Debates of Dec. 2nd, 2025

Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. I really believe it is a dereliction of duty of the Prime Minister and the government. It is absolutely unconscionable that it is walking away from our largest trading partner, the most important trading partner, and saying, “Who cares?”

They do not really think about it. They are not really concerned about the automotive industry, and then they are shocked when they have all these additional tariffs because they will not sit down to actually negotiate. They are shocked when they spend all their time making fun of other world leaders and somehow think this is not going to affect our relationships in any way. It was disastrous under Justin Trudeau because of how incompetent he was in trying to represent us, but now, for the government to continue along the same vein, is absolutely unconscionable.

I feel sorry. I feel sad, and I feel very disappointed for all these workers who are going to suffer.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Riding Mountain, Finance; the hon. member for Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, Public Safety; the hon. member for Langley Township—Fraser Heights, The Economy.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we need to be frank and clear-eyed. Instead of tabling its budget last spring after the election, the Liberal government chose to table it this fall. Why? It simply was not ready back then.

This budget clearly reveals the new Prime Minister's policy orientation: a big deficit and Conservative policies. Let us look at the facts. Two measures dominate this budget: massive military spending and the tax cuts announced last spring. The government plans to spend billions on defence to satisfy Donald Trump's demands even as it slashes foreign aid. That is the order of priority: weapons before solidarity, submission before co-operation.

This record $78-billion deficit makes Justin Trudeau look positively frugal, and that is saying something. That deficit will be achieved only if the public service sheds 40,000 jobs in four years.

Where is the plan? Where is the vision? They are nowhere to be found. This is not reform; it is a threat.

The step backward on the environment is tragic. Green policies have been abolished. The oil and gas industry is getting maximum support, so much so that the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture disagreed and opted to resign. That is the price for defending the planet in this government: isolation, silence, or exit. For now, the former minister is still a Liberal member. How he handles his options remains to be seen.

While the Prime Minister was elected on a promise to stand up to Trump and protect our businesses and workers impacted by the tariff crisis, this budget contains a few paltry support measures.

In terms of reforming the EI system to make it more accessible and functional, we will have to keep waiting. Only a few temporary measures have been extended. That is the reality.

The budget contains the support that was announced in August for the forestry industry, with $700 million in loan guarantees, but this measure is still not accessible. Only one forestry company in Quebec has accessed it so far. While we acknowledge this measure was recently enhanced, we strongly disagree with the fact that it is not accessible four months after it was announced, four long months for workers at Scierie St‑Michel who are still waiting for this assistance.

The budget includes an investment superdeduction for businesses. That is all well and good, but it is not enough given the tariff crisis.

The government claims this is a generational budget, but there is only $9 billion in new money over five years for infrastructure, $9 billion for the whole of Canada. That is barely twice the amount needed to refurbish a hospital in Montreal. In the meantime, our roads, our water systems and our overall infrastructure needs will have to wait. Wait for what? Wait for a government that actually believes in the future.

The health sector is getting worse, with a 3% increase in health transfers, even though costs have gone up by 6%. This hearkens back to Stephen Harper's government. The federal share will continue to decrease steadily, along with access to health care. That is the dollars and cents approach that is compromising social justice.

When it comes to housing, in his budget, the Prime Minister has reiterated his commitment to Build Canada Homes to tackle the housing shortage but has not given any details about this plan, other than expressing a desire to centralize this area, which should be a Quebec and provincial jurisdiction. There will be significant delays of several years before approved funds can be spent. In the meantime, families and individuals are still waiting for housing.

For provinces that did not have a carbon pricing system, which is all of them except for Quebec and British Columbia, the federal government implemented a carbon tax that was offset by cheques sent to households. During the election campaign, the Liberals abolished the tax but still sent a cheque to the residents of every province except Quebec and British Columbia. This was a handout to those taxpayers that cost Quebec taxpayers $814 million. The government still refuses to compensate us for that. With this Prime Minister, the environmental laggards are rewarded by the people who are actually making an effort.

Added to that is the government's stubborn refusal to reimburse Quebec for the assistance provided to refugee claimants, leaving us on the hook for $700 million. That is how they treat a compassionate nation.

The budget confirms that the tax on web giants has been scrapped. As the big five tech giants use tax havens to pay almost no tax here and elsewhere, Canada had passed the legislation suggested by the OECD consisting of a tax equal to 3% of revenue earned in Canada. Donald Trump and his billionaire tech friends did not like this tax, so in June, the Prime Minister decided to repeal it in order to negotiate an agreement with Trump by July 21, 2025. No trade agreement was ultimately reached, but the budget confirms the commitment to amend the law so that web giants will no longer be taxed. Billion-dollar multinationals can once again shirk their fiscal responsibilities. What is even more upsetting is that we in the Bloc Québécois have been advocating for many years to use part of this tax to support media that are struggling financially as a result of advertisers shifting their business to digital platforms.

