Debates of Dec. 4th, 2025

Terrebonne en portrait

[Tatiana Auguste, Liberal, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to express my gratitude to Corine Beltrami, president of Événements citoyens, who put her heart into organizing the seventh edition of the event Terrebonne en portrait.

This magical and deeply compassionate event focuses on families that are struggling with various challenges. Through the hard work of more than 71 volunteers, countless photographers and costumed characters, a makeup artist and designer, and, of course, the Star Fairy, Santa Claus and his elf, 61 families had an amazing experience and left with portraits imbued with magic and community.

I want to congratulate Ms. Beltrami and her dedicated team on the tremendous success of this seventh edition of the event Terrebonne en portrait. Their generosity and creativity shine a light on the community and remind us of the power of sharing.

Cost of Food

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, eight months ago the Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by their experience at the grocery store. Today's food price report confirms that groceries keep getting more expensive. When the Liberals took office in 2015, the weekly grocery bill was $159. Today it has more than doubled to $338, over $17,000 a year, and next year families will pay an additional $1,000, which will be the largest increase ever recorded.

For rural Canadians, these costs hit especially hard. Many travel farther to shop and have fewer options. Farmers are struggling with soaring input costs, higher debt, and policies that make it more expensive to grow and transport food. Instead of cutting spending and axing hidden taxes that drive up prices, the government keeps raising them.

Canadians are struggling to put food on the table, especially around Christmas. It is time to lower costs and make food more affordable again, especially for people in our rural communities.

Public Safety

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our new government has taken immediate action to improve public safety, to stop crime and to hold criminals responsible. We have added much stricter penalties for gun crime, gang crime and violent crime. We are strengthening bail to ensure that criminals are not released from jail. We are strengthening anti-hate laws to protect vulnerable populations from targeted harassment. We are protecting women from violence and exploitation. We are giving police the modern tools they need to infiltrate criminal networks, to investigate, and to stop crimes before they happen.

This was done in close collaboration with police chiefs, frontline officers, legal experts, community partners and victims' organizations to prevent crime, to hold criminals responsible and to keep our communities safe. However, progress on these important public safety measures is being delayed by partisan Conservative obstruction. Public safety is not a partisan issue. Canadians deserve action, not political stunts, so let us work together to keep Canadians safe.

Prime Minister of Canada

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is always a good day to be Brookfield under the Liberal government. Why is that? Canadians for Tax Fairness called Brookfield Canada's “runaway leader” in tax avoidance, and estimated it has skipped out on paying $6.5 billion in Canadian taxes. It is clear that when the Prime Minister was running Brookfield, he would rather dodge its tax bill than contribute to Canada.

Canadians deserve one set of rules for everyone; instead we get special carve-outs for Brookfield and for the Prime Minister. The Conflict of Interest Act is clear that a public office holder must not involve themselves in any matter where they could benefit, yet a Brookfield executive told the committee the Prime Minister's ethics screen is basically an open window.

This is all while Canadians are facing record-high food prices just in time for Christmas dinner. Young Canadians are told to make more sacrifices, yet the Prime Minister is doubling our deficit.

When will the Prime Minister stop acting like a greasy banker who puts his own personal interest in Brookfield ahead of everyday Canadians?

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be in the House today, during my maternity leave, to mark the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

I stand here holding my daughter, Matina, in my arms. As I look at her, I think about the future I want for her.

I am talking about a future where every woman and every girl can love, can dream and can walk alone freely without fear, a future where existence itself is never a risk.

On the status of women committee, we heard about the changes needed to the justice system. We heard from countless witnesses about the urgent need for prevention, awareness and better support for women. We must strengthen protection for victims and survivors and ensure that there are real consequences for abusers and for perpetrators of violence.

I will continue to prioritize these issues, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in government to make our country safer for women and girls.

Cost of Food

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Liberal government, Canadians' grocery bills look less like a Christmas list and more like Clark Griswold's electricity bill.

The Prime Minister told Canadians that he should be judged by the costs at the grocery store. Well, eight months later we are feeling even more uncertainty and facing even higher grocery bills. Today's food price report shows that grocery prices are still climbing, and it is only getting worse. When the Liberals took office in 2015, the average weekly grocery bill for a family was $159. Today it has doubled, totalling over $17,500 each year. Now Canadians are being warned to brace for another $1,000 next year just to feed their family.

Instead of gifting Canadians a Griswold-style Christmas bonus full of empty promises and hollow announcements, the Prime Minister should give Canadians real relief this holiday season by removing unjustified hidden taxes on food and ensuring that moms and dads can feed their families this—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Winnipeg West.

Dental Care

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the progress our government is making in expanding dental care across our country, especially in Manitoba. The Canadian dental care plan now covers nearly six million Canadians. In Manitoba, over 150,000 residents are enrolled, and more than 85,000 have already received care.

To build on this progress, our federal government is investing over $35 million, through the oral health access fund, in 30 projects nationwide to strengthen training, support outreach and reduce barriers to care. Nearly $6 million will go toward four initiatives at the University of Manitoba, including clinical internships, training modules, support for low-income patients, and stronger ties with local community organizations.

These initiatives show the power of community collaboration and are helping more Manitobans access the dental care they need, close to home.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to have nutritious, affordable, excellent food. Unfortunately, that is not what they are getting after 10 years of Liberal government. Let us look at the current facts. The annual food price report predicts that a family of four will spend up to $17,600 in 2026, an increase of $995. That is double what it was the year the Liberals took power.

