Debates of Nov. 5th, 2025

Carbon Pricing

[Stephanie McLean, Liberal, Secretary of State (Seniors)]

Mr. Speaker, if they vote against budget 2025, they will be voting against food in schools for children, voting against an income tax cut for Canadians, voting against $75 million in apprenticeship training, voting against a refundable tax credit for personal support workers, voting against $45 million in funding to address violence against women and voting against crucial supports for seniors, such as old age security.

Canadians want to know who these Conservatives are fighting for, because it certainly is not them.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to be voting against adding an additional $300 billion in debt for our future generations.

Food professor Sylvain Charlebois said the food wholesale prices have increased in Canada versus the U.S. and that the one factor driving this is the industrial carbon tax. He also said that he is deeply concerned and expects that food inflation will continue to be a problem moving forward. Experts are warning that food prices will continue to skyrocket.

I will ask this again: Why is the Prime Minister increasing the industrial carbon tax and making food more expensive for all Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, our budget delivers historic investments to build Canada strong. This means strong families and strong communities from coast to coast to coast. That includes supports for youth in building skills to help them find and access high-paying careers. We are investing in training and supports for 20,000 youth facing employment barriers. We are investing in an additional 24,000 Canada summer jobs opportunities this coming year, co-ops, internships, and apprenticeship opportunities for over 55,000 post-secondary students.

Canada's new government has a plan to invest in youth. I encourage the members opposite to support this plan and vote for the budget.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Canadians got a taste of one of the greatest sins a government can commit: over-promise and under-deliver. The Prime Minister promised a generational and transformational budget crafted by the so-called master of monetary policy. Instead of reducing the deficit and showing fiscal discipline, he produced one of the costliest budget deficits in our nation's history. Rather than providing relief to Canadians by reducing the industrial carbon tax, he chose to increase it.

Why is the Prime Minister raising the industrial carbon tax and making food even more expensive for Canadians?

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, this budget is about focusing on youth. Our government is investing in youth, particularly indigenous youth, with investments such as Inuit Nunangat University, which will be a landmark step forward for education and reconciliation in Canada. It will strengthen local economies, build capacity in the north and support Inuit-led research.

We hope the members opposite will support this initiative and vote for the budget.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, the food professor, has said, “That's been our concern from day one.... The gap between wholesale prices in Canada versus the U.S. food wholesale prices has actually increased, and we believe that one factor driving this is the carbon tax.” It does not take a central banker to figure out that eliminating the industrial carbon tax will help lower food prices.

Why is the Prime Minister choosing to raise the industrial carbon tax when so many Canadians can barely afford groceries?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Climate Institute's most recent research shows that industrial carbon pricing has essentially no effect on the cost of groceries.

In the face of uncertainty, Canadians are going to build the future we want to build for ourselves. As we work to build the strongest economy in the G7, our new government is helping our agriculture sector and fish and seafood sector adapt and respond to the economic challenges. This includes a new trade diversification strategy and $75 million in AgriMarketing.

I suggest the Conservatives dig out their red and white sweaters, get them on and get on the bus.

[Kathy Borrelli, Conservative, Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this budget proves one thing: The Liberals do not understand how real Canadians live. Every dollar the government spends comes straight out of Canadians' pockets, and under the Prime Minister, everything costs more. After years of inflation and higher taxes, the Liberals have chosen to raise the industrial carbon tax. This means higher prices at the checkout line.

Why is the Prime Minister increasing the industrial carbon tax and making food more expensive?

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Secretary of State (Labour)]

Mr. Speaker, when we invest in unions in Windsor, we all win. We are empowering unions in Windsor and across the country to train our young people, because in budget 2025, we invested in and are meeting our campaign commitment to double the union training and innovation program: $75 million to help young people train and to build Canada with Canadian lumber, Canadian steel and Canadian unionized workers.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal budget is the most costly budget with the largest deficit in the history of the country, outside of the pandemic. We know it is going to drive up the cost of food. It is an attack on our food security, and food banks know it too. They are overwhelmed. Add to that the industrial carbon tax, a hidden tax that increases the cost of producing and transporting food.

When will the Prime Minister stop waging war on farmers and finally come up with a real plan to lower grocery prices?

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

Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I am a bit surprised by the Conservative member's question because, when she was an MNA for the Liberal Party of Quebec, she voted in favour of carbon pricing. She should be in a very good position to know that federal industrial carbon pricing does not apply in Quebec, since she voted for a program that is uniquely Quebec-based. There is a a great deal of hypocrisy on the other side of the House.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while Canadians are tightening their belts, the government is spending recklessly. It is adding $90 billion in spending. That is an extra $5,400 per household. According to Professor Charlebois, the gap between wholesale food prices in Canada and the United States has widened, and the industrial carbon tax is a major factor. Canada is the only G7 country to have experienced four consecutive months of rising food inflation.

Why is the Prime Minister increasing the industrial carbon tax, which is already making food much more expensive for all Canadians?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what the Prime Minister said, as I think it could be useful for my colleague. The impact of the industrial carbon tax on food prices is approximately zero.

