Debates of Nov. 3rd, 2025

The Economy

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Mr. Speaker, giving hundreds of millions of dollars in excessive bonuses to failed Liberal insiders drives up inflation, and Canadians are paying the price. In the 2.2 million food bank visits, 700,000 visitors are children. Rent has doubled. The food bank in Saskatoon is moving locations to keep up with the rising demand, as it is “bursting at the seams”.

Canadians cannot afford homes. They cannot afford food.

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

[Buckley Belanger, Liberal, Secretary of State (Rural Development)]

Mr. Speaker, for 10 long years, we sent 14 Conservative MPs to Ottawa. That is 140 years—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

We will have to start from the top. There was nothing provocative in the secretary of state's answer. I do not know why it was generating so much reaction.

The hon. secretary of state can start from the top, please.

[Buckley Belanger, Liberal, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, for 10 long years, we sent 14 Conservative MPs to Ottawa. That is 140 collective years over which they have not stood up for Saskatchewan or voted for any positive measures to help with the affordability issue across the country.

They can help today by voting for the budget. If they want a Christmas election, they should remember that Santa Claus wears red.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, let us remember that Santa Claus is not spending taxpayer dollars.

Every single dollar the Liberal government brags about spending comes from the pockets of hard-working Canadians, in the form of higher taxes and inflation. While Canadians line up at food banks in record numbers, their own money is being used by the Liberal government to hand out hundreds of millions of dollars in executive bonuses.

Here is a case in point: Last year, 100% of Via Rail executives got bonuses, averaging $110,000. This is incomprehensible and irresponsible.

Instead of trying to provoke a costly election with another costly Liberal budget, why not have an affordable budget for an affordable life, for all Canadians?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians expect of us is to invest in them, to invest in their families, to invest in the futures of their children. That is exactly what the budget will do. It will make sure we are creating not only the jobs of today but also the jobs of tomorrow, and we are ensuring that young people have the skills to get those jobs in partnership with unions, with the Canadian Building Trades, to make sure everybody has a fair chance. This is what Canadians expect, and that is why they trust us.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, The New York Times reported that Canada had the richest middle class in the world. Just a decade later, our country is in an economic tailspin. What happened in 2015 was that the Liberal government took power, and many of its current ministers, including the finance minister, were elected. Here is where we are today: During an epic housing crisis, 99% of CMHC executives got bonuses, averaging $43,000.

How is that okay? How is it that Canada, under their watch, went from the richest middle class in the world to a country where many middle-class Canadians cannot afford housing?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, what else happened since 2015 is that 400,000 children have been lifted out of poverty through the Canada child benefit. This year, 22 million Canadians will receive a tax credit. We are working with Canadians on the things they have told us are a priority. This is why Canadians trust the Liberal government. This is why they deeply distrust the Conservative Party of Canada.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Liberal government spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians in the form of higher taxes and inflation. At CMHC, executives each received bonuses of $43,000. Even more ridiculously, Via Rail executives got $110,000 each. While the Liberals reward insiders, they are asking young Canadians to sacrifice more, driving many of them to food banks. In Saskatoon, food bank usage is up 49% over pre-COVID levels, with children accounting for 38% of those users.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, it is just so tiring to hear from the members opposite how they are against everything, including anything that includes fighting climate change. What they should be for, and I hope they will support when they are looking at our budget, is the national school food program, which helps support young people when they are in schools. They should be there to help support Canadians. This is what we do on this side of the House. We should not always be hearing from them about how they are against everything. Let us hear something positive. Let us hear a positive vote on the budget.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada recently hosted our G7 partners in Toronto to advance the G7 alliance.

Can the minister explain how the alliance will help stabilize critical mineral prices, protect us from forced supply disruptions and translate into good jobs and cleaner, more affordable, climate-competitive energy technologies for Canadians and Quebeckers?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question. It was an honour for me and for the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources to welcome the environment and energy ministers from the G7 to Toronto.

We made progress on important issues such as water security, the circular economy and critical minerals. Canada also secured 25 new investments, including several in Quebec, by collaborating with nine allied countries, which enabled us to unlock $6.4 billion for projects related to critical minerals. We also agreed on tools—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Liberals have promised their massive deficit will lead to more jobs and investment in Canada; it has not. Tomorrow, we will see another budget packed with more inflationary spending. The result is that Holsag Canada announced the closure of its Lindsay plant, putting 130 people out of work. After 10 years of the Liberal government, manufacturers are closing, costs are soaring and investment is fleeing. Just the other week, the Prime Minister told Canadians they need to be prepared to make sacrifices.

