Debates of Nov. 19th, 2025

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, who would have believed it? The current Prime Minister is worse than Justin Trudeau when it comes to compulsive deficits. Something really needs to be done about this. Let me quote someone who, on March 11, 2015, said that balancing the budget "is the best way to maintain the credibility and financial stability of the province". Do members know who said that in 2015? It was the current Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry. He balanced the budget in Quebec. As a Quebecker, I am pleased about that, but as a Canadian, I have concerns.

Why is he not a member of cabinet, directly advising the Prime Minister, who should be balancing the budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, budget 2025 responds to the needs of the time. We are investing in building strong families and communities across Canada. The investments will create jobs and careers for young people and protect the support measures that help families and enable them to get ahead. Our budget has a plan for building, protecting and strengthening Canada. It is a shame that the members across the way voted against it.

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Edmonton Gateway, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's costly credit card budget piles today's reckless spending onto tomorrow's taxpayers. Credit card agency Fitch Ratings says that the Liberals repeatedly blow past their own fiscal anchors, putting our credit rating at risk. Even the Parliamentary Budget Officer is sounding the alarm on this financial mess.

How many more warnings will it take for the Prime Minister to rein in his out-of-control spending?

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

Mr. Speaker, trusting advice from the Conservative leader on this budget is like trusting a forecast by a weatherman who lives inside a snow globe.

On this side of the House, we are standing with Canada. People from Carleton knew it, progressive Conservative leaders knew it and Canadians knew it. It is time for the Conservatives to get real about the budget and support us in building the strongest economy in the G7.

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Edmonton Gateway, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that Canadians are putting nearly 50% more of their expenses on credit cards than they did in 2015. Monthly food bank visits have smashed all-time records, with 2 million Canadians a month visiting the food bank. Families that once used to donate to the food bank are now standing in line waiting for help. The Liberal government has made everything more expensive.

When will the Prime Minister stop his out-of-control spending that makes everything more unaffordable for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, NDP supporters, Green supporters and so many progressive Conservatives stood with us to form a new party to form a bold vision for this country. We went from coast to coast to coast. We listened to Canadians. We came forth with a transformational budget that will build our economy into the strongest economy in the G7.

It is time for the members opposite to stop the rhetoric, stop the slogans, stand with us and build a strong economy.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's costly credit card budget loads today's reckless spending onto tomorrow's taxpayers. After 10 years of the tired Liberals, Canadians are putting nearly 50% more of their expenses on their credit cards than in 2015. The parliamentary fiscal watchdog is ringing the alarm bell, saying, “With Budget 2025 the Government abandoned the previous fiscal anchor to reduce the federal debt-to-GDP ratio over the medium term.” It is no wonder the costly Prime Minister wants to fire him.

How many more fiscal watchdog reports is it going to take for the Prime Minister to rein in his costly credit card spending?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, let me talk about the people in my riding, like seniors, who are benefiting from the budget. When I talk to them, I hear about dental care and their saving $800 a year. I hear about our new horizons program for seniors, supporting projects that affect seniors' quality of life. I hear about $5 billion in the budget going to health care and hospital infrastructure.

Most importantly, I hear about a health heroes tax credit benefiting PSWs, who are the heart and soul of care in our communities. Do not take my word for it; SEIU Healthcare union president, Tyler Downey, says, “Putting more money directly into the pockets of PSWs will support retention and help strengthen care for Canada's seniors.”

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in one costly budget, the high-spending Liberals have managed to max out our great-grandchildren's credit cards. The parliamentary fiscal watchdog is not the only one ringing alarm bells. Fitch Ratings, the agency that gives the government its credit score, says that since the Liberal government frequently blows through its fiscal anchors, “federal finances run a high risk of further deterioration.” Fitch is concerned. The parliamentary fiscal watchdog is sounding the alarm.

How many more fiscal watchdog reports is it going to take for the Prime Minister to rein in his costly credit card spending?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, let me keep going. Let me talk about the youth in Toronto—St. Paul's, because this side of the House knows that our economic future depends on them. That is why we are saying that whatever ambition means to Canada's youth, whether it is to shape the future of AI, whether it is to join the climate corps, whether it is to make a great Canadian film, whether it is to study higher education or whether it is to work in the skilled trades, this budget is helping young Canadians from their first summer job all the way through the career-starting, lifelong job they are going to have.

Let us not take my word for it; let us talk about the YMCA, which says that paid skills training in this budget is going to strengthen resilience in our—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is using his budget like a credit card with no spending limit. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the government has no fiscal anchors left. In my riding, the Petit‑Saguenay sawmill is closing and 25 workers are losing their jobs. Families have no clue how they are going to pay their bills. In the meantime, the Prime Minister is spending like there is no tomorrow. What a gift to leave future generations.

Why does the Prime Minister keep putting our public finances in jeopardy?

[Mandy Gull-Masty, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, we should be talking about indigenous families and families living in Quebec's regions. All the families back home in my riding felt that the budget has truly increased and maintained programs for the most vulnerable members of our communities. It is a budget that will protect them, but the opposition voted against it.

