House of Commons Hansard #65 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was debt.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Closure of Algoma Steel Plant Pierre Poilievre requests an emergency debate on steelworker job losses at Algoma Steel, blaming American tariffs and the Liberal government's carbon tax. He criticizes a $400 million investment without job guarantees. 500 words.
Admissibility of Committee Amendments to Bill C-12—Speaker's Ruling The Speaker rules on a point of order concerning nine amendments adopted by committee to Bill C-12, an act relating to border security and immigration. The deputy government leader argued the amendments violated the "parent act rule." The Speaker declares eight amendments, primarily concerning the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, inadmissible, finding them outside the bill's scope, but upholds one amendment to the Oceans Act as consequential. 1600 words.
Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1 Second reading of Bill C-15. The bill implements the 2025 budget, which opposition members criticize as leading to generational debt and a rising cost of living. They allege it contains "corruption" and "favouritism" benefiting Liberal insiders and the Prime Minister's corporate buddies, hindering job creation. Government members defend it as a "generational investment" to build a strong economy, citing increased defence spending, infrastructure, and social programs, while accusing the opposition of "character assassination" and "filibustering." 51200 words, 6 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
National Strategy on Flood and Drought Forecasting Act Second reading of Bill C-241. The bill proposes a national strategy respecting flood and drought forecasting to enhance coordination and data sharing across Canada, addressing the increasing impacts of climate change. While supporters emphasize the need for cooperation among different levels of government and improved water management, critics argue it risks becoming another Ottawa-driven exercise in paperwork without providing real solutions or timely funding for disaster mitigation. Concerns are raised about duplication with existing services, respecting provincial jurisdiction, and the lack of concrete action or funding mechanisms to support communities. 7400 words, 1 hour.
Philip Earle Liberal Labrador, NL
Mr. Speaker, it has been 19 years since the First Nations Fiscal Management Act came into force, thanks to the leadership and determination of first nations across Canada. Since then, the act has evolved into a highly successful and robust system that supports first nations with fiscal management, local taxation and access to pooled borrowing.
Can the minister update the House on the important work under way to advance indigenous economic prosperity?
Rebecca Alty LiberalMinister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
Mr. Speaker, budget 2025 proposes important updates to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act that will enable the First Nations Finance Authority to lend to special-purpose vehicles. For indigenous communities, this makes it easier for multiple nations to work together, borrow as a group and lower administrative costs. It also provides access to better borrowing rates and more opportunities to take equity in major projects and infrastructure.
With improved access to financing, communities can create good jobs, grow local businesses and build lasting prosperity for future generations.
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable that this member was picked to be the new Minister responsible for Official Languages. This morning, this member repeated that he is fed up with defending the decline of French. I have news for him. We in the Conservative Party of Canada will fight for francophones across Canada. Even the Premier of Quebec is saying that it is shameful that this person was appointed as the Minister responsible for Official Languages.
Is the new Quebec lieutenant also fed up with debating the decline of French, as his colleague, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, says he is?
Marc Miller LiberalMinister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, French actually is in decline across Canada. However, what bothers me is the hypocrisy of the Conservatives, who voted against our plan to invest $4.1 billion across Canada in order to strengthen French in our country. As the Minister of Immigration, I doubled francophone immigration outside Quebec. That is a great result, even if the Conservatives voted against our $4.1-billion plan.
What is shameful is their hypocrisy.
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
Uqaqtittiji, living downstream from the oil sands, the Mikisew Cree First Nation has higher rates of cancer, yet the government is developing regulations to allow affected water to be released into the Athabasca River. UNDRIP and the environmental racism act must be implemented to protect the health of first nations.
How can the Liberals proceed with regulations knowing that the Mikisew Cree First Nation has not given consent because its residents are dying from cancer?
Julie Dabrusin LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, pollution from the oil sands tailings ponds is a serious issue, and we acknowledge and take seriously the concerns raised by nearby indigenous communities in the region. We are currently supporting a study of health impacts on nearby communities, and there is a Crown-indigenous working group working on water release standards. We are committed to protecting Canada's environment and the health of communities and, of course, the indigenous communities nearby.
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Mr. Speaker, our health care system is already stretched, yet the federal government piles on needless work. The College of Family Physicians warns that the disability tax credit form is worsening the strain and costing patients access to care. Instead of fixing it, budget 2025 allocates $10 million to help people navigate the same broken system.
