Debates of Nov. 17th, 2025

Financial Statement of Minister of Finance

[Buckley Belanger, Liberal, Secretary of State (Rural Development)]

Madam Speaker, in terms of the generational investments we speak of in this budget, I will ask the member from Saskatchewan what exactly the Conservatives would cut from it if they had that opportunity. I want to hear her perspective on that.

More importantly, for the last 10 years, Saskatchewan has been sending Conservative MPs to Ottawa. What exactly did they advise the people of Saskatchewan not to do regarding the opportunities and programs offered by the federal government, in particular this government, for the people of Saskatchewan?

Why have the Conservatives not taken advantage of the opportunities over the years? In the last 10 years, 14 Conservative MPs have represented my province in the House. How much did they turn down because of their political agenda versus what was good for Saskatchewan?

The Conservatives stand up and have the audacity to attack this budget. Can the member elaborate on what she would cut and what she has turned down in the last 10 years?

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, Conservatives have always been united under a common vision of hope and restoring the promise of Canada. That is what we have been asking for over the last 10 years. This has never been more important than today. Taxes are up, housing costs have doubled, our national debt is out of control, and crime and chaos are wreaking havoc in our streets, all of which has led to the worst decline in Canadians' living standards in generations.

Canadians are continuing to find it hard to make ends meet, let alone get ahead, and what did the Liberal government do? It introduced the most costly and largest budget deficit in Canadian history outside of COVID.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Speaker, we are debating the budget. This morning, I got a letter from Arbec, a forest products processor and plywood manufacturer in Amos, saying that it is shutting down its plant temporarily. This will affect over 100 workers. Arbec is calling for co-operation and asking for support for its workers.

There is something very alarming about this announcement, coming as the result of the government's inaction, which we see even in the budget. Obviously, forestry workers will also be affected by the employment insurance measures in this budget. There are no real measures to help small and medium-sized businesses or the small firms that supply these forestry companies. That is having a very alarming impact on my region. Unfortunately, like I said, there is nothing to boost the forestry industry or help it to get back on track. Is that normal?

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, the short answer is that I think it is normal for the current government. We have seen this over and over again over the last 10 years, and I would say this Liberal budget lets everyone down. After promising to deliver a generational budget, the Liberals instead delivered more broken promises.

Conservatives have been clear. We want an affordable budget for an affordable life for Saskatchewan. That includes those working in the forestry industry. That includes small and medium-sized businesses, which the CFIB has said the government has left behind.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Madam Speaker, in this very House on September 17, the Prime Minister stated to Canadians, “We are going to have a declining level of debt.” This budget shows $169 billion of more debt than what was forecast by the Trudeau government.

Does this sound, as the Prime Minister said, like a “declining level of debt”, or is it just another broken promise from the government?

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, obviously in my speech I referenced that the Prime Minister has broken every promise he made six months ago, and he continues to break promises. He is adding the largest deficit this country has seen since COVID. Conservatives were really clear. We offered to work with the government, but even in this minority parliament, the government refuses to work with other parties.

We were clear, as I said, that we wanted an affordable budget, and we asked the Prime Minister to do—

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

We are out of time.

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière.

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

Madam Speaker, before I get into this massive deficit budget, I want to say a few words about the bow tie I am wearing. My wife, Caro, gave it to me at the beginning of November. She asked me to wear it for the entire month of November to raise awareness about the reality of men who, like me, have had to deal with a diagnosis of prostate cancer. I was fortunate to be diagnosed early, so they were able to remove this insidious thing that was inside me. Today, I am here and able to speak to Canadians about the importance, especially for men, of seeking treatment and, above all, getting tested.

Here is a short excerpt from the Procure website, which sells this bow tie precisely to raise awareness among men: “The most common of male cancers, [prostate] cancer is sneaky. It causes few or no symptoms at first. However, it is curable if discovered early enough, limited to the prostate, and treated in a timely manner.” The way to get treated in a timely manner is to get examined by a doctor.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

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

Madam Speaker, I think that for the rest of my speech, there will be a little less applause from one side of the House.

