Debates of Nov. 7th, 2025

The House resumed from November 6 consideration of the motion that this House approve in general the budgetary policy of the government, and of the amendment.

Financial Statement of Minister of Finance

[Scott Anderson, Conservative, Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

According to the CIBC's most recent economic flash, Canadian GDP is abysmal. The bank expected a modest acceleration in GDP growth to 1% in the final quarter of the year, but the lack of momentum toward the end of the quarter suggests that not even this anemic goal will be met. This kind of thing has become a standard economic warning bell in Canada these days, with increasing blame for the economic malaise in Canada being put not on sector-specific tariffs by the Americans, but on Canadian government policy.

It is no wonder the Liberals want a Christmas election. They know they cannot keep the bait and switch going with Canadians for very much longer. They want an election before the full weight of their disastrous policies comes crashing down.

We Conservatives consistently try to explain to the Liberals that Canadians want and need jobs and an affordable life. We constantly try to explain that massive deficits, high taxation, onerous regulation and irresponsible spending are at the root of our economic problems, not Donald Trump. Incredibly, the Liberals' response is to boast about government handouts and more bureaucracy. They seem to think that it is quite acceptable to tax and regulate us all into poverty as long as they dribble a little back to some of us. They have the gall to ignore pleas for jobs and answer with boasts about better handouts, and they apparently cannot see the logic of self-sufficiency.

This budget is part of a problem: the Liberal belief that more government, more regulation and more free programs somehow equal prosperity. There is nothing free about any of this. Every free thing the government offers has a cost behind it, every cost has a tax behind it and every new layer of bureaucracy not only costs more, but squeezes the very people who create value in this country.

The Liberals talk about affordability while quietly making everything Canadians buy, build or grow more expensive. They call it compassion; I call it economic vandalism. Now Liberal MPs are publicly mocking the very idea that parents want to be able to afford to feed their own kids rather than accept free handouts from the government. One asked last week where the logic was. Seriously? Where is the logic in wanting to be able to feed our own kids? Where is the logic in wanting to stand proudly self-sufficient instead of relying on Liberal handouts? What is next, soup lines for parents?

This does not sound like a vision for the strongest economy in the G7; it sounds dystopian. It sounds like bread crumbs for the masses while the Prime Minister's rich friends belly up to the Canadian tax trough.

There seems to be a real disconnect between the Liberals and Canadians. Hard-working Canadians want jobs and a thriving economy so they can look after their families, support their communities and help those who truly need it, like seniors on fixed incomes or single parents working two jobs just to stay afloat. I believe that Canadians want government to keep the country safe from outside threats, build conditions for prosperity at home, keep the streets safe and make sure Canadians can walk downtown without fear of harassment. Hard-working Canadians do not mind paying taxes for those things. What they do mind paying for is massive, wasteful bureaucracies built on vote-buying handouts. What they do mind paying for is over-regulation that feeds bureaucrats more than it helps Canadians.

Let us look at what is actually happening on the ground. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, small firms are suffocating under the cost of Liberal policy. CFIB's most recent research shows that business-operating costs are up 26% since 2017. Everything is more expensive: fuel, energy, insurance and shipping. Two-thirds of small business owners say that rising costs are their top concern. When the people who provide 60% of private sector jobs in this country cannot afford to stay open, that is not just a business problem; it is a national problem.

CFIB also reports that small firms spend about 735 hours a year just on regulator compliance. That is 32 working days, a month and a half, lost to red tape. Here is the kicker: CFIB estimates that $18 billion of that red tape could vanish tomorrow and no one would even notice. That is enough to pay for safer streets, stronger border enforcement or better health care infrastructure, unless, of course, it disappears into Bermuda.

Into this environment of record costs, ballooning debt and economic uncertainty, the government has brought forward the behemoth of budgets, a budget that makes even Justin Trudeau look like a miser. The new federal budget represents a direct hit on the affordability of life for Canadians. Despite promises of restraint and fiscal responsibility, the government's spending spree is fuelling inflation and driving up prices across the board. Families already struggling to afford groceries, rent and mortgage payments now face even greater pressure as inflationary spending adds $5,400 per household per year. By running a $78-billion deficit, far above the $62-billion pledge, the government has made everyday essentials more expensive, leaving ordinary Canadians to shoulder the burden of its broken promises.