Provinces already determine disability eligibility. Why will the minister not automatically accept provincial approval for the disability tax credit to reduce barriers and let family doctors focus on patient care?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, it is historic. For the first time in this country, we have a disability tax benefit, and I want to thank all parliamentarians who supported this. Unfortunately, again the Conservatives voted against the very people they say they wish to help.
Budget 2025 actually goes a step further, and it compensates people for the financial burden of getting doctors' forms to file for their credit. We will continue to work with people who are living with disabilities to make sure that they have every opportunity to thrive in Canadian society.
House of Commons Procedure and PracticeOral Questions
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
It is my pleasure to lay before the House, in both official languages, the fourth edition of House of Commons Procedure and Practice.
As many hon. members know, the first three editions were respectively published in 2000, 2009 and 2017. Each of these additions quickly became an essential reference not only for those who work on Parliament Hill, but also for those off the Hill who have an interest in the House of Commons.
I am confident that this fourth edition will in turn soon establish itself as the most authoritative source of procedural guidance for our parliamentary proceedings.
This new edition, edited by the Clerk of the House, Eric Janse, and the deputy clerk, procedure, Jeffrey LeBlanc, reflects the most current practices and procedures. Spanning more than 1,300 pages and containing over 5,500 footnotes, it reflects the depth and complexity of the House's procedural framework.
Members will be interested to know that the fourth edition reflects our rules and practices as recent as the spring of 2025.
For the ease and convenience of all, the fourth edition is also available in an accessible electronic format on the House of Commons website.
I would like to express my gratitude to the many dedicated individuals from across the administration who played a role in the drafting, editing, design and publication of this book. The entire production process was a remarkable team effort, reflecting the outstanding professionalism and expertise of House employees.
I encourage all members not only to refer to this publication, but to make it a vital resource in strengthening their understanding of the procedural knowledge essential to their parliamentary duties. While it may not qualify as light reading, I am confident that you will find it both highly informative and immensely valuable.
I invite all members to join me in the Speaker's salon for a reception to mark this very special occasion.
The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C-15, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025, be read the second time and referred to a committee, and of the amendment.
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to again rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.
Where I parted ways with my speech was when I was talking about things that people in my riding and communities in my riding had asked for. For instance, one of the things I wrote to the finance minister about, which I do not believe was addressed, as none of these things were addressed, was the Village of Clinton struggling with housing. Imagine that. The government tells us about how much it is building, yet the Village of Clinton continues to struggle with housing. Where is its support? It is absolutely non-existent.
What about consultations for the Village of Ashcroft? Ashcroft has critical infrastructure challenges. The community serves a number of outlying areas in addition to the community itself, and the collective tax base cannot cover critical infrastructure. The village needs upgrades to the sewer plant and water reservoir for a sustainable future. I wrote to the Minister of Justice on this. We will see. It looks like crickets so far.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has a number of needs, especially when it comes to housing. There is also water and waste-water infrastructure for rural communities, which is central to building houses, and the government is silent. There is emergency preparedness and ongoing streamlined funding to support emergency operations, fire halls and things like that. We do not see smaller communities being supported in this budget.
The First Nations' Emergency Services Society of British Columbia also put something forward. I have not heard back on that one.
What about Merritt? I was overwhelmed to be in Merritt recently. The government promised money to Merritt for the flooding and the dikes. It got none. The province contributed. The federal government was there for the photo ops. It has done nothing.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, if we want to talk about talk and no action, let us look at the Conservative Party's filibuster and refusal to pass legislation. We have bail reform legislation, as an example, which was an election platform promise, and the Conservatives continue to stall the passage of that bill. We have Bill C-15. They will not even pass it to go to committee. This is an opposition party that is bent on being a destructive force on the floor of the House of Commons.
The Conservatives should be ashamed of themselves. I would ask this: When are they going to get off their back end and start allowing legislation to get through the House of Commons?
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, I see so many Liberal backbenchers who are not allowed to speak because this member wants to make baseless accusations. Why is another member not standing up right now?
The community of Merritt was promised money for the flooding. All these Liberals talk about is how they are going to have our backs. The Prime Minister and cabinet ministers went to British Columbia and said they would have its back. They did nothing. This member can stand up here while backbenchers after backbenchers get to say nothing. Where was he for the community of Merritt? Where were these Liberals for the community of Merritt? Where are they for Canadians when they need them most?
