Debates of Oct. 27th, 2025

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, their programs do not feed kids. They feed bureaucracy, consultants, lobbyists and Liberal insiders. If members want to question that, 700,000 kids are lined up at food banks every single month.

Let me quote from the report: “It took decades to reach one million visits in a month, and it has now taken half a decade to more than double that.... These are not outliers. This is Canada’s new normal.”

The more the government spends, the more things cost. How many meals will Canadian kids have to sacrifice for yet another costly Liberal budget?

[Anna Gainey, Liberal, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's largest food bank in Toronto, the Daily Bread Food Bank, is asking that the national school food program be made permanent through legislation. We are delivering this. It is asking because the program helps provide nutritious meals to 400,000 children at school. The Conservative Party voted against this.

The members opposite will soon have an opportunity to do the right thing for their constituents and make school food permanent. We urge them to do so.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal programs feed bureaucracy, lobbyists, consultants and insiders, but they do not feed kids. Children cannot eat Liberal press releases or Liberal photo ops. Mothers cannot fill shopping carts with Liberal boasting.

Canadians need food. Right now, after 10 years of Liberal government, there are 2.2 million Canadians lined up at food banks, 700,000 of them kids. A third are in families that work but whose paycheques are vaporized by Liberal taxes and inflation.

How many meals will Canadians have to sacrifice for the next costly Liberal budget?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition seems to flat out ignore the fact that the government is focused on affordability. We are focused on affordable housing, which reports outline is a critical driver for affordable food. We are taking action. Look at the trajectory we are on right now. Mortgage rates are coming down and average rents are coming down, according to the Parliamentary budget office.

We are seeing progress, but we are not stopping there. Build Canada Homes will be in this budget, $13 billion of which the opposition can vote for, for affordable housing.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, is their focus affordability?

Here are the facts from the HungerCount report: 78% of food banks had to buy more food than normal because they were running out and not collecting enough donations. One quarter of food banks ran out of food while there were still people lined up waiting for something to eat. We now have nearly a third of Canadians going hungry at least once a week. This sounds like something out of the Great Depression, and the Prime Minister has the audacity to say Canadians should sacrifice even more.

How many meals will his costly budget force Canadians to sacrifice?

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

Mr. Speaker, I take it from the question from the leader of the official opposition that he will support budget 2025, where we make the school food program permanent, where we double down on jobs for young Canadians and where we invest in skills training for the skilled trades professionals of the future.

I just announced that, in the budget, personal support workers will receive a tax credit of $1,100 a year. We are putting money and support in the hands of Canadians. That is why they trust us.

Finance

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government pointed fingers at the opposition again this past weekend, complaining that it will not have enough support to pass its budget. As a friendly reminder, the people elected a minority government. That means that voters wanted the government to work with the opposition parties and reach agreements. The government can come to an agreement with the Conservatives, with us or with independent members.

Instead of complaining and threatening an election, when will the government get to work?

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

Mr. Speaker, of all the criticisms that can be levelled at the government, accusing us of not working must be one of the most far-fetched.

That being said, there are 44 Quebec members on this side of the House who are working very hard to convey the needs of their communities, the demands of their constituents and the real needs on the ground in Quebec. It seems to me that the Bloc Québécois, with its 22 members, is having a hard time accepting that. This is a minority government, but—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Saint-Jean.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have forgotten what it even means to work together for the common good. They are telling us to vote for their budget even though they have completely ignored Quebec's needs. Now they are shocked to be told that they need to get to work.

One week remains before November 4. The Liberals are well aware of our demands concerning health care, seniors, housing, access to home ownership, infrastructure and repayment of the $814 million that was stolen from Quebeckers.

The real question is, do they even want our support?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I think I am going to ask you to help me because I am having a very hard time understanding the Bloc Québécois's position.

A meeting was held between the leader of the Bloc Québécois, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and me. The Bloc Québécois presented us with a series of demands and then said that it would not vote in favour of the budget. I have a hard time understanding that.

Are the Bloc members ready to negotiate? If so, we are ready to negotiate. If not, then they are not ready to negotiate, but they cannot just sit on the fence like that.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals met with party leaders about the budget after it had already been written. They did not talk to Quebeckers either. There were no pre-budget consultations. No witnesses were heard in committee. After a year and a half without a budget, the Liberals worked alone, not even meeting with a single stakeholder from Quebec's various social and economic groups. Now they are surprised when we tell them that they are not meeting Quebeckers' needs.

Contrary to what they say, the Liberals know what they need to do to get our support. The real question is, do they actually want us to support their budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, six months ago, Canadians elected a new government with a mandate to undertake major projects and initiatives in Quebec and elsewhere, to respond to the needs of different groups, to engage with communities, to move projects forward and to create opportunities for our young people throughout Quebec and Canada.

Here is the real question: Will the Bloc Québécois trigger a Christmas 2025 election, yes or no?

The Economy

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Daily Bread Food Bank and the North York Harvest Food Bank in Toronto just released their annual report. It is called “Who's Hungry”, and it seems like the answer to that question is “nearly everyone”. There have been 2.2 million visits in a single month. It took decades to hit one million and only half a decade under the Liberals to double it to more than two million. It found that 82% of households reported they “did not have enough food to eat” this year. The majority said this was because of the cost of living. Every dollar the government spends simply drives up food prices.

