Debates of Nov. 25th, 2025

Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when a government expands faster than the economy and it borrows more without discipline, the result is baked-in pressure, prices and interest rates. This keeps mortgages unaffordable. Mortgage payments have doubled. Rent has doubled. Businesses are having a hard time.

If we add energy uncertainty, slow approvals and trade, we will get a higher embedded cost in absolutely everything, especially food.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there was a lot to take in from my colleague's speech. Where to begin? I want to talk about the one thing that the Liberals and the Conservatives agree on: oil. Recently, we found out that there will be an announcement on Thursday about a new pipeline.

I would like to remind the Conservatives and everyone listening that we already invested $34 billion of taxpayers' money to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline. Did this decision benefit an already rich oil company or the people?

People are already having a hard time because of the food crisis and the housing crisis. The climate crisis, however, seems to have faded away, as though it were happening on another planet. I would like my colleague to explain something. Do oil and tax credits help the people, or do they help wealthy corporations?

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the third-largest oil reserves in the world. If we tapped into our oil and gas sector and put Canadians to work in good-paying jobs, this country would be amazing. We would be making money and taxpayers would be paying taxes, but we need to put people to work and we need to get the oil out of the ground.

We need to get the economy going, because the Liberal government keeps overspending, and we need to find ways to bring down that deficit and create jobs in this country for our own people.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of visiting my hon. colleague from Middlesex—London to speak with some of her seniors. I have also heard from the seniors in my community and across this province. The number one thing they are concerned about is the fact that inflation is dipping into their fixed incomes. They cannot afford it. They cannot afford food. They cannot afford to heat their homes. They cannot afford their medication. This budget has absolutely nothing in it to help the most vulnerable and the seniors who built this country.

Could my colleague please speak to that?

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for visiting Middlesex—London a couple of weeks ago.

I am going to read something. I have constituents who write in quite often. Carrie, from Middlesex—London, says things are so bad right now that she actually asked if someone could apply for MAID just because they can no longer afford to live in Ontario. No one should be driven to that point in a country like Canada, but that is what 10 years of Liberal policies have done.

Chris, from London, wrote he's terrified by what he is reading about rising violent crime and extortion across the country. He used to feel safe in my own neighbourhood, but now he worries every day, and it seems like the Liberal government is more interested in excuses than fixing the laws.

Gerry, from Middlesex—London, thanked us for standing up and bringing forward Conservative bills. They are exactly what Canada needs to restore peace and prosperity after years of Liberal mismanagement. He agrees with the direction we and our leader are taking and believes these are common-sense solutions that will finally start to turn this country around.

Hope is out there. I want to tell the folks in Middlesex—London to keep the faith and keep up hope, because Conservatives are going to keep fighting for them here every day.

[Ben Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise in this chamber on behalf of the people I represent in Winnipeg South Centre.

To govern is to choose, and what we have chosen to do is build, protect and empower this country. I would like to take the opportunity over the course of the next minutes I am afforded here in the chamber to talk about some of the ways that those I represent would be most positively impacted by the decisions the government has undertaken in this budget.

A couple of days ago, the finance minister was in Winnipeg and I had the privilege of offering some remarks at the end of his speech to the audience from The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. I took an opportunity then, which I will take again now, to speak very briefly about the democratic process.

Democracy, to me, is about much more than simply our participation on election day or the weekly affairs we undertake as members in this chamber. It is also about the important work that happens in the exchange of ideas, conversation and dialogue between elected representatives like us and those we represent.

This budget, I am very proud to say, reflects Winnipeg South Centre, Winnipeg and Manitoba in big ways. We have decided in this budget to ensure that the programs the people in my riding continue to rely on every day are sustained. These include social programs such as the Canada child benefit program, child care, the national school food program, pharmacare and dental care.

The budget includes many Manitoba-specific initiatives, some of which I will talk about more today. It includes things like the Canada Water Agency, for which I have to give significant credit to my colleague from Winnipeg South. Without his leadership and initiative, this agency would not be what it is today. Not only that, it would not have been located in my hometown of Winnipeg. It is a critical piece of government infrastructure that helps protect the health and well-being of our water systems, including the tenth-largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Winnipeg, located in Manitoba.