This Liberal Prime Minister is going to be remembered as the leader of the most expensive government in Canadian history. Every dollar he spends and every dollar he says he is going to spend in his budget, which forecasts a $78-billion deficit, has to come from somewhere. It comes out of the pocket of a mother who works at a grocery store and pays her taxes. It comes out of the pocket of a welder in Thetford Mines who looks at his paycheque and wonders why he has so little money left over. It comes out of the pocket of a student who goes out to eat once in a while and, when he sees the taxes on his restaurant bill, thinks to himself that next time, he will just stay home and eat noodles.

All the money the government spends comes out of the pockets of hard-working Canadians. It is not imaginary money. It is not money that does not exist. It is money that someone is one day going to have to pay. After the latest Liberal budget, Canada is at a point where the money currently being spent comes not only from the mother or the welder or the student. It is money that will have to be paid by their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and even their great-great-grandchildren. This is worrying for the future.

It is no wonder that, when young people look at how their money is being spent here in Ottawa, they really wonder where they stand. Young people have lost hope of one day having their own home and their own land. Housing is being built in Thetford Mines. A lot of housing is being built, but hardly any houses are being built. That is not normal. Back in my day, when I was the mayor of Thetford Mines—I can say that, now—we wanted to have a lot of residential construction. It meant that a lot of young families could settle down, buy a home and stay there for a long time. Now, young people can only hope to have housing they will be able to afford. That is a big difference.

We presented the government with a simple solution. We promised to support the budget on the condition that it be an affordable budget that makes life affordable for everyone, from mothers to welders to young students, in short for all Canadians. Unfortunately, that is not the budget we got. The Prime Minister, who claims to be different but is following in the footsteps of the previous prime minister, promised to spend less, but will run a deficit of $80 billion. One has to wonder what kind of world the Prime Minister lives in or what planet he lives on. One has to wonder who his friends are and who he shares his meals with every week, failing to realize that every dollar he spends is a dollar that was earned by a hard-working taxpayer. It is money earned by workers who sell fruits and vegetables or weld parts that we manufacture and are currently trying to sell to Americans, without being able to sell them.

Adding fuel to the inflationary fire, as he is doing with this spending, will make life even more difficult for all Canadians. The cost of this Liberal budget will further drive up the price of food, housing and everything Canadians need. In his speeches, the Prime Minister would have us believe that Canada is in a strong fiscal position.

That is not the impression I have. I spent a week in my riding. I went to Thetford Mines, Plessisville and Lotbinière. I covered a large area, over many regions. When I went to the St. Vincent de Paul Society thrift shop in Black Lake, I was told that there has been a 20% increase in customers in recent months because people can no longer afford to buy clothes and can no longer afford to buy winter clothes at department stores. I definitely do not get the impression that Canadians and the people in my community are in a solid financial situation.

Families are struggling to make ends meet. As I mentioned earlier, it has become virtually impossible for young people to become homeowners. We hear that 2.2 million Canadians line up at food banks every month, and in Quebec, that number is 600,000. That is not a solid financial situation. I would call it a precarious financial situation for Canadians. Why did the Prime Minister break his promise to spend less? Unfortunately, that means that all Canadians will pay more.

There is something the Prime Minister does not seem to understand. I think that the cost of this budget to all Canadians will mean that, unfortunately, once again, more and more young people will lose interest in politics and their future and will disengage instead of wanting to bring about change. Fortunately, there are still people in the House who believe that the money that passes through our hands and that we must decide how to use does not belong to us, but to Canadians. We must make decisions so that people have more money in their pockets, not less.

In just a few months, the cost of strawberries has gone up by 25%. Beef is up 25%. Coffee is up 20%. Chicken is up 17%. When people go grocery shopping, they realize that it is unaffordable and that there are fewer nutritious items in their baskets. They turn to cheaper, less nutritious foods that they can afford to ensure that they can put at least one meal on the table every day.

This is the new Prime Minister's Canada. This is Canada after 10 years under the Liberals. I am not the only one saying this. Several commentators and analysts in Quebec have criticized this budget. I will quote a few.

A La Presse article entitled “This is not a ‘generational budget’” said, “At $78 billion this year, the deficit is already staggering. Yet, over five years, the Carney government will basically double the accumulated deficit, which will go from $154 billion to $321 billion. All of the fiscal anchors established under the Trudeau government have vanished. The government said that it would keep the deficit under 1% of the GDP, but it has failed to do so, and today, the deficit is at 2.5% of the GDP. The government also said that it wanted to keep the debt-to-GDP ratio on a downward track, but it has also failed in that regard. In four years, the debt-to-GDP ratio will be at 43%, when the hope was to reduce it to 39.5%.”

