Debates of Nov. 17th, 2025

Carbon Pricing

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the current Liberal government is the most expensive government in Canadian history, and everything the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of hard-working Canadians. Let us take a look at the Liberal-appointed president of the Nuclear Safety Commission, who is racking up massive expenses for international junkets like $14,000 to Paris. Meanwhile, the Liberals are raising taxes on fuel that are going to add 17¢ a litre, and their appointees are taking limo rides.

Why do Liberals get limo rides while Canadians get higher taxes from the Prime Minister and the Liberals?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, what the government is doing is helping build the best nuclear system in the world. We are building at Darlington. We just put $2 billion into building the first-of-their-kind small modular reactors that will be exported around the world, creating Canadian jobs. That is what we are doing.

The Economy

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what the Liberals are doing is making excuses for a Liberal appointee who raised his travel budget by 85% while Canadians are lined up at food banks in record numbers. Under the Liberals' watch, food prices have risen 40% faster than in the United States.

Why is it that every time the Liberals stand up, life gets harder for Canadians? Canadians cannot afford the Liberals. They cannot afford the Prime Minister, and they cannot afford higher taxes. Why are the Liberals doubling down on higher prices for Canadians?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, what this government is doing is doubling down on jobs for Canadians. At Darlington, we are building $20 billion of new SMRs, creating 20,000 new good-paying blue-collar jobs all across this country. That is what we are doing.

National Defence

[Chris Malette, Liberal, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my riding of Bay of Quinte is home to several hundred Canadian Armed Forces members and their families. I know that my constituents, including our brave men and women in uniform, are watching as Canada makes new investments in our forces and works toward our NATO targets.

Can the Minister of National Defence speak to the new defence investments Canada is making in budget 2025?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, in budget 2025, we are investing over $81 billion to rebuild, rearm and reinvest in our Canadian Armed Forces. We are making major investments in our people, with the largest salary increase, up to 20% for CAF members, in a generation. This past weekend, nearly 90,000 CAF members saw their salaries increase.

That is what is in our budget: a pay raise for CAF members, support for CAF members, equipment for CAF members and respect for CAF members. Let us get behind our forces.

Public Safety

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, there was deep disappointment with the Prime Minister's actions in British Columbia. While he took a leisurely walk along the beach admiring the White Rock Pier, families in nearby communities were attending vigils and town halls in response to more than 100 extortion cases reported this year, terrorizing B.C.'s Lower Mainland. These families are facing repeated shootings and intimidation, and the Prime Minister deliberately chose to ignore them.

Instead of taking leisurely walks along the pier, will the Prime Minister get serious and adopt our Conservative plan to finally crack down on extortion?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has taken many steps to improve the situation of public safety in our country. When the Conservatives vote against budget 2025, they are voting against more RCMP officers and more CBSA officers. They are voting against a $1.7-billion investment in our RCMP. They are voting against pay raises for RCMP cadets. Essentially, they are voting against public safety.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals can outline anything in the budget they want, but they are not addressing the problem we have with extortion. There has been a 550% increase in British Columbia. Business owners are especially scared because they are the ones being targeted. Abbotsford police and Surrey police have already put forward a special task force to deal with this growing problem. In the last Parliament, the Liberals had a chance to vote in favour of our Conservative plan to stop extortion and they rejected it.

On behalf of British Columbians, when are the Liberals going to get serious and vote for our Conservative plan to reduce extortion and keep our businesses and communities safe?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, I have good news. The Conservatives have a chance, in this Parliament, to vote for Bill C-2, to vote for Bill C-14 and to vote for Bill C-12.

This weekend, I spoke to an extortion victim. They told me that it has taken the police months to get permission from the courts to link the phone number they are being extorted from to an actual suspect. Lawful access, which is in Bill C-2, would help provide the solution to this problem. When will the Conservatives get on board and vote for lawful access measures?

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Edmonton Gateway, AB]

Mr. Speaker, extortion is at crisis levels in Canada, up over 550% in Surrey alone, but the Liberals have done nothing to protect Canadians. Over six months ago, they promised 1,000 new RCMP officers to help the situation, but none have been hired. We brought forward legislation to crack down on extortion and keep Canadians safe; the Liberals blocked it.

When will the Liberals take extortion seriously and support our Conservative plan to keep these criminals behind bars and keep Canadians safe?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, in this country, extortion is taken very seriously. When extortion is committed, someone could serve life in prison according to the sentence in the Criminal Code of Canada. What is really important when it comes to the extortion crisis is solving extortion before charges are laid.

Police across this country are asking for lawful access provisions so they can investigate these cases appropriately. Who is against that? It is the Conservatives. Why will they not give law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on extortions?

Infrastructure

[Louis Villeneuve, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, many community members in my riding of Brome—Missisquoi work in the natural resources industry and the manufacturing sector. They rely on strong, flexible infrastructure and supply chains to buy and sell the goods they need to support our local economy.

The Saguenay port is a strategic link for Canadian industry, benefiting all of Canada by playing an important role as an economic catalyst.

Can the Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement explain how the $57.6-million commitment in the budget will stimulate economic development?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Brome—Missisquoi for his question. I want to be clear: Modernizing port infrastructure is essential to increasing our productivity, stimulating our regional economies and strengthening the national economy.