To get into some of the core aspects of the budget, I want to talk about community centres, which are at the heart of our neighbourhoods. I am very proud to represent 10 community centres in Winnipeg South Centre serving the 100,000 people who call our riding home. This budget sets aside $51 billion for the build communities strong fund. This would help realize substantial potential at the local, grassroots level, ensuring that we are there to support the needs of the people in our communities.

An example of this is the Riverview Community Centre. I was very proud to announce just under $1 million for it a few short months ago. What will that $1 million do? It will help to ensure that new spaces are renovated using incredibly sustainable materials and environmentally friendly processes. In addition to that, it will ensure that there is more space that will allow for the generation of revenue at the local level. This means that there will be more places for parents to use, whether it be for dance initiatives, different clubs, sporting events or musical activities. It also means that the community centre can earn some revenue, which it can in turn invest back into the community.

This building communities strong fund is going to help support dozens of centres like Riverview Community Centre across this country, and I am proud that it has been included in this budget.

I am going to shift for a moment to health care. I always think of my mother, who I am incredibly proud of. At 70 years old, she is still working full-time as an addictions doctor in the province of Manitoba, helping some of the most vulnerable and needy in our society. Like many of my colleagues in this place who have talked openly about the challenges that their family members, friends and colleagues have faced, I too have had experiences with close relatives and family members suffering from mental health and addiction challenges. I am very proud that in this budget, we would undertake a number of initiatives to help address those needs.

The most important initiative to highlight is the $5-billion health infrastructure fund. This fund would be in addition to the historic high provincial health care transfers that the federal government has invested in over the course of the past number of years. What would this fund do? It would do a couple of really important things. The first would be the construction of hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centres and medical schools.

In my city of Winnipeg, there is a significant crisis unfolding right now related to fentanyl and meth. The investments we make in our health care systems are critical to ensuring that we meet the needs of these people and that we meet them where they are. Another thing we would do, in addition to these health care measures, is make sure that the public safety component of that challenge is met, and I will speak more to that in a few moments.

Related to the challenges that people are facing, particularly around mental health and addiction, is housing. There are a number of important initiatives in this budget related to housing. For example, there is the removal of GST on homes valued up to $1 million being purchased by individuals buying a home for the first time.

There are a variety of other examples. Being from Winnipeg South Centre, I would love to take the opportunity to talk specifically about initiatives in my riding. One of those is a project referred to as Naawi-Oodena. Members who have been around for some time may know this as the former site of the Kapyong Barracks in Winnipeg. A very long process was undertaken whereby the Government of Canada worked with first nations communities that had the rights to the land in order to move forward on development. Fortunately, after a very lengthy process, we have arrived at this point, and we have already started to see significant development on the site. Part of the site is owned by Canada Lands, which, as a result of the direction our government gave it, is making sure that there will be 320 units as part of this redeveloped site, with 40% of them being affordable. They will eventually be part of a total of 2,100 housing units across the full site.

What is really important about this is not just the housing infrastructure or the wraparound services and supports we need to make sure that people who are struggling right now are able to get the help they need to continue to make progress on their journey to recovery. It is also about how we are honouring the significant historical ties that exist in these communities. There are a few examples of this in my riding of Winnipeg South Centre, including the historical Rubin Block, which will be redeveloped, and the Elswood, which is going to be an energy-efficient, 147-unit facility in Winnipeg South Centre.

In the time I have remaining, I want to talk about the Port of Churchill Plus project. The Golden Boy, which sits atop the Manitoba legislature, faces north to symbolize the power and the future of the north, whether that be Canada or, specifically, northern Canada. In this instance, I am talking about northern Manitoba. The port of Churchill serves as a key economic hub, but it is one that can be enhanced significantly. We are working tirelessly, as a Manitoba caucus, as a Prairies and north caucus and as a government wholesale, alongside first nations partners in Manitoba and the provincial government, to make sure that we can get this to the next phase. This is going to allow for significant critical mineral development, among other things.

Because my time is wrapping up, I will talk very quickly about something my father used to share with me when he was in politics. He would talk about two particular moments in Manitoba's political history that he always kept at the front of his memory.

One is referred to as “Duff's Ditch”. This is the floodway in Manitoba that was built to protect Winnipeg and surrounding communities from the flooding of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. It was not a popular decision for the Progressive Conservative premier at the time, but thank goodness he did it, because it has saved the city and tens of billions of dollars. The second example that I will highlight very quickly is Assiniboine Park, which is located in my riding. Every single city councillor who voted in favour of it lost their seat in the subsequent election, but today it serves as a marvel and a gem of our community.