In this budget, hidden food taxes, like the industrial carbon tax, still increase the cost of everything at every stage of production. The energy to grow, harvest, process and transport food is taxed at every step of the way. That means the price increases every step of the way until it reaches the ridiculous price we consumers are used to paying at the checkout stand, or trying to.

While our neighbours to the south embark on aggressive tax restructuring to become competitive, the Liberals are dragging on our economy with hidden taxes and stifling red tape. While the Americans are rapidly reindustrializing, the Liberals are still chasing industries out of Canada with punitive taxation, onerous red tape and accusations of greed whenever a company does manage to succeed in this hostile environment.

While the world is changing before our eyes and other countries are quickly adapting, the Liberal government seems to be stuck in 2015, leisurely taking half-steps and clinging to old ideologies. This budget is just more evidence of the same thing.

The Liberals and their friends, the NDP, blame high prices on corporate greed, but in reality, businesses are simply passing on government greed. When things cost more to make and transport, they cost more at the checkout stand. This is called inflation, and it is caused in part by the industrial gas tax and other hidden taxes like it. It is made worse by the explosion of the expensive bureaucracy the Liberals have embarked on.

Every time the government pats itself on the back for protecting workers but drives employers out of business, it is not helping labour; it is destroying jobs, futures and, in many cases, families. Canadians do not want to be wards of the state. They want the dignity of earning their own way. Young people do not want a low-wage rental economy. They want to own a home someday, like their parents, once they have good jobs and can build an affordable life. They want to know that if they work hard, they can afford to buy a home, start a business and feed their families without waiting for a government cheque.

Conservatives are offering a better path forward: an affordable budget for an affordable life. That means ending hidden taxes that quietly drain household budgets, cutting wasteful government spending and removing the bureaucratic roadblocks that prevent homes from being built. By opening the country to opportunity and rewarding hard work, we can restore hope to families barely getting by. It is time to turn away from generational debt and toward common sense.

Let me return to the question a Liberal MP mockingly asked last week: Where is the logic? Where is the logic in a government that taxes work, punishes success and calls dependency progress? Where is the logic in driving businesses to the brink of insolvency, and then bragging about new programs for the unemployed? Where is the logic in claiming to fight for the middle class while making it impossible for the middle class to even exist?

The Conservatives will continue to fight for real affordability, for policies that empower Canadians to feed their own kids, build their own businesses and stand proudly self-sufficient in a country that rewards work, not dependency.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, in the month of October, 67,000 jobs were created. Of those jobs, 55,000 were in the province of Ontario.

We have a Prime Minister and a Liberal caucus focused on building Canada strong. On the other hand, we have the extreme Conservative right. Quite frankly, I think Joe Clark said it best when he said that he never left the party; the party left him. Today's Conservative Party is so far to the right there is no room for progressive-minded individuals or red Conservatives. We do not see that.

I am wondering if the member can provide his thoughts as to why the Conservative Party has moved so far to the right, to the detriment of good public policy.

[Scott Anderson, Conservative, Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I obviously reject the characterization by the member opposite. I would ask the member whether he believes it is logical for parents to have to rely on the state after they have been driven into bankruptcy by the policies of the government and whether it is logical for them to want to be wards of state.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, first off, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his service in the Canadian Armed Forces, as we are coming up on Remembrance Day.

I have a huge concern about the amount of the annual deficit the Liberal government has been running for the last 10 years. It is over $54 billion or $55 billion, more money than the federal government transfers to the provinces for health care. It is putting enormous stress on future generations.

Does my hon. colleague share the same concerns?

[Scott Anderson, Conservative, Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I once ran myself into credit card debt very badly. I found myself paying hundreds of dollars in interest every single month, with no benefit. If I had not used my credit card, I would have been able to put that money away in savings.

