Debates of Nov. 6th, 2025

Financial Statement of Minister of Finance

[Philip Earle, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, on the other side of the House, we hear a lot of negativity. On this side of House, we hear a lot of positivity. We often hear from the other side of the House about taking money out of people's pockets, when on this side of the House, we are about leaving money in people's pockets.

Pharmacare is still in the budget. Dental care is in the budget. The school food program is still in the budget. The child benefit is still in the budget. A tax cut for 22 million Canadians is still in the budget. I want to ask the member opposite if she supports those programs, because they leave money in the pockets of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to answer my hon. colleague's question. Specifically, I will give a real-life example with respect to the government's idea about investment and programs. I reached out to all the schools in my riding about the school food program. Very few of the schools know anything about it, and very few are getting any benefit from it.

I will also point to an investment the Liberals made in a milk processing plant in my home community. They announced it in 2021 and again in 2022, but it never ever came to fruition.

I would love to have all this hope for the future, but the Liberals' solutions do not work.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on a subject that I think we are both concerned about, and that is the government's failure to renew the fisheries fund.

Personally, my interest centres on the Quebec fisheries fund. For her, the Atlantic fisheries fund will be top of mind. This is a fairly big disappointment considering that this budget fails to address a number of crises, particularly in terms of housing, seniors' purchasing power and health care.

As for the fisheries, a fisheries fund is meant to allow for innovation and scientific investment. Can my colleague explain to the House why renewing the fisheries fund, both in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, should be a priority?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member touches on something a lot of people feel in rural communities, especially coastal communities, which is that they have been left behind by the Liberal government.

The member is absolutely correct that the fishery is super important to my riding, which is why I brought forward a petition on small craft harbours, because I believe in investing in our fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador. I am sure it is also super important in Quebec.

[Steven Bonk, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, something that gets lost a lot in the House when we are talking about the budget is the human content and impact. The member gave some very good examples of real-life consequences of Liberal mismanagement, waste and overspending.

I am wondering if the member could comment further on the actual human impact this budget is going to cause.

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

Mr. Speaker, you are 100% right. I knocked on thousands of doors while campaigning, and I speak to constituents all the time. I speak about the issue all the time because it is so relevant and so true.

When seniors reach out to me saying they are spending the day at Tim Hortons because they cannot afford to feed themselves at home, when they should be living the rest of their life in dignity, it hurts me and makes me passionate about this.

There is a real-life consequence, and it needs to be changed. The cost of things in Newfoundland and Labrador needs to come down.

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Waterloo, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I did not want to ruin the member's clip, because I know it is really important to the Conservative Party of Canada, and it is important for constituents to hear their position, but the member should be speaking through the Chair.

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

Indeed, the rule is that members are not to use the word “you” in English, nor the equivalent in French. They cannot speak directly to other members; it must be done through the Chair.

Questions and comments, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister.

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear the member opposite has a passion for driving rural Canada, even if we may disagree on certain points in this place.

Two weeks ago, the member for Central Newfoundland called the national school food program “garbage”. I was in Newfoundland and Labrador when the then prime minister, Trudeau, alongside Premier Furey, launched the first program of the national school food program in the member's riding, at Gros Morne elementary school.

The program will contribute to students across the country. Does the member agree with the member for Central Newfoundland that it is garbage?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am passionate about my place. I hear that people want to be able to feed their kids themselves all the time, which is why they want the cost of groceries to go down.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Humber River—Black Creek.

It is an honour for me to rise on behalf of the people of Vaudreuil on my son Anderson's 11th birthday to speak to our new Liberal government's 2025 budget.

This budget meets the needs of Canadians at a crucial time for our country. It includes measures that will meet the needs of families and seniors and support young people. It is about making life more affordable and building a stronger country.

This budget is about building a more prosperous and resilient economy at a time when we can no longer rely on trade with our largest trading partner and when global economic uncertainty is on the rise. Affordability remains of utmost importance to Canadians. That is why, in our 2025 budget, we are cutting taxes for the middle class, which will save two-earner families $840 a year. That means more money in people's pockets at a time when they need it the most.

