Debates of Dec. 5th, 2025

Food Drives

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at this time of year, when helping one another becomes especially meaningful, I want to draw the House's attention to the importance of the many food drives that are being held in our communities.

Thanks to the generosity of our fellow Canadians, hundreds of families are getting essential support and finding a bit of hope as the holidays approach. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the volunteers who make these initiatives possible. Their commitment makes a real difference. I am thinking in particular of the cadets, scouts, Knights of Columbus and all the organizations and volunteers who spend countless hours helping others.

I want to thank all those who give of their time, energy and kindness. They are living proof that generosity is one of the strongest pillars of our society. I want to wish all the families in my riding and in Canada a holiday season filled with warmth, caring, hope, love and peace.

Cost of Food

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by their experience at the grocery store. Well, eight months later, that judgment is clear and devastating. When the Liberals took office in 2015, the weekly grocery bill was $159. Today it has more than doubled to $338, over $17,500 a year, and the 2026 food price report released yesterday confirms that Canadians will pay another $1,000 next year, the largest increase in years.

In London the impact is severe. Nearly 10,000 people in the region have turned to food banks, totalling more than 45,000 visits. Across Ontario, food bank use continues to climb, and for the first time, nearly one in four food bank users is employed. Having a job no longer guarantees food security in Canada.

Canadians are hungry, and they cannot afford the Liberal government anymore. Conservatives will help Canadians so they can once again put nutritious, affordable food on the table.

Steel Industry

[Aslam Rana, Liberal, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the world is changing, and Canada must change with it. At this critical moment, we cannot afford to be reliant on a single trading partner. We must build an economy that is stronger, self-sufficient and resilient to global shocks, which is why last week I was joined by the Minister of International Trade along with the CEO of Dofasco in Hamilton Centre to announce our government's new measures to protect and transform Canada's steel industry.

We are taking bold actions to protect our steel sector, tightening limits on foreign steel imports and unlocking over $1 billion in new domestic demand for Canadian steel. We are lowering steel transportation costs by half and implementing the buy Canadian policy. We are standing shoulder to shoulder with our workers and businesses to modernize and to stay competitive.

This is how we protect Canadian jobs, and this is how we build a stronger, more secure Canada.

Prime Minister of Canada

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, hard-working Canadians are struggling with the cost of living, but in Sault Ste. Marie, the Prime Minister handed 400 million taxpayer dollars to a company, knowing it was going to lay off 1,000 workers. The Prime Minister's response was “bah, humbug”. Although prime minister Scrooge talks about fairness and sacrifice, after his spending years at Brookfield helping it dodge paying taxes here in Canada, even Jacob Marley's ghost paid more taxes in Canada than Brookfield does.

However, all that is part of the Prime Minister's master plan to help his friends at Brookfield, like Denis Turcotte, the former CEO at Algoma Steel. Algoma is undergoing a multi-year transition to electricity, but do members know where that electricity is going to come from? It will come from Brookfield-owned hydro plants. While Brookfield's billions vanish into Bermuda bicycle shops, Algoma's families are left in the cold.

Conservatives will never stop fighting for Canadians this Christmas.

Santa's Parade of Lights

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on November 29, our community came alive as thousands of residents, including families, children and even a few pets, all gathered along St. Joseph Boulevard to witness the magical Orléans Santa's parade of lights. More than 60 beautifully designed floats made their way down our main street, each meticulously crafted and decorated, and sprinkled with that special Orléans charm.

The parade is more than just a tradition; it is a testament to the Ottawa Professional Firefighters Association, the volunteers and the partners whose dedication brings our community together year after year.

In closing, I want to wish the community of Orléans and everyone a happy holiday.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays and happy Hanukkah.

May this season bring us peace, warmth and meaningful moments with our families, friends and loved ones.

I wish everyone a happy 2026.

Cost of Food

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in A Christmas Carol, Dickens wrote, “Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts”. Under the Liberals, it is millions who are in need. My constituent Enide says,“I can barely afford to eat, a lot of people are in the same situation and feel helpless.”

In 2015 the Canadian grocery bill was $159 a week. After a decade of Liberal government it has doubled to $338 a week, which is $17,500 a year. The Prime Minister told us to judge him by Canadians' experience at the grocery store.

Scrooge famously said, “I don't make merry myself at Christmas, and I can't afford to make idle people merry.” Why does that seem to be like a quote from the Prime Minister?

Gender-Based Violence

[Ginette Lavack, Liberal, St. Boniface—St. Vital, MB]

Mr. Speaker, when indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people go missing, delays cost lives. Every minute matters.