We want to know this: Is the process of spending on credit not really a process of defending Canada?

The Economy

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, loyalty is a virtue. I am loyal to Quebec and to Quebec sovereignty. The Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions has shown that she is loyal to the Quebec Liberal Party and to Pablo Rodriguez, even as new revelations emerge about the legality of their financial practices. To each their own loyalties. However, the minister's federalist and Liberal loyalties are making her say some strange things.

Can she clarify how a hypothetical Quebec currency would drive Quebec into Donald Trump's arms?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that my colleague would venture to talk in the House of Commons about the Parti Québécois's new plan to create a new currency for Quebec.

Quebeckers are very concerned. They are wondering whether there is really going to be a third referendum, whether we are going to lose our purchasing power and whether, at a time when the American president is threatening Canada's sovereignty, we are really going to weaken our position as Quebeckers by handing the reins over to Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon so he can invent his own currency.

That would be absurd.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, and the shadows of Jean Chrétien and Jean Charest fall over Parliament.

The minister's reasoning is clear. The bigger the country, the stronger the currency. Let us assume that is true, although I would be happy to offer her an internship with my colleague from Mirabel.

In the meantime, based on her own logic, does that mean she thinks Canada should scrap its own dollar and adopt the U.S. dollar?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, the member is really living in the world of political fiction, but that is good because it shows people from the various caucuses of all the other parties what is really going on within the Parti Québécois in Quebec and the Bloc Québécois here.

One thing is clear: We will be there for Quebeckers with our 44 members in the House. We will defend our economy and our jobs. We will invest and we will ultimately strengthen Canada's sovereignty.

International Trade

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every time the Prime Minister flies out of the country for another glittering photo op, things get worse for Canadians. He went to China and came back with more tariffs on Canadian canola. He went to the U.S. and came back with double the tariffs on cars and triple the tariffs on steel and aluminum. Now the two sides are not even talking. Then he went to the U.K., and he still could not land a basic deal for our pork and beef farmers.

Why is it that every time the Prime Minister boards a plane, Canadians get sacked with a bigger bill?

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

Mr. Speaker, the deputy leader of the Conservative Party should ask the question in reverse. Why is it that when the Leader of the Opposition flies out of the city to far-flung places across our vast and grand land, his polling results go down every single time he lands at a great Canadian airport? The deputy leader should demand more of her leader and demand bigger results from her leader. The deputy leader needs to step up.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is a lecture from a government that cannot close a deal on canola. It cannot close a deal on softwood lumber, on autos, on steel and on aluminum, basically every export that is the backbone of the Canadian economy.

The Prime Minister sold Canadians hope and he did not deliver. Then he used that broken trust as a reason to collect more stamps in his own passport. He is jet-setting on another taxpayer-funded vacation to Dubai while jobs in Windsor and Oshawa are going south.

Is the Prime Minister obsessed with foreign travel because he likes spending other people's money, or is it that he just cannot face Canadians at home?

[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, let us not forget that Canada has a AAA credit rating. Inflation has been within the Bank of Canada's target range for almost two years. Interest rates are down, job numbers are exceeding expectations and budget 2025 makes generational investments that the head of the International Monetary Fund welcomes. These investments will pay dividends to Canadians over generations in the form of good-paying jobs, affordable homes, thriving and productive industries, resilient supply chains and infrastructure that connects our country and enables diverse trade.

The only question is, why do the Conservatives not believe in Canada?

The Economy

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in just eight months, the Prime Minister has flown the friendly skies nearly 70 times on 28 different trips and burned through enough jet fuel to fly the equivalent of four times around the earth. What does he have to show for all of his gallivanting around in a private jet? He just has expensive photo ops, empty announcements and no real results for Canadian workers. Not only have these trips failed to get the deals he promised, but tariffs and costs for Canadians seem to go higher each time he takes off.

Why does the Prime Minister not stop his flights of fancy and start making life more affordable for Canadians here at home?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, instead of talking down the economy, why do the Conservatives not join us and build the economy up? Let us see what we can agree on. Can we agree we want to lower taxes for Canadians? This budget did it. They voted against it. Can we agree we want to support innovators, small businesses and entrepreneurs? This budget did it. They voted against it.

Do not take my word for it. Just today, I was speaking with Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, and it represents 10,000 businesses. This budget makes meaningful steps to support manufacturers under pressure.

They should join us to build Canada—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Chilliwack—Hope.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while fancy art dealers and high-flying people like the Prime Minister are living their best life, here on the ground, a record number of Canadians are using food banks and struggling to heat their homes. They do not get to leave their troubles behind by jumping on a private jet. These swanky trips have done nothing for the tens of thousands of steel, auto and softwood lumber workers who have lost their jobs, and the millions more who are living with uncertainty due to the Prime Minister's broken promises on tariffs.

Why does the Prime Minister not spend less time on fancy travel and more time focusing on making life more affordable for Canadians?