It is also why we are continuing to invest in expanding the Canadian dental care plan, which is expected to save families an average of $800 a year. The most recent expansion of the program, which is now available to those with a net family income of up to $90,000, will benefit more than five million Canadians who have registered for it. We are making dental care a right, not a privilege. No one should have to choose between eating well and taking care of their teeth.

Budget 2025 also includes an investment to develop the national school food program brought in by our Liberal government. It will save families even more money and prevent tens of thousands of Canadian children from going to school hungry.

Making life more affordable is also about housing. Any young person trying to find their first home these days knows how hard it is, and it is not just young people. Across the country, adult children are living with their parents much longer not by choice, but because they cannot afford to pay rent, let alone buy a house. That is why in budget 2025, our government is eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes up to $1 million, which represents tens of thousands of dollars in savings for those hoping to take this important first step.

We are also taking action on the supply side, because we know that affordability also depends on how quickly we can build more housing. That is why we are committed to doubling the pace of residential construction in Canada. To achieve this, in budget 2025, we launched Build Canada Homes, an ambitious plan to get the government back into the business of homebuilding and ramp up housing construction by leveraging Canadian technology, Canadian lumber and Canadian labour. By supporting innovative approaches such as modular and prefabricated homes, we are reducing timelines, cutting costs and creating jobs along the way.

For anyone looking to buy their first home, rent an affordable home or help their children find a place to live, the Liberal government is listening and taking action, because all Canadians deserve a safe and affordable place to call home.

Another pillar of budget 2025 I would like to speak to is our plan to build Canada's economy of tomorrow, an economy that is more resilient, an economy that is more diversified and an economy that is less dependent on trade with the United States and that includes strong measures to protect Canadian jobs, Canadian workers and Canadian families from the unfair and unjustified tariffs put in place by President Trump.

Our plan is thoughtful and multi-faceted. First, for far too long, provincial trade barriers have fragmented our economy and slowed our growth. That is why we are harmonizing regulations, eliminating barriers to internal trade and investing in infrastructure that connects communities across provinces. We envision one country, one economy, more unified, more efficient and, yes, more competitive.

This matters to small businesses in my community of Vaudreuil looking to grow beyond Quebec. It matters to farmers in my community who need to get their products to market. It matters to every Canadian who wants to see our federation work as one team, not as 13 teams creating unnecessary barriers to prosperity.

Second, budget 2025 would invest in infrastructure, both physical infrastructure and the policy to support it, to foster a united economy, from high-speed rail to expanded port capacity, so that Canada's goods move faster and our economy becomes stronger. We are rich in natural resources, we are rich in innovation and we are rich in skilled labour.

With budget 2025, we would build the infrastructure to forge the new agreements needed to bring those assets to the world on our terms. One of those terms is to continue to build a Canada that we want and need in a sustainable way, a way that leaves a stronger, more resilient and healthy future for our children and our grandchildren.

Budget 2025 reaffirms our commitment not to just build a stronger economy but to do so while taking decisive action against climate change. That means finding new and innovative ways to keep emissions down, and it means looking at ways in which we can get our country's energy, minerals and products to market while meeting our climate obligations to future generations.

Budget 2025 includes our Liberal government's climate competitiveness strategy. Indeed, as I have said many times in this House, climate action must continue to be intricately incorporated into Canada's economic strategy. While some would still have us believe that we have to choose between the environment and the economy, our government knows that the path to prosperity is the path to sustainability. Having served as the chair of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities for the last four years, I can attest to the benefits these investments and policies would bring from coast to coast to coast.

Third, our plan would diversify the Canadian economy by reducing our dependency on the American market while simultaneously strengthening partnerships with our allies in the G7 and the European Union and forging new trade opportunities in global markets. This approach was reflected in the choice the Prime Minister made to make France and the United Kingdom his first two international visits upon taking office, reinforcing ties with our two close friends, allies and G7 partners.