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC
Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech, and I would like to hear what he has to say about the record deficit that the current Liberal government is forcing on us. The member says that this an intergenerational budget, but I would say it is more of an intergenerational disaster. We are talking about a $78-billion deficit. Justin Trudeau seems positively frugal compared to the current Prime Minister, the expert banker, who is driving us further into deficit.
There is another equally serious matter: The member is saying that $45 billion of the $78 billion is investment. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the way the government put this budget together with this creative new accounting means that these are not real investments, and that means that we are not being told the real truth about the budget.
I would like my colleague to tell me what he thinks about this deficit and how the government is using creative accounting to its advantage.
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, I agree wholeheartedly. We do not always agree with the Bloc, but I agree wholeheartedly. This is not a generational budget. This is generational spending, where $5,400 is being added for every single family. That is how much our deficit is. This is why people are getting rich. Certain people are getting rich: consultants, Brookfield shareholders and probably a few others. There are people who are lined up at food banks in my riding in record numbers. I agree with that member.
Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to have previously represented many of the regions this member now represents in the Fraser Canyon. Indeed, in 2021, the federal government promised billions of dollars to help rebuild British Columbia. The government talked about the impacts of climate change. We have seen them more specifically than any other region of Canada.
Why does the government not believe in climate change, and why does it keep talking about trying to address climate change but will not actually do it where we have seen the biggest impact in Canada?
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, there is a really quick reason for this. This government is all talk, no rock.
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Mr. Speaker, coastal communities are running out of time. Key federal programs that protect wild salmon and restore critical habitat expire in March, and they were not in the budget. The federal government has not confirmed their renewal, and communities cannot wait for a spring economic statement. On the west coast, wild salmon are vital for food security, culture, the ecosystem and the economy. First nations, hatcheries and restoration groups are doing the work, but they cannot plan without federal certainty. It is essential that we do not take our foot off the gas.
Does my colleague agree with how critical these programs are and that it is critical the federal government fund these programs and restore funding immediately?
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, I actually wrapped up my colleague from Mission's answer very quickly, because I wanted to hear from my colleague for whom I have a great deal of time.
I am by no means an expert on fisheries, but I do have 29 first nations in my riding. I understand the importance of fishing, particularly when it comes to economies on the island, and first nations economies at that. From what I have seen, I have seen a government that has been unserious on this file based on its rhetoric, but also based on who it is appointing. I could go on, but I hope to talk to my colleague more in the future.
Dean Allison Conservative Niagara West, ON
Mr. Speaker, as always, I want to thank my constituents of Niagara West for putting their trust in me to be their voice here in Ottawa. It is an honour and a privilege to serve them. I have been their representative in this place since 2004, and I will continue to tirelessly fight for their interests every single day.
Unfortunately, the Liberal government, through 10 consecutive budgets, is working against the interests of my constituents. In fact, I believe it is working against the interests of Canadians in general. The Liberal track record under Justin Trudeau was abysmal, and it is the same bunch running things again for the new Prime Minister, so it is no surprise then that things are actually getting worse.
Let us not forget that the Prime Minister was Justin Trudeau's economic adviser since 2020. Many issues have gotten exponentially worse since he took office in April of this year. He promised he would fix things. Well, he has not done much fixing, but he sure is travelling a lot. He has circled the planet four times over with spectacularly bad results. In fact, he has done nothing but burn jet fuel and contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Prime Minister first promised he would have a deal done with the United States by July 21, and then he changed it to August 1. He has travelled there a few times, so where is the deal? Today is December 2, and there is no deal and none being worked on as we speak. Things are so bad on the negotiation front that every time the Prime Minister goes somewhere, including the United States, somehow Canadians end up paying more tariffs.
It is one failure after another, but if we listen to the Liberals talk in this place, they would say that Canadians have never had it so good. Sometimes I think they live in an alternative universe. They even say that we are imagining the taxes we are paying on food and fuel. All people have to do is watch question period and they will hear it for themselves. The rhetoric does not match the facts on the ground. That is what the most frustrating part is for Canadians.
Hard-working Canadians are losing their jobs on a daily basis. Let us recap a few here. Stellantis announced that 3,000 Canadian jobs will head south to Illinois. A week later, General Motors said that it is ending electrical van production at the CAMI assembly plant, putting 1,200 people out of work at their Ingersoll plant. Quebec truck manufacturer Paccar was forced to lay off 300 workers because of additional American tariffs on commercial trucks, bringing the total job cuts to 725 in their Sainte-Thérèse plant. These followed TFT Global laying off 425 workers in Oshawa, and Magna cutting 49 jobs in London. In Ear Falls, 150 union workers were laid off when the town's sawmill shut down. One hundred and fifty workers were laid off by Western Forest Products in B.C. and 150 more workers from Interfor's Ontario plants. Just yesterday, we found out that Algoma Steel will let go of 1,000 workers.
