Debates of Nov. 3rd, 2025

Falun Gong

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the next petition I have to present comes from people from across the country who are concerned about the treatment of the Falun Gong in China. They note that millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been arbitrarily detained, including family members of Canadians, and they are concerned about the forced labour that is being perpetrated upon the Falun Gong population back in India.

They also call for the Government of Canada to recognize somewhere between 60,000 to 100,000 forced organ harvest transplants that may be happening in China and they are concerned that there may be thousands of Falun Gong practitioners who have been murdered for their organs over the last 15 years.

Since May 2015, thousands of Chinese citizens have filed criminal complaints against the Communist Party leader, who has orchestrated this persecution of the Falun Gong.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada and Parliament to establish measures to ensure that the products that we buy here are not made with Falun Gong forced labour and that people who are innocently going to China for organ transplants are not being sold organs from Falun Gong practitioners. They call on the government to take every opportunity to call for the end of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and urge the Chinese authorities to end that practice in China.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the last petition I have to present today comes from Canadians from across the country who are concerned about the thousands of Afghans who are still living in vulnerability in Afghanistan given the fall of the Afghan government after the Americans pulled out. Canada has stepped up, but there are still thousands of immigrants left living in concerning situations.

The petitioners are calling on the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to use her powers to grant a special program to help persecuted minorities in Afghanistan. They call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs to raise the persecution and concern of the—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

Order. We will now move to the adjournment debate.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

The Economy

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to join this adjournment debate and talk about a question I asked a few weeks ago in question period.

I asked the member from northern Saskatchewan about food bank usage in Saskatchewan. In Saskatchewan, 35.1% of children live in a food-insecure household. However, the answer I got was really found lacking. The member from northern Saskatchewan sometimes goes off on a bit of a rant here and there, and he did not answer the question at all. He talked about what the Liberals were going to do, that they might build houses and that they might do this or that.

Tomorrow, the budget will be presented, and we are asking to have an affordable budget so that Canadians can have an affordable life. The response I got from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice was interesting, because I talked about the member from northern Saskatchewan leaving his constituents behind. He has been in favour of the firearms confiscation plan. He has been in favour of the industrial carbon tax. He is in favour of food taxes, such as the industrial carbon tax, the packaging tax and the carbon tax 2.0, known as fuel regs. There is no place in Saskatchewan where food is more expensive than in northern Saskatchewan, so he has really done a disservice to his community members, especially the children.

On the topic of children, my son was here with me last week. He came and watched the proceedings. He asked, “Dad, why don't you just say what you want?” In honour of my son's giving me that very good advice, I will take a few minutes and talk about something that hit me very hard as a father over the weekend, and that is the Supreme Court ruling on two despicable human beings who had hundreds of cases of child abuse on video and in pictures. From this graphic material, these kids are never going to be the same. We, as Conservatives, said that we would use the notwithstanding clause and make sure that these dirtbags got the sentences they deserved.

Over there, it is very rare, because we follow, and I had my staff follow every Liberal and NDP member over the weekend, and not one of them commented on this ruling. They will crawl over broken glass to find a microphone on any other cause, but they did not say one thing about this Supreme Court ruling and how these two individuals should be locked up and the key should be thrown away and never recovered. If we are not going to stand up as a group in the House of Commons, as members of Parliament, and say that we need to protect our children, then our country has no hope.

This is something that needs to be changed, and as a father of three beautiful children, I have been struggling with this over the last few days. Even in our small town, we had a case of this. They went to court and got off on bail that day and were back in our community. We need to come together as a group, as members of the House of Commons, and say that these scumbags should never see the light of day.

[Jacques Ramsay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Regina—Lewvan changed his question a little, but we will answer it anyway.

Like the member, the Conservatives invariably present the situation as though we live in a binary world. It is always one or the other. It is either the assault-style firearms compensation program or support for food banks. On this side of the House, we have chosen both: support for families as well as the means to keep those families safe, with concrete measures to help and protect Canadians. In other words, the Liberals do both.