In an article about how the budget does not change much for people's finances, Le Soleil quoted Restaurants Canada when it said, “We are disappointed that the budget doesn't include sufficient measures to improve everyday affordability for Canadians, including Restaurants Canada's ask to exempt all food from GST.”

According to an article in Le Journal de Québec, “[The Liberal Prime Minister] has achieved the impossible: spending more than Trudeau.” Honestly, I did not think that was possible, but that is exactly what we saw when the budget was presented. To quote journalist Michel Girard, “Mark Carney's new Liberal government is spending even more than Justin Trudeau's did.... It works out to $168 billion more than the five deficits the previous Trudeau government had planned for the same five fiscal years.”

When people look at these numbers, I think they realize that the government has simply missed the mark when it comes to presenting an affordable budget that will ensure an affordable life. I see that I am out of time. I could have talked about this a lot more, but I will stop there. I will now take questions from my colleagues.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, the member talked a lot about the deficit situation and about debt. I am wondering whether he could provide his thoughts in regard to the G7, the most industrialized countries, I would argue, as a good way to measure Canada. When we look at the G7 countries in the world, which include the United States, England and others, we see that we have the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, and I think we have the second-lowest, or maybe are tied for the second-lowest, deficit.

If we talk about the deficit this year compared to in 2009, when the member's party was in government and his leader sat in the Conservative caucus, with the value of real dollars we will find that the debt back then was higher than what it is in the budget that is before us.

I am wondering whether the member might want to rethink the Conservatives' whole premise of wanting to have an election based strictly on the deficit.

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

Madam Speaker, I simply cannot believe it. This shows how completely out of touch the Liberals are.

I just spent five or six minutes describing the precarious financial situation that Canadians and Canadian families find themselves in and talking about the fact that they are unable to pay their bills at the end of the month. Meanwhile, the Liberals are bragging about how Canada is better off than the other G7 countries, how those other countries are worse off and Canada is better.

When it comes time to pay for groceries, people realize that, unfortunately, everything is getting more expensive, despite the Liberals' lip service—which we no longer believe, and which the Parliamentary Budget Officer no longer believes. I did not have time to address that in my speech. It is not true that everything is fine and dandy.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Madam Speaker, I am interested to know what my colleague thinks about the magic trick that the Liberals played with the budget by categorizing one part as spending and the other as investments. One expert and economist said that if the same criteria had been applied to Justin Trudeau's budgets, they would almost always have been balanced or even surplus budgets.

What does my colleague think of the new creative accounting method used for the budget?

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

Madam Speaker, I call this creative accounting method Liberal flim-flam.

Speaking of the plan to divide federal spending into two budgets, one an operating budget, which the government promises to balance, and one an investment budget, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Jason Jacques, said this:

We have not seen a clear definition of what would fall into capital and would fall into operating.

Even the Parliamentary Budget Officer cannot tell what the outcome will be. He went on to say the following:

At this point it's impossible for us and for you as Parliamentarians, to assess the likelihood or probability of the government hitting any fiscal target.

Call it a plan, call it a strategy or call it a flim-flam, it does not work. A flim-flam is a flim-flam, nothing more.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Madam Speaker, my colleague started off by talking about how every dollar the government spends is taken from Canadians. What we see at the end of the budget is that in just a four-year period, more than $10 billion more will be spent on interest on Liberal debt than is actually collected in GST, so instead of money going toward health care, it will be going toward interest on the debt.

What does the member think of the government's focusing more on money for bankers on Bay Street than for doctors on Main Street?

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

Madam Speaker, that is an excellent question. The purpose of my speech today was to show how completely out of touch this Liberal government is, because it does not realize that we are not only talking about GST but also about health transfers.

The amount of interest on the debt that the Liberals are racking up will exceed the amount spent on health transfers, when people across the country are calling for investments in health so that everyone can receive care.

The government is showing that it is out of touch with the day-to-day reality of Canadians and, unfortunately, it has proven that this is not an affordable budget that will make life affordable for all Canadians.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Bourassa.

Let me be very clear: My first priority is the constituents of Winnipeg North. I am very grateful for the many times they have made the decision to elect me to this beautiful chamber. I appreciate and value every day I am able to share what I believe are the concerns and issues related not only to my constituents but also to Canadians as a whole.

