Debates of Oct. 22nd, 2025

Small Business

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, if the industry minister had to be burdened with the paperwork and bills small businesses are facing today, she would act differently in this House. Take the food and beverage industry, for example. It runs on razor-thin margins, and after 10 years of Liberal deficits, food inflation continues to rise, to 4% this year. That is forcing restaurants to charge more and make less.

Is the government willing to address any of the costs small businesses are facing, or will it keep borrowing, spending and driving inflation even higher while job creators are left paying the price?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of Canadian industries, and that is why we introduced the buy Canadian policy to strengthen supply chains and support small businesses with opportunities to succeed right here in Canada. We are also supporting small businesses hardest hit by the tariffs, are expanding Business Development Bank of Canada loans by up to $5 million and have launched the $5-billion strategic response fund so businesses can adapt and pivot during these challenging times. We are also reducing red tape, unlike what the member said just now. These measures are going to support Canadian industries, support Canadian workers and support our small businesses. Happy Small Business Week.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Bruce Fanjoy, Liberal, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, independence is fundamental to the operations of the RCMP. My former MP, the current leader of the Conservative Party, recklessly criticized the RCMP. His caucus does not want to talk about it, and even a former Conservative minister stated how “grossly imprecise” his comments were.

Can the Minister of Public Safety reiterate the importance of the RCMP's independence, which ensures the protection of all Canadians?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has made some irresponsible statements relating to the RCMP. The RCMP plays an integral role in the safety and security of Canadians. It is an independent organization that abides by the rule of law. For the Leader of the Opposition to impugn the integrity of the RCMP is beyond the seat he holds.

I demand that he unequivocally retract those statements. We seek an apology for the RCMP, the men and women who serve this country.

Automotive Industry

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, CAMI families are getting pink slips, and the auto sector in Canada is hanging by a thread. The Liberal EV mandate is a bumper sticker, not a plan. It is a pipe dream that costs billions in taxpayer subsidies, and all for nothing. Over 6,000 Canadian families' livelihoods are at stake right now as auto manufacturers move their businesses to the U.S.

Will the Prime Minister tell unemployed auto workers why his failed policies helped send their jobs south?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: What is happening to the auto sector is actually linked to American tariffs.

When it comes to the EV mandates, the Minister of Environment and I, of course with the Prime Minister, have been working with industries to find solutions. By the way, right now they have been paused.

When it comes to the workers themselves, we will be there to support them and we will make sure that Stellantis is held to account. Meanwhile, we are working with GM to bring the Ingersoll plant a new model, because obviously these workers need to be supported.

We will build one Canada strong.

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is just more talk from the Liberals that does nothing to help people.

CAMI workers in Ingersoll are worried about paying their mortgages and putting food on the table. After handing out billions in subsidies, CAMI's indefinite layoffs come at the cost of the Liberals' failure to negotiate protections for workers. When CAMI bleeds, so do parts suppliers, tool and die makers, truckers, diners and other small businesses across Middlesex—London and southwestern Ontario.

Will the Prime Minister look auto workers in the eye and explain to them why he failed to protect their jobs?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is working with Doug Ford, I am working with Vic Fedeli and we are also working with Unifor to bring a new model to Ingersoll.

We will make sure to put pressure on GM, as it needs to honour its contracts. Meanwhile, we will make sure that, indeed, the workers we look in the eyes have confidence that we are fighting for their jobs.

[Amarjeet Gill, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Stellantis got $15 billion in taxpayer money. That is over $1,000 from every Canadian household. What is the result? Three thousand Canadian workers are losing their jobs as production moves to the U.S. If that is Liberal job protection, Canadians should be alarmed.

Will the Prime Minister tell us exactly how many Canadian jobs are guaranteed in that $15-billion deal, or did the Liberals just write a blank cheque to protect corporate profits, not Canadian workers?

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

Mr. Speaker, I understand the frustration on the part of my colleague, who is from the region.

That being said, I think we have to set the facts extremely straight. Support to the sector was linked to the fact that there would be the production of batteries. As production has only started, obviously $15 billion in federal taxpayers' money has not been invested.

We negotiated very well the contracts to support the Brampton plant. Therefore, the opposition, including the Conservatives, will have access to the contracts in committee, and they will see that we have workers' backs.

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister handed $10 billion to Stellantis to create 2,500 jobs in Windsor, but now it is threatening to ship 3,000 jobs from Brampton to the U.S. The Liberals have abandoned Canadian auto workers, who do not know how they will provide for their families and their futures.

What job guarantees did the Liberals actually negotiate? If there is nothing to hide, why will they not release the contracts outlining the specific details of the Canada-wide job guarantees?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well that we are working to support auto workers and the sector in Canada.