The reality is that if the Conservatives had their way, they would do neither. Not only do the Conservatives oppose gun control on military-style weapons, but they call the RCMP despicable, and every time they have a chance to vote for something to support families, they vote against it. Whether it is the national school food program, which is helping us take 400,000 kids out of food bank lineups, the Canada child benefit, which has lifted 30% of kids out of poverty, the new Canada disability benefit, the Canadian dental care plan, or child care, they have voted against every single one.

They also voted against the the assault-style firearms compensation program, a program designed to target combat weapons that have nothing to do with hunting or sport shooting. The weapons we are taking out of circulation are tactical military weapons, often with magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. We remain committed to responsible gun ownership, with over 19,000 models still permitted for legal use for all types of hunting and target shooting.

Our government is committed to strengthening gun control and reducing gun violence in Canada, while ensuring that owners of assault-style weapons are treated with fairness and respect.

In 2020, when Gabriel Wortman killed 22 people in Portapique, Nova Scotia, our government responded to Canadians' demands by banning more than 2,000 models of assault-style weapons. These weapons pose a significant risk to public safety and have no place in our communities.

Today, we are determined to offer fair and effective compensation for these weapons. As of April 30, 2025, more than 12,000 prohibited weapons have been recovered from businesses, and approximately $22 million has been paid out in compensation. Last month, we took the next step by launching a pilot project for individual owners in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This is an essential step for a harmonious national rollout.

Later this fall, we are going to launch the nationwide program. The weapons will be collected in early 2026. Participation in the program is voluntary, but compliance with the law is not. These weapons will remain prohibited, and owners will have to deactivate them or turn them in to the police before the amnesty period ends. The program is therefore fair and equitable for these owners. This is their chance to get fair market value for their firearms.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I represent the home of the RCMP depot in my riding, so if the parliamentary secretary wants to debate the RCMP, I will do that every day. I actually go to graduations, and the rank and file support the Conservatives' tougher-on-crime approach. If the parliamentary secretary wants to debate the RCMP, I would love to have him come out to the depot and we can have that debate.

He is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety. If he cannot stand in his place and say that he thinks that people with 300 cases of child rape should be in jail, he should be ashamed of himself and God have mercy on his soul.

[Jacques Ramsay, Liberal, La Prairie—Atateken, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we respect Supreme Court decisions. We will analyze them, and my colleagues in the Department of Justice will handle things from there. In the House, we respect the RCMP. Our leader is not like the Conservative leader, who called this institution despicable. We respect the Supreme Court and we respect our institutions.

When it comes to public safety, we are investing to protect a business climate that will allow the economy to grow, create good jobs and help Canadians cope with economic challenges. When they buy a home, feed their families or send their children to school, Canadians see their safety as being inseparable from the economic recovery they want to see.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last week I asked whether the Liberal government would rein in reckless spending so that many Canadians could live, eat and own their own homes again. Instead of addressing this, the member deflected to a permanent national food program. I did not mention it; they did.

Days later, the Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre tweeted, “OMG [the Conservatives] just defended their voting against the National School Food Program by saying that parents would prefer to feed their kids themselves rather than have government feed them. [What's] The logic here?”

The logic is this. Canadian parents want to escape poverty and choose what to feed their kids and they want to provide for their family, not for the government to do so. They do not want to depend on handouts to make ends meet to feed their families. They want good, paying jobs.

It is not clicking with the Liberal government members, with their “government knows best” solution. I hear about the Liberals' solutions all the time. We hear about auto factories closing down, and forestry mills and businesses moving down to the States. When Liberals do not want to talk about these things, they just say that they will provide, supply and support supports. The workers do not want supports, they want their jobs. It is the Liberals, through their economic policies, who have just been destroying our economy and livelihoods.