Will the Prime Minister finally abolish the taxes and inflationary deficits that are driving up the cost of food?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, first, industrial carbon pricing does not apply to farmers. The member is talking about imaginary taxes that have no impact on the price of food. However, if the member wants to talk about the report that came out today, I can tell him that it says that climate change will have a major impact on the cost of food.

I would like to know if the opposition leader is prepared to fight against climate change, because he has no plan. He is fighting against Canada instead of fighting against climate change.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at weekly grocery bills. According to data from the report released today, in 2015, the year the Liberals took office, the average Canadian family was spending $163 a week on groceries. Next year, it will be double that: $340.

The cost of government has driven up the cost of groceries. When will the government axe these taxes?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition goes on and on about imaginary taxes, yet he consistently votes against the school food program, the Canada child benefit, dental care and pharmacare. These are measures that help people in need in Canada. We are the ones proposing them, and he is the one opposing them.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, hard-working Canadians deserve affordable, nutritious and delicious food: meat and potatoes on the dinner table every single night.

However, after a decade of the Liberal government, the cost of groceries has literally doubled. Today the food price report shows that Canadians will spend $17,600 to feed a family of four next year, double what it was when the Liberals took office, and $995 more than the preceding year, after the Prime Minister promised to be judged by the prices at the grocery store.

Will the Prime Minister reverse his inflationary taxes on food?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is another example of the opposition's using a report without actually taking the time to read it.

In fact, the price of beef, one of the prices that is going up most dramatically, is directly linked to climate change. In fact, the report says challenges persisted for producers throughout the year in western Canada as they experienced a drought and as input costs like feed rose.

We are focused on how to help Canadians. That is why today I was with the Ontario government, signing the child care agreement that will save families $10,400 a year.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this is the point in any Liberal term when the Liberals go from making promises to making excuses.

The Prime Minister promised that he would be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Let us look at those prices on a weekly basis. Today's report gives out data that shows that when the Liberals took office in 2015, it was $163 a week to afford groceries for a family of four. Now it is $340, literally double.

Liberal taxes for farmers, fertilizers, food processors and packaging have all driven up the cost of food. Will the Liberals reverse their taxes on groceries?

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

Mr. Speaker, instead of focusing on imaginary taxes, we are working to control the things we can, which is putting more money in the pockets of Canadians.

That is how we help Canadians with affordability challenges. We make sure they have the money so they can adjust to whatever happens in the market. One would think Conservatives would understand market pressures. It is clear they do not.

Today we signed with Ontario an extension of the early learning and child care program. It is $10,400 per family, on average. Does the member know how many weeks of food that is? It is at least 63—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, children cannot eat agreements or photo ops or promises. If any of these costly promises the Liberals were making were actually real, then we would not have seen the number of kids relying on food banks double to 700,000 kids in the last five years. Today, a report from Dalhousie proves that the weekly grocery bill of a family of four has doubled to $340 a week. That is the result.

Will they finally reverse the Liberal taxes that are driving up food?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, time and time again, the members opposite say no to supporting Canadians. We have a Canada child benefit that supports young families. It is indexed to inflation. It is not taxed. It is something that they voted against.

Time and time again, we will be there to fight for Canadians. If he wants to talk about imaginary taxes, that is only an imaginary argument. We are doing the real work to support families.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the industrial carbon tax is not only real; it was in the Prime Minister's own budget that he wants to increase it. It is a tax on the steel that goes into farm equipment, the fertilizer that goes into farm fields, the equipment that goes into food processors. Then there is the tax on food packaging. By banning plastics, they are making food go bad earlier and costing an extra $1 billion, all of which is passed on. Finally, a $78-billion deficit is inflating the cost of everything.

Instead of doubling the cost of food, why will they not scrap the taxes on groceries?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Leader of the Opposition has not read the report because, in fact, the report predicts that inflation is actually going to stabilize and go down.

Here is what we are doing on this side. We are putting money in the pockets of Canadians, whether it is through the Canada child benefit, which, by the way, is indexed to inflation and that they voted against, whether it is affordable child care for families with growing children, which is helping them save money for a down payment on a house, which they say is a goal they have but they voted against, or whether it is for school food programs for those families that need an extra hand.

We are here for Canadians in good times and bad. It is pretty clear where they stand. It is for themselves.

Justice

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we thought that the Liberals had finally agreed to repeal the exemption in the Criminal Code that allows people to incite hatred under the guise of religion, but today we are learning that nothing could be further from the truth.

Just as we began debating the Bloc Québécois's amendment to repeal the religious exemption, the Liberals said that they wanted to cancel all meetings of the Standing Committee on Justice until 2026. They are obviously afraid to adopt the Bloc Québécois's amendment. They are obviously capitulating to religious lobbies.

Will they come to their senses and do away with the religious exemption, yes or no?

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we are ready to do the work. In fact, we started clause-by-clause consideration last Tuesday, and we will continue to work hard on this file.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, religion should never serve as an excuse to commit crimes, including incitement of hatred. The National Assembly is demanding an end to the religious exemption that allows this abuse. However, the Liberals are still ignoring the will of Quebeckers and bowing to the will of a handful of dogmatic religious leaders. Tolerating this kind of discourse is not respecting freedom of religion or freedom of expression. It is not keeping an open mind toward diversity; it is being cowardly in the face of violence.

Will the Liberals come to their senses?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of freedom, I have a question to ask that is very relevant given today's news inside the Bloc Québécois. Their leader in Quebec raised this issue.

Does he think that Quebec artists lack loyalty to the Quebec nation?

I want him to answer the question with a yes or no.