There is over 100 years of proud history of making vehicles in Canada. It is a manufacturing sector that is important to every part of the country. That is why we are not only taking measures with the Government of Ontario, partners across the country and unions to support the industry and those workers but we are also negotiating with the Americans so we can get a deal that is in the interests of the long-term security of Canada's auto sector.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Paccar in Sainte‑Thérèse has been manufacturing trucks for 60 years, but today 300 workers learned that they are losing their jobs. That is the sad truth about what the Liberal government has achieved in its dealings with Donald Trump. The Liberals are talking big, but they are failing to take action. Let us remember that they were elected by telling Canadians to keep their elbows up and that they would lift all tariffs. What is actually happening is that 300 people just lost their jobs.

What is the Prime Minister actually going to do to convince Mr. Trump that this does not make any sense? Most importantly, will he finally think about workers—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. Minister of Industry.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my colleague, and I am very familiar with the Paccar plant, which I recently visited with the new member for Thérèse-De Blainville. I was in touch with the plant manager, Steve Anctil, again yesterday. This is bad news, news that we do not accept.

We will continue to fight to support our workers because the plant in Saint‑Thérèse is a Quebec flagship. We will also be working with the Province of Quebec and municipalities across the country because we need to buy more trucks and buses that are manufactured here. We will protect our jobs.

Child Care

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General delivered a scathing report on the state of child care. Despite the Liberal government's spending billions of dollars on its child care plan, the shortage of available child care has gotten worse over the last five years. StatsCan showed that the proportion of parents who use child care and reported difficulty finding it rose from 36% in 2020 to nearly 50% in 2025. Only Liberals could spend more and get less.

Will the Prime Minister admit that his child care plan is yet another broken Liberal promise?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is the height of irony that a Conservative MP who voted against child care is now criticizing child care that exists across this country.

What the Auditor General said is that provinces and territories have to do a better job in terms of reporting. We are working with provinces and territories to make sure that we grow the number of spaces.

Let me leave members with this: $16.50 a day is the average price families are paying for child care. That is a huge saving for Canadian families.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is typical that the Liberals blame everyone but themselves. They committed to building 250,000 new child care spaces in five years. Three years in, there are fewer than half. Worse yet, they do not know how many spaces are going unused and do not know how much unmet demand exists, all while they are using funky, inconsistent math. Provinces are warning that the $10 system could collapse when federal funding ends, with inflation and staffing shortages piling up.

How can the Prime Minister justify blowing through billions of dollars with families waiting on waiting lists?

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

Mr. Speaker, again, I am really heartened to hear about the support the member has for early learning and child care. It is a real switch, given that she voted against it time and again.

I will say this. I have a meeting with my counterpart this afternoon, the minister from Alberta, to talk about exactly that: how we take the next steps, together, because, as the member would know, jurisdiction over child care lives in provinces and territories.

We have funded the system to such an extent that the average family is paying $16.50 a day. What a saving this is for Canadian families.

National Defence

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General concluded that the Canadian Armed Forces did not recruit and train the number of members it needs to meet operational requirements. She further said that our forces will struggle to respond to threats, emergencies and conflicts and to accomplish their missions. The report also revealed that on this trajectory, 13% of occupations are at risk of never being fully slated, and another 69% will not get there for over 10 years.

Our adversaries are not waiting for Canada to get our house in order. How does the defence minister expect our Armed Forces to meet our international obligations and protect Canada, without the personnel?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we thank the Auditor General for her work. As we rebuild, rearm and reinvest in Canada's military, we are making changes to our recruitment processes to get more people in the door, and faster. We have modernized our recruitment process by introducing a probationary period, streamlining the security clearance process, updating the aptitude test requirements and changing medical standards. We have also given our forces a very well-deserved pay increase. Recruitment has reached a 10-year high, but there is more to do.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister let 100,000 Canadians slip through his fingers.

The Auditor General also reported yesterday that the situation gets worse for our troops after they enlist. She said military housing is in “the kind of conditions you and I wouldn't want to live in” and that we should not expect our troops to live in either. The national defence committee came to the same conclusions in the last Parliament. Nothing has changed, and the report confirmed that the wait-list for military housing is growing to over 7,000.

How can the defence minister sleep at night, knowing our troops are living rough, and all he can do is reannounce old Liberal promises for 600 new housing units? Our troops need 7,000, now.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I sleep very well at night because of the incredible women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces. That is whom I count on. We are rearming, we are rebuilding and we are reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces. The member knows this.

When it comes to CAF housing, we are looking at new solutions through private sector partnerships to give our forces a safe and affordable place to call home. Last week, for the first time in history, we acquired a brand new, privately developed 37-unit apartment complex located near CFB Esquimalt, in five weeks. This is just one of the ways we are accelerating processes—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Madawaska—Restigouche has the floor.

Child Care

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, this week is child care worker and early childhood educator appreciation week in francophone minority communities. It is a time to celebrate professionals dedicated to helping our little ones learn, grow, and thrive. Early childhood is a crucial period for learning French and building identity.

I would like to ask the minister to speak to us about the measures our government is taking to support these educators and thereby strengthen this essential workforce that drives our Canada-wide system of affordable child care services.