The last pillar of budget 2025 that I would like to touch on is our plan to protect Canada and Canadians. This means protecting economic sovereignty, our territorial integrity and our shared prosperity in a world that is increasingly unstable. That is why the Prime Minister's third visit was not to another capital, but to Canada's Arctic. This is no coincidence. As climate change opens new navigation routes and great powers compete for influence in the north, Canada is acting to defend our Arctic sovereignty, protect our natural environment and secure the economic future of northern communities.

We are modernizing NORAD, strengthening partnerships with Australia to deploy advanced radar systems and making historic investments in the Canadian Armed Forces to face 21st-century threats head-on. In a world marked by rising authoritarianism and global instability, Canadians deserve a Canada that has the resources, the know-how and the capacity to defend Canadian values, defend our sovereignty, support our allies and meet the moment with strength and unity.

That is why budget 2025 would make generational investments in the Canadian Armed Forces and our border security. It includes investments that would see the hiring of 1,000 new border agents to strengthen our borders, who would be trained right in my community of Vaudreuil, in the town of Rigaud. It includes investments that would see the hiring of 1,000 new RCMP officers to help keep our communities safer and combat organized crime. Budget 2025 would increase pay and benefits for our brave men and women in uniform and would make historic investments that would help equip the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment necessary to meet the needs of Canadians here at home and meet challenges and threats abroad.

This budget lays out a clear vision and a clear plan. I am proud to support it. I am proud to be a part of this Liberal government, and above all, I am proud to serve the people of Vaudreuil, who sent me to this chamber for the fourth time this past April. I am proud to work on their behalf to try to build a better Canada for them and their families. Budget 2025 would do just that, and I invite all hon. members of this House to support it.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the member made reference to the Prime Minister's trip to the Arctic and the parts of the budget that would allegedly tackle some projects up there. I have been to the Arctic quite a bit, and one thing the Liberal government has a record of is incomplete projects and projects that are over budget.

We just had an Order Paper question on the Giant Mine and the $1-billion remediation project the Conservatives started. We just found out that over $200 million has gone to consultants.

Can the member assure Parliament that this budget will end the corruption and actually get projects done in the north?

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a critical part of protecting Canada's sovereignty is investing in the north, and that is exactly what we are doing with this budget. This is exactly why the Prime Minister, for his third visit, went to the north. It was to send a message not only to our partners around the world, but also to Arctic communities and Canadians that this is a priority for our new Liberal government and will be a priority moving forward.

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

Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague talked about the importance of protecting jobs. Among the first victims of the current crisis are the 300 fathers and mothers who were laid off at Paccar. In a recent interview with Mario Dumont, the Liberal member for Thérèse‑De Blainville told these workers not to take it personally. She encouraged them to visit food banks. She told them to come up with a plan B, change careers and go back to school. Those are the words of the Liberal member for Thérèse‑De Blainville.

I want to know if that is what the member calls taking care of people, taking care of Quebec and taking care of Quebeckers. More importantly, I want to know whether he agrees with the comments made by that member and the way she treats her own constituents.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is funny to hear the Bloc Québécois talk about protecting jobs. That is exactly what we are doing with the budget. We are investing to protect workers in Canada, in Quebec, in my community of Vaudreuil.

Quebeckers want that money to be invested so their jobs can be protected. I do not understand why the Bloc Québécois wants to vote against a budget that invests in protecting Quebeckers.

I encourage my hon. colleague to vote in favour of the budget so we can work together to protect our economy at this challenging and pivotal time for our country, particularly in response to the Donald Trump administration.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Jean-François Lévesque, the president and CEO of the south shore chamber of commerce and industry, says that the federal budget is finally sending a clear signal to businesses by making productivity a national priority.

Can my colleague send him a message?

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that we are investing to build the economy of tomorrow and to protect jobs. The message I want to send is that we are meeting the needs of workers in my riding of Vaudreuil and workers across Canada. That is what we are doing.

If the opposition parties, and I am referring to the Bloc Québécois and the Conservatives, truly want to protect Canadians, they can do so by voting for our 2025 budget to support Canadians during this pivotal time.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we know that in this budget the Liberals have not forecast beyond this fiscal year, but when it comes to wild Pacific salmon, where I come from, the Pacific salmon strategy initiative is sunsetting, and so is the B.C. salmon restoration fund. Salmon are critical for our food security, our economy, our well-being and our way of life on the west coast. With these programs sunsetting, that infrastructure is going to disappear.

