Debates of Nov. 3rd, 2025

The Economy

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are just 24 hours from the budget being tabled and the government is still threatening an election. Quite frankly, the public is not impressed because it voted for a minority government. A minority government is supposed to work with the other parties to get its budget passed. The government can take its pick of potential supporters. There are three to choose from, so it is ridiculous that, with just 24 hours to go before the budget, the Liberals are still not negotiating and are content to make threats about a Christmas election.

Will they finally respect the will of the people and get to work?

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was municipal election day in Quebec. I do not think the member will mind if I congratulate all of the candidates, the winners and all those who ran.

As for our talks, the member is well aware that we have had some good discussions with her leader, with her and with other members of her team. As for listening, we are listening to the 44 Liberal members from Quebec, who do a great job of representing their ridings. We are listening to the opposition parties, including the Bloc Québécois. I hope that they will all see what they are hoping for in the budget.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is talking, but it is not negotiating. The government is listening, but it is not hearing. Canadians do not want an election. What they did want, however, was a minority government. Had they wanted the Liberals to behave like a monarchy, they would have given them full control. For three elections in a row now, voters have been telling them to work with the opposition and negotiate.

In 2019, 2021 and 2025, the results were the same; yet here the Liberals go again with threats of an election instead of getting down to work. After three elections and with only 24 hours to go before the budget, is it not time that the Liberals got the message?

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

Mr. Speaker, six months ago, this government was elected to develop a budget that will build Quebec and create opportunities for Quebeckers and Canadians across the country, from coast to coast to coast. The projects and the investments in tomorrow's budget will create opportunities for young people, for the people of Quebec and everywhere else. I think that the Bloc Québécois, like all members of the House, will see their hopes and aspirations for Canada reflected in a document that will build Canada.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the dispute with Washington is far from over. The Liberals have even gone so far as to apologize on bended knee when we are the ones who are being negatively affected by the tariffs. Since this dispute is far from over, the priority in tomorrow's budget must be to support the people.

We made six demands based on the needs of Quebeckers: funding for health care, fair pensions for seniors, housing and infrastructure transfers, loans for home ownership and $814 million to pay back Quebeckers.

Tomorrow, the Liberals will have a choice. Will they respond to Quebeckers' needs?

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

Mr. Speaker, the answer is simple. I could just say yes and sit down.

However, since my colleague also made reference to the fact that we are still in talks with the U.S. government, I would like to reassure him. Yes, we are at the negotiating table. Of course we expect the Americans to meet us there.

Until then, we will continue to help the industry. I know that, in his riding, the forestry industry is affected. The auto industry is also affected, as are the steel, aluminum and softwood lumber industries. We will be there for our workers with an appropriate budget.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is another day and another grim headline confirming what Canadians already know: Ten years of Liberal economics have driven this country to the brink. In the GTA, 85% say that, now, it is too expensive to live and work in their own communities, and they are right. The Liberals doubled the debt, maxed out the national credit card and handed Canadians a bill through inflation and crushing taxes. Their carbon tax, fuel standard and plastic ban make it more expensive to grow, move and buy food.

Will they finally admit that their policies punish the very people they are trying to help, and will they use tomorrow's budget to scrap these hidden food taxes once and for all?

[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, the new government will deliver its first budget tomorrow, focused on making generational investments to unlock jobs and opportunities, boost productivity and growth, build housing infrastructure and defence, attract $500 billion in new private investment, double trade with non-U.S. countries and move from reliance to resilience. We are making responsible investments while reducing operational spending. This is how we build the strongest economy in the G7.

Tomorrow's budget will empower Canadians because this is their country and we decide what comes next.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member talks as if the government's money belongs to him.

Every dollar the Liberals spend comes right out of the pockets of Canadians. To the 85% in the GTA who cannot afford life, the Liberals call these taxes imaginary. They are not imaginary when people are staring at their own credit card bill. The government's job is to listen to Canadians, not lecture them, gaslight them or threaten them with an election to distract them from the failures.

Instead of trying to cause a costly election on a costly budget, why not have an affordable budget for an affordable life here?

[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, an affordable budget for an affordable life is exactly what we will deliver tomorrow on budget day.

Conservatives have referenced the need to address productivity and GDP per capita for years. Well, there is good news: The head of the IMF has said that diversifying trade and investing in infrastructure, housing and defence will, in fact, boost productivity. The Bank of Canada's governor has said that this is the only way to make life more affordable.

Conservatives do not seem to want to make life more affordable now. Will they vote to support our budget or vote for a Christmas election?

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

Mr. Speaker, a costly budget means a costly life for Canadians. Every dollar the Liberal government spends comes out of Canadians' pockets through higher taxes and inflation. Hidden taxes like the Liberals' industrial carbon tax, fuel standard and food packaging tax are all driving up the cost of groceries. The packaging tax alone will cost the food industry $5.6 billion and drive up the price of produce by 34%.

Will the Prime Minister stop trying to engineer a costly election and instead scrap the food packaging tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, here we go again with the imaginary taxes that the party opposite makes up.

On this side of the House, we are focused on affordability for Canadians. We are going to cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We are cutting the GST for first-time homebuyers. We are cutting the consumer carbon tax. We are going to build housing at a scale not seen since the Second World War. We are going to have automatic federal benefits for 5.5 million Canadians.

