Debates of Nov. 20th, 2025

Canadian Identity and Culture

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, the budget presented by my colleague, the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, includes tax credits for local journalism. They voted against it. There is money for a local journalism initiative. The Bloc Québécois voted against it. There is $150 million for our public broadcaster. The Bloc Québécois voted against it. It is the largest producer of culture in Quebec. The Bloc Québécois voted against it. My colleague has the audacity to stand up in the House and tell us that we are not here for journalists and culture. It is absolutely outrageous.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, it is no longer a secret that we are dealing with the most expensive government in Canadian history. Every dollar lavishly spent by the Prime Minister comes out of the pockets of Canadians. The problem is that there is no money left in Canadians' pockets. One-quarter of Canadians are facing food insecurity, which means that they cannot afford groceries.

In the last budget, the Prime Minister chose to raise the cost of fuel with hidden taxes. Why do the Liberals want to make food even more expensive for Canadians who already cannot afford it?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, it is always fascinating to hear the Conservatives repeat their leader's talking points day after day and go on about imaginary taxes.

They had the opportunity to vote for tax cuts for 22 million Canadians and a school food program for the most vulnerable youth. They had the opportunity to support investments in defence, in productivity and in infrastructure such as the Port of Québec and the Port of Saguenay. They had the opportunity to support defence investments in industries like the Davie shipyard near Quebec City.

When it came time to vote for all these measures, they were nowhere to be found. They could not bring themselves to vote in favour of these measures, which is unfortunate. I encourage them to get their act together.

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

Mr. Speaker, the member has just given an endless list of expenses that this government has imposed on Canadians in the latest budget. That is what it means to be a Liberal.

Meanwhile, what is happening? More and more Canadians are being forced to use their credit cards to buy food. They have to eat on credit. They have to drain their bank accounts to eat. For 80% of people, the cost of food is breaking their budget.

The Prime Minister keeps spending and driving up the cost of food. Why are the Liberals so determined to impoverish Canadians when a quarter of them are already too poor to put food on the table?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, it is mind-boggling to hear the opposition member talk about endless spending when what he is referring to are things like the Canada child benefit, which has reduced child poverty by 40% in Canada and which helps tens of thousands of Canadians in his own riding. He also talked about the Canadian dental care plan, which, again, helps hundreds of thousands of Canadians, including tens of thousands in his own riding. It is shameful.

I would encourage him to come to his senses and support us. I know that, deep down, he was probably quite happy that his leader was hiding behind the curtains and that he hoped that the budget would pass because he knows it is a good budget.

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Liberals narrowly passed the biggest deficit budget in Canadian history. They are recklessly spending the money of future generations.

This morning, we learned that groceries is the area where 80% of Canadians are being squeezed the most in their budgets. In addition, 25% of households are struggling to put food on the table and are suffering from food insecurity. To make matters worse, the Parliamentary Budget Officer revealed that hidden Liberal taxes will increase the cost at the pump by 17¢ a litre.

Given that families can no longer make ends meet, why do the Liberals keep adding hidden taxes that are driving up the cost of food?

[Nathalie Provost, Liberal, Secretary of State (Nature)]

Mr. Speaker, it is true that Canadians are having a hard time, but the important thing is to give them back their purchasing power. We are doing that in so many different ways, such as by supporting families, the school food program, dental care and pharmacare. These are all ways we are giving purchasing power back to Canadians.

I have not even touched on all the investments that will create good, well-paying jobs. That is what it means to build Canada and address the current crisis.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the current Liberal government is the most expensive in Canadian history. Every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians and drives up the cost of everything, especially food.

At the St. Thomas Elgin Food Bank, there is record demand. Four out of five Canadians say that food is their top expense pressure, and the Liberals are standing by their industrial carbon tax, which makes it more expensive to grow, ship and sell food. Not only are the Liberals not scrapping it; they are increasing it. Why is the Prime Minister making life more expensive for Canadians when they cannot even get by as it is?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is a bit rich coming from Poilievre's biographer, but let us talk—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Members are not supposed to do that. The hon. member knows that, and the hon. member is an experienced politician and has been on the Hill for a long time.

She may continue, however. The hon. member.

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Toronto—St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about two of the main areas of costs for families; let us talk about taxes and let us talk about housing.