It is over four million visits in Toronto. How many more people do the Liberals want visiting next year?

[Stephanie McLean, Liberal, Secretary of State (Seniors)]

Mr. Speaker, the government has taken, and continues to take, real action that supports the people of Canada. We have instituted the national food program. We have instituted the Canadian dental care program. We have instituted a number of things that help Canadians, whereas the Conservatives cannot be trusted to help anyone. They use this as a speaking point instead of really caring about Canadians and whether they have the resources they need.

These programs help seniors across the country and ensure they have what they need to retire with dignity, whereas the Conservatives push the retirement age higher with every vote.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if any of those programs worked, there would not be over 700,000 kids in line at food banks. Make food cheaper.

Instead, the Liberals doubled the deficit and sent food bank usage up 360% in five years in Toronto. Students make up a quarter of those visits to food banks. Just last week, the Prime Minister lectured them all about making sacrifices. Well, they have already sacrificed home ownership and good-paying jobs. Now he is asking them to sacrifice food.

What sacrifices will they need to make to stop the Prime Minister's out-of-control spending?

[Anna Gainey, Liberal, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, the report invoked also clearly states that to tackle these challenges, we need to strengthen supports for families. It specifically mentions delivering school food, dental care, child care and affordable housing at scale.

Conservative MPs have voted against each of these measures. In fact, the Conservative MP for Central Newfoundland called the national school food program “garbage”, even though it is already feeding 4,000 kids in his home province.

We are focused on solutions and on delivering for Canadian families.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, food banks were meant for emergencies, not everyday survival, yet more Canadians rely on them each month just to eat. Families are working harder but falling further behind as groceries soar and paycheques shrink. This is not about generosity. It is about failure. As Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley warns, there were 2.2 million food bank visits in a single month. The longer the Liberals ignore the reality on the ground the deeper the crisis becomes.

When will the Liberal government realize its inflationary deficits are driving Canadians to the food bank?

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

Mr. Speaker, I assume the member of Parliament opposite was listening to my colleague when she was quoting Food Banks Canada about what needs to happen next, which is making the school nutrition program permanent, investing in affordable housing and ensuring people have the supports they need to live a comfortable life, including affordable child care and dental care.

That is what we are going to do, and we sure hope the Conservatives do not vote against Canadians again.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we keep sounding the alarm, but it feels as though no one on that side is listening.

Families are stretched thin and communities are breaking under the weight of rising costs. One food bank executive said it plainly: Housing and food costs are the greatest contributors to the increase in their services. Costs for basic living continue to rise while the money coming in does not.

When will the government finally hear the voices of Canadians and stop letting hidden taxes, packaging taxes and the industrial carbon tax drive families to the food bank?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, again, the member opposite connected the dots between housing costs and food costs. That is why the government is so laser-focused on affordable housing.

We are seeing action on this. We are seeing progress to date. We have seen average rents come down across Canada. We are seeing mortgage rates coming down. We are seeing home prices coming down to make life more affordable. We are cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians and first-time homebuyers.

All those measures are delivering results, and we are not stopping there.

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Food Banks Canada reports 2.2 million visits in a single month, double what it was just six years ago. Its CEO says that poverty and hunger have become “the new normal in Canada” and that working Canadians, from construction crews to office staff, “are needing to stop at the food bank on their way home from work”. In rural Canada, where food and fuel already cost more and jobs are often seasonal, families are being hit hardest.

When will the Prime Minister admit that his inflationary deficits are driving Canadians to food banks instead of grocery stores, and change course?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to listen to the party opposite talk about affordability when they voted against every single affordability measure this government has put forward. Whether it is the Canada child benefit; day care; the school food program, which is not “garbage”; or housing, we are focused on making things affordable for Canadians. We are cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians. We are cutting the GST for first-time homebuyers.

On this side of the House, we believe in supporting the most vulnerable in our society. They do not.

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

Mr. Speaker, “Montreal ravaged by hunger” headlines La Presse. Food Banks Canada's HungerCount 2025 paints a bleak picture of the state of Canadian families' finances after 10 years of Liberal government. Across Quebec, nearly 600,000 people receive help each month from food assistance organizations. Across Canada, more than two million people a month use food banks. The trend has accelerated after 10 years of Liberal inflationary spending: 33.5% of them are children, nearly twice as many as six years ago.

Does the Prime Minister still think it is time to ask them to make sacrifices?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, food inflation is a global phenomenon that is much more complex than the simple talking points that the Conservatives keep repeating. The big difference between the Conservative Party and this side of the House is that here, we believe that the government must provide a bulwark against this inflation, that we must help middle class families and the most vulnerable.

That is what we are doing with the Canada child benefit, which they would have sacrificed on the other side of the House. That is what we are doing with the national school food policy. The president of the Quebec chapter of the Breakfast Club of Canada said that this would improve the living conditions of young Quebeckers. Last week one of the Conservative colleagues said that it was garbage.

That is the difference between the Conservatives and the Liberals.