Debates of Dec. 10th, 2025

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, the members opposite are focused on imaginary taxes. On this side of the House, we are continuing to invest in Canadians and the supports that they need, including the Canada child benefit, which is pegged to inflation and worth up to $8,000 per child under six years old in this country.

On this side of the House, we will continue to invest in Canadians and the supports that they need. We would encourage the members opposite to show a little more support for those programs as well.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing imaginary about the hunger pangs that many Canadians are feeling. Many families are also financially squeezed with mortgage payments and utility bills that are rising faster than they can keep up with. These pressures have worsened under the Liberals with the rise in the industrial carbon tax, the packaging tax and the new fuel tax. All of these hidden taxes are driving up the cost of food.

When will the Liberals stop their inflationary spending and cut these hidden food taxes so that Canadians can afford to eat?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that we do not want families to struggle to feed their children. We are investing in programs and supports for families so they can put food on the table and have food at school through, for example, the national school food program.

At the same time, we are creating jobs. That is what Canadians really need. We can see it in the numbers. The number of jobs has been increasing every month for the past three months.

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, food bank usage is at an all-time high this holiday season in Manitoba and across the country. Harvest Manitoba's latest report shows that 60,000 Manitobans are relying on food banks every month, and almost 50% of them are families with young children. This is what a decade of food packaging taxes, fuel standards and a rising industrial carbon tax has done to Canadians. My question for the Prime Minister is simple.

When will the Liberals finally stop their inflationary spending and cut hidden food taxes so that Canadians can afford to eat this Christmas?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is from Manitoba. If he were listening to Manitobans, he would hear that Manitobans are happy with what our government is doing.

We are seeing $10-a-day child care for northern Arctic communities. We are also seeing the national school food program. We are seeing investments in housing and infrastructure like never before. We are seeing the child tax benefits supported with increases, GST housing credits and enhanced benefits for families so that they can heat their homes. The member opposite needs to get on board.

Transportation

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when Quebeckers and truckers from Quebec asked the Liberals to put an end to the Driver Inc. model, the Liberals ignored them. As a result, the Americans are now the ones asking the federal government to take action. The embassy said that simply targeting companies allows individuals who commit violations to create a new company under a new name. There are 10 measures to be taken. The most obvious is preventing temporary immigrants from incorporating in trucking industry. That is the bare minimum.

When will the Liberals take action?

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

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague should speak to Quebec's trucking association, which has commended the work of the government, my colleague the Minister of Jobs and Families, the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and myself. We have implemented a series of measures to put an end to this relic from the Harper era, which allowed the use of Driver Inc. truckers.

Now, we have put in place a series of measures to get them off the roads, and we are working with the provinces. The member should also welcome our—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Pierre‑Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Association du camionnage du Québec supports our 10 measures. How many measures have the Liberals implemented? They have only implemented one. The Liberals are doing nothing because they have been being infiltrated on all sides by Driver Inc. truckers. The Prime Minister's campaign organizer and donor was the spokesperson for a new Driver Inc. advocacy association. Not one, not two, but 10 Liberal MPs showed up at the organization's founding convention in 2023. They received $85,000 in donations from Driver Inc. promoters.

The Liberals have to choose. Are they going to protect road users, or are they going to side with their cronies and Driver Inc. truckers yet again?

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

Mr. Speaker, this government has implemented far more than just one measure. We lifted the T4A moratorium. We instituted information sharing between the CRA and the Department of Employment and Social Development. We made sure that the Department of Employment and Social Development conducted inspection blitzes.

Now, we expect the provinces to perform roadside checks, take charge of certification and, of course, issue driver's licences. That is the provinces' job. Does the Bloc Québécois member want us to encroach on Quebec's jurisdictions? I should think not.

Government Appointments

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in Canadian diplomacy, there is no position more important or prestigious than that of Canadian ambassador to the United States. The person who holds this position must be in perfect political harmony with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is set to appoint Mark Wiseman as Canada's ambassador to the United States. Mr. Wiseman is the architect of the infamous Century Initiative, which aims to increase Canada's population to 100 million by 2100. Worse yet, he insulted Quebec when he said that it is the right policy, “even if it makes Quebec howl”.