The budget contains increased funding for CBC/Radio-Canada, but it does not allocate anything to other media. The government expects them to fend for themselves.

There is a new setback when it comes to tax havens. Canada is abandoning the 15% global minimum tax on U.S.-based businesses. Members will recall that Canada announced this tax with its G7 partners during the summit held in western Canada in June. That is another significant setback in the fight against the use of tax havens, which also stemmed from agreements with the OECD, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

That is another capitulation. Who does this benefit? Brookfield, a company that was headed by the Prime Minister before he joined politics less than a year ago. Brookfield, which moved its headquarters to New York for tax reasons. Brookfield manages many subsidiaries in tax havens. Some of the subsidiaries that operate in Canada even received funding through the wage subsidy program during the pandemic even though they report income in tax havens to avoid paying taxes in Canada. That is the moral of this government: the powerful take and Canadians pay.

The Liberals have a minority government, but with this budget and other initiatives introduced in the House, they are behaving as if they have a majority government. They did not negotiate any agreement to secure support from any party and chose to conduct themselves like cowboys. They banked on the fact that people were wary of an election during the holidays to advance their political agenda. The Bloc Québécois remained true to its principles and made its budget requests. All of these requests were ignored. In our opinion, the budget will hurt Quebeckers and so we voted against it, while all the other opposition parties chose to let it pass.

The Green Party member initially stomped on the budget in front of cameras because it did not contain anything for the environment but ultimately chose to support it. There were two NDP abstentions, which gave the Liberals a majority, even though this was a Conservative budget that will result in massive cuts of 40,000 public service jobs over four years. Lastly, the Conservatives used a strategy that allowed them to vote after everyone else to ensure that the budget passed. The House leader and the caucus chair walked into the House of Commons after the vote, before the results were released, claiming that they had experienced technical difficulties voting remotely. They play acted and voted after the fact. It was all a sham.

We do not accept this government's vision. We do not accept bowing to the powerful, pandering to billionaires, abandoning workers, treating the provinces with contempt, and stepping back on the environment. We do not accept centralization, arrogance and injustice. We want respect for Quebec. We want to continue to fight against the use of tax havens. We want to support our media, and we want to protect workers. We want adequate funding for health care. When it comes to Donald Trump, we want fairness and dignity. That is our fight, that is our duty. We are going to fight with all our might, because we know that history belongs to those who refuse to back down.

The Bloc Québécois will not support Bill C-15. It is an enormous omnibus bill nearly 650 pages long. It contains 80 legislative measures that create or amend 49 laws in a wide range of areas. Some are quite good, others are simply minor legislative amendments. In addition to containing almost none of the Bloc Québecois's pre-budget priorities, Bill C-15 includes certain measures that we find utterly unacceptable.

For example, it includes billions of dollars in new fossil fuel subsidies. It deepens the media crisis and permanently scraps the digital services tax. Lastly, I must condemn the amendment the government hid in the middle of its omnibus bill, which gives any minister the power to exempt any company from the application of any federal law, except the Criminal Code, for a period of three years. This is completely unacceptable. That is why we will be voting against Bill C-15.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague very well knows, housing and the cost of living are the main issues of concern for Quebeckers. Our government is putting forward a well-thought-out plan with investments that will double the rate of home construction, including the construction of affordable housing. Also in the plan are investments in infrastructure, particularly health infrastructure, and investments to modernize the construction industry. It also includes a buy Canadian policy to support the steel and lumber industries, and workers in our lumber industry.

How can my colleague, in all conscience, vote against a budget that helps Quebeckers by meeting their needs and their expectations?

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the parliamentary secretary for her question. I have the pleasure of working with her on housing needs.

I would invite her to go back and read the report that the Parliamentary Budget Officer released this morning. The report says that basically, what has been presented so far regarding Build Canada Homes shows that it is an empty shell and will do nothing to meet the targets. That worries us. Neither the budget nor Bill C‑15 provides any details on Build Canada Homes, and this is cause for concern.

Once again, we applaud the fine words, but we are concerned that this will not translate into concrete action. My experience in the House over the last decade has taught me that when money is announced and voted on, it can take years for it to be released. I am really worried about that right now.

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague quite rightly referred to the report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer, an independent officer of Parliament, which says that the federal government's programs will enable it to meet only 2% to 3% of its targets.

