Debates of Dec. 1st, 2025

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, these Conservatives voted against lowering the cost of living when they voted against budget 2025 because they voted against food in schools for children, against a tax cut for middle-income Canadians, against $75 million in apprenticeship training and against a refundable tax credit for personal support workers. They also voted against $45 million in funding to address gender-based violence.

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

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, instead of disingenuous replies to very serious questions, Canadians deserve answers.

Let me share the state of food banks in Ontario. Two in three food banks are concerned about sustaining their operations over the next six months. One in two worries it will not have enough food to meet the needs in their community. This is directly from the “Hunger Report”: “Over the past five years, the proportion of first-time food bank visitors has increased.” The trend is unsurprising, as overall food bank use has nearly doubled.

Can the Prime Minister explain why he is driving up grocery costs?

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

Mr. Speaker, these Conservatives voted against lowering the cost of living for seniors when they voted against budget 2025. They voted against old-age security. They voted against the guaranteed income supplement. They voted against the new horizons for seniors program. They voted against anti-fraud measures that would protect seniors from scams. They voted against a tax credit for personal support workers who support seniors who need care. They voted against dental care for the over six million Canadians who are currently taking advantage of that.

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

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, food bank usage is at a dangerously high level with over one million people using the food bank in Ontario. This past year, usage has skyrocketed 165%. Parents take pride in providing for their families. However, in the cost of living crisis, 29% of food bank users are children.

When will the Liberal government stop playing games with their Brookfield buddies and stop the industrial carbon tax so Canadians can afford to feed their families?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Secretary of State (Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, Feed Ontario and Food Banks Canada do important work on the front lines, but they also make important recommendations for government.

What are some of those recommendations? They recommended that budget 2025 include automatic benefits, There is the Canada disability benefit, which was brought back by our government and the national school food program, which was made permanent by our government, and the Conservatives recently called “garbage”. They called on the government to make sure that we were building more affordable housing, and Build Canada Homes does just that.

How do the Conservatives sleep at night just exploiting the challenges that Canadians are facing for their own political gain without following one suggestion?

Climate Change

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the oil deal between Canada and Alberta amounts to climate betrayal. Canada is scrapping its greenhouse gas reduction targets, abandoning all of its environmental policies from the last 10 years, giving up on biodiversity by revoking the moratorium on oil tankers and even giving up on protecting indigenous lands.

At this rate, will there be anything left in the Minister of Environment and Climate Change's mandate, or will she just rubber-stamp the Prime Minister's oil deal?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure we can call it betrayal. Our government is developing a new strategy to achieve important goals. My Prime Minister, the 44 MPs representing Quebec and I all share environmental values. We may need to do a better job of explaining, but we are going to adopt strategies to achieve our goals. We must be able to that, and this agreement provides us with important tools to get there. In addition, Alberta will be working with us and will help contribute. This is a step forward.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Liberals are ashamed and are talking about everything except their dirty oil pipeline from the oil sands. They are ashamed to admit that they are no longer fighting against climate change and that they are abandoning their greenhouse gas reduction targets. They are ashamed to admit that they are even going to make climate change worse by producing an additional 1.4 million barrels of dirty oil a day.

How can the ministers agree to that? They are ashamed to talk about it. They should go hide under their desks.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is saying things that are not true. Nobody understands why those members are getting so worked up.

We have a climate plan with Alberta to develop renewable energy in western Canada, to focus on nuclear energy and to set very specific conditions for conventional energy development. At the same time, we are working with Quebec and the other provinces to continue our efforts to make Canada a world leader in renewable energy.

Taxation

[Éric Lefebvre, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, food drives, company and organization dinners where people are asked to bring food, and roadside donation drives to raise money for our food aid organizations have well and truly begun. Lucky thing because demand is increasing significantly. The rate of food insecurity in Quebec has nearly doubled. The reality is harsh: food insecurity has gone up from 11% in 2019 to 20% in 2023 under the Liberal government. People have jobs, but they cannot afford to eat.

Why is the Prime Minister maintaining the fuel tax, which makes groceries even more expensive?

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

Mr. Speaker, our budget is helping Canadians move forward. The report indicated that access to support measures needed to be improved. That is what we are doing with automatic tax filing, which will help more than five million Canadians get what they are owed. That means they can access support measures like the Canada child benefit, which provides up to $8,000 tax-free per child. We are here for Canadian families.

[Éric Lefebvre, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I invite my colleague to visit the food banks right now to see all the people waiting in line. The situation is worrisome. The system is no longer working. Every month, 600,000 Quebeckers visit food banks. Fortunately, there are organizations and kind-hearted people, such as Clan Destins and many others, that are involved in my community.

What I want to see is a Liberal government that takes responsibility. How can it choose to cut taxes on luxury boats when our constituents are struggling to put food on the table? Are there any other Liberal members who, like the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie, will say that enough is enough?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, like the member, I am making appearances at food drives, dinners and food banks this festive season. We are making sure that we show the same solidarity that Quebeckers and Canadians have always shown. However, what the people at these events ask me is why the Conservatives always vote against school food programs, the Canada child benefit, tax cuts, dental care and pharmacare.