Why is the government appointing someone who insults Quebec and Quebeckers?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as fond as I am of my colleague from Quebec, I see that he is asking the same question his leader asked a few moments ago with a view to getting a sound bite played on Le Téléjournal this evening at 6 p.m. or later with Ms. Galipeau. He knows full well that the public policies he is referring to have never been public policies of the Liberal government and will never be public policies of the government. I understand that the member is trying to make hay out of the situation, but, unfortunately, it is not going to work.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what is not working is that the architect of the Century Initiative is going to be appointed as the Canadian ambassador to the United States. Worse still, the minister knows full well that Mr. Wiseman is also strongly opposed to supply management. I am not making this up. That is the truth. Imagine the conversation he will have with President Trump, when President Trump says to him:

“Ambassador, you're against supply management, just like me.”

How can the minister possibly explain the appointment of a man who insults Quebeckers and who is opposed to supply management?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, once again, our colleague from Quebec is giving me an opportunity to brief him. Just yesterday evening, I participated in an activity put on by the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec. I had the opportunity to speak with the vice-president of the Producteurs de lait du Québec, and we obviously talked about supply management. Yesterday evening, in Montreal, I was able to reassure our friend that the government will always defend supply management. We will not negotiate with the Americans on supply management. The Prime Minister has been very clear on that, and I am pleased to repeat it today in the House before all members.

Justice

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last night at the justice committee, Conservatives moved to immediately prioritize Bill C-14 and scrap dangerous Liberal bail laws. What did the Liberals do? Shamefully, they blocked us, not once, not twice, but three times. Now we just learned that they cancelled today's eight-hour meeting.

Instead of stopping criminals, the Liberals are more concerned with prosecuting religious expression. Why do the Liberals not just get out of the way and let Conservatives finally fix the broken bail system?

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

Mr. Speaker, me thinks the member doth protest too much. We have watched him and his colleagues filibuster the work of the justice committee for many weeks on end. He says that he is not responsible for it, but it is actually all on video. For hours they go on discussing their preference for puppies or kittens when they in fact could be debating laws that are designed to keep Canadians safe.

It is essential that we move forward with the aggressive campaign to improve public safety, which we campaigned on to fight hate in this country, to improve bail systems in this country and to ensure every community is safe.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals had multiple opportunities to crack down on violent repeat offenders. Instead, they chose religious censorship over public safety. The Liberal members for Burnaby Central, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, Mount Royal and even the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice must answer to Canadians as to why they keep obstructing the study of Bill C-14. They were given the chance to protect Canadians. They chose not to.

How many more murders, sex assaults and violent extortions are enough for the tired Liberal government to finally protect Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, the speed with which the member will cite these kinds of tragic crimes as a political prop is simply beneath this—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I do not know what to say to that. Obviously, it is quite clear that I will allow the minister to start from the top.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are now even finding a way to filibuster question period.

In all honesty, this is the readiness with which the Conservatives come to this conversation. They will cite heinous crimes to make a political point, but then stall the proceedings to actually advance the laws that police chiefs are asking for, that victims are asking for and that law enforcement from their own communities is deliberately asking us to get on with. What is getting in the way—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

There is a problem when yours truly cannot hear because there is too much noise, and I have to stop it because I need to hear what people are saying.

Would the hon. minister like to conclude his comments?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the excuse the Conservatives are using now to prevent us from addressing bail and sentencing is that they will not support measures that are designed to combat hate crimes in this country.

We can fight hate. We can keep communities safe. The Conservatives should get out of the way.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Conservatives on the justice committee tried three times to let the committee prioritize the study of the much-needed bail reforms on which it would be possible for us to have a consensus. What was so pressing that the Liberals did not want to study their own bail bill? They launched a full-scale assault on religious freedom in this country that risks the prosecution of those who express religious beliefs.

Now the minister says that after passing the amendment he will start his consultations. This is the minister who said he would rather spend time with his family. Could he do that instead of censoring Canadians?