Last week, during a Standing Committee on Finance hearing, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and member for Whitby decided to filibuster right in the middle of the Parliamentary Budget Officer's testimony.

The Liberals are so averse to facts, averse to science and averse to serious figures that the parliamentary secretary to the minister decided to silence an officer of Parliament in the middle of a Standing Committee on Finance meeting.

I would really like my colleague to share his thoughts on this type of behaviour from the government.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend from Mirabel for his remarks.

This is obviously troubling and very worrisome for the health of democracy.

Earlier, I pointed out that this is a minority government. Normally, a minority government tries to talk to the other parties in order to build a majority in the House and to move bills and the legislative agenda forward. What we have here is a government that does not do that and instead acts like a lone cowboy.

Independent voices are saying that its accounting method of calling expenditures investments does not hold water. This worries the government, because it does not fit its narrative. It is very concerning and unfortunate to see a government member muzzle one of those voices.

We need democracy. Just because there are countries in the world, such as our neighbours to the south, where authoritarianism is on the rise does not mean that we should be heading in that direction as well.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member actually read the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report, because the number mentioned was actually 86,000. We are talking about affordable housing. Build Canada Homes is focused on affordable housing. There are all sorts of other incentives that will support construction across the country, but what we are actually talking about here is affordable housing.

I would like my colleague to tell us whether he actually read the report.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what I take away from the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report is that this will not meet the needs in housing.

I acknowledge that the parliamentary secretary is talking about affordable housing. I would like us to talk more about social housing or non-market housing. In the past few years, we have seen that when the government introduces programs for affordable housing, the funding is often earmarked for housing that is not affordable. I find the solutions being considered by the government to ensure that housing is truly affordable interesting, but it is definitely time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

We look forward to getting more details about this project.

[Kurt Holman, Conservative, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of London—Fanshawe to speak to Bill C-15. The budget implementation bill seeks to carry out a narrowly passed budget that the Liberal government tried to sell as a generational investment bill. In reality it is a generational debt that will leave young people with higher costs, fewer opportunities and a heavier financial burden for years to come.

In my community, people are not talking about capital classification or fiscal modelling; they are talking about everyday life. They are talking about how hard it has become to make a paycheque last. They are talking about standing in the grocery aisle hoping that the total stays below what is left in their account and trying to decide what has to go back on the shelf. They are also talking about the reality facing young people in our region, where youth unemployment is at levels that have not been seen in years.

Families worry that their kids will not have the opportunities they had, and young people worry that they are starting behind and falling further behind every month. This is where the budget lands, right in the middle of family budgets already stretched to the breaking point.

The government would like Canadians to believe its accounting changes are just technical adjustments, but they are not. The government redefined capital spending, but not because it discovered a new economic insight; it redefined it by dressing up spending as an investment, and when budgets are dressed up instead of disciplined, Canadians end up paying more. When fiscal anchors are abandoned or quietly replaced, the result is not an academic debate; it is higher debt, higher interest costs and higher prices for the families I represent. These details matter because they help explain why life keeps getting more expensive for people in communities like London—Fanshawe.

The independent Parliamentary Budget Officer exposed what the government tried to hide: By expanding the definition of capital spending far beyond international standards, the government counted corporate subsidies and tax breaks as investment. However, when the Parliamentary Budget Officer applied the proper definition, the supposed capital investment dropped by $94 billion. That is not a small discrepancy; it is a massive credibility gap, and it tells Canadians that the government is not being straight with them.

We are also hearing these concerns from leaders in the Canadian tech sector. Tobi Lütke, founder and CEO of Shopify, one of Canada's most successful technology companies, recently warned that taxpayer-funded subsidies for foreign branch offices do not strengthen Canada's economy at all. He says that these subsidies lower the cost basis for foreign firms and are “toxic” to our tech economy because the “fruits of the subsidized labour will accrue to the wealth of other countries and not Canada.”

When the government pours money into subsidies that distort markets instead of strengthening our own economic foundations, Canadians pay twice, once through their taxes and again through lost opportunity. It gets worse. Even with those redefined numbers, the government will not balance its operating budget over the next five years. Its previous fiscal anchor is gone. Its new one, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, has only a 7.5% chance of being met.

That is not a plan; it is wishful thinking backed by borrowed money, and borrowed money has consequences. This year's deficit is $78 billion, $16 billion more than the government promised, and double what its predecessor delivered. Next year, interest on the debt will hit $55.6 billion. That is more than the government will transfer to provinces for health care, and it is comparable to all the GST revenue Canadians pay. Every dollar of GST essentially goes to servicing debt, not to supporting Canadians or providing essential services.