I know that if we were to reflect on the budget the Prime Minister has brought forward to the House, we would see that it is a true reflection of what Canadians' expectations are all about, coming out of an election we just had, in April.

It is indeed a budget that would build Canada strong. It is a budget that recognizes the importance of economic security and the role a national government can play in being there for its citizens. I find it not surprising but unfortunate that while the government is focused on delivering for Canadians, the Conservative Party of Canada is more focused on going back to the polls.

If the Conservatives were to consult with their constituents, what they would find is that the people of Canada recognize we had an election only months ago, we have a Prime Minister who has been aggressively dealing with the issues that are before us, and we are delivering tens of thousands of jobs. In September alone there were 60,000 more jobs, and in October there were 60,000. We are dealing with the issue of affordability. Yes, there is more work to do, and we are prepared to do that work.

At the end of the day, there is great contrast between the Conservative Party of Canada and what it is that the government is proposing. I would suggest it is a time in which we need a government that is prepared to invest in Canadians. That is what this budget does. We are investing in Canadians. We believe that the best way to build Canada strong is to have confidence not only in our economy but also in the people who make up our great nation.

On the other hand, the Conservatives continuously provide inconsistency in terms of the statements they make. Let me highlight that by just the last two Conservative speakers. They are trying to build an election scenario in which they want an election all because of the deficit and the debt.

The reality of the situation is very clear: When it comes to the debt, the G7 countries of France, the U.K., the United States, Japan, Italy and Canada, and there is another one, we actually have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of any of the G7 countries. With regard to the deficit, we are ranked number two; I think only Japan actually beats us on that particular issue.

We can talk about the accumulated deficit or the deficit for this year and contrast that to the deficit the leader of the Conservative Party had in 2009. That is when there was the greatest deficit, yet back then we had a government that insisted on not supporting Canadians, and that is the reason it was not able to create the same sort of jobs we have created, well over, virtually double, the number of jobs Stephen Harper and the current Leader of the Conservative Party did in the same period of time, ten years. We have created close to two million jobs.

The Prime Minister is leading the fight and working with different provinces and stakeholders to build a stronger and healthier economy in all ways. I say that we are investing in Canadians, and we do it in different ways. Again I want to highlight the contrast. One of the ways of investing is recognizing our children. We do that by saying that one of the things we need to recognize is that there are many children in different communities who did not have access to breakfast; they were going to school on an empty stomach. This is a reality. The Conservatives close their eyes and completely ignore it.

I was education critic in Manitoba many years ago when I served in the Manitoba Legislature. I can recall Sharon Carstairs', in 1988, talking about how we cannot expect children to learn on an empty stomach. This is a serious issue.

What is the response we get from the Conservative Party? One Conservative member stands up and says it is absolutely garbage and we do not need a program of this nature. Others kind of pile on and say that the program does not exist.

We have a Prime Minister who has looked at the value of the program and has made it a permanent fixture. That means children will not have to learn on an empty stomach. I believe that to somehow ignore the issue or give the impression that it is not a problem is just wrong. One cannot learn on an empty stomach.

With respect to our saying we are going to invest in people, let us look at the investment in apprenticeship programs. Canadians are going through some difficult times, and we recognize that. That is why we are enhancing apprenticeship programs, recognizing the value of training, of working and of creating job opportunities. It is why the Prime Minister has been travelling to Europe and to Asia; we are looking at ways to expand our economic sovereignty by having additional trading opportunities. It is why we have substantial legislation, like Bill C-13, which would actually enhance our trade with Britain and Northern Ireland.

This is what we have seen, virtually from day one, from the Prime Minister and the government. Let us look at the number of meetings that were held with the different provinces for the advancement of Bill C-5: one Canada, one economy and the mobility of labour. These are the types of actions that will continue to make a very positive, profound difference.

Where are the Conservatives on these important issues? Their priority is not the interests of Canadians; their interest is all about their own political interests and that alone. We hear this with the type of announcements we hear from them. Virtually every day, the spreading of misinformation takes place, and it is really quite sad and unfortunate, because it is a challenging time.