Will the party opposite stop with the rhetoric? It is time for all of us in the House to come together, support a generational—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake.

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

Mr. Speaker, Ottawa Public Health is now reporting that one in four families are food insecure, and even baby formula is out of reach for many parents. That is the reality after 10 years of costly Liberal deficits and taxes. Food banks are overwhelmed, and Canadians are struggling to put food on the table. Instead of cutting costs, the Liberals keep raising food prices with hidden taxes.

I will ask again, will the Prime Minister stop trying to engineer a costly election and finally scrap the food packaging tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, we find members opposite worried about imaginary taxes while, on this side of the House, we are focused on solutions.

The budget will make permanent the national school food program, which represents $800 in savings for families each year. This is one of the many investments we are making on this side of the House to ensure that kids have the best start in life and that families can get ahead.

We hope they will join us and support the budget.

[Carol Anstey, Conservative, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, every dollar the government spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians through higher taxes and inflation. The Liberals are taxing food at every stage, from farm to fork, with their industrial carbon tax, their fuel regulations and their plastics ban. The Liberals' fuel regulations alone will raise the cost of gas and diesel by up to 17¢ a litre and cost the economy $9 billion. Newfoundland and Labrador families are already feeling it and saying that getting ahead feels impossible.

Will the Prime Minister stop trying to engineer a costly election on a costly budget, and instead scrap the fuel tax?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, it is time we really set the record straight.

Members from the party opposite are getting up, time and again, and talking about taxes that simply do not exist.

Let us be very clear: There is no plastics-wrapping tax. It does not exist. They should be honest with their citizens and their voters about how it does not exist.

[Carol Anstey, Conservative, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals make excuses, food bank use in Canada has exploded. The new HungerCount report shows over 2.2 million monthly visits, a 5% increase from last year and double since 2019. One in five food bank clients has a job, but they still cannot afford to feed their family. In Newfoundland and Labrador, local food banks are overwhelmed. Families are lining up earlier and leaving with less because the shelves are bare.

Once again, will the Prime Minister stop trying to engineer a costly election on a costly budget and, instead, scrap the fuel tax?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I want to say this to the opposition colleague from Newfoundland and Labrador: There is no fuel tax. It is an imaginary tax on food.

What I want to say clearly is that the measures we have in place in our province, including $10-a-day child care, are allowing moms and dads to stay in the workforce.

I was in my riding this weekend and spoke about the importance of the new program in the budget for training workers in construction and health care, getting our young people to work. This is affordability.

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

Mr. Speaker, in Quebec, families are struggling to pay for groceries. In Montmorency—Charlevoix, workers and pensioners have to choose between food, transportation or housing.

Every dollar spent by this Liberal government comes directly out of taxpayers' pockets. What is more, the government is adding to their burden with hidden ideological food taxes, the industrial carbon tax, the plastic packaging tax and the clean fuel regulations.

Can the Prime Minister stop trying to provoke a costly election with a costly budget and get rid of the ideological food taxes once and for all?

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

Mr. Speaker, what I call ideology is when people come up with new imaginary taxes in an attempt to spread falsehoods in the public sphere. As my colleague is well aware, there are no taxes on groceries.

One thing is clear: We in the government are working on affordability. That is what we are here for, to protect the Canadian social safety net. What does that mean? It means child care, support for pharmacare and for health.

One thing is clear, and it is something our colleagues across the way are not doing: We are going to build Canada because, aside from affordability, what people want is jobs, and we are going to provide them with jobs.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has manufactured more than just his own new shoes. He also manufactured an entire election crisis on the eve of the budget.

His government did not hold any consultations. No witnesses appeared before the committee. It did not respond to any of the opposition's requests. There has still been no real negotiations between the parties. The budget is coming down roughly 24 hours from now, and the only thing the government has done is threaten an election.

Instead of making his shoes today, why is the minister not working on a deal to get his budget passed?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to correct what my hon. colleague just said.

More than 28,000 people participated in the pre-budget consultations. We have had many conversations with the opposition parties, including the Bloc Québécois. I had some of those conversations myself. Several of my colleagues, including the Minister of Finance, have had them as well. We have worked with all parties in the House. There will be significant investments in a number of areas in tomorrow's budget.

The question is what the Bloc Québécois will do. Will that party vote to support Quebeckers and all Canadians, or will it vote against them?

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here we have the story of the ant and the grasshopper. The Liberals have been busy singing all summer long, and with 24 hours to go before the budget, they are completely unprepared. They threaten an election, fudge the numbers and make partisan attacks.

However, they knew that the Bloc Québécois would be asking for money for health care. That is Quebeckers' number one priority. They knew that we would be calling for an increase in pensions for seniors. We have been asking for this for four years. The Liberals have been aware of all our costed demands for ages.

With 24 hours to go before the budget, do they want our support, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow's budget will include major investments in infrastructure and technology that will create jobs across the country, including all across Quebec.

The question is what the Bloc Québécois wants to do. Does the Bloc want to help the people of Quebec? Is the Bloc willing to work with us in these hard times, or will the Bloc choose to force us into an election? That is the question for the Bloc Québécois.