The massive debt burden reflects only what has already been spent and accumulated in the past. It does not account for the future spending pressures the government continues to create with out-of-control budgets like the current one. With no credible plan to rein in costs or restore discipline, there is every indication that this number will keep growing year after year. The debt load Canadians are carrying today is only the beginning. Without a change in direction, it will continue to rise, pushing more of every tax dollar away from the services Canadians rely on and into interest payments on past decisions.

This is not fiscal responsibility; it is the cost of a decade of overspending: a decade of pushing the envelope further and further rather than showing restraint, and a decade of ignoring long-term consequences while digging future generations deeper into debt. The Prime Minister has nearly doubled the deficit left by his predecessor.

Nothing in this budget suggests that the government has learned from its mistakes or intends to take long-term economic stability seriously. The consequences of that failure will not be paid by the people making these decisions today but by young Canadians who will carry this weight for years to come. Families in London—Fanshawe cannot absorb any more of these costs, and they should not have to.

Not long ago, a young man told me something that stayed with me. He said that he has stopped thinking about buying a home in the usual way. Instead of planning, saving and building toward that goal, he now feels that his only realistic path to home ownership is to one day inherit his parents' house. He said it not out of impatience but out of genuine discouragement. He works hard, he saves what he can and he still feels like he is running up a down escalator.

That is what a decade of rising prices and falling opportunity has done to an entire generation. This budget does not fix that. It keeps the industrial carbon tax in place, the very tax that makes construction materials more expensive and drives up the cost of building homes across this country.

For years the Liberal government championed the failed consumer carbon tax. Canadians rejected it; they made it clear they wanted nothing to do with it. The new Prime Minister arrived, promising change, but instead of listening, his status quo government simply shifted the same costs out of sight. They call it industrial pricing, but it is the same agenda of making everything more expensive, only hidden further up the supply chain.

Families still pay the costs through higher grocery bills, higher homebuilding costs and higher prices on nearly everything they need. It is carbon tax 2.0 dressed up as a responsible policy, and it continues to punish the very people who can least afford it.

This budget does not fix that. It keeps the industrial tax on construction materials, making homes more expensive to build. It backs away from the government's own promise to help municipalities cut development charges, even though those charges can add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a home. If a government wants more housing built, it should not make building it more expensive, and if a government wants to restore the Canadian promise of home ownership, it should not raise costs at every step of the process.

This budget also falls short on the most basic measure of public policy: Does it make life more affordable? The answer is no. Food bank usage is at record highs. Housing costs are the highest in the G7. Investment is collapsing. Families are doing everything right by working, saving and budgeting, yet they are somehow falling behind. This budget was supposed to help; instead it pours fuel on the fire.

Conservatives are not here simply to say no. We offered a constructive alternative. During second reading, our caucus introduced a reasoned amendment that would move Canada toward an affordable life by ending the industrial carbon tax, cutting wasteful spending, bringing down debt and inflation, unlocking our energy potential and clearing away the red tape slowing homebuilding across this country.

We believe that Canadians deserve a hopeful future, one where young people can own a home, where seniors can live with dignity and where every person who works hard can get ahead. This budget implementation bill would not deliver that future. It would deliver higher costs, higher debt and a heavier burden on the next generation.

Conservatives will continue fighting for an affordable life and a hopeful future for every person in this country.

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

Mr. Speaker, once again the Conservatives are recognizing that their most productive role in the chamber seems to be preventing legislation from passing from stage to stage. They ultimately argue that we should all be able to speak indefinitely to the legislation.

Good examples of that are Bill C-14, the bail reform legislation, or Bill C-2. The legislation, particularly on bail reform, was legislation that was in the election platform. Even though all Canadians, provinces and law enforcement officers want this, why does the Conservative Party continue to want to filibuster substantive legislation as opposed to allowing things to pass?

[Kurt Holman, Conservative, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are here to debate Bill C-15, the budget implementation act. I am the member of Parliament for London—Fanshawe and part of the official opposition. The democratic process is to openly debate proposed legislation on behalf of all Canadians.

I am here to repeat what I hear from my constituents. They see a $70-billion deficit, rising debt servicing costs and an industrial carbon tax that makes everything more expensive. They see neighbours being forced to go to food banks and young people giving up on home ownership. They do not feel the government's so-called historic investments; they feel higher bills, higher taxes and higher anxiety about the future. That is the reality I am bringing to the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, at the Standing Committee on Finance, when the Parliamentary Budget Officer, an independent official appointed by consensus by Parliament, issued reservations about the budget, the response from the Minister of Finance, who was in front of me, was simply to undermine the credibility of the institution, to say that the Parliamentary Budget Officer was entitled to his opinion, that it was an opinion like any other, and that what he said ultimately had little value.