It is not a good feeling to be simply throwing money out the door or giving it to bankers, especially if they are involved with our money in other countries.

I share my colleague's deep concern over the deficit. We are never going to end the deficit if we do not smarten up and have logical budgets in the future.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to industrial carbon pricing and the claims of what it does to inflation, how does the hon. member respond to a study by the Bank of Canada that says carbon pricing has contributed a maximum of 0.15% to the rate of inflation?

[Scott Anderson, Conservative, Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot speak to that report. I have not read it. What I can tell the hon. member is that we do not need an economics degree to understand that being taxed at every step along the line of food production is going to add costs.

We can parse those numbers, look at them and mitigate them with other numbers. The fact still remains that when we tax the economy, food prices are going to go up. That just makes sense.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if my colleague's province is experiencing much the same thing as Quebec, in other words, a crisis in health and social services due to growing needs and an aging population. As a matter of fact, British Columbia and Quebec are the two provinces where the population is aging at the highest rate. In addition, health care professionals are being asked to do more with less.

Does my colleague not find it unusual that, in the budget we are discussing today, there is no more money being transferred to the provinces so they can provide the quality services necessary to meet the needs of Canadians?

[Scott Anderson, Conservative, Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would certainly agree, if we were delivering quality health care.

We did a study not long ago, about 10 years ago, in which we found that Interior Health, which is my region's health authority, had a manager for every six workers on the front lines. The management burden at the top has to come down.

I think we can do more with less. I believe that we owe a responsibility to the provinces—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

[Ellis Ross, Conservative, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to get up and make my first budget speech on behalf of Skeena—Bulkley Valley. It is quite the auspicious event because this is everything that the Prime Minister promised not to deliver.

The Prime Minister promised less spending and more fiscal responsibility but reversed that once elected. Budget 2025 has brought Canadian debt up to $1.35 trillion. That number is pretty hard to visualize for the average Canadian, let alone a new MP. The interest payment on this debt for 2025-26 is $55.6 billion. That is more than the health transfer agreement. That is more than what the Canadian government collects in GST. For all the younger people watching this, because it is going to be their debt, this budget adds $10 million to our debt every hour.

I want to talk about specific items in the budget that relate directly to my constituents in Skeena—Bulkley Valley. One is the firearms confiscation program put together by the Liberal government. The overall budget for this program is $742 million, and the budget actually earmarks $38.7 million for the pilot project in Cape Breton. The Liberal minister responsible for this program said that it will not work, that it is a political stunt and that he would bail his tenant out of jail if these provisions actually affected the tenant renting his property. I think everyone is aware that the Liberal minister responsible for the confiscation program does not even support the program.

I want to talk to Canadians about the penalties. The Liberal government has criminalized law-abiding citizens overnight, the citizens who lawfully and legally registered their guns, got their PALs and obeyed the law. This one piece of legislation turns them into criminals overnight. This includes indigenous people as well, such as indigenous hunters and indigenous sport shooters.

If people do not abide by the legislation, they could face up to five years in prison for an indictable offence. For a summary conviction, it is up to two years less a day. This is the penalty for law-abiding citizens. The elbows-up strategy is missing Trump and hitting law-abiding Canadians. This does not make any sense. If we are going to crack down on crime, we should go after criminals. Criminals do not register their guns or get licences.

The amount of money being spent on this program, the $742 million, could go toward programs for Canadians. It could go toward seniors and youth. It could go toward our economy. It could pay down our debt, God forbid.

It does not make sense for people who inherited firearms, people who purchased firearms or people who are sport shooters to turn their guns in on a voluntary basis and receive $1,300 per firearm, especially when some of these firearms are a lot more expensive than that.

The cost of groceries is up, and it is going to keep going up. The Prime Minister said he wants to be judged based on prices at grocery stores. The verdict is in: He is guilty of doing nothing. In fact, as prices go up, the usage of food banks increases.

As seniors and middle-income people flock to the food banks, over two million in Canada, 700,000 of which are children, the Liberal government proudly gets up and talks about its contribution to food banks instead of fixing the root cause.

