk about Canada's early childhood education and child care system. It's one of Canada's most important social investments.

Can you update the committee on the progress made across the country, both in reducing costs for families and in creating new child care spaces?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Absolutely. That's the work that we've been doing with the provinces and territories as we have worked to expand their systems. It's work we have to do together because provincial authorities have the jurisdiction over where child care will be offered, how it will be licensed and a number of different criteria around regulations for employees.

We've been there to support not only the investments needed to create those spots and bring down costs, but also physical infrastructure costs, supports for training of early learning and child care workers and making sure that provinces and territories have what they need to expand their systems into rural communities.

We've shown flexibility with the provinces and territories. Not every province looks the same. Some have different challenges with very rural populations. Some have really dense urban populations. We've been working with each province and territory to make sure that kids in that region can benefit from quality care and parents can get the care they need.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Do the federal and provincial governments work well together?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Yes, the federal government works with all the provinces and territories. For example, Quebec has a strong child care program with a proven track record.

We supported Quebec financially, but it has a strong approach. The other provinces and territories often draw inspiration from Quebec's program. They're applying the lessons that Quebec has learned.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Joseph.

Mrs. Goodridge, you have five minutes.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Yesterday, Minister Hodgson confirmed at committee that cabinet actually votes on the projects that get referred to the Major Projects Office , which I think is an interesting space.

Do you support new pipeline projects, yes or no?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

I've been really clear that I don't support hypothetical projects, but I support projects that are cleared by either a cabinet process or by the Major Projects Office. I think it's important that projects go through a rigorous analysis on the measures that I indicated.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Thank you. We have very limited time.

Alberta is bringing forward a proposal to be a proponent on a pipeline project. It's not a hypothetical project. Alberta has brought this to the government quite a few times.

Do you support a pipeline project that will create thousands of important, good-paying jobs, yes or no?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Again, there isn't a project in front of the table that has Alberta as the proponent for a pipeline. If there is, I look forward to the analysis.

I think it's important, as politicians, that we understand what we're saying yes or no to. That has been my experience over the 10 years. Major projects come to cabinet. They are well analyzed and then cabinet makes a decision.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Thank you.

I have very little time.

I think it's a slap in the face to all Albertans, who feel completely excluded by the fact that you guys have listed all kinds of projects right across the country and left out one region, very mindfully. That is the region of Alberta. It is the creator of a lot of jobs in this country and the driver of a lot of economic opportunity. As the minister responsible for jobs, families and social development, I would have thought that you would be in favour of something that would create so many jobs—

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

If I could give another example—

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

—but you refuse to and give hypothetical answers, and I will accept that.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

This is not a hypothetical answer, Mr. Chair.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Have you specifically brought to the Prime Minister the baby formula inflation crisis?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

If I could just continue, in fact cabinet approved a pipeline—you'll remember the TransCanada pipeline—and when it was experiencing financial difficulty, we purchased the pipeline. I was involved in those decisions. I think that speaks for itself, in terms of my flexibility to support projects that are viable and that are in the national interest.

I would say that's the approach our government is taking. We believe projects need to be viable and need to be assessed. The Major Projects Office is going to do that lift.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Minister, this is my time. We have a very limited amount of time.

Let's go back to your portfolio, because you're not going to answer this specific, very important question.

Will you answer this one? Have you specifically brought forward the baby formula inflation crisis to Prime Minister Mark Carney, yes or no?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

As I said earlier—and you asked this question before—the Prime Minister and I speak regularly on issues of affordability. The measures in budget 2025, which you voted against, would actually support families just like the one you're talking about. In fact, the woman in Thunder Bay who was quoted in CBC said that she could hardly wait until the 20th when her Canada child benefit arrives.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

They are waiting on these things because they can't afford—

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Yet, of course, this woman on disability would also benefit, hopefully, from our Canada disability benefit.