The same thing happened recently in a press release where the Minister of Finance continues to undermine the credibility of an institution that is essential to our parliamentary work.

I would like to know if my colleague agrees with the Prime Minister's approach, his lack of respect toward parliamentary institutions.

Does my colleague not find that, in a way, the minister is behaving a bit like some of the people we are seeing in the U.S. administration these days?

[Kurt Holman, Conservative, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the Parliamentary Budget Officer and his response to the budget, I think it is actually quite concerning that there are some issues that he sees with the proposed budget, but I am here on behalf of the people of London—Fanshawe. It is my responsibility to the people who cannot afford another round of government experiments.

They are not asking for more bureaucracy or more glossy announcements. They are asking for a plan that makes life affordable again. The bottom line of this bill is higher debt, higher interest costs and higher prices.

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

Mr. Speaker, across Middlesex—London, I have heard from families that affordability is top of mind right now.

Parents are worried that their kids cannot afford to move out of their house. Even though they are well into their late twenties and have good educations and good-paying jobs, they just cannot afford to move out on their own because of the economy we are in right now. They cannot afford to pay for their groceries.

The parents are afraid of losing their jobs right now as we see pink slips going out across Ontario in our auto sector, so I am wondering if the member can comment on what he is hearing in London—Fanshawe from his constituents.

[Kurt Holman, Conservative, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what I am hearing from the constituents in London—Fanshawe is that people are not asking for more Ottawa spin. They are asking why, after a decade of record spending, it is harder than ever to buy a home, pay the rent or afford groceries.

When I speak to the families, I hear exhaustion. I hear people telling me they have cut every corner they can and still cannot keep up. That is why I am focused on the cost of living and the impact of this budget implementation bill on real families, not on the polished narratives the Liberal government reads into the record.

[Doug Shipley, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, just before we get going, I would like to put everybody in the festive spirit. This may be the last time we speak before we leave next week, and I want to say merry Christmas, happy holidays and the best of the new year.

I would like to remind people that there is a lot of great charity work going on in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte. Some of the charities are doing great work to help out the needy, and I remind people to keep supporting them and the people who are volunteering to do that. I thank them for the hard work they do.

I will be working the kettle a few times over the holidays, and I look forward to it. It is always fun, but it is also rewarding because it is nice to say hello to people and to get those donations, which are much needed. The Salvation Army does fantastic work.

I would like to remind all my colleagues here, in case anybody is in the Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte area, as well as local residents, that we have some great parades coming up that I will be partaking in. We have one on Sunday, December 7, at Elmvale, which is always a great turnout. We have one on Saturday, December 13 in Warminster and on Sunday, December 14, in Anten Mills. I will be partaking in all those, and I am looking forward to that.

It is always nice to see people there and wish them a merry Christmas, so I encourage others to come out to enjoy the parade. I see my colleague down the row here smiling. He looks like he may be just driving over from the Goderich area to join us over there, so I look forward to that. That will be nice.

Let us get to business now. I am pleased to rise to speak today on behalf of the great people of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte about the Liberal government's latest budget, a budget that would fail Canadians on every front from affordability to jobs, housing and immigration. I would like to focus on the unfortunate state of this country's finances after 10 years of deficit budgets and how the Liberal government's inflationary policies are affecting families in my community.

Let us start with some facts. Under the Prime Minister, the budget would add $321.7 billion to the federal debt over the next five years. That is more than twice what Justin Trudeau would have added in the same period, and we all know that he was not afraid to spend. That eyewatering number equals roughly $10 million every hour added to our national debt. Every single hour that passes, the Prime Minister is saddling residents in my community and across Canada with another $10 million of debt.

Today, the national debt stands at $1.3 trillion, and it will cost $55.6 billion just to service this debt. That is more money than the government spends on Canada health transfer payments and more than the government collects in GST revenue. It works out to be more than $3,000 per Canadian household just to pay the interest on that debt.

Meanwhile, Canada's GDP growth is stuck at 1.1%, the second-lowest in the G7, and the unemployment rates will average 6.4% over the next five years. It is not just Conservatives speaking out about this Liberal disastrous deficit spending. Fitch Ratings said that this budget's massive spending increase and debt burden weakens our credit profile and underscores the erosion of the federal government's finances. Dan Kelly, the president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, called the budget, “a missed opportunity to provide meaningful...relief to Canada’s employers.”