The Liberals have stunted the economy. They have increased taxes, with more on the way. There is a packaging tax. Everybody is talking about how the packaging tax is going to increase costs at the grocery store.

There is another tax coming that the government failed to talk to Canadians about, the International Maritime Organization's carbon tax on shipping. It is not official yet, but it is Canada's intention to vote in favour of this shipping tax that will raise the cost of goods and groceries for Canadians.

I want to talk briefly about the decriminalization experiment that happened when I was an MLA in B.C. It turned B.C. into a haven for drug use; federal dollars were even used to purchase hydromorphone and distribute it unmanaged and unchecked. It started making its way into our general population. This experiment the Liberals used on British Columbians, which Oregon actually got rid of because it did not work, is going to take decades to recover from. This is going to be a generational issue for leaders and legislatures. This experiment was not needed, not when Oregon had already tried it and, when it failed, got rid of it.

Contrary to popular opinion, the emissions cap is not gone. If all the other mechanisms mentioned in the budget fail, the emissions cap will be enforced on the Canadian resource economy. That will limit the Liberal government's plans to turn Canada into an energy superpower and turn us into the best-performing country in the G7.

By the way, if we want to be the best-performing country in the G7, we have to outperform the United States, the largest economy in the G7, if not the world. We are going to have to do 100 times better than what we are doing now. The government is going to have to get rid of the legislation that limits our economy if we want to be that energy superpower or a well-performing country in the G7. It cannot do it by allowing all these tariffs to take hold in our economy. From the United States alone, the softwood lumber tariff is 45%, reciprocal tariffs are 25% to 35%. There are steel tariffs. The list goes on. India has imposed 30% tariffs on yellow peas. China has 100% tariffs on canola oil, peas, pork, seafood and canola seed. The list goes on. I am not a banker. I did not even graduate high school, but I am pretty sure I could have gotten a better deal than this.

What is the strategy of allowing an ad by the Ontario government to air in the United States to anger it even further and have it stop all negotiations on trade? Can the Liberals please explain to me the strategy behind that?

By the way, after the Prime Minister saw that ad and allowed it to air, B.C. was going to do the same. It later declined, saying it was going to align itself with Canada's strategy on trade. What is the strategy? The strategy so far is putting so much pressure on Canadians that it is stunting our economy.

I have not even talked yet about the Arctic sovereignty that Russia, China and the United States have their eyes on. The government has a sovereignty clause in there, but it does not mentioned the Northwest Passage, which Russia has aimed its eyes on for shipping goods and drilling for oil and gas.

We are a mess. This budget proves it. That is why I cannot support the budget put forward for 2025.

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I hear my colleague across the way criticizing the budget. However, in this budget, we are making generational investments to strengthen our economy while protecting our social programs.

I would like to ask my colleague the following question. If the budget had been tabled by a Conservative government, which social program would my colleague have wanted to eliminate? Would it have been the Canada child benefit, which helps over six million parents across the country? Would it have been the national school food program, which we made permanent and which feeds over 400,000 children? Would he have wanted to cut our affordable child care program, which benefits over 900,000 children? Would he have wanted to put an end to the Canadian dental care plan for which over five million Canadians have registered?

On this side of the House, we have made generational investments while protecting important social programs. Would my colleague who is criticizing the budget have wanted to see some of these programs disappear?

[Ellis Ross, Conservative, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this is parallel to what we did in my small native village, which was in worse shape than what Canada is facing right now in terms of the social issues. We would not have cut the social programs. We would have fixed the root causes.

We would not have added to it, as the Liberal government has done. In fact, what the Liberals are saying is, “Hold my beer. We are actually going to double down on what we have already done to the Canadian public.” I cannot support that.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is fairly simple.

The Quebec finance minister has expressed his profound disappointment with the budget, particularly because very little real money will be transferred to the provinces for infrastructure programs. It currently costs between $4 billion and $5 billion, or even more, to build a hospital. That is what we saw with CHUM in Quebec.

During this public finance crisis, does my colleague think it is right that Ottawa, which has the money, is not transferring enough to the provinces so that they can invest in their infrastructure?