On Monday, I was very pleased to stand with Carl Laberge and Stéphanie Desforges from the Port of Saguenay; Louis Ouellet, the reeve of of the Lac-Saint-Jean-Est RCM; my Bloc Québécois colleagues from Jonquière and Lac-Saint-Jean and my colleague from Chicoutimi—Le Fjord to announce $57.6 million for the second wharf project at the Saguenay port. This is a vital project for the region. It is a vital project for Quebec. I hope my colleagues will support the 2025 budget.

Ethics

[Kurt Holman, Conservative, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve straight answers about how their money is being spent. The public accounts list more than $173,000 in expenses over just nine days by the Liberal member for London West during her brief time as the government House leader, and Parliament was not even sitting. That is $19,000 a day, even though her publicly documented activities were routine ceremonial stops or partisan events in London, not House leader work in Ottawa.

Will the Liberals table a full breakdown for these charges to allow Canadians to understand how this is even possible?

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

Mr. Speaker, sometimes I wonder if the Conservatives do not just sit on Twitter all day trying to figure out what they are going to say in the House of Commons, instead of the opposite.

This is absolutely groundless. This is absolutely baseless. There are no facts involved in anything the member just said. The member for London West has always taken a prudent and responsible approach to public finances.

There was nothing out of the ordinary: No new employees were hired, salary expenses for employees were normal and vacation expenses for employees were reported, as is always the case. The case is closed.

Housing

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis is affecting people everywhere in Quebec. Rent has gone up 16% in three years. There has never been so much homelessness on our streets. People are being forced to stay in substandard housing because they cannot afford to move. The Liberals, however, are planning to spend six times more on the army than on affordable housing.

Are the Liberals prepared to make a commitment and invest specific, substantial amounts in co-operative, social and community housing?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. We worked together with our NDP colleagues, and the result was obviously to maintain programs that are important to Canadians. These include child care, school food and national pharmacare programs. The most important thing is that we are making a generational investment in affordable housing that should help all Canadians.

We will always be there to help the middle class. The first thing we did was to reduce income taxes to let Canadians keep more money in their pockets. Canadians know that we will always be there for them.

Parliamentary Budget Officer

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I have the honour to table in the House, in both official languages, a letter I received from the Parliamentary Budget Officer pursuant to section 79.42 of the Parliament of Canada Act.

Government Response to Petitions

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 38 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled “Federal Housing Investments”.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to table the Conservative Party's dissenting report to the second report of the human resources committee, “Federal Housing Investments”.

Canadians are facing an unprecedented housing crisis. Rent and housing prices have skyrocketed, and young Canadians have lost their dream of home ownership. During the study, witnesses repeatedly confirmed that excessive regulations, high construction taxes and ineffective federal funding are major drivers of the crisis. Failed Liberal policies have rewarded municipal gatekeepers, increased homebuilding taxes and spent billions on programs that did not build homes.

Therefore, the Conservatives urge the government to focus on lowering housing costs and cutting taxes that make homes more expensive. We also call on the government to remove barriers that prevent builders from getting shovels in the ground. Finally, federal funding must be tied to real results rather than empty promises.

Canadians deserve a government that will actually get homes built and make housing affordable again.

Criminal Code

[Roman Baber, Conservative, York Centre, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-257, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of terrorist activity or group).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a bill that would amend the Criminal Code. The bill would create a new criminal offence against the wilful promotion of terrorism, a terrorist group or terrorist activity, with a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. Canada already criminalizes participation in and the aiding of terrorism, but there is no criminal offence targeting the advocacy for or promotion of terrorism. This gap allows extremists and recruiters to promote terrorism on our streets and online.

My bill would amend the Criminal Code by making it criminal to promote terrorist activity or a terrorist group. The bill would protect charter rights by creating the defences of religion, truth or public interest discussions, because the purpose is not to abridge speech, but criminalize the glorification and normalization of terrorism before terrorism ensues.

I am proud of my Conservative colleagues for standing with Canada's Jewish community and supporting my bill to criminalize the wilful promotion of terrorism.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Supportive House Project

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

Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of angered parents with children at Abbotsford Traditional School who are fighting against BC Housing's attempt to put in a safe consumption site across from the school playground and track.

Parents demand action from the Government of Canada with respect to the decriminalization experiment in the province of British Columbia, asking it to uphold the rules within that agreement and withhold funding from BC Housing until it respects the innocence of children and their right to play at a safe playground.

Shared Parenting

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to speak to e-petition 6626.

Extensive social science research shows that children of separated or divorced parents exercise significantly better physical, emotional, social and academic outcomes when they spend equal or near-equal time with both parents, barring safety concerns.

In Canada, public opinion polling since 2007 shows that over 70% of Canadians, across all genders, regions and political affiliations, support legislation that establishes a presumption of equal shared parenting in child custody matters.

Over 17,000 Canadians have signed this petition calling upon the House of Commons to amend the Divorce Act and to establish a rebuttable presumption of equal shared parenting, defined as joint decision-making responsibility and equal or maximized practical parenting time in the best interest of the child, except where evidence demonstrates that such an arrangement would not be appropriate due to concerns for the child's safety or well-being.