For those families dealing with job loss, high grocery prices and a housing market that is out of reach, what other sacrifices should Canadians be prepared to make?

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

Mr. Speaker, the budget will be about protecting jobs and making sure that we protect our communities.

The budget will be about building, building Canada and creating new jobs across the country as we have never seen before.

The budget will be about empowering Canadians, making sure they have trust and confidence in their future and in the prosperity of this country.

That is why the Conservatives should vote for it.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have 130 people out of work in Lindsay, Ontario. That combined with the latest HungerCount report shows that Canadians are struggling as they never have before. Food bank visits hit 2.2 million in March, nearly double prepandemic levels. One-third of clients are children. Almost one in five has a job but cannot make ends meet. The government continues to impose hidden taxes, including the industrial carbon tax on fertilizer and farm equipment, which drives food prices even higher.

Instead of the government trying to cause a costly election on a costly budget, why not table an affordable budget for an affordable life?

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

Mr. Speaker, we know there are trade tensions right now. We know that some tariff industries are particularly affected. It would be my pleasure to work with my colleague to make sure we are able to bring support to his community, particularly Holsag and Holsag workers.

That being said, the budget will be doing just that, making sure we protect jobs, making sure we build the country and making sure that we also empower Canadians, who are looking forward to his support.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Liberal government spends comes out of the pockets of hard-working Canadians in the form of higher taxes and higher inflation. Let us take the hidden fuel standards tax, which will raise the price of gasoline by 17¢ a litre and diesel by 16¢ a litre. A tax on the trucker who delivers the food is a tax on the mom or dad buying that food in the grocery store aisle. It is a tax on young Canadians. It is one more sacrifice the Prime Minister is asking the next generation to make.

Instead of a costly budget and a costly election, why does the government not eliminate the fuel standards tax and bring forward an affordable budget for an affordable life?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is so tiring to hear about these imaginary taxes. Let us focus on reality. In reality, the budget we will be presenting tomorrow is going to provide the positive supports for Canadians that they are looking for. They want us to build Canada. They want us to build it well.

If we want to talk about a cost to future generations, it is hearing from the opposite side on how they will do nothing to fight climate change.

We are going to keep on standing up for Canada. We are going to keep on building Canada, and we are going to build it well.

Disaster Assistance

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week Canadians watched in horror as hurricane Melissa, which was the strongest hurricane in the Caribbean's history, tore through the region, leaving widespread destruction in its wake. Hundreds of thousands of people were affected, lives were lost, homes and infrastructure were damaged and destroyed, and families were affected by the flooding and landslides.

As the people of Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and across the region begin the difficult work of reconstruction and recovery, can the Secretary of State for International Development talk about what Canada is doing?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Development)]

Mr. Speaker, hurricane Melissa has left heartbreaking devastation in its wake. We stand with the people of the Caribbean in this moment of crisis.

Last week, we announced $7 million in emergency relief, allowing partners to scale up the delivery of food, water, health services and other essential aid. This builds on long-standing work to strengthen disaster preparedness in the Caribbean and support for the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, which released an additional $8 million in assistance. This weekend a Canadian team was on the ground in the Caribbean and assessing what more Canada can do.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, Cloverdale's Maurizio Zinetti runs a Canadian-owned company that is doing everything right: feeding families, employing Canadians and doing whatever he can to keep affordable food on our tables. However, thanks to the Liberals' new front-of-package labelling rules, regulations that have nothing to do with food safety, he is now facing a $2.2-million compliance bill.

Across the industry, the cost will top $100 million. Prices are going to rise and contracts are being cancelled, all because of red tape politics.

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

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, it is imaginary tax after imaginary tax. Conservatives had the chance to stand up for families, whether to vote for a school food program, whether to vote for tax cuts for Canadians or whether to vote for the skills trade training that provides those great-paying jobs. I sure hope they are not going to vote against personal support workers' tax credits, but that is what it is looking like. They are lining up to vote against the things Canadians need. They are driving for a Christmas election. It is so obvious.

When are Conservatives going to stand with Canadians?

Indigenous Affairs

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP secured $4.3 billion in funding to address urgent unmet housing needs for first nations, Inuit and Métis people living away from their home community, and NICHI, a national indigenous-led organization, helped deliver that interim funding without a hitch. Many shovel-ready projects are desperate for the $4 billion in long-term funding to flow, and with winter fast approaching, another construction season will be missed.

Will the Prime Minister just let Indigenous Services task NICHI to get the funding out the door, or are the Liberals are going to re-announce the $4 billion in budget 2025 and pretend it is new funding?