Can my colleague make a commitment to people on the west coast to protect wild Pacific salmon and invest in habitat protection in years and decades to come?

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a high level of respect for my hon. colleague. Protecting salmon in B.C. and the livelihoods of those who depend on that industry is protecting the livelihoods of Canadians across the country. If the hon. member is asking for my support in ensuring that continues, he has it.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am really pleased today to be able to rise and speak to this incredible budget, which is a real road map toward building and strengthening our great country. We are all proud to be Canadians. The budget is clearly a forward-looking plan. There is a lot in there, and I think it is going to take some time for people to understand it all and to realize what investments we are making and what really matters.

As chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade, I will focus my remarks there. I have had the opportunity, along with great committee members, to have many different companies come forward to talk to the committee as we do a CUSMA review. We hear directly from so many businesses, individuals and professionals. They are sharing their concerns about the uncertainty they are living under, the challenges facing them and their desire to help Canada overcome some of the challenges it is facing.

I know how deeply interconnected our prosperity is with the global economy. As the proud member of Parliament for Humber River—Black Creek, I know how important it is that our national policies deliver real, tangible benefits to the families, workers and businesses in our communities.

I recently had a meeting with the Minister of Small Business and members of the Emery Village Business Improvement Area. We talked about the pressures they were facing when it came to steel and aluminum, in particular, as well as our important auto industry, of course. I could feel their stress across the table, and their concern with everything. Some of them had businesses that their fathers had started. They looked at all of that as being at risk, with the tariffs and the kinds of pressures Canada is trying to deal with now. It was a very moving experience, and it made me that much more determined to do everything we can to find solutions, stand together and be there for them.

We are living through a time of profound global change. The rules-based international order that has supported decades of Canadian prosperity is being reshaped, whether we like it or not. Tariffs are rising, supply chains are shifting, and economic uncertainty is affecting businesses and workers across the country. Budget 2025 does not flinch. It responds with a clear plan to build Canada strong by investing in our economy, protecting our communities and empowering Canadians throughout Canada.

Canada is uniquely positioned to thrive in this new global landscape with the right investments and the right leadership, which I hope would come from all of us as members of Parliament. All parliamentarians, at this point, are being called upon to do everything we can to assist companies and families that are struggling, to do it together as parliamentarians and to put aside the partisan issues. We can do far more, and do a better job, if we do it all by working together.

The budget launches a trade diversification strategy to double overseas exports over the next decade. I have been the chair of the international trade committee for a few years now, and I have seen many companies that are very comfortable in their achievements. When asked why they were not moving forward to diversify and to reach out to other markets, the answer was that they were doing well where they were and it is complicated.

I think part of our role as parliamentarians is to make things easier for companies to be able to diversify. We should hold their hand, if necessary. EDC does some of that, but again, it does not do enough to meet the needs of what we are dealing with today. We want our companies to feel comfortable that we can walk them through the paperwork and red tape and hold their hand to get them through those opportunities. I think more Canadian companies will do it. We talk about it, but we do not actually deliver the help quickly enough or efficiently enough to encourage them to venture overseas and diversify their markets. It is going to be really important that we do that in the future, as we move forward.

That means more Canadian goods. Whether it is steel from Hamilton, tech from Toronto or food from our many farms, reaching new markets and creating new jobs are imperative for a successful future for Canada.

As chair of the international trade committee, I want to highlight that this is only one of the many ways this budget aligns with the priorities we are hearing in our current study of the CUSMA trade agreement and the future of North American trade. We have heard from stakeholders across sectors that stability, predictability and enforcement are essential to maintaining confidence in our trade relationships. Budget 2025 reinforces Canada's commitment to a rules-based trading system, ensuring that our exporters can compete fairly and that our agreements are respected by everyone.

