Debates of Oct. 31st, 2025

Finance

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

Madam Speaker, I think it is important to once again underline the fact that the report the member opposite cited also lists the Canada disability benefit, the Canadian dental plan, early learning and child care, the national school food program and the national housing strategy among the many tools and investments that support alleviating poverty in this country, all of which have been voted against or opposed by the members opposite.

We will have a budget next week that will continue to invest in Canadians, young Canadians and families. We trust that the members opposite will join us, vote for the budget and avoid a Christmas election.

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

Madam Speaker, the only people who seem to want a Christmas election are the members of the Liberal government. Canadians do not want Liberals to force a costly election; they want an affordable budget.

The Liberal government does not seem to get it. There are record Liberal deficits and a record number of people who cannot afford food, with 2.2 million people lining up at food banks, over 700,000 of them children. The more the government spends, the more Canadians pay at the grocery store.

Will the Liberals present an affordable budget so families can afford to feed themselves?

[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)]

Madam Speaker, it is disheartening to know that Conservatives do not even read the reports they quote in this House.

It is obvious because the very report they are quoting, from Food Banks Canada, asks our government to move forward with income assistance for people living with a disability. They ask for a dental care plan. They acknowledge the work of addressing the housing supply issues in this country. They also mention a national school food program, which that party has voted against time and time again in this House.

When it comes time to take 400,000 kids out of food bank line-ups, what does the opposition say? It says no.

The Economy

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, first the Liberals made it unaffordable to feed kids; now they want applause for feeding them. Canadians used to line up at the grocery store. Today, they line up by the millions at food banks.

Under the Liberals, Canadians are working full-time and eating part-time, because paycheques shrink while grocery bills balloon. Eighty-two per cent of Canadian households say they do not have enough food to eat. In college, 82% means an A, but for the Prime Minister, 82% of Canadians going hungry means a giant F.

When will the Prime Minister stop failing Canadians and allow families to feed their own kids in their homes?

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Madam Speaker, again, as I said, Conservatives claim to care about youth and affordability, but on this side, we are about solutions, not slogans.

We are putting in cutting income taxes and reducing GST for first-time homebuyers. We are putting forward a national school food program. We are putting forward a number of measures to increase affordability and increasing the supply of homes in order to lower rent.

We are here for Canadians. Canadians do not live in a pretend world. They know what is going on; they know which party is here for them. That is why they voted for us on April 28. We hope members will vote for our budget on November 4.

[Kathy Borrelli, Conservative, Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, ON]

Madam Speaker, each month in Canada, there are over 2.2 million visits to food banks.

We talk about these numbers every day, and we watch them increase every month. These are not just numbers, colleagues; these are the people we serve. Many of them are workers whose paycheques have not gone up the way grocery prices have.

The Liberal government, however, thinks Canadians should sacrifice even more. When will the Prime Minister give Canadians an affordable budget for an affordable life?

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

Madam Speaker, we have good news for the Conservatives.

They can help 5.5 million Canadians. Do members know how? It is by supporting us on automatic federal benefits, getting benefits directly to 5.5 million Canadians, those who need it the most.

The party opposite has a choice to make. Will they listen to their grinch leader and not support our budget, causing a Christmas election, or will they join with us and pass a generational budget offering hope and affordability to Canadians?

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, Edmonton's Food Bank is serving more people now than at any time in its 43-year history.

Requests for food hampers have gone up 42% in the last 30 months. Food Banks Canada reports record use, with 2.2 million visits in a single month. It took decades to hit one million but only six years under the Liberals to double it to two million.

When will the Prime Minister finally give Canadians an affordable budget for an affordable life?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Government Transformation]

Madam Speaker, this feels a little disconnected. Just last session, we saw the opposition vote against a national school food program, but there is good news. They have a chance to do what is right, correct their error of the past and vote to support our budget in just a few days' time to make that program permanent.

Will they do that, or will they vote for a Christmas election that nobody wants?

Ethics

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister told young Canadians that they need to sacrifice more.

However, when he ran Brookfield, he did anything but that. He hid money on a Caribbean island to dodge Canadian taxes, not in a bank but through a bike shop in Bermuda. If this is the kind of sage financial advice that we are meant to follow, I wonder if we can expect the owner of that bike shop to be appointed the next Liberal Minister of Finance.

I have a simple question: Will the Prime Minister confirm that he is not stashing cash in offshore havens?

[Corey Hogan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Madam Speaker, we have a generational budget coming on November 4. It is going to build on the successes of the past couple of months, successes that include, today, announcing billions in new investments in critical minerals and 20 deals with countries across the world.

This is just going to build on that. This budget is exactly what is needed in this moment. I hope the Conservatives support it and help us avoid a Christmas election that absolutely nobody wants.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, just like the Prime Minister, that is an avoidance of an answer.

Since day one, the Prime Minister has dodged public disclosure of his financial holdings. He has flipped through every excuse in the book, but he is finally running out of pages.

This week, 163 Liberal MPs tried to protect their leader from scrutiny, but they failed. The Conservatives passed a motion to investigate his corporate connections and potential conflicts. Instead of hiding behind a cloak of secrecy, he should finally come clean.