Why do the Conservatives vote against measures designed to support the vulnerable among us?

Carbon Pricing

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, food banks across Vancouver Island are overwhelmed. We are seeing a surge in seniors, young families, newcomers and, increasingly, full-time workers who cannot afford the price of food. These are people who played by the rules, who worked hard and who never imagined they would need a food bank just to get through the week. Instead of helping, the Prime Minister is increasing the industrial carbon tax, driving up the cost of transporting and producing food, and making groceries even more expensive.

Why is the Prime Minister insisting on hiking the industrial carbon tax when British Columbians cannot afford to feed their families?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are supporting seniors and individuals across Vancouver Island to ensure that they have an affordable life. For example, I met with the Mustard Seed in my riding of Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, where they are running several food programs to ensure food security. This includes a food program called Flourish for children that ensures that they are fed. This takes advantage of the national school food program. They are also ensuring that they can run their programs with the Canada summer jobs program. These are initiatives that are so key to ensuring that people are fed well on Vancouver Island, initiatives that the Conservatives voted against.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I asked a question, and I got a deflection.

People in my community can speak to the impact of the industrial carbon tax, because unlike the Prime Minister, they do go to the grocery store. It is not just my local food bank, the Saanich food bank in that member's riding says they have also been seeing more young families, seniors and newcomers. Family Services of Greater Vancouver is also seeing more full-time workers. Right now, everyone is in need.

I ask again: Will the Prime Minister commit to eliminating the industrial carbon tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians and Vancouver Islanders need to ensure an affordable life is money in their jeans. They need things like the old age security. They need things like the guaranteed income supplement. They need things like the child tax benefit. These things put money in folks' jeans. These are initiatives that the Conservatives have voted against time and time again.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Family Services of Greater Vancouver reports record demand for Christmas food hampers and food banks in general. They outline that families working full time, even those in higher income tax brackets, cannot afford the basics. For nine straight months, grocery prices across Canada have risen faster than inflation, yet the government keeps piling on costs, driving food prices even higher while Canadians struggle to meet their basic needs.

Why is the Prime Minister increasing the industrial carbon tax on things like cold storage and fertilizer, making food even more expensive for struggling Canadian families?

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

Mr. Speaker, here we go again with the imaginary taxes.

In fact, the food professor himself said that one of the hardest things to predict is the effect of climate change on the cost of food. They do not use that quote when they are misleading Canadians with inaccurate information. On this side of the House, we know what helps families; it is actually money in their pockets. When the Canada child benefit is indexed to inflation, when the OAS and GIS are there for seniors, when we have dental care and pharmacare, and affordable early learning and child care, these things are reducing costs for families and putting money in the pockets of Canadians. That is how we help.

Natural Resources

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, we committed to build Canada strong, to make Canada an energy superpower, to grow the strongest economy in the G7 and to strengthen industrial carbon pricing. Last week's memorandum of understanding between Canada and Alberta provides a framework to advance those goals.

Can the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources explain how Alberta and Canada will work together with indigenous rights holders in British Columbia to get projects built, create good jobs and diversify our exports beyond the United States?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, last week I invited the Conservatives to come to Calgary. What they would have seen is not one but two standing ovations from a sold-out crowd in Calgary. That is because this MOU is about getting results for Canadians. That means more certainty for investment, unprecedented collaboration with Alberta and a clear path to move energy infrastructure projects forward. This will get done while increasing the durability of industrial carbon pricing, requiring consultation with British Columbia and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples.

That is how we build Canada strong.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the leave-it-in-the-ground Liberals outed themselves, admitting their fake announcement last week was not a pipeline approval. The eco-radical Liberal member for Victoria admitted there is no route, there is no project and there is no proponent, which means no pipeline. Who needs pipeline opponents when we have Liberal caucus members like that? The Prime Minister is fuelling confusion to divide Canadians, all while talking out of both sides of his mouth.

To the Prime Minister, when will shovels be in the ground? We just need the year.

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I guess the member opposite did not listen to his premier because his premier said it was a great day for Alberta. If the Conservatives are serious about getting things built, they should clarify whether they support this made-in-Canada agreement or whether they will keep opposing co-operation, undermining investment and scrapping policies that will help Canada compete in a lower-carbon world.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the difference is that Conservatives will build pipelines while the Liberals build pipe dreams. That answer is as fake as when the Prime Minister said he was working for the best interests of Canadians and not Brookfield. Entropy is a carbon capture company getting massive Canadian handouts. Its biggest investor is Brookfield. The Prime Minister is more worried about making big bucks for his Brookfield buddies and building pipe dreams.

Starving Canadians want to know, how much are the Prime Minister and his Brookfield buddies getting bankrolled by Canadians instead of getting a pipeline built?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, here the Conservatives go again with conspiracy theories. Perhaps they could get on board with getting things built. They should stop undermining investment certainty and stop trying to scrap policies that will get us to be an energy superpower in a low-carbon world.