In the spirit of collaboration, the Conservatives tabled an amendment to the budget to boost take-home pay and deliver affordable homes and food. This would have been accomplished by scrapping hidden taxes on food; cutting taxes on work, homebuilding, investment and energy; and stopping the inflation tax by keeping the deficit under $42 billion. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister and his finance minister ignored our pleas for a lower deficit and lower taxes and decided to add more than $90 billion in new spending, which would keep inflation interest rates higher than Canadians can afford. That means higher taxes, higher inflation and higher food costs. The numbers do not lie. This is not fiscal responsibility. This is a budget of recklessness.

Now, I will turn to how residents in my community and Canadians from coast to coast are paying the price for the government's irresponsible deficit spending. Statistics Canada's latest data show that Canadians are paying more for food, gas and rent under the Liberal government as inflation, particularly on food, continues to outpace the government's targets. Food inflation in Canada is nearly double the Bank of Canada's target, and food prices have been rising 48% faster in Canada than they have in the United States. The cost of strawberries rose by 25%. Beef stewing cuts rose by 20%. Ground coffee rose by 20%, and chicken drumsticks rose by 17% between March and September.

Food Banks Canada gave the Liberal government an F on poverty and food insecurity after both rose nearly 40% in two years. A decade ago, individuals with full-time jobs were not relying on food banks to feed themselves and their families. Now, the high cost of groceries is exasperating food insecurity, and many Canadians are turning to food banks to make ends meet.

Just recently, Food Banks Canada released a report stating, “Employment is no longer a reliable buffer against poverty”, and Canada is becoming “a country where hunger is normalized”. In October, in my community, the Barrie Food Bank served 8,100 people, including a record number of children and seniors. That is a 16% increase from this time last year, and it is outpacing donations. Karen Shuh, the executive director of the Barrie Food Bank, stated:

We’re sourcing as much food as possible at the lowest cost and recovering food that would otherwise go to waste just to keep pace, but the gap between what we can provide and what our community needs keeps widening. If someone gave $1 last year, we now need $1.16 just to keep food distribution at the same level.

Residents with full-time jobs, seniors and young people should not have to rely on food banks to make ends meet.

In response to these startling numbers, Conservatives put forward a motion calling on the Liberal government to stop taxing food by eliminating the industrial carbon tax on fertilizer and farm equipment, the inflation tax, the food packaging tax and the clean fuel standard, which adds 17¢ per litre of gas. Unfortunately, the Liberal government voted down this motion to remove grocery taxes, which continue to drive up the price at the till.

Housing is no better. The Prime Minister promised that the Liberal government would build 500,000 homes. However, a report from the housing industry indicated that the Liberal government's housing plan has gone from a promise of 500,000 to a plan that will cost 100,000 jobs. This report highlighted the latest preconstruction home sales data, which shows that, across Canada, sales have collapsed. In the greater Toronto area, sales of preconstruction single-family apartments have collapsed by 82%.

The Liberals also abandoned their promise to cut development charges, which can make up 25% of a home's cost. These fees have soared 700% in two decades, pricing countless Canadians out of the market. The Canadian Real Estate Association stated that this budget offers limited concrete measures to support Canadians aspiring to achieve affordable home ownership and risks slamming the door on home ownership for many.

Conservatives have a real plan to restore the promise of home ownership for a generation that has sacrificed enough. We want to end the federal sales tax on new homes under $1.3 million, tie federal infrastructure dollars to homebuilding, cut building taxes by half and axe the capital gains tax on reinvestment to get the housing we need built.

The Liberal government's budget also fails on the immigration file. Instead of fixing the housing crisis or controlling costs, the Liberals are making their immigration levels permanent, keeping over two million temporary residents in Canada by 2027, a 300% increase since 2015. The Liberals have no plan for the 500,000 undocumented persons or three million temporary workers whose visas are expiring. This failure erodes wages, increases unemployment and reduces access to housing, health care and child care for everyone. Canadians deserve an immigration system that is fair, just and sustainable, not one that hides costs and ignores security risks.

Our immigration system must put Canada first, which means inviting the right people in the right numbers, which we can absorb into housing, health care and jobs. It means having a system that allows newcomers to succeed as part of the Canadian family. It also means restoring the value of citizenship so that everyone who calls this country home, regardless of where they came from, is Canadian above all else. Conservatives will continue to fight to make Canada a place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything by working hard, following the rules and contributing.

Finally, the cost of living crisis and the Liberal government's deficit spending is tragically affecting our young people. The most recent Statistics Canada's September labour force survey found that youth unemployment is increasing to 14.7%, which is the highest rate since September 2010. Students trying to balance school and work are in an even more desperate position, with 17.1% unable to find a job. This follows a brutal summer for our young people as the unemployment rate for returning full-time students averaged 17.9%, the highest rate since the great recession, excluding the first year of the pandemic.