We understand that affordability is an important issue for us to address. That is the reason the Prime Minister got rid of the carbon tax. It is the reason we gave a tax break to 22 million Canadians. Let us remember Bill C-4, which the Conservatives still have not passed through and for which there is no indication of their support. Bill C-4 would give a tax break to 22 million Canadians. It would also give a tax break on the GST to first-time homebuyers. It would also put into law that the carbon tax is gone. These are the types of initiatives that are being taken.

We have the bail reform legislation. Not only are we delivering on budget items that support Canadians, but we also have other legislation. Crime and safety in our communities was a primary concern. Issues like extortion are a primary concern of the government. The Prime Minister made a commitment to Canadians in the last election to bring forward bail reform legislation.

Let us take a look at Bill C-14, bail reform legislation that all of us should be getting behind. I have challenged the Conservatives on numerous occasions to make a commitment to pass bail reform legislation before the end of the year. Not one of them is standing up to say that they are prepared to do that for their constituents. I find that shameful.

That approach is a directive from the Leader of the Conservative Party, who is more interested in calling an election than in delivering for Canadians. It is not that we are scared of an election, but we are reflecting on what Canadians are thinking. They are not thinking that they want an election today. They want co-operation inside the House of Commons among all political entities, to look at what is before us that is good and at how we can enable the legislation's passage, because that is what is in the best interests of Canadians, not the type of filibustering and the hype we get from the Conservative Party, threatening to have an election because Conservatives want another kick at the can.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Winnipeg North for his yelling and screaming. It is always fun. It is nice to actually see him have a chance to get up to speak in the House. He talks a lot about misinformation. I wonder if he could comment on his leader's, the Prime Minister's, saying in this very place on September 17 that we will have “a declining level of debt.” The budget the member is defending today shows five years of increasing debt.

Is it a declining level of debt, as the member's leader stated in the House on September 17, which the member is welcome to look up in Hansard, or is it, as the budget shows, an increasing level of debt? Where is the misinformation?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, we just heard the misinformation. Within the budget document, there is a pathway to having an operational surplus. That is actually a commitment we are getting from the government: to work toward an operational balance. At the end of the day, I believe that members need to have a good sense of the expectations that Canadians have, not only of the government but also of all members of all political entities.

I truly believe that Canadians do not want an election. Just because someone is an opposition member, they do not necessarily have—

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

The hon. member for Laurentides—Labelle.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Madam Speaker, this is a big day. I can feel the excitement in the air.

With regard to the new calculation for investments, did my colleague check to see whether the deficit would have been the same had this model been applied in previous Parliaments since 2015?

If not, how can amortization be valid in a budget like this, when the government is not investing in anything that will become an asset?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, the member makes reference to investments. A good way of looking at it is in terms of what is happening in foreign investments coming into Canada. I remember giving a speech here in 2024, talking about the first three quarters of 2023, when Canada was number three in the world in terms of foreign investment dollars coming in on a per capita basis. We were, I believe, number one in the G7, possibly even in the G20; I cannot recall offhand.

Countries around the world are recognizing the stability and the advantages of investing in Canada. As opposed to doing what the Conservatives do, and at times what the Bloc does, which is talking down Canada, we should be talking up Canada to generate even more foreign investment, because that generates jobs for Canadians.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, as a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, I would like it if the hon. member could elaborate on how important it is that, in the budget, we are committing $81.8 billion of investment over the next five years in national defence, and on why it is so important that every colleague, every member of the House, support the budget to make sure that the men and women in uniform have the equipment they need going forward.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, I truly appreciate the question. Having served in the Canadian Forces and having worked with many men and women who have served, I can say that it is long overdue for Canada to actually make a commitment to 2% of the GDP. That has enhanced salaries. It has provided all sorts of opportunities for industry here in Canada; I think of Quebec's aerospace industry and Manitoba's aerospace industry. The opportunities within the budget with respect to the military are just endless.

We finally have a Prime Minister and a government that are actually focused on building up our sovereignty. A part of that is our military. Contrast that to the leader of the Conservative Party, with less than 1% of GDP in one year.

[Abdelhaq Sari, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Madam Speaker, it is with a deep sense of responsibility and great pride that I rise today to speak to the 2025 federal budget. Before I begin my speech, I just want to say that it has been over six months since I was elected and I want to once again thank the people of Bourassa for putting their trust in me and for giving me this responsibility.