The Liberals' out-of-control deficit has led to spiralling inflation. Food costs are up 25% in the past four years. I can assure members that most Canadians are not making 25% more on their paycheques. Food insecurity now grips 39% of all Canadian households. Food banks have reported a doubling of visits since 2019, and one-third of those coming are children, with 700,000 visiting food banks monthly. An overwhelming 96% of those coming to food banks are saying it is the rising cost of living that is crushing them. We can point to the Liberals for that, with their out-of-control spending.

We will see what this budget is like tomorrow when it is presented. That out-of-control spending has led to deficits and increased debt. The $55 billion being spent on debt servicing is more than we are paying for the military. It is more than we are paying for the health transfers to Canadians, and Canadians are so frustrated with the health care system. If the Liberals had more control of their inflationary spending, we would be in a better position for supports.

Conservatives do believe in supports, but we believe in the responsible handling of government finances and programs. I talked with my daughter last night, who is a smart lady with a master's degree and a well-paying job. She said, “Dad, I'm just struggling.” After paying the rent and all her bills, she is struggling just to get by. She is going paycheque to paycheque and she is making a good salary.

The Prime Minister talked about sacrifices for young people. Will the Liberals not recognize their programs are causing—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry has the floor.

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, the very high cost of living is a real issue. We understand very well that it has a direct impact on the lives of average Canadians. However, one needs to know where that high cost of living is coming from.

The members opposite may not have realized that we had a COVID crisis in the country and around the world. In the recovery period following COVID, there was a very sharp snap-back in economic activity, and the interruptions to supply chains pushed prices way up. That is where the inflation crisis came from all over the world, not just in Canada. If that was not enough, we have the war in Ukraine, which has led to much higher energy prices and much higher food prices, among other things. There was a global—

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

No.

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yes. There was a global rise in inflation and food prices, and countries around the world reacted to them.

Canada's reaction brought about positive results. Inflation is now within the 1% to 3% range. The Bank of Canada, which the members opposite do not appear to like, has been one of the most successful central banks in the G7 in bringing inflation back under control.

For the cost of living, however, the price level is still high. That is a problem and it is something we are going to address in our budget, which will be tabled tomorrow. In that budget, we will see a substantial increase in investment in our economy to make sure that it is able to overcome the cost of living crisis, as well as the shock coming from the trade war that was started by the United States. We did not start it.

Our budget will address those issues. We will support Canadians. We will make sure that going forward, young Canadians have jobs to have a decent life.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, all I am seeing from the Liberals is pointing here and pointing there. They are not pointing to themselves. That is where they need to be pointing. They blame it on COVID. That was worldwide. They blame it on the Ukraine war. Those impacts are felt worldwide. Why is it that Canada's standard of living is declining compared to the rest of the developed nations'? It is because of the Liberals and their policies.

I keep hearing about the generational budget from that side. Is it because the Liberals' deficit and the accumulated debt are going to be passed on to the next generation? Is it because the debt they have accumulated will be going on generation after generation? That is what I hear when I hear “generational budget”.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer told the committee, “It's not a funny fiscal outlook. It's a really serious fiscal outlook. We don't lightly use the word ‘unsustainable’.” He said we do not have a couple of years. He is sounding the alarm, and the Liberals are not hearing it. They have earplugs—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry.

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, budget 2025, which will be tabled tomorrow, will address these issues.

We are going to invest massively in our economy to make sure that we are able to overcome the shocks we are currently suffering. We are going to do that by triggering a wave of private investment, the likes of which the country has never seen. We are going to create the appropriate conditions to lead the private sector to invest heavily. We are also going to make sure that the housing crisis is addressed. We have already announced that we are lowering taxes on the middle class to do that.

Our upcoming budget is ambitious because these times require an ambitious budget.

Automotive Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, I rose in this House a couple of weeks ago in the wake of the terrible news out of southwestern Ontario that 1,200 workers at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll were losing their jobs because of a failure by the government to fulfill a promise to stand up for and save Canada's auto sector.