All these people have families, mortgages, bills and kids to take care of. These folks are now wondering what is next and what is going to happen to their futures. Does the Prime Minister care? That is debatable.
Recently, the Prime Minister said that he did not care about the U.S. negotiations that led to the layoffs I just mentioned. When asked about the trade talks, the Prime Minister responded with a smug, “Who cares?” and that he did not “have a burning issue to speak with the president about right now,” while Canadian families and businesses are suffering. Let us not forget that he is the one who promised to negotiate a win and to handle Donald Trump.
Canadians are still waiting while things are getting worse and worse. The Liberal deficit this year is nearly $80 billion. The national debt is a staggering $1.3 trillion. Let us put it this way: For each individual watching at home today, and for every Canadian, their portion is $33,000. That is every single Canadian's debt to pay back. When I say every single Canadian, I mean from newborn infants to seniors in long-term care facilities. It is everyone. They owe $33,000 and this amount is only getting bigger.
Why is it getting bigger? The interest payment alone is about $60 billion a year as these deficits continue year after year. It is what experts call an economic ticking time bomb. An analyst at Reuters warned that the deficit trajectory risks undermining confidence in Canada's long-term financial stability. Let me translate that so that my Liberal colleagues can understand. The Reuters analyst basically said that Liberals are managing this country like a teenager handles their first Visa card: buy now, cry later.
We all know the current slogan, in essence, is the same as Justin Trudeau's. The Prime Minister's “we are spending less and investing more” slogan is just Justin Trudeau's “the budget will balance itself” nonsense.
What do they have to show for all these deficits they have been running for last 10 years? As expected, it is nothing but terrible results. We are seeing depression, hunger, homelessness, addiction and crime. We have an affordability crisis the likes of which we have not seen in generations. Young folks cannot buy homes. They are delaying starting families. They are living in their parents' basements and they do not see a way out. We have a 7% unemployment rate overall. It is double for young people. What about attracting investment to Canada? There is not much there either. Business investment is cratering. For folks listening at home, when businesses decide not to invest in Canada, it means that jobs are not being created in Canada.
Like I have been saying for many years, Liberal red tape and over-regulation are choking the life out of Canadian businesses and foreign investment. Business confidence in Canada is already at low and near recessive levels, according to multiple surveys.
Do not worry, the Liberals have a plan, which is to cross their fingers, close their eyes and whisper manifesting affirmations. RBC politely described the Liberals' expectations for their budget as overly optimistic. Let us translate this too. A banker is basically saying that these people are dreaming.
What about the Liberal record on affordability? I think that everyone at this point knows that the Liberal out-of-control spending and taxation have caused hunger, poverty and homelessness in our society. The average household pays 41% more in income taxes in 2023 than in 2010. Let me say that again, because most Canadians will be shocked to hear this. The average household paid 41% more income taxes in 2023 than in 2010. I wonder who was in government then.
More than one in four Canadians needed to use savings or borrow money to buy food. More than one in four is experiencing food insecurity. The average family of four will spend over $800 more this year on groceries compared to last. We are seeing food bank lineups reminiscent of bread lines in communist regimes. Food bank visits are at an all-time high. More than a million people visited the food bank in the past year. In Ontario, one out of every 16 people has gone to a food bank because they cannot afford to eat. That is 24,000 people across the province every single day. It is a staggering 87% increase compared to 2020.
How anyone can think they are doing a good job given these statistics is astonishing to me. Food banks across the country are at a breaking point. That is the record of the Liberal Party of Canada for the last 10 years. That is the record that they are somehow proud of.
The policies they have chosen to implement, like taxing people into poverty, inflationary spending that makes people's paycheques worth less and over-regulating businesses into bankruptcy, or worse than that, out of the country, are their record. That is what they have been able to achieve. All the while, they are getting cozier with foreign hostile powers like China, when the Liberals are fully aware that Beijing has been involved in espionage and interfering in Canada's elections.
