Debates of Oct. 29th, 2025

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, there he goes again with the imaginary taxes. More and more, and increasingly, in his own caucus, he has imaginary friends. The Leader of the Opposition understands, as all Canadians do, that Canadians gave us a mandate six months ago for stability and calm; not slogans, but solutions; affordability; a trade deal with the United States; and, yes, a plan and a budget to build a Canadian economy that is very strong.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the member and the Prime Minister are trying to provoke a costly election on their costly budget. They are again playing costly games.

This is not about games; this is about the people lining up at food banks, the 2.2 million of them. That number has doubled since the government took office 10 years ago. It's about Jaclyn Stone, who says, “It’s heartbreaking. It’s hard.... It was just [tough] making ends meet.” She says that she feels embarrassed and disheartened to turn back items when she is at the checkout and her bank account goes empty.

Will the government reverse course and bring in an affordable budget so that people like Jaclyn can have an affordable life?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us hear from another person in Canada who is doing really important work as well. That is Kirstin Beardsley, the CEO of Food Banks Canada. She said that with proper long-term investment and improved access, these kinds of initiatives are “showing early promise for greater adoption and expansion”. She also said that we should make the school food program permanent, we should help the lowest-income worker and we should increase access to affordable housing.

That's all in our budget. We have been talking about what is coming. We hope these guys will get on board and stop standing in the way of Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, these Liberal programs do not feed children; they feed bureaucracy, consultants, lobbyists and insiders. We know that because since they have brought in all of these promises, we have seen food bank use more than double.

By the government's own admission, 25% of kids go to school hungry after 10 years of these Liberal policies. Why? It is because the more the government spends, the more things cost.

Every dollar the Liberals spend comes out of the pockets of hard-working Canadians. Have they not learned their lesson after 10 years that we need an affordable budget so that Canadians can have affordable lives?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Leader of the Opposition is driving for a Christmas election. He would rather do that than stand up for the moms and dads across this country who are looking for affordable child care, who want us to make the school food program permanent and who want us to invest in women's safety, shelters, homes and wraparound housing.

That is what Canadians want. They want things that are going to help their families and their communities, and these guys are threatening to take it all away.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a minority government. If the government wants its budget to pass, it will have to negotiate with someone. At this morning's scrum, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons confirmed that he is talking with the opposition parties, just not negotiating. He said it himself. He does not even call that negotiating.

He says that the opposition's requests regarding principles are a non-starter. In short, he is willing to talk but not negotiate. He will talk, he will chat, but that is it.

Does he really want his budget to pass, or does he just want to trigger a Christmas election?

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

Mr. Speaker, I always enjoy discussing things with my counterparts and colleagues on all sides of the House. Obviously, the member should speak to her colleagues from Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj and Lac-Saint-Jean. I had some very interesting discussions with them on important projects in their riding.

Perhaps she has some projects to talk about too. I would also be pleased to talk, discuss or negotiate with the leader.

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

Mr. Speaker, what I am hearing is “let us keep talking”. The Liberals do not want to negotiate for support for their budget. They admit it openly. They do not want to invest in health care. They do not want to correct the injustice that exists regarding seniors' old age pensions. They do not want to transfer funding for housing and infrastructure with no strings attached. They do not want to pay back the $814 million stolen from Quebeckers to buy Canadian votes. They do not want to help young people become homeowners. They just do not want to do any of that.

What they do seem to want is a Christmas election. Why will they not just admit that?

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

Mr. Speaker, the only question is which party is more eager to trigger a Christmas election, the Bloc Québécois or the Conservative Party.

The Bloc Québécois presented us with a series of non-negotiable demands. Speaking of not negotiating, it was the Bloc Québécois that had a bunch of non-negotiable demands that would cost Canadians $36 billion. The Leader of the Opposition wants us to reduce deficits.

The Liberal Party of Canada is right in the middle, exactly where we should be.

Housing

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

As the saying goes, Mr. Speaker, we are rubber and he is glue.

The housing crisis is at an all-time high, and the Liberals are to blame. The Parliamentary Budget Officer calculated that rents have increased by 26% solely because of the federal government's excessively lax immigration policies. People across the country, including immigrants themselves, are paying 26% more in rent because of the Liberals.

To fix this debacle, the rapid housing initiative needs to be extended and made permanent, and Quebec's share must be transferred unconditionally. That is the bare minimum.

Why are the Liberals so unwilling to include this in the budget that they are threatening to call an election?

[The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Gregor Robertson]

Mr. Speaker, this government is all-in on supporting affordable housing, and we are focused on homelessness, first and foremost. We are dedicating $1 billion, the first billion in the budget, to solving homelessness. We are working with cities and towns across the country to get supportive modular housing built, which is transitional housing to help people get out of shelters, off the street and into a safe place to call home.

We are committed to affordable housing, and we will follow through.

Finance

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Liberals spend comes right out of the pockets of Canadians. Under Trudeau, the Liberals' consumer carbon tax made everything more expensive while their record spending led to higher prices and lower paycheques, with the debt burden falling on younger Canadians most of all. Now the Prime Minister is doubling down in his budget with an industrial carbon tax, more costs and billions more in deficits.

Justin Trudeau already mortgaged Canadians' futures, so why is the banker Prime Minister foreclosing on it?

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

Mr. Speaker, while the party opposite is focused on its leader and what he said last week, we are laser-focused on Canadians.