I will ask this again. Can the Prime Minister confirm that he has not a single dollar stashed away in offshore tax havens?

[Corey Hogan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Madam Speaker, Canadians are rightly focused on the real issues. We face a dangerous and changing world, one that demands big responses. We are going to see big responses in the November 4 budget. We have already heard about many of the initiatives that are coming out of it.

I hope the members opposite will support the budget, avoid a Christmas election and help Canada lead in the G7.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Parkland, AB]

Madam Speaker, the media has reported that Brookfield Asset Management, under the guidance of the Prime Minister, stashed money in Bermuda to avoid paying $5.3 billion in taxes between 2021 and 2024. What is with Liberal prime ministers and their billionaire islands? They just cannot resist them.

While the Prime Minister tells young Canadians that they need to sacrifice, the Prime Minister dodges the bill himself. We are supposed to be in this together, but it appears that the Prime Minister, in his role as chair of Brookfield, is avoiding paying his fair share of taxes.

Can the Prime Minister confirm whether he has any investments in offshore tax havens, yes or no?

[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)]

Madam Speaker, Canadians know that our economy faces significant headwinds due to trade tensions with the United States. That is exactly why they voted for this government and a Prime Minister with the economic résumé to get us through turbulent times and build a stronger economy.

Next week, on November 4, we will present our first budget as a new government, which will focus on jobs and opportunities, will focus on growth and productivity and will make generational investments to unlock new opportunities for youth and all Canadians. The only question is whether the Conservatives will give—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Parkland.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Parkland, AB]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister has an economic résumé, all right, an economic résumé of offshoring tax money to foreign tax havens.

Families are cutting back on meals. Young people are waiting to start a family. They are waiting to buy their first family home. Meanwhile, the media is reporting that the Prime Minister's company stashed billions in offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes.

We have heard testimony that the Prime Minister's company dodged $5.3 billion in taxes from 2021 to 2024. That is a lot of programs.

Again, can the Prime Minister confirm to Canadians that he has no investments in offshore tax havens, yes or no?

[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)]

Madam Speaker, the only thing more frightening this Halloween than the Conservatives' disinformation in the House is a Christmas election, which nobody wants.

The Conservatives are proposing to force an election on Canadians at a time when they expect Parliament to stand together. Our budget on November 4 is going to present a strong path to building a stronger Canada, to unlocking opportunities for all Canadians and to boosting productivity and growth in the country.

The Conservatives will vote against it. They have already said it. They have not even seen the budget and they are going to vote against it. They are going to force a Christmas election upon Canadians. There is nothing more spooky than that.

Women and Gender Equality

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Madam Speaker, as budget day approaches on November 4, our government remains committed to building an economy where everyone can succeed. Women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ folks have been clear: They want concrete action to ensure they have the tools, resources and opportunities they need to be safe, to feel protected and to thrive.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women and Gender Equality tell the House how our government is working to deliver on this commitment?

[Marie-Gabrielle Ménard, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Madam Speaker, it is very nice to address a woman Speaker. I salute you.

I want to thank my colleague, who is truly a leader in advancing and promoting gender equality.

Together with my colleague, the Minister of Finance, my colleague, the Minister of Women and Gender Equality, as well as my colleague from indigenous services, earlier this week we were thrilled to announce a $660-million investment to continue advancing gender equality.

We travelled across the country this summer. We listened to representatives from community organizations and advocacy groups. We will be there. They want predictability and stability. We will be there.

Forestry Industry

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to negotiate a favourable agreement with the United States on softwood lumber. Unfortunately, he failed to do so.

When he took office, U.S. tariffs were at 14%. Now they are at 45%. Under this Prime Minister, tariffs have tripled, and our workers are the ones paying the price.

In communities like Saint‑Pamphile, Daaquam, Lots‑Renversés and Saint‑Juste‑du‑Lac, entire families make a living from the lumber and forestry industries.

When will this Prime Minister stop betraying our industries, our workers, our regions and their families?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Madam Speaker, I have to say that I am very surprised at the tone of my colleague's question.

He knows very well that our government is there to support forestry workers. We have been supporting them for a long time and we will continue to do so because we know very well that this industry is vital to many rural, remote communities in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and New Brunswick.

It is important to continue our work. We will do so, but we will not sign any old agreement with the United States. We will only sign one that is in everyone's best interests.

[Jim Belanger, Conservative, Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt, ON]

Madam Speaker, hard-working folks in northern Ontario are once again facing uncertainty. The Gogama sawmill in my riding has shut down for two weeks. When it reopens, it will be reduced to one shift. The Prime Minister promised to negotiate a win with the United States. It is no win. It is tariffs tripling to 45% and a broken promise for softwood lumber.

Our communities deserve better than empty promises. When will the Prime Minister stop selling out our forestry workers—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Corey Hogan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Madam Speaker, the forest sector is core to our economy and core to our Canadian identity. My own family has been in the forest industry since long before Canada was a country. We will always stand with forest workers, and my heart goes out to the affected.

U.S. tariffs and duties are completely unjustified. We know that. We are working at all levels to address it. In the meantime, we are also diversifying our economy. The Prime Minister is in Asia right now working on deals. We are going to be masters of our own future, and we will happily work with members opposite to help support the sector.