How many examples of Beijing interference in Canada do the Liberals need to understand that Beijing is Canada's adversary, not a friend? The Liberals have barely addressed the Winnipeg lab situation, where two so-called scientists were fired from the lab because they were working in Beijing's interests.
All of that said, this is really what Canada has become. It is what this generation will be known for: an affordability crisis, a housing crisis, a foreign affairs crisis, a trade crisis and many other crises, probably, the way things are going.
There is hope at the end of the tunnel. Canadians can rest assured that with a Conservative government, this type of devastation directly caused by Liberals will be fixed. It will be fixed with common-sense ideas and policies that put Canadian families at the centre. Canadians want lower taxes, affordable food and homes, and an overall life that is a safe life. They want a future for our children that involves being able to have a family in a home on a safe street and pride in who we are as Canadians. Our Conservative plan is one of pragmatism.
It is time for the Liberals to admit that they have failed spectacularly in the last 10 years. As our Conservative leader has said repeatedly, please copy our plan. We talk about it in this place all the time. We have laid it out online for people to read, including Liberal MPs from across the aisle.
Canadians are desperate for a change in direction. I think all of us in this place want what is best for Canadians. I truly do. Let us make this happen. Let us work together toward a future that Canadians can be proud of. The budget, as it currently stands, is simply not it. That is why I just cannot support the budget and why I will be voting against it.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the member says to work together. He makes reference to having safe streets. On the other hand, there was an election platform from the Prime Minister to bring forward bail reform legislation. The Conservatives have done anything but be co-operative on the legislation. This is legislation that should have passed by now. Canadians deserve bail reform legislation. This is legislation that provinces, law enforcement officers, stakeholders and Canadians want. The roadblock is the Conservative Party of Canada.
Regarding the budget debate, once again, Conservatives want to continue to debate and debate instead of allowing the bill to go to committee. The only thing that the Conservative Party has been able to demonstrate in the last number of weeks is that they know how to continue to be a destructive force on the floor of the House of Commons.
Does the Conservative Party have an ounce of shame to recognize that what they are doing does not serve the best interests of Canadians?
Dean Allison Conservative Niagara West, ON
Mr. Speaker, our job as the opposition is to make bills better. There are a number of bills that have come through us. We are talking about the budget right now, but we can talk about Bill C-8, Bill C-9 and a number of other bills that, quite frankly, are not in the best interest of Canadians.
Our job as parliamentarians is to make those bills better. I have no problem at all trying to do that. We were elected to represent our constituents, point out the flaws in these bills and try to make them better. That is what we will do. This is our job. This is our requirement. This is what we will continue to do.
Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, in the budget, the government uses a definition of investment that does not exist anywhere else in the world. In committee, we pointed out that aspect of Bill C-15. The member for Whitby, who is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, was unable to say where else in the world that definition is used. In the middle of the committee meeting, he consulted ChatGPT. He asked ChatGPT the question. It made a series of mistakes and the member misled the committee because of these mistakes made by ChatGPT. The member was trying to find a single place in the world where the government's definition of investment had been used.
They were mistakes. Canada is the only country that uses this definition. The parliamentary secretary was forced to base his responses and interactions with the parliamentary committee on mistakes made by ChatGPT. I would like my colleague to tell me what this tells us about the seriousness and level of preparation of the Department of Finance and the parliamentary secretary.
Dean Allison Conservative Niagara West, ON
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from the Bloc raises an excellent point. Nowhere have we ever seen what the government is trying to do. Really, what it is trying to do is con Canadians. This is what it is trying to do.
The government is trying to explain to Canadians that, somehow, we have two separate categories, operations and investment, when at the end of the day, parliaments from around the world look at spending as just one thing, as the member so aptly pointed out. It is one bucket. We can call it operations. We can call it marketing. We can call it investments, whatever we want to call it.
The reality is that the government spends money. Money comes in in the form of taxes, and then what happens at the end of the day is that governments are responsible for then redistributing that money. The member makes an excellent point. No matter how we spend it, it is still spending.
Lianne Rood Conservative Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague what he thinks of all of the job losses we are seeing in Ontario right now. We are weeks before Christmas. We have CAMI handing pink slips to people in southwestern Ontario. We have other job losses in the auto sector across southwestern Ontario. I know Middlesex—London, and all of southwestern Ontario, is being hit hard by these job losses.
I would like to ask my colleague what we would do, what he would do, as Conservatives, to help with these job losses, and why he thinks the Liberal government does not seem to care about our workers in Ontario.