The budget cuts taxes for 22 million Canadians, bringing the basic tax rate down from 15% to 14%. This is a major tax cut. It is about $5 billion a year in tax relief for Canadians, and 85% goes to the lowest income tax brackets alone.

With regard to housing, we are making the biggest investment in housing in Canadian history. We are building up the supply of homes, bringing down—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the plug for my book. If the member were to read books instead of talking points, the country would be in a better place.

Food prices have risen almost 40% faster in Canada than in the United States. Beef is up 17% and chicken is up 6.2%, and now the Liberals are adding a fuel tax that will make gas 17¢ a litre more expensive. Driving in my riding and in rural Canada is not a luxury; it is a necessity. A tax on gas is a tax on life.

When will the Liberals get real and make life more affordable?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think it depends on the types of books a member might want to read.

Let us talk about books. This week in the House, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations has been on the Hill representing students from across the land. Here is what Abdul Abbasi, the Chair of CASA and a student from the University of Alberta, had to say about the budget: “Students are pleased to see that the government has met CASA’s call for tens of thousands of student jobs in growing economic sectors.”

This budget is for students, so if the member opposite wants to talk about how education builds—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Brampton Centre.

Public Safety

[Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, all Canadians deserve to feel safe within their communities. We have critical legislation before the House that is getting stalled by Conservative political antics.

Will the Minister of Public Safety tell Canadians what our government is doing to combat extortion, strengthen enforcement and protect Canadians across this country?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the member for Brampton Centre for her incredible hard work and advocacy.

Our government is taking real action to stop people who commit extortion. The Conservatives, however, have failed to support measures, like lawful access, that law enforcement across Canada have been asking us to implement. They will not support Bill C-2. They will not support Bill C-12. They will not support Bill C-14. They will not support hiring 1,000 new RCMP personnel and 1,000 new CBSA officers.

Canadians expect their opposition to work together with their government. Let us stop the rhetoric—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman.

National Defence

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are running government like a travelling circus.

Take the F-35 procurement, for example. Justin Trudeau said that he would never buy the F-35s, but then the Liberals ordered the F-35s later. Now the Prime Minister has started another review. The Minister of National Defence said that the review would be done by the end of last summer, but the Secretary of State for Defence Procurement says there is no rush. Meanwhile, nobody can figure out what the Minister of Industry is actually doing.

Once and for all, when will this unnecessary review finally end? Who in the government is actually in charge of buying fighter jets?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as part of our generational investments in the Canadian Armed Forces, we are procuring a new fleet of fighter aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force. We review all procurement approaches responsibly to align with the best interests of Canadians and the needs of the CAF. We are committed to procuring what the Air Force needs, while ensuring economic benefits for Canadians.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister has said that he would take the lead from the Canadian Armed Forces and experts. Well, military experts could not be more clear: Buy the F-35s.

The minister's chief of the defence staff said it, his commander of the Air Force has said it, his deputy minister has said it and now over a dozen retired Air Force generals have said it. By dragging on this unnecessary review, the Liberals are undermining our national security and our reputation with our allies

When will the defence minister finally listen to the experts and buy all 88 F-35s that our pilots need in order to defend Canada?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat the answer.

We are in the process of procuring a new fleet of fighter aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force. We review all procurement approaches to ensure they are aligned with the interests of Canadians and the needs of the Canadian Armed Forces. We are committed to procuring what the air force needs, while ensuring economic benefits for Canadians. It is that simple.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday a shocking exposé by Global News outlined how in 2016 the Liberals allowed a Syrian national named Omar Alkassab, who is a financier of Hamas, to claim refugee status in Canada.

On Tuesday officials revealed that the Liberals have launched a one-touch program that allows refugee claimants, when entering Canada, to self-declare whether or not they are terrorists.

How many Hamas operatives and other terrorists have the Liberals granted refugee status to in the last 10 years?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I would urge colleagues across the way to think twice about putting on the floor of the House of Commons unverified reports from anonymous sources.

Security is of paramount importance in this country. That is a sacrosanct principle upheld by successive Conservative and Liberal governments. We maintain that principle from start to finish.

As for the comments about the program that was talked about at the immigration committee, the member knows better.