[Ellis Ross, Conservative, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I agree.

In fact, if we want to be the best-performing country in the G7, we have to be functioning at all levels. Infrastructure is a key point. We cannot be the best-performing country if we do not take the people along with us, and that includes the economy, social issues and health. I totally agree with the member.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the wisdom he shares all the time. I have known him for a long time. He is a leader within our region, our province and our country. I deeply respect his comments.

My colleague and I have neighbouring ridings, so we face many of the same problems. Just last night I received word of another mill closure in my riding. It is 165 jobs in a small community in my riding, 165 families that are facing uncertainty.

I also want to talk about the mental health and addictions crisis we are facing. There was a 500-page budget tabled just the other day. Mental health and addictions combined were mentioned six times. There is no new money. We now spend more money servicing our debt than on health care transfers to our provinces. That is shameful. I want to ask our hon. colleague for his views on that.

[Ellis Ross, Conservative, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, coming from a small first nations reserve, I understand mental health and drug addiction, as well as substance abuse issues.

We tried to battle that as much as we could without government support. There was an experiment in B.C. to decriminalize drugs, between Ottawa and B.C. It was a disaster. By the way, as an MLA in the B.C. legislature, I tried to fight as hard as I could to get treatment centres in our region. We were rejected, even though indigenous leaders were the ones putting together the plans.

We have a huge problem across Canada, and it is a shame that the Canadian Liberal government does not recognize this and try to address it head-on.

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague and I may disagree on how we proceed to deal with the mental health and toxic drug crisis, but one thing we can agree on is that the Liberal government has failed to show any leadership.

In the House yesterday, I raised the fact that over 52,000 Canadians have died of toxic overdoses. The response from the Liberal government was that it is a provincial and territorial responsibility. Basically, the Liberals are abandoning any leadership role. There are things we can agree on.

Does my colleague agree with me that the federal government absolutely has a role and responsibility when it comes to the mental health and toxic drug crisis in this country?

[Ellis Ross, Conservative, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with my colleague. Ottawa does have a role to play.

In fact, if that were not the case, why did it impose this drug experiment in B.C., decriminalizing heroin, cocaine and up to 2.5 grams of fentanyl? We know that 2.5 grams of fentanyl could kill a normal person. Ottawa does have a role to play in the drug crisis we are facing.

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the House today to speak about budget 2025, the “Canada Strong” budget. I will be sharing my time with my great colleague, the hon. member for Kanata.

On Tuesday, the government presented a plan that makes a generational investment to build the foundation of a stronger, more resilient Canada. It is a plan to build more homes for Canadians, to deliver major infrastructure projects across the country and to support our industries from coast to coast to coast.

Canadians understand that we are living in a rapidly changing and increasingly uncertain world. This budget is our plan of action to navigate those realities.

The government is focused on what it can control: building an economy that is bigger, faster and stronger than ever before.

As Canada's new government, our goal is clear: to make Canada the strongest economy in the G7. We will do that by boosting productivity, competitiveness and innovation, and by creating new opportunities that will benefit all Canadians. For my community of Orleans, this budget includes key investments that will make a real difference in the lives of its residents. As one of the fastest-growing ridings in the National Capital Region, Orleans needs strong local infrastructure and services to keep pace with its growth and improve quality of life.

Through the building community strong fund, the government is committing $51 billion over 10 years, starting in 2026-27, to support infrastructure projects in communities across the country.

I have to say that in our budget there was a mention of Orléans. For over over four decades, the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex has been a pillar of our community, a place where residents of all ages come together to stay active, learn new skills and connect. As a former figure skater, I have had the pleasure of using the ice rink at that arena.

I am very thrilled to share that, as highlighted in the budget, Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex is one of the 23 highlighted projects that will receive funding through the direct delivery stream to modernize and expand this vital facility. This investment is a testament to the government's commitment to building a stronger Canada. I could not be more excited to help build a stronger Orléans.

