Debates of Dec. 2nd, 2025

Employment

[Harb Gill, Conservative, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Feed Ontario hunger report shows that over one million Ontarians went to food banks, for a total of 8.7 million visits, over the last year. That is the highest ever. While Canadians are struggling, the Liberal Prime Minister has handed over billions of dollars to big corporations with zero job guarantees: $400 million to Algoma and 1,000 jobs lost, and $15 billion to Stellantis and 3,000 jobs gone.

Why does the Prime Minister always make taxpayers pay for sweetheart corporate deals while Canadians go hungry?

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

Mr. Speaker, food security experts and poverty elimination companies do a great job advocating directly to government, and what they are saying is that we need more affordable housing. In the last two weeks alone, we have announced 857 new co-op housing units. That is really close to home for me because I am proud to have grown up in co-op housing, unlike some of the Conservatives who like to call it Soviet-style housing or to degrade affordable housing by calling it shacks or something like that.

We are creating more jobs, and we are creating opportunity for Canadians, but every single time we bring a motion forward in the House to provide that care to Canadians, whether it is through child care, dental care or affordable food in schools, the Conservatives vote against it.

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, food banks are seeing record demand, while the Prime Minister keeps shovelling taxpayer dollars at multinationals with zero job guarantees. At CAMI, pink slips are hitting kitchen tables, and it is just weeks before Christmas. Families across Middlesex—London are losing their paycheques and cannot afford to buy groceries. The minister said that she would get an update from GM, but it has been 40 days and she has nothing: no plan, no transparency and no jobs.

Why does the Prime Minister keep making Canadians pay the price for his financial incompetence?

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

Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives voted against budget 2025, they voted against old age security and the guaranteed income supplement. They voted against the New Horizons for Seniors program. They voted against a personal support workers tax credit. They voted against dental care for over six million Canadian seniors.

Canadians want to know whom—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Edmonton Northwest.

Natural Resources

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it has been eight months since the Prime Minister was elected, claiming he would build nation-building projects at speeds not seen in generations.

Now we have learned that he has not even started consultations. He could have started these within weeks of the last election, given the existential crisis that he claimed. The Prime Minister's incoming heritage minister said that consultations should have begun yesterday, taking a shot at the Prime Minister, and that one cannot do consultations on a desktop, taking another shot at the natural resources minister, who said they could be done by Zoom.

Has the Prime Minister avoided consultation with first nations because he does not care about them, or because he does not want a pipeline built?

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

Mr. Speaker, our relationship with our partners, first nations, Métis, and Inuit rights holders is of utmost importance.

With major projects, consultation and the duty to accommodate will be adhered to. There are no major projects before us right now; there is just an MOU. It is the process that is outlining the conditions to be met. Major projects will require the duty to consult.

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley Township—Fraser Heights, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal “keep it in the ground” caucus is saying that the MOU with Alberta is not a pipeline approval. There is no project, no route, certainly no consensus, and no private sector proponent.

Now they are conveniently hiding behind the tanker ban, which is preventing us from getting our resources to market. All the while, American tankers are happily sailing right by, from Alaska down to the lower 48.

I have a simple question: Will the Prime Minister lift the tanker ban so we can build a pipeline, or is this just a pipe dream?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are in a trade war. It is time to recognize that. Our agreement with Alberta is about a team Canada plan to strengthen our hand and put Canada in a position to win that trade war. We are going to do it by growing exports beyond a single customer and by driving down emissions with strong industrial carbon pricing and a commitment to major decarbonization projects in partnership with jurisdictions and in partnership with first nations.

Public Safety

[Gurbux Saini, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend important discussions were held in Surrey, British Columbia, on strengthening our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat extortion.

Protecting Canadians has never been more critical, yet the Conservatives play political games and stall measures like Bill C-2, preventing law enforcement from getting the key tools they need to protect Canadians.

Can the Minister of Public Safety please outline the steps our government—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. Minister for Public Safety.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank the member for Fleetwood—Port Kells for his hard work.

We are taking real action to fight extortion. Last week we had a summit in Surrey, British Columbia, that brought together the Government of British Columbia, law enforcement and the extortion task force, as well as municipal leaders, in order to ensure that we are all on the same page and are fighting this fight together.

Unfortunately the Conservatives continue to play games. They are opposing critical bills that would strengthen law enforcement. I urge the Conservative Party to come on board and support—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Saskatoon West.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, when the new Minister of Culture was the immigration minister, he said, “I don’t see a world in which we lower [immigration targets].... Whether we revise them upwards or not is something that I have to look at. But certainly I don’t think [we will]...lower them”. Then in 2024 he made history by allowing nearly 500,000 permanent residents into the country, the highest number ever in a single year.

Today we are in a national housing crisis, emergency rooms are overflowing, and we are in a youth jobs crisis.

How does the current immigration minister feel about holding the bag for a Trudeau-era guy who just got promoted for making a big mess?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

We are going to have to let some time go by, because everyone is getting very excited every time the secretary of state stands up.

The Secretary of State for Rural Development.

[Buckley Belanger, Liberal, Secretary of State (Rural Development)]

Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the Saskatchewan Conservative caucus that 14 of them were elected over a period of 10 years. That is 140 collective years that we have had Conservative representation from Saskatchewan.

What have they accomplished in those 10 years on housing, on trade and on infrastructure? They have accomplished nothing.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite the indictment when the Liberals do not even let the immigration minister answer a question about immigration. In a CBC interview when he was the immigration minister—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The member for Calgary Nose Hill.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in a CBC interview when he was the immigration minister, the new minister of culture dismissed premiers' pleas for support for a flood of Liberal-enabled fraudulent asylum claims by saying, “I think what they're [the premiers are] advancing...is a complete crock of [bleep].” In reality, he oversaw billions of dollars going to house bogus asylum claimants while emergency rooms overflowed.

My question is this: If the failed former immigration minister can get a promotion, does this mean that the current Prime Minister will promote the current immigration minister too?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the colleague and member for placing her confidence in me and in the government.

Let me tell you one thing: Canadians elected the government with a big mandate. We have brought in a generational budget that includes a sustainable immigration plan, one that will deal with permanent immigration as well as temporary immigration, and bring global talent.

Why do the member and her party keep obstructing every single time? Get on board.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Members should address their comments through the Chair.

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in 2022 a Jamaican national was convicted in the United States of an aggravated felony of sexual abuse of a minor, but in 2023 the Liberals welcomed him to Canada. Worse, they allowed him to claim asylum, and today that child sexual abuser is still in Canada. The Liberals voted against Conservative measures to prevent non-citizen child sexual abusers from entering Canada, abusing our immigration system and avoiding deportation.

Why are the Liberals protecting non-citizen child sexual abusers? Why did they not support our policies?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has a robust system of inadmissibility that ensures that people who were not eligible to be here will be removed. This year we are on target to remove over 20,000 people who are ineligible to be here, including those with criminal offences.

Let me be very clear that the sanctimony of members of the party opposite that they put forward on issues of public safety needs to be checked when they oppose the very tools that public safety officers need to do their job effectively.