This budget is not just an accounting exercise. It is a vision, a road map that shows the kind of country that we want to build: a fairer, safer, more prosperous and more innovative Canada, a Canada where families are supported, where young people have opportunities for the future and where communities like Bourassa and, of course, the entire city of Montreal finally get the investments they deserve.

We are at a critical juncture. We must act ambitiously and diligently in light of inflationary pressures, housing challenges, rapid technological transformations, geopolitical tensions and pressing infrastructure needs. Budget 2025 responds specifically to these challenges by focusing on meaningful investments that will have a lasting impact on our country's development.

This is a budget for families and the middle class. A reduction of the rate for the first tax bracket from 15% to 14.5% this year and then to 14% in 2026 will provide meaningful relief to millions of Canadians. For a couple, a single parent or a young worker, this means hundreds of dollars more each year, direct support that leaves more room in already fragile budgets. This measure reflects a simple conviction: Prosperity must benefit those who create it.

If there is one area in which this budget marks a historic turning point, it is infrastructure. This year, the government is allocating $50.8 billion to modernize, expand and develop Canada's infrastructure. This is a huge investment and one that is absolutely necessary. Our infrastructure is the foundation of our prosperity. In my riding of Bourassa, we know how essential it is. Streets, parks, water systems, community centres, public facilities: These are everyday spaces that shape our quality of life. Thanks to this budget, Bourassa will benefit from safer, more modern infrastructure that is better suited to families, seniors and young people, including better-maintained streets, modernized parks and public spaces that are redesigned to be safer and more accessible.

These investments include one that is especially important for our community: the sports centre in Montreal North. I would like to cast this project in a more human light, as it is about much more than bricks and mortar. It is about more than walls and buildings. We are not putting up a building, we are creating hope. We are building the future of our young people. We are reigniting the pride of a neighbourhood which has too often been stigmatized or forgotten. A sports centre is not just concrete and steel. It is a place where young and old alike can find out what they are capable of. They can spend a day there with friends or family members. It is a place where families can gather, where a community can feel at home, where its members can look out for one another and lift one another up. It is a place where dreams will be born and take shape. It is a show of confidence in our youth, a clear signal that Montreal North deserves the best and that our potential is unlimited. That is the very heart and soul of budget 2025: investing in people first, before investing in concrete and walls.

The budget also makes major investments in sustainable mobility, in bus networks, in improving urban travel, and in energy and green transition infrastructure. These initiatives will make our streets safer, help our neighbourhoods adapt and contribute to a real reduction in the cost of living.

In terms of housing, the budget allocates nearly an additional $25 million to improve access to suitable housing. In Montreal, Montreal North and in the riding of Bourassa, where so many families spend more than 40% of their income on rent, these measures will provide welcome relief. Eliminating the GST for first-time home buyers, speeding up housing construction through Build Canada Homes, and supporting community housing will make it possible to offer lasting and meaningful solutions.

Budget 2025 also includes major investments in innovation, cybersecurity and advanced technologies, with $110 billion to modernize our economy. This means jobs of the future for young people in Bourassa. These jobs are designed and planned for a future where advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, will be central to the jobs of tomorrow. It also means new opportunities and active involvement in Canada's digital economic transformation.

Security continues to be a priority. Adding 1,000 RCMP officers, enhancing the Canada Border Services Agency, establishing financial crimes agency, and making significant investments in cybersecurity will make our neighbourhoods safer and more stable.

I would like to share some comments made by seniors in my riding. They saw that budget line, which may look like a simple accounting entry, but to them, it represents a commitment to protection. Seniors are a prime target for cyber-attacks and financial fraud. They can clearly see that this line in the budget shows that someone is thinking about them, that people are the top priority. That is what budget 2025 is all about.

Lastly, while the budget may be big, it is a responsible budget. Canada continues to have the lowest net debt in the G7. Our fiscal trajectory is sound. Our trajectory is prudent. Most importantly, our trajectory is sustainable.

This budget is a choice for the future. It is a choice for confidence in our families, our youth and our communities. For Bourassa, this budget represents a promise of a future that is brighter, more visible, fairer and more prosperous. For our borough, the budget means investments that finally meet our needs and make a tangible difference in each and every person's life. The future is not carved in stone. The future is what we make it. Today, with this budget, we are choosing to build a future. We are choosing to build pride. We are choosing to build hope. We are building Canada strong.