As we face a more uncertain global environment, Canada must also be prepared to defend its territory, its people and its sovereignty. That is why this budget includes historic investments in defence. By committing $81.8 billion over the next five years, we are demonstrating to our allies and our men and women in uniform that Canada takes its national and collective security seriously.

These investments will strengthen recruitment and retention, deliver well-deserved pay raises and expand access to health care for serving members. They will also repair and sustain existing capabilities while investing new and modern infrastructure, including advanced technologies to protect Canada's digital networks.

I am especially proud that the government is investing in next-generation military capabilities from armoured vehicles and counter-drone systems to long-range precision strike capabilities and submarines. We have come a long way since 2013 when defence spending was below 1% of our GDP. The government has committed to reach 5% by 2035, a clear statement of Canada's commitment to global security and national readiness.

I also want to speak directly to young Canadians, including the youth of Orleans. This budget charts a path to a more affordable and brighter future.

The Canada summer jobs program has been a huge success in Orleans. It has helped young people gain valuable work experience while supporting local employers. This budget proposes additional funding for youth employment of $1.5 billion over three years through the Canada summer jobs program, the youth employment and skills strategy and the student work placement program. Together, these initiatives will create approximately 175,000 new opportunities for young Canadians and, I hope, for young people in Orleans.

We are also helping young Canadians achieve the dream of home ownership by eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers on homes valued at $1 million or less through our first-time homebuyers GST tax credit. Through building Canada homes, we will double the pace of home construction over the next decade, building the affordable homes Canadians need.

I am really excited about this budget and the bold path it charts for our country. Under the Prime Minister's leadership, Canada's new government is positioning the country as a global leader by making smart investments, by launching ambitious construction projects and by planning responsibly for the future. This budget delivers for Canadians today and builds a stronger, more prosperous Canada for tomorrow.

I invite all members of the House to take a close look at what this budget offers, because it is, without a doubt, the right plan for Canada today.

Finally, as we mark Veterans' Week, I want to take a moment to thank the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Affairs Canada for hosting a beautiful candlelight tribute at the Canadian War Museum to reflect on the service of all the men and women who have served in the defence of Canada. Furthermore, I want to congratulate the Royal Canadian Mint for the beautiful coin it unveiled at the event, which pays tribute to the Unknown Soldier, a beautiful dedication of remembrance. It was truly touching.

As Remembrance Day draws near, we pause to honour the brave Canadians who answered the call to service to defend our freedom, our democracy and our way of life.

We remember those who gave their lives so that we could live in peace. We thank them for their service and sacrifice. Lest we forget.

[Harb Gill, Conservative, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, according to the Globe and Mail's Bill Curry, the government tucked 75 legislative changes into an annex that mysteriously vanished from the printed budget MPs were given. Is this what digital transformation means now, that the Liberals transform transparency into an upload?

Can the member opposite ask the finance minister to table the full online annex today, or are MPs supposed to legislate by hyperlink? Can she explain why the Liberals decided to undertake such deception against fellow parliamentarians?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, of all the questions my colleague could have asked, I am glad he chose that one. With all due respect to him, what I will say to Canadians and to the people of Orleans that I represent is that our government is there for them. Our government will protect the necessary investments that are important to them while allowing for responsible budgetary expenditures. We are in an era of modernization, with artificial intelligence and everything that goes with it. Again, I say to our young people that we are there for them.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful and proud of my colleague's speech. I heard her talk about the Canada summer jobs program. I believe that very few members of the House recognize that the proposed budget would increase the number of jobs under the Canada summer jobs program from 70,000 to 100,000 next summer.

Could my colleague talk about the impact of this increase in the number of jobs for young people, for community organizations and for small and medium-sized businesses in her riding?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, because I think 343 members have been able to take advantage of this program over the past few years. I know it has been useful to me in Orléans. I have always been well aware of the significant benefits of this program, which is making a difference.

We have been asking for this program to be enhanced for several years now, and that is what this government is going to do. Not only will more young people be able to take advantage of it, but more non-profit organizations and small and medium-sized businesses in my community will benefit from having young people there to help them next summer.