CAMI is not in my riding, but many of the workers of that plant do live in my riding, in St. Thomas, London and Elgin County. Several of the companies that supply CAMI are in my riding. When we hear that 1,200 figure of plant workers, that is just a fraction of the overall jobs in jeopardy across the region, not just from the CAMI closure but other declines in the auto sector as well, from Qualtech Seating Systems in London to Formet in St. Thomas and Delta Machine & Design, all dealing with slowdowns or, in some cases, outright halting as a result of the decline in the auto sector.

I do not blame the government for decisions made by the United States, but I do put blame squarely on the Prime Minister for making a very simple promise. I am not even sure if he believed that Canada would have a deal with the United States by July. There is no deal. We have seen tariffs go up continuously. There is no deal and auto jobs have continued to be on the line. The state of manufacturing sector right now in southwestern Ontario, in my riding, is dismal.

I will run off a few of the numbers that constitute the Liberal government's record. We do not just have the 1,200 workers in Ingersoll. We have 3,000 in Brampton with Stellantis, we have 700 in Oshawa, 300 in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, with Paccar and countless more, as I said, with the spinoff effects of this. I have had conversations with constituents in the last couple of weeks who do not know what they are going to do, who do not know how they are going to provide Christmas presents for their children with the holidays approaching, because of these job losses and uncertainty.

When I asked the government about this, I asked for a plan. Instead, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry gave the Liberal government a pat on the back and said it was doing an exceptional job. Those numbers that I ran off were in just a few weeks of what the Liberal government trumpets as exceptional work on protecting the auto sector in Canada.

My question is very simple. When the government and Prime Minister promised a deal, did he actually believe it?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to my colleague's comments on the Canadian automotive industry. This industry plays an essential role in the Canadian economy and generated roughly $16 billion in economic activity in 2024. It directly employs more than 125,000 Canadians and supports hundreds of thousands of supplementary jobs across the country, especially in southern Ontario.

The auto industry is one of the largest manufacturing sectors in Canada, and the United States' unfair and arbitrary tariffs on Canadian vehicles are driving up costs and threatening good jobs. Our government recognizes the challenges these tariffs pose to the industry and has adopted supportive measures and a proportionate response. We responded by imposing reciprocal tariffs of 25% on vehicles from the United States. We also implemented a performance-based remission framework to protect the auto industry. This framework allows automakers that maintain their production and investments in Canada to import a set quantity of CUSMA-compliant vehicles assembled in the United States countertariff-free.

We are also investing in Canadian businesses to help them adapt to these challenges and lay the groundwork for future growth. Our government has announced the creation of a new strategic response fund, which will provide $5 billion to key sectors, prioritizing those that are highly exposed to and affected by tariffs, including the auto sector. The fund will seek to maintain industrial capacity by offsetting new market access costs, supporting retooling, and facilitating plans by Canada-based firms to expand or secure new markets.

We will also make sure we do not forget which companies are helping us and continuing to believe in Canada and which are not. We will not forget.

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

Mr. Speaker, I do sincerely appreciate my colleague's understanding of the significance of the automotive sector in southern Ontario. Virtually every family has someone who has been touched by the sector.

There is not a positive outlook right now and I do not think the people affected, from the conversations I have had, want to hear about supports. They want to hear about a plan for how they can get to work, how they can do what they love, and why the government has not lived up to its promise to protect these jobs in the first place.

I will ask the parliamentary secretary a very simple question. There were 3,000 workers in Brampton, 1,200 in Ingersoll, 700 in Oshawa and 300 Sainte-Thérèse and those are all jobs lost on the Liberal government's watch in the span of a few weeks. Does he still think that is an exceptional job by the Prime Minister?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I highlight the fact that this was started by the United States. The position the industry finds itself in is a direct result of the trade war triggered by the United States. We have said time and time again that we are ready and willing to negotiate an agreement with the United States, and we are still waiting for the United States to come to the table so we can negotiate.

We will not sign just anything. We want a deal that is profitable for all Canadians and ensures much-needed long-term planning. When the Americans are ready, we are ready to talk to them.

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:26 p.m.)