The point is to invest—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

Questions and commentaries, the hon. member for Cloverdale—Langley City.

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, interest on the debt has now swallowed more money than most federal departments, even more than what we send to the provinces for health care.

How does the member look Canadians in the eye and justify shovelling tens of billions of dollars into bankers and bondholders instead of seniors waiting for a doctor, families crushed by housing costs, or communities desperate for safer streets?

[Ben Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry the member was not listening more carefully to my speech. I just talked about historic health care transfers. I talked about $5 billion in addition to that in health care infrastructure. I talked about historic funding in housing. I talked about huge reforms to our public safety systems and administration of justice in this country. All the things my colleague across the way just asked for are not only highlighted in the budget but serve as a core foundational framework for it.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague said in his speech that health care was a priority for him, so he will have to provide me with some explanations regarding the budget.

Under the agreement between the federal government and Quebec, the federal government was supposed to cover 50% of health care costs. It is currently paying about 22%. I think that my colleague can see that there is a discrepancy there.

We also note that, starting in 2028, health transfers will not increase by more than 3%, even though health care costs are rising by 5% or 6% a year. This discrepancy creates a $1-billion annual deficit for Quebec's health care system. I hope that the member understands that as well.

I would like my colleague to explain to me why the government is able to find $100 billion to provide tax credits until 2040, when it is unable to adequately support the health care system and honour the original agreement, which was to fund 50% of Quebec's health care system.

[Ben Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am not surprised that my colleague would ask a question about Quebec's health care system. I respect the fact that this is a priority for my Bloc Québécois colleagues, but since I am a member from Winnipeg, Manitoba, I do not have much more information to share about the agreements signed between the federal government and the Government of Quebec.

However, I am proud to say that the investments we have made in the province of Manitoba are making a big difference for the people of Winnipeg South Centre.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

Mr. Speaker, a member from the Bloc Québécois just made a point about how the federal government had initially been spending 50% of health care for provinces. However, the member from the Bloc does not seem to remember that when that was the case, the top marginal tax rate in Canada was 80%.

Would the hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre agree that this is not a feasible solution for Canadians?

[Ben Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, far be it for me to disagree with the doctor who represents Winnipeg West. I will take his word for it. However, I do not have to just take his word for it, because I have had conversations with hundreds if not thousands of people on the ground in Winnipeg South Centre, during the time I have had the privilege of representing them, who have highlighted for me that our investments in health care in Manitoba are critical to their well-being.

For young people to older adults and everybody in between, the budget is going to be a critical framework from which we can continue to deliver the highest standard of care in Manitoba.

I will just take the opportunity in closing to say that I thank my hon. colleague from Winnipeg West very much for his ongoing dedication to our health care systems in Manitoba.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am going to ask my colleague from Winnipeg to try to answer a question that two of his other colleagues refused to answer or did not know the answer to.

Does the member believe that the $100 million in the budget that is to go to Huawei, a company the Liberal government has banned from using our 5G services, is a smart use of Canadian taxpayer dollars?

[Ben Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I very much enjoyed the time I spent at committee with my colleague across the way. One of the things I enjoyed about my time with him is that I always found our conversations educational. There was much I had to learn from him, and I will take this opportunity as one whereby I will seek his guidance for more input on where he thinks the challenges and opportunities in relation to this problem lie.

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

Mr. Speaker, this budget is a complete sham. Thanks to some very creative accounting, it hides a $78-billion deficit by claiming that $45 billion in spending is actually an investment, when that is not the case at all.

Normally, an investment is backed by assets. For example, a person who invests in a house keeps the house. However, in the budget, tax credits for oil companies are presented as investments. That makes no sense. My colleague from Mirabel did the math and found that if we applied the same criteria to Justin Trudeau's budgets, then they all would have been more or less balanced.

The budget's key measures are the previously announced tax cut, unlikely investments in defence, and the elimination of tens of thousands of public service jobs. This budget is probably most disappointing for the health care sector.

Members will recall, as my colleague just mentioned, that federal health transfers used to cover 50% of Quebec's health care costs back in the 1970s. That was a real commitment. Today, the transfers barely cover 22% of Quebec's health care costs, depriving Quebec of billions of dollars. That is what is known as the fiscal imbalance. Half of our taxes go to Ottawa, but the services are in Quebec, and the federal government does as it pleases with its money.

