Debates of Oct. 1st, 2025

Seniors

[Michael Ma, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians in higher Liberal taxes and inflation. A new report shows that one in three seniors is supporting their adult children and grandchildren. What does this mean? It means that 28% of seniors help their adult children with rent or mortgage payments, up from last year. This should be a concern to everyone.

When the Prime Minister doubles the deficit, how much more will grandparents have to pay to house their adult children and grandchildren?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, today is, of course, National Seniors Day, and I am proud to wish all seniors a happy day on their day.

I am not quite a senior yet, but I am old enough to remember when the Conservatives voted against increasing the OAS. They voted against increasing the GIS. They voted against all other supports for seniors during the pandemic. They called it inflationary spending. Did it take National Seniors Day for Conservatives to see the light?

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what gift do seniors get after 10 years under the Liberal regime? They get a damning report published on National Seniors Day that shows one in three seniors is financially supporting adult children or grandchildren. Sixty-seven per cent have to help their families meet their daily expenses. That is 12% more than last year.

Because of higher Liberal taxes and inflation, every dollar that the Prime Minister spends comes directly from the pockets of Canadians.

I have a question for the Prime Minister. How much more inflation is he going to force on seniors under his plan to double the deficit?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, today is National Seniors Day and we want to wish our trail-blazing seniors a wonderful day.

Let me assure the member that, unlike him, we are looking after our seniors. He may be too young to remember, but the Conservatives voted against increasing the guaranteed income supplement. They voted against increasing old age security for people aged 75 and over, and they wanted to make seniors wait until age 67 to qualify for retirement. It is disgraceful.

It takes a National Seniors Day to remind them of that.

The Economy

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians because of higher Liberal taxes and inflation.

The Prime Minister said that we should judge him based on the prices at the grocery store. Well, let us. Food inflation in Canada is rising 50% faster than in the United States. Food bank usage is at record highs and rising. The St. Thomas Elgin Food Bank will have to feed 30,000 mouths this year, the third straight year of record highs.

The Prime Minister said he would turn the economy around because he is a brilliant banker. Why did he not tell Canadians that, on his watch, more than ever we would need a food banker?

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Secretary of State (Labour)]

Mr. Speaker, one of the best ways to combat inflation is to create real opportunities for Canadians. That is exactly what we are doing. We are going to be building. We are building homes and building projects in the national interest, with Canadian lumber, Canadian steel and Canadian unionized workers.

We are optimistic about Canada's future. Will the Conservatives get on board?

Finance

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been caught plagiarizing again. This time, he is copying his protege, Justin Trudeau. Trudeau promised that deficit spending would be an investment. What happened? When the debt went up, investments in Canada collapsed. Then, after COVID, Trudeau said he would remake the economy with deficit spending. This gave Canada the worst growth in the G7 and the worst inflation in 40 years.

No matter what Liberals promise, debt and costs go up while growth and investments go down. Why would it be any different this time?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Secretary of State (Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, what helps Canadians is cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians, and that is what we did earlier this year. We are supporting affordability measures with actual policies, not just with rhetoric in the House of Commons and not with misinformation.

Time and time again, the Conservatives have stood up in the House to suggest there are taxes on groceries. Canadians know better; they can read their bills. They can go to the bill and see there are no taxes on coffee beans, there are no taxes on meat and there are no taxes on Kraft Dinner.

When are the Conservatives going to show up with some real ideas to support affordability for Canadians?

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that is not an answer; that is just another Liberal bait and switch.

The Prime Minister promised to cap spending. That promise was broken: The Prime Minister is going to double Justin Trudeau's deficits. The Prime Minister promised Canada would have the strongest economy in the G7. That promise was broken: Canada now has the slowest economic growth in the G7.

The tired, old, incompetent government has presided over 10 years of economic and fiscal vandalism. When will it finally rein in its out-of-control inflationary spending?

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, on April 28, Canadians made a clear choice for a leader with business and economic experience versus a leader with none. We are laser focused on cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians. We are cutting taxes for first-time homebuyers. Interest rates are low, and we will build homes at a scale not seen since the Second World War. We will build the strongest economy in the G7. I ask Conservatives to cut the rhetoric and get on board.

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer just pulled the fire alarm. He called our finances “very alarming”, “stupefying”, “shocking” and “unsustainable”. He warned, “if [we] don’t change, this is done”. Something is going to break. We are standing at the cliff's edge, and for the younger generation especially, this is their future at risk. Every dollar the Prime Minister spends today comes out of Canadian pockets tomorrow in higher taxes and higher inflation.

Will the Prime Minister keep marching Canadians toward a cliff of doubling deficits, or will he finally turn back before it is too late?