Now, to pick up on what my colleague was saying, when the Conservatives talk about food insecurity, the hypocrisy shown on the other side of the House does not stop with that one inconsistency, considering that my colleague was part of a Liberal government in Quebec that introduced carbon pricing. It does not stop there because the Conservatives vote every day against initiatives that really help families, things like the national school food program, the Canada child benefit, doubling housing and helping the most vulnerable families in the country. We will take no lessons from the other side.

Infrastructure

[Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every day, Canadians rely on strong, reliable infrastructure, from safe roads and bridges to clean drinking water and modern, public facilities. They expect the government to build, protect and strengthen communities through historic investments.

Can the minister inform the House of the generational infrastructure investment planned in budget 2025?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.

Canadians need strong and resilient communities. Budget 2025 makes a generational investment in our communities with the build communities strong fund, which will support infrastructure that promotes access to housing, such as roads, drinking water, waste water treatment, health infrastructure such as hospitals, and much more.

Justice

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court has ruled that a mere one-year mandatory prison sentence for the heinous crime of possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material is cruel and unusual punishment. The criminals in such cases possess materials depicting evil acts against children as young as three years old.

Conservatives believe it is outrageous that these types of child predators could walk free with less than a year in prison. The court decision must be overturned using the notwithstanding clause, but the Liberals have refused to act.

Why are the Liberals more concerned with protecting the rights of these vile predators than the rights of these innocent victims?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, let me be unequivocal: Child abusers are heinous criminals and should be treated as such by Canada’s criminal laws. We will be moving forward with legislative solutions that would give clear directions to the courts to ensure that serious crimes are met with serious penalties.

If the Conservatives want not only to ask questions in the House but also to actually achieve progress on this file, they can stop the obstruction on the strong borders act, which is meant to give powers to law enforcement to actually stop child abuse that we know is happening. It is one thing to talk in the House; it is another thing to cast a vote in a way that will make a difference.

I invite the Conservatives to join the cause.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, criminals who possess child sexual abuse and exploitation material deserve lengthy prison sentences. They cause unimaginable suffering and harm to innocent children. These precious kids will carry the scars of what was done to them for the rest of their lives.

Conservatives and Canadians are calling on the government to invoke the notwithstanding clause and overturn this appalling Supreme Court ruling immediately. The Liberals refuse to do so.

Why are the Liberals more concerned with protecting the rights of guilty pedophiles than standing up for the rights of innocent children?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to be bringing forward legislation that would address this particular issue, but I would like to ask why the Conservatives have been against every measure we have put forward to protect our children? We brought online harms legislation; they voted against it. We brought lawful access tools for law enforcement; they are against it.

Why are the Conservatives protecting child abusers?

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, two men pleaded guilty to having hundreds of images of innocent children. The children were sexually abused, they were exploited and they were tortured. The Supreme Court made a decision that a one-year jail sentence was too harsh. Conservatives vehemently disagree with this decision.

The Liberals have an opportunity to use the notwithstanding clause and take a stand for innocent children.

Why is the government concerned with protecting the rights of pedophiles instead of standing up for those children?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, I have been speaking to lots of families that have been victims of crimes, and many have been asking for online harms legislation. We brought legislation like that in the House, but the member was active in voting against it and made sure it did not pass in the House.

Law enforcement is also asking for tools to catch predators, but the Conservatives are against this.

Why are the Conservatives so concerned about the privacy rights of criminals instead of protecting our children?

Northern Affairs

[Emma Harrison, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians elected us to build, protect and empower. In the north, that means reliable partnerships and results people can trust. We have listened at kitchen tables across the north, and budget 2025 reflects those voices.

Could the minister share how this budget delivers with indigenous partners so communities see results where they live, and how this approach make the north a driver of Canada's prosperity and a pillar of our sovereignty?

[Rebecca Chartrand, Liberal, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency]

Mr. Speaker, northerners asked for transformative change, and our new government answered with generational plans to build, protect and empower. This means skills, homes and hope for northern youth.

Our budget delivers year-round routes to ports across the Arctic corridor and the Churchill gateway to keep Canada strong and free. Through the Major Projects Office, projects will move faster with indigenous partnership. This means building with the north for the north.

Carbon Pricing

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberals tabled a budget with a deficit of close to $80 billion. Yes, everyone heard me correctly: a deficit of $80 billion. That is a huge amount and everything is going to cost more.

There is nothing new in this budget. The Liberals had the chance to lower the cost of food by eliminating the industrial carbon tax in their budget, but what did they do instead? They increased that tax and they are not doing anything to counter food inflation.

Will the Prime Minister stop breaking his promises and finally control his inflationary spending?

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

Mr. Speaker, my mother understands the difference between an investment and an expenditure and so do my children. This budget is an investment in our young people and in our resources so that we are able to get through the current crisis.

Canadians elected us to do that. They have confidence in us and that is what we are going to do.