In 2020, the premiers of Quebec and the provinces joined forces and demanded a substantial increase in health transfers from the Liberals. They asked that the transfer be increased to 35%, or $28 billion a year. Four years later, the Liberals did what they do so often: They managed to break the consensus by signing individual agreements adding up to $46.2 billion over 10 years. That represents about one-sixth of the amount that Quebec and the provinces calculated they would need.

This budget does not include any increase in health transfers. What is more, as of 2027-28, the escalator will drop to 3%. As was said earlier, this will not even cover the natural 5% to 6% increase in costs, mainly due to population aging.

The Liberals say that the budget includes $5 billion over three years for health infrastructure. That is peanuts. For Quebec, this comes out to roughly $300 million a year for three years. The Liberals are clearly telling us that we cannot count on them to carry out major projects such as the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital renovation, which alone is costing $5 billion, not to mention all the other projects in Quebec.

Seniors are being left behind in this budget. We know that they have been losing purchasing power since 1975. That year, the old age security pension was 20% of the average industrial wage. In 2020, pensions represented only 13% of the average wage. After years of pressure from the Bloc Québécois, the Liberals raised pensions by 10%, but only for seniors aged 75 and over. They ended up creating two classes of seniors. Seniors aged 65 to 74 need money. They are often close to the poverty line. We proposed increasing their OAS by 10% too, but there is nothing for seniors. The budget simply renews the New Horizons for Seniors program, which we are all familiar with and which can provide a seniors' organization with up to $25,000 per year, although very few projects are approved.

The Bloc Québécois was calling for a refund for the $3.7 billion in pre-election goodies that were distributed by the Liberals and disguised as a carbon tax rebate. Funnily enough, the carbon tax was no longer being collected, but the Liberals saw an opportunity to hand out goodies and decided to send out a rebate for the carbon tax, even though it had not been collected, without giving anything to Quebec or British Columbia because they do not have a carbon tax. That money was taken from Quebeckers' pockets, from their federal taxes. It amounts to $814 million stolen from Quebeckers. We will say it again. We will continue to say it. We keep harping on this, but it is completely unacceptable.

The Bloc Québécois also asked that Quebec be compensated $733 million for costs associated with taking in asylum seekers. Everyone knows that Quebec takes in much more than its share of asylum seekers. This budget does not address that at all. Instead, it offers $120.4 million over four years, starting in 2026‑27, for a single initiative to recognize eligible protected persons as permanent residents.

We all see cases of people waiting to get their permanent resident status or citizenship. It takes four or five years for these migrants and asylum seekers to get a response. This results in truly inhumane situations.

Most significant of all will be this budget's impact on the environment. Climate action is virtually absent from this budget. In contrast, fossil fuel industries will get bigger tax credits for longer. Oil and gas companies will keep pocketing even more public money, especially for carbon capture, a process that will never pan out. It is basically an expense used to justify extracting even more oil. Those companies will get other tax credits until 2040.

This is what the government is offering after getting rid of carbon pricing and reducing EV purchase incentives and quotas. It also abandoned the strategy to plant billions of trees. That was a ridiculous measure, but it was supposed to happen. The government has also dropped the 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets that are needed to meet the Paris targets and much more.

Mark Carney promised climate competitiveness—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

I would remind the member that he is not to refer to the Prime Minister by name in the House. Instead, he should refer to his title.

The member may continue his speech.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised climate competitiveness. Well, what we got was climate capitulation. Furthermore, we have just learned that the Liberals are going to announce funding for a new dirty oil pipeline. This is the second pipeline they are going to invest in. All of this will, of course, be financed in part by Quebeckers.

As for news media, CBC/Radio-Canada is getting $150 million, with no requirements or conditions; however, there is nothing at all to support private broadcasters and digital media newsrooms. After depriving them of $1.2 billion by refusing to tax American digital platforms, the Prime Minister is now completely abandoning them. The Standing Committee on Official Languages is currently meeting with representatives from private media, notably those from Quebec. They are facing serious challenges and are sounding the alarm. French-language radio associations are so desperate that they are even asking for a reduction in French content quotas.

The federal government could easily take action to support them without costing it a penny. For example, it could spread out the federal government's advertising dollars and give them a little more. Of course, ultimately, the only solution is to tax and regulate American digital platforms, which are suffocating them by sucking up their advertising revenue. We have been denouncing this situation for years. It is a matter of tax fairness.