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where the Conservatives have been for the last four months, but we have criss-crossed the country talking to, consulting with and listening to Canadians. Their message was resoundingly clear: They want us to spend less on government operations, invest more in nation-building projects and strengthen our economy, building the most resilient economy in the G7. Again, the Conservatives should please stop the rhetoric, join with us and get on board.

[Éric Lefebvre, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has once again been caught plagiarizing. He is copying Justin Trudeau. No, the Liberals have chosen Justin Trudeau's top adviser. He is worse than Justin Trudeau.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer was scathing. He called this “unsustainable”. The debt has skyrocketed, investment in Canada is in free fall and Canada has the worst growth in the G7. The result is that the cost of living is going up.

The Liberals are using the same recipe with the same ingredients. Do they think they will get different results?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague has clearly chosen to translate a question that was given to him by his leader.

Our answer is clear. Interest rates are falling. We are attracting foreign capital through our major national projects and our international defence strategy, and we will create more jobs across the country.

Seniors

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today on National Seniors Day, we pay tribute to the invaluable contribution of the seniors who shaped our country. That said, many of them are wondering if they can continue to age with dignity in their community.

Can the secretary of state tell us what the government is doing to ensure that seniors have the right to affordable housing?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Argenteuil—La Petite‑Nation for his excellent question.

National Seniors Day is an opportunity to thank our seniors for everything they have done for us and our country.

Our government respects the seniors who want to age with dignity at home and in their community, where they feel comfortable.

We have built more than 50,000 housing units for seniors and put $1.5 billion on the table through the Canada rental protection fund to provide affordable apartments to seniors. We—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Oshawa.

Firearms

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, soft-on-crime Liberal policy has led to gun crime skyrocketing to 130%. Canadians are being terrorized by repeat violent offenders and gangs, yet the Liberals are focused on harassing law-abiding citizens with a gun grab that costs $750 million. The public safety minister admitted the scheme will not work, but he is going ahead with it anyway. This is not keeping Canadians safe. It is political theatre and we all know it.

When will the Prime Minister protect Canadians and fire the failed public safety-style minister?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to announce that the assault-style firearms compensation program launched this morning in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It is a pilot that will expand across Canada.

I am also pleased to announce that a number of individuals who are law-abiding gun owners have registered and are looking forward to the compensation they will receive. Canadians are law-abiding people. Gun owners are also law-abiding, and they will be seeking compensation from this program. We look forward to its implementation across Canada.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister, while speaking to his tenant about the Liberal gun confiscation program, said, “Don't ask me to explain the logic to you on this.” His tenant said, “But we're not the problem”. The minister's tenant is 100% correct. Canadians know that hunters, sport shooters and other law-abiding gun owners are not the problem, but under the minister, gun crime is up 130%, with illegal guns being smuggled in through his leaky border.

Will the Prime Minister finally fire the minister today for not keeping Canadians safe?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, we are fighting crime on all fronts. We are fighting guns at our borders with historic investments. We are in the process of hiring more CBSA and RCMP officers. We have a bill in the House, Bill C-2, which would help fight criminal organizations and make our borders stronger.

Getting assault-style rifles and shotguns out of our communities is also important. We are going to make sure we do this on all fronts. There are still 19,000 other makes and models of guns available for hunters and sport shooters, and they can use those options.

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, loose lips sink ships. In a stunning display of incompetence, the public safety minister admitted that spending $750 million on a gun grab will not work. The same minister has lost track of 600 foreign national criminals and failed to hire 1,000 additional border guards. Canadians want a government that can keep them safe, but instead of protecting Canadians, the Prime Minister would rather protect the public safety minister and their flawed ideology. The ship is sinking.

Will the Prime Minister fire the Minister of Public Safety?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, firearms tragedies are obviously a tragedy in this country. We had another sad example of that today. What Canadians have clearly expressed to the government, and indeed all parliamentarians, is that Canada needs to distinguish itself in getting rid of assault-style weapons in our society. This party has always supported measures that would accomplish that objective. That party has always stood up against measures that would accomplish that objective. Its members need to get serious about guns.

Indigenous Affairs

[Ben Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I attended a ceremony to honour survivors of a residential school that operated for decades in my riding. Together, we unveiled a plaque in multiple indigenous languages so that, in some small way, they were able to reclaim what was stolen. The elders and knowledge keepers reminded us that true reconciliation occurs when community representatives have a seat around the table as decisions are being made. There cannot be any shortcuts around section 35 rights.

Can the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs update us on work being undertaken by the government to ensure that nation-building projects are developed with indigenous rights holders right from day one?

[Rebecca Chartrand, Liberal, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member of Parliament, Ben Carr—