We have also heard about the need for trade infrastructure, the ports, railways and digital systems that move Canadian goods to market. This budget delivers, with major investments in infrastructure that will strengthen our supply chains and support long-term growth. Many times we have heard about the challenges in Churchill and other areas, how our ports need an investment of infrastructure dollars so they can increase their delivery. I believe the ideas that have already been put out there about the ports, the expansion and the infrastructure necessary maybe never would have happened, but now, in the situation we are in, the budget shows that we are going to be investing a lot in infrastructure so companies can get their goods to market faster.

We have heard about the importance of economic resilience, ensuring that Canada can withstand global shocks and remain competitive. Budget 2025 supports this by investing in domestic industries, diversifying our trade partnerships and launching a buy Canadian policy that prioritizes Canada suppliers and workers.

This is a budget that listens to the needs of our exporters, our manufacturers and our workers and acts decisively to support them.

Budget 2025 fast-tracks major infrastructure projects through the new Major Projects Office, streamlining approvals and getting shovels in the ground faster. As parliamentarians and former municipal councillors, we have seen the red tape and the delays in getting things through, whether at the federal, provincial or municipal level. There are always extreme delays. It takes four or five years sometimes to get some of these projects through. There needs to be an end to that. That is what I hope we will see with the Major Projects Office, which will actually streamline many of these projects, especially the infrastructure ones.

The first tranche of these projects alone will trigger $150 billion in capital investments. Did members notice that I said “billion”? It used to be millions, and we are now talking billions. I think that is more money than any of us could even imagine. It will change Canada now and forever and create thousands of well-paying jobs. In Toronto, and especially Humber River—Black Creek, these investments will mean better transit, safer roads and more affordable housing. They will also mean good jobs in construction, engineering and the skilled trades. Yes, it will take time, but in the meantime, while we are expanding ports, building bridges and so on, all of that is creating jobs so we ensure that Canadians are working.

Through the build communities strong fund, municipalities like Toronto will have the tools they need to improve local infrastructure and support economic growth. Through Build Canada Homes, we are partnering with cities and indigenous communities to build housing at scale and speed. I have had the opportunity to visit several new initiatives when it comes to housing and see their ability to build a house in a month. We are creating homes much quicker with the prebuilds and so on. Things will be moving much faster. Again, it is all about creating jobs.

[Steven Bonk, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite spoke a lot today about international trade and how she is the chair of the international trade committee.

As someone who has spent his entire working career in international trade and later had the privilege of serving as the trade and economy minister for Saskatchewan, where we export about 90% of what we produce, I can say with some authority on this subject that, in the past 10 years, everything the Liberal government has done has made it worse. It is every single policy, especially in the last seven months. Since the Prime Minister has taken office, every place he goes, he comes back home with more tariffs, not fewer.

Can the member highlight one thing in this budget that will help our exporters and producers move forward, and that will increase trade, not limit it?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to welcome the member to the House. I do not think we have had an opportunity for a discussion.

As I indicated earlier, I would welcome comments and suggestions, as I believe all parliamentarians would, as to how we can move these things forward. Part of the reason the Major Projects Office was created is so we can have opportunities to move things along. We are all well aware of the roadblocks that are there. Those have to be gone, and that is what we are trying to do with part of the investment.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech and for her comments, particularly on trade and the importance of market diversification.

My question concerns a topic of great importance to the people of the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands. That topic is the fishing industry. The Quebec fisheries fund is a $44‑million fund that the federal was investing in. It was stimulating innovation and funding scientific research aimed at improving the productivity of the fisheries sector.

Can my colleague explain why the renewal of the fisheries fund was not included in the budget tabled this week?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there are a variety of different areas and different capacities. The fisheries are such an important aspect, as are the agriculture and softwood industries. There are a variety of them. If the member goes through the book very carefully, he will see the redirection of some funds going into another, more optimistic avenue in that area.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my hon. colleague for her tremendous work on this file.

Unfortunately, she did not get the chance to finish her speech. I want to give her an opportunity to add some of the comments she was not able to finish in her speech and ask her to highlight how the Liberal government is the government that has increased trade partnership across the world, more than any other government in Canada.