Furthermore, the government will be investing only $9 billion in new infrastructure spending. Finally, while the Bloc Québécois called for the renewal and unconditional transfer of funds for homebuilding, the Liberals announced further centralization.

We offered our co-operation, but it is clear that this is an oil-driven conservative budget and that we were the only ones who really wanted to work in the interests of Quebeckers.

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I was very surprised to see my colleague vote against the budget the other day, because there are several infrastructure projects that will have a significant impact on Quebec's economy. I am thinking of the Contrecœur container terminal project, the eastern energy partnership, and the Alto high-speed rail project, not to mention all the other infrastructure projects that the Bloc Québécois has been calling for for a long time, such as the extension of the runway at the Magdalen Islands airport.

I would like to know how my colleague can oppose infrastructure projects that will have major benefits for Quebec's economy.

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

Mr. Speaker, the provinces were asking for $100 billion for infrastructure. They got $9 billion in new money. That is not very much. It is like a sprinkle of little goodies. The entire thing is just a bad deal for Quebec and the provinces.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was listening to my colleague's speech. Clearly, I do not agree with much of what he said, especially at the end when he said that the budget that was presented is a conservative budget. Far be it from me to contradict him, but a budget with a $78-billion deficit and interest payments that are higher than what the provinces get in health transfers is not at all what I would call a conservative budget.

My colleague is not at all a Conservative because all his demands, unfortunately, result in adding even more to the Liberal government's spending.

We have already forced the next generation and every generation after that into debt. Where is my colleague getting all this money from?

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

Mr. Speaker, the request amounts to 0.5% of Canada's GDP. That is not excessive at all.

However, I do agree with my colleague to a certain extent. The Liberals often say that this is a generational budget. Of course, they are going to leave behind a generational debt and deficit. Above all, they will be leaving behind measures that promote climate change and that will be very difficult for future generations.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the member for La Pointe-de-l'Île, who gave an excellent speech, is very familiar with the Official Languages Act. He knows that the effect of the Official Languages Act in Quebec is to treat the anglophone community as a minority on the verge of extinction. This means that Quebeckers' tax dollars end up funding English in Quebec and the integration of immigrants into the anglophone community. I would like to know what my colleague thinks about money being invested in this way in Quebec.

We are debating the budget. How should Quebeckers' money be spent when it comes to protecting official languages?

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

Mr. Speaker, I see that the member for Mirabel understands the situation.

There is nothing in the budget on official languages. We see that francophones outside Quebec are struggling. We hear them say that they have rundown schools that are former anglophone schools. They are truly being treated like second-class citizens and the government is sitting on its hands and doing nothing.

In Quebec, however, despite the changes to the Official Languages Act, the government keeps spending and exclusively funding the development of English-speaking communities, namely their education system, to promote English, for anglophone lobby groups, for more English in the legal and health care sectors. However, in Quebec, it is French that is under threat. If the government does not want to help French in Quebec, then it should at least not harm it. If the government needed to find areas to make budget cuts, this might have been a good place to start. At the very least, the government could have taken that money and transferred it to Quebec.

This shows that when it comes to language, the only way to ensure the future of French in Quebec is through independence.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today on behalf of the residents of Brampton South to speak in support of Bill C-15.

Budget 2025 sets out a clear path forward, one of fiscal responsibility, of investing in Canadians, of safeguarding national security and of building safer communities. Budget 2025 is a plan for growth, inclusion and opportunity. It is a responsible, forward-looking plan that provides stability in uncertain times and delivers real, practical results for communities like in my constituency in Brampton South.

In Brampton we are growing fast in population, diversity and innovation. Bramptonians expect results: more homes, stronger transit, better health care, safer streets and good jobs with good wages. Budget 2025 delivers on those priorities. It balances fiscal responsibility with the long-term investments that support growth, fairness and opportunity.

Bill C-15 would strengthen essential programs and expand federal support in ways that would directly improve the lives of the residents of Brampton South. Budget 2025 reflects a government that listens, responds and takes action. It is not a budget of abstract promises; it is a budget of action.