On November 4, we are going to table a generational budget. We are going to invest in Canadians. We are going to invest in Canada, and we are going to build. We are going to invest in infrastructure, defence and housing.

We believe in Canada. I ask the party opposite to support our budget on November 4.

Carbon Pricing

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I ask the party opposite this: Have Canadians not sacrificed enough?

For 10 years, they have paid the price for a Liberal carbon tax that the government falsely claimed would put more money back in their pockets than it took out. Now the Prime Minister is pulling the same stunt with his industrial carbon tax. He claims there is no impact, even if it increases costs on farm equipment, fertilizer and, ultimately, groceries.

The Conservatives want an affordable plan. Will the Prime Minister scrap his industrial carbon tax in his budget so families can eat again?

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

Mr. Speaker, while the party opposite is focused on imaginary taxes, we are focused on real tax cuts, cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians and cutting the GST for first-time homebuyers. Interest rates are going down. We are moving forward with initiatives like the school food program and the personal support workers tax credit.

We are focused on affordability for Canadians. I wish the party opposite would stop the rhetoric, get on board and support our budget on November 4.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not satisfied with 2.2 million Canadians visiting a food bank a month. The new fuel tax will chew up any savings at the gas pump. Grocery prices have not come down since COVID. Now we will never get a break at the cash register.

Will the Liberals kill the new fuel standards tax so people can afford to eat?

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

Mr. Speaker, the members opposite remain fixated on imaginary taxes. On this side of the House, we remain focused on supports for Canadian families to help them fight food insecurity. We do this with, for example, the national school food program, which we are making permanent, the disability benefit, dental care, child care and the national housing strategy. Time and time again, we are there for Canadian families, and members opposite vote against these investments in our communities.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the new fuel tax will put more ethanol in our gas tanks, so we will have to visit the pumps more often. It will also cut supply, so fuel will cost more. When fuel goes up in price, the cost of everything goes up.

The Liberals have a chance to kill the new fuel standards tax with the budget. Will the Liberals use the budget to kill the new fuel tax?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, we empathize with struggling families, but unlike Conservatives, our government is stepping up to help them with affordability. We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians, reduced GST on new home purchases, significantly reduced child care fees, cut the costs of basic dental coverage and funded healthy food in schools.

Common sense says that when families save money on their taxes, child care and the like, they have more to spend on groceries. Common sense does not seem to be so common in the Conservative Party today, because Conservatives have opposed all of these cost-saving measures.

Canadians want to know this: Where are the common-sense Conservatives?

The Economy

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if their policies worked, why are over 700,000 children lining up at food banks?

The Prime Minister promised that he would be judged by the costs at the grocery store. Well, the verdict is in. Food inflation is up 4%. We now have 2.2 million people visiting food banks in a single month, and by the federal government's own analysis, a $1.3-billion food packaging tax is baked right into the cost of every meal.

While Canadians are skipping meals, the Liberals are feasting on new taxes. Will the Prime Minister stop cooking up new hidden costs and scrap his food packaging tax so that Canadians can afford to live?

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

Mr. Speaker, Conservative members seem to enjoy talking Canada down. They talk about imaginary taxes. It is almost as if they were cheering for the LA Dodgers instead of Canada's team last night.

While the Conservatives vote against measures that support Canadians, we are investing in them. We are building major projects and building homes right across the country with Canadian steel, Canadian lumber and Canadian unionized workers. We are putting people to work, strengthening communities and building a future that Canada can be proud of.

Here is my question: Will the Conservatives vote for the budget or will they trigger an Xmas election?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was elected on the promise that he would be judged on food prices. Six months on, here are the results: Grocery prices keep going up and up, twice as fast as inflation. That is the legacy of 10 years of Liberal governance.

Will the Prime Minister use his budget to eliminate the taxes that impact food prices so Canadians can have an affordable life?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, Quebeckers and Canadians passed judgment on the opposition party, on the Leader of the Opposition and on his flippant attitude. He was incapable of coming up with a credible plan.

On this side of the House, not only do we have a plan to grow and unify the Canadian economy, we also have an affordability plan that comes with a $22‑million tax cut for Canadians. It also includes making Canada's national school food program permanent, a move that the Quebec Breakfast Club applauds.

If the member doubts the effectiveness of this program, which one of his colleagues called garbage, he should come to my riding. I will take him to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the United Way and the Breakfast Club.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' governance is so effective that 2.2 million Canadians now have to go to food banks every month to eat. Yes, 2.2 million people. That is the Liberal record for a G7 country after 10 years. Shame on those who mismanaged the government so horribly. That is why people are realizing that the more the Liberal government spends, the more it costs Canadians.

I will repeat my question. Will the Prime Minister use his budget to axe the taxes that have a direct impact on food so that Canadians can have an affordable life?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague wants to talk about things that have a direct impact on the lives of Canadians. We can talk about the national nutrition program. That is $800 per family. We can talk about the tax cut we put in place for 22 million Canadians. It is also $800 per family. We can talk about the Canada child benefit, which has reduced child poverty in this country by 38%. These are all programs that the Conservatives would have sacrificed.

We can talk about the Canadian dental care plan. About 20,000 people in his riding of Louis‑Saint‑Laurent—Akiawenhrahk now have access to dental care. That is what the members on that side of the House would be willing to sacrifice.