I see that I am out of time. Perhaps during questions, I will be able to add the little I have left of my speech.

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

Mr. Speaker, in my last few questions, I have been trying to encourage the opposition to respond and explain to Canadians why they feel we should not be passing legislation in the House, even substantive legislation such as bail reform. The response has been that they want to be able to debate. It is a bit of a challenge.

I am not scared to work late. I am prepared to work late. A lot of Canadians from coast to coast work late. I would like the House to sit until midnight, not only tonight but for the rest of this week and next week, if necessary, so that we can allow those in the Conservative Party to debate the legislation, whether it is bail reform or budget reform. I am sure the member, if he truly wants members of the Conservative Party to debate, would agree with me and support a unanimous consent motion to that effect, which would enable us to have a good, healthy debate for the next couple of weeks. Surely to goodness, he would do that for Canadians so that we could have more debate in the House.

[Doug Shipley, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am looking around the room right now and I see a lot of Conservatives on this side here and ready to work. The member opposite talks about work. We are here; we are ready, and we are working.

Our constituents put us here to discuss things, not just to pass bills blatantly. I keep hearing that the Conservatives are filibustering. I am not filibustering; I am here doing my job. We get paid good money. We get sent here to do a job. My constituents expect me and, I am sure, all my other colleagues to do the job, and that is what we are doing.

[Terry Dowdall, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member represents my neighbour riding. I am sure he knows, since he comes from a municipal background, as I do, that in the last 10 years, many municipalities have had major concerns. There is increased food bank usage and a huge homelessness problem. It is something my riding is trying to address.

I know that a mayor in the member's riding declared a state of emergency to fix some of the problems that have been created by the Liberal government, which have put people in these situations. I am wondering if he could comment on the state of emergency that has been invoked in the City of Barrie.

[Doug Shipley, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I did not know the member was going to mention it, but it is great to hear. It is unfortunate what has happened in Barrie and many cities, most cities, all cities across Canada, quite frankly. I had this discussion recently with my two young sons, who are in their twenties. I told them that what they are seeing today is not the Canada I grew up in or the Canada I remember. They do not know what it was like then. They think seeing tents on the side of the road, tent encampments in every forest and every park is a normal thing. It is not normal. I took a tour across Canada, and it has infected many cities across our country.

The nice thing is that in Barrie, our strong-willed mayor, His Worship Alex Nuttall, did declare a state of emergency and is actually doing something. He is cleaning up the city. First, he is trying to get people the help they need. There is an addictions problem and a homelessness problem, but there is also a lawlessness problem. A lot of people are afraid to mention that right now, but that is what is going on. He is trying to address that issue, and I know he is cleaning up Barrie right now.

From residents, I am hearing the exact opposite of what I was hearing a few months ago. They are pleased with the direction; they are pleased that he is taking the initiative, and they are pleased that he is trying to clean it up. I support him wholeheartedly. Barrie is starting to look better and get back to what it once was.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, roughly halfway through the nearly 650 pages that make up Bill C‑15, there is a hidden amendment that gives any government minister the power to exempt any company from any federal law, other than the Criminal Code, for a period of three years. Bloc Québécois members find this very disturbing.

What does my hon. colleague think?

[Doug Shipley, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

The short answer is that it does not sound like a good deal to me, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am going to start with a happy bit. It was five years ago on Sunday that I stood in the House and announced to the whole nation that my daughter's water broke and I was going to be a grandfather for the first time. This past weekend, we celebrated my granddaughter Ren's fifth birthday. She is the light of my life, and I never knew that someone's heart could grow so big. She is incredible. I know she watches when I am up speaking, so I just want to say happy birthday to my granddaughter Ren and that Papa loves her.

I have an incredible team, and they prepared these speaking notes for me, but I am going to go off-script, as I often do, and I am just going to talk about home. The last couple of weeks have been absolutely devastating for my riding of Cariboo—Prince George, with the loss of West Fraser in 100 Mile and the loss of the Drax pellet plant in Williams Lake. Not only that, but I know there are more closures yet to come in our province of British Columbia. I know that a significant closure will be announced later today. I have been on the phone non-stop with mayors and councillors. I have been on the phone non-stop with British Columbians who have lost their jobs, and they are facing uncertain times.

It is really frustrating for me. For 10 years, I have been in this House and worked collaboratively across party lines. For 10 years, we have been hearing that forestry matters from members on the other side and that they would get a softwood lumber agreement in place, yet they have not. In the last three weeks, I have raised the issue again. For the first time since I have been a member of Parliament, and perhaps ever, we had an emergency take-note debate on forestry. It was the first time ever. While I applaud the Speaker for allowing us to do that, it is shameful, because these are real jobs. This impacts Canadians from across our country at a time when we cannot afford to lose more jobs.