Housing supply and affordability are urgent challenges in Brampton communities. Bill C-15 would speed up housing construction, strengthen incentives for rental development and expand tools that support cities in building more homes faster. For Brampton this would mean more funding for purpose-built rentals and measures supporting the city's long-term plan to build tens of thousands of homes near major transit hubs at Bramalea, City Centre, Mount Pleasant and Hurontario Street.

Transit infrastructure is equally important for Brampton. Bill C-15 would enhance federal support for zero-emission buses, fleet expansion, route enhancements and transit-priority infrastructure, which would directly assist Brampton Transit in meeting record ridership demand. Just to let members know, Brampton Transit carried more than 43 million passengers in 2024, an increase of almost 125% from 2021. That is why these investments are so important.

The investments would reduce traffic congestion, help workers commute more efficiently, and support Brampton's climate goals. When we give people a home near accessible transit, jobs and services, we reduce commute times, lower emissions and improve the quality of life of the residents of Brampton.

Health care is a growing need in Brampton. Budget 2025 responds with a dedicated $5-billion health infrastructure fund to update hospitals, emergency rooms and urgent care centres. It invests in expanding primary care teams, reducing wait times and increasing training spots for doctors and nurses.

I am particularly proud to highlight that budget 2025 provides $25 million in funding to Toronto Metropolitan University's school of medicine in Brampton, Canada's newest and Brampton's first medical school. It is the first new medical school in the GTA in 100 years. This funding of $25 million will help train the next generation of physicians right here in Brampton. We need more health care professionals in this country. That is what we are addressing in the budget.

We are investing $97 million in faster foreign credential recognition so skilled professionals can contribute faster, especially in the health care and construction fields. To support people on the front lines, budget 2025 introduces a temporary personal support workers tax credit, allowing eligible PSWs to claim a refundable tax credit of up to $1,100 per year.

Innovation and productivity are the engines of a strong economy. Budget 2025 makes bold investment to keep Canada competitive, diversify our trade and support businesses impacted by tariffs.

It is very important that we increase productivity in our country. The budget incentivizes private sector investment in research and development, strengthens tax credits for innovation and supports cutting-edge technologies that drive growth. Notably, budget 2025 commits more than $900 million to support a large-scale, sovereign, public AI infrastructure, ensuring that Canada has the computing power to lead in artificial intelligence.

More of every public dollar should go to the Canadian economy and benefit the Canadian community. The budget not only invests in fully implementing a buy Canadian policy across the federal government but also helps Canadian small and medium-sized businesses break into the federal market.

Affordability is top of mind for families in Brampton South. Our government remains committed to accessible, affordable child care. This is a proven record. Since 2021, more women with young children are working. The participation rate is now at 79%.

The Canadian dental care plan continues to expand. Now, six million Canadians of all ages are covered under the plan. Seniors in Brampton South have given me very positive feedback. I have seen first-hand many seniors who had never had dental work and now have. The plan will now benefit Canadians of all ages.

Bill C-15 would make the national school food program permanent, providing healthy meals for up to 400,000 children every year. No child can go to school hungry.

Investment in Build Canada Homes will help double the pace of affordable homebuilding over the next 10 years.

Public safety is fundamental to any vibrant community. Budget 2025 delivers by providing new funding for law enforcement agencies to combat organized crime and auto theft, enhanced border security tools to intercept stolen vehicles and illegal guns, support for community safety and youth prevention programs, resources for community-driven safety initiatives and support for a national public alerting system.

Budget 2025 also introduces Canada's first-ever national anti-fraud strategy aimed to establish a new financial crime agency and a code of conduct for the prevention of economic abuse. These measures will protect Canadians, especially seniors, from financial fraud and abuse. Budget 2025 also supports the new horizons for seniors program, showing that we value the contribution of senior Canadians in communities like mine of Brampton South.

The budget commits $1.5 billion to creating jobs and opportunities for young people. It invests in re-skilling workers and training the next generation of Canadian builders.

Budget 2025 reflects a government that believes in vibrant communities and inclusive growth. It reflects the priorities of Canadians and the aspirations of the people of Brampton South. Our goal is to create good jobs, local growth and a resilient one Canada economy.

Budget 2025 is a transformative budget that builds homes and infrastructure, expands health care, strengthens public safety, supports seniors and grows our economy. It is a budget that moves Canada forward and ensures that communities like Brampton are not left behind but are leading the progress. I am proud to support Budget 2025. I look forward to seeing the positive impact the budget will deliver for all Bramptonians and Canadians.