We can never afford to lose more jobs, but the Prime Minister campaigned on being the man with the plan who could get a job done, which is what Trudeau did in 2015. He then told us all, Canadians and the families and communities that depend on forestry, that he could get a job done within 100 days of the new U.S. administration, and here we sit 10 years later.

It is hard for me, because I want to think that everybody has the best interests. I want to see the good in people. It is really hard when I stand up and raise the issue, and we have colleagues across the way who heckle us and tell us that we are making it up, or who laugh and say that it is feigned anger or feigned outrage. It is real.

It is real disappointment, because Canadians put their trust in these guys across the way. The calls I have taken have been absolutely heartbreaking. There are communities such as 100 Mile, where the loss of West Fraser is $1 million out of its tax base. Its budget is $3 million, so 30% of its municipal tax base is gone. What happens when those families leave? They do not come back, so we have communities all across our province that are drying up. That is no BS; it is the truth. The budget does nothing for that.

We have a Prime Minister who shrugged his shoulders two weeks ago and said, “Who cares?” when asked when he last spoke with Trump. He said, “Who cares?” To him, it is not a “burning issue”, and it really does not matter.

That was a flippant, arrogant answer, but it should not surprise any of us. We see that every day when he is here. It so frustrating, to hear families on the other end who are crying and emotional, with mayors and councils who are wondering what is going to happen when the other shoe drops. Members should believe me; that is going to happen.

Today, Algoma Steel announced 1,000 job layoffs. We have more to come in the forestry industry. At this time of year, it is hard to hear. It is hard to sit here and listen to the garbage being spewed from across the way at us.

Members know the budget was 500 pages long, yet mental health was mentioned once. We have an opioid crisis; over 50,000 Canadians have died since 2016, which is more than in World War II, yet there was not one mention of that in the budget.

The Liberals have spent $1 billion in the last 10 years on their safe supply, perpetuating addiction, killing people and killing Canadians. Can members imagine how many beds that $1 billion could have created? How many recovery centres could it have funded?

I know the one guy they allow to stand up, out of the 171 members they have on that side, is going to talk about this being a generational budget and talk about bail reform. We can look at the violence against nurses, health care workers and first responders that is being perpetuated every day. We had a bill that passed in the last Parliament; it should have been law by now. It would have given protection to those who protect us, yet at the dissolution of the past Parliament, it fell off the Order Paper because of these guys' playing silly buggers, because of the games that they are playing.

The Senate unanimously passed Bill S-233. We brought it back here three weeks ago to try to do the same, to give assurances to those who stand for us, our silent sentinels, those who run into burning buildings, those who hold our hand as we take our last breath. We tried to tell them that we are fighting for them just as they fight for us, that violence is unacceptable and it is not part of their job description. However, the other side is playing political hot potato with them as well. I cannot imagine anyone who would want to be part of that team. I cannot imagine being on the doorsteps in their ridings, trying to defend their record. For 10 years, we have listened to the promises and listened to the garbage being spewed from the other side. They have failed every step of the way. That is being witnessed and experienced in our ridings today.

Last week, it was 300 jobs in my riding. That brought the total to over 3,000 jobs lost. Today, there were 1,000 layoffs at Algoma Steel. I am sure that, by the end of the day, we are going to see more jobs lost. That blame falls squarely at the foot of this front bench and the Prime Minister. The Liberals campaigned by saying they had a plan. They sold a bill of goods to Canadians once again. Today is not a day for celebration at all. I know they are going to stand up and say Canadians have never had it so good. We now spend more servicing our debt than we do in health care transfers. It is shameful how far we have fallen.

I wish I had 20 minutes because I could go on and on about the failures of the government. It is absolutely shameful. I will cede the floor for questions.

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

Mr. Speaker, the member talked about first responders. I too have great respect for first responders in many different ways, as I believe all members of the House do, including the Prime Minister. Having said that, it is also in Bill C-14.

It is interesting. I have raised this issue before. We talk about important legislation that the Conservatives try to prevent from passing through procrastinating or filibustering. In particular, the one that upsets me is the bail reform legislation. I believe it should be passed. There is no reason it could not pass before Christmas. The only thing preventing that, and that includes the first responders aspect, is the Conservative Party of Canada.

I wonder if the member would agree with me. If it is all about the Conservatives wanting to debate, why would he not agree to sit until midnight for the next two weeks?