Last week, I had the honour of attending, on behalf of the Minister of Crown and Indigenous Relations, the launch of the report of Manitoba's indigenous-led red dress alert pilot program. The organization, Giganawenimaanaanig, which translates as “we all take care of them”, led the engagement sessions and the development of this important report, which lays the groundwork for a holistic safety framework, providing rapid response, trauma-informed support and resources for families and communities.

I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Sandra DeLaronde for her leadership and dedication, along with all the community members who contributed to this life-saving initiative. During these 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, let us stand together and act with urgency, because every alert matters, every minute matters and every life matters.

Carbon Pricing

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with every trip to the grocery store, it seems like the prices we pay are getting higher and higher, because they are. If groceries feel expensive right now, then it is only going to get worse, because a new report this week shows that the price of groceries is going to go up $1,000 per family next year. It is no coincidence that the Liberals are also raising taxes on the people who grow and ship and sell the food.

Does the government not realize that higher taxes on farmers and truckers mean more expensive groceries for struggling families?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, every farmer knows that we reap what we sow.

What the Conservatives are sowing every day in this House is the distrust of Canadians, because they are insincere when they weaponize people's struggles for their political gain while voting against every single affordability measure that puts more money in Canadians' pockets. That includes an income tax cut for $22 million, the Canada child benefit, cutting the consumer carbon tax, child care, dental care and over $2,000 of support in direct benefits that put more money in the pockets of Canadians with young children.

How can they say they are—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. member for Thornhill.

The Economy

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are standing in food banks and food bank lines in record numbers while the Liberals pat themselves on the back. Feeding kids starts with making food more affordable.

This is the same government that forced millions of Canadians to food banks and is now saying that people should be thankful for the programs that it cannot quantify and cannot deliver. Just 10 years ago, we used to be able to go grocery shopping for a week and spend $160. It has now more than doubled, to $340.

When will the Liberals admit that their policies have failed and Canadians are struggling?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, what feeds Canadian families are good-paying jobs and a strong social safety net, both of which the Conservatives oppose. They cannot even bring themselves to recognize when job numbers exceed expectations month over month over month. For three months in a row, the Canadian economy has added 181,000 new jobs, including 54,000 this month. We have seen a drop in the unemployment rate in this country.

Conservatives cannot even acknowledge when the Canadian economy does well, because it does not fit their narrative.

Employment

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at the actual job numbers the member was trying to reference: 9,400 full-time jobs were lost in the last month.

The Liberals want to try to pretend that they are doing better by adding part-time numbers in, but the fact that Canadians are desperate and are turning to part-time work because full-time jobs are not available and they desperately need that part-time work to feed their families is not something to celebrate. A continuing decline in full-time jobs in this country is not something to celebrate.

When will the Liberals recognize the reality that Canadians are losing the full-time work they need to provide for their families?

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

Mr. Speaker, in fact, we have good employment news this morning. I am proud to say that 50,000 young people found work in November. In October, 21,000 young people found a job. The numbers are moving in the right direction.

We are there to support young Canadians. Budget 2025 does that. On this side of the House, we are proud of the job numbers.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in that member's province, Quebec, 35,000 full-time jobs were lost.

More than 35,000 full-time jobs were lost in Quebec. The minister says that this is an improvement, that this is good news.

It is shocking that the government would celebrate a significant decline in full-time work. Canadians are looking for full-time jobs, so that they can provide for their families.

When will they stop congratulating themselves and recognize the problem?

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

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that opposition members are currently shutting down committee work.

In committee, we are trying to move forward with Bill C-15, which will provide the support and investment that Canadians need right now. What is happening in committee is shameful. I encourage opposition members to change course and support the measures in place in committee.

The Economy

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him on the price of groceries, and we now live in a country where 20% of the population depends on food banks to put food on the table. We now live in a country where groceries for a family of four is going to cost $1,000 more in 2026. We now live in a country where the price of beef, pork and chicken are all going up at the same time. The country is Liberal Canada, where the cost of groceries has more than doubled since 2015.

When will the Liberals stop their inflationary spending so that Canadians can finally get enough to eat?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will not take any lessons from the members opposite who are against everything. They are against children and families and giving children access to food at school. They are against investing in affordable child care and investing $13 billion in the construction of affordable housing. It is shameful.

We are against them. We are investing with budget 2025. We will protect and strengthen these measures to support families.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 36% of Quebeckers experience some form of food insecurity. Three million requests for food assistance are made every month in Quebec. We now have a Prime Minister who spends his time travelling instead of acknowledging that 20% of Canadians have to line up at food banks. That is Canada after 10 years under a Liberal government. It is unprecedented. Quebeckers are going hungry, and groceries will cost $1,000 more in 2026.

Why does the Prime Minister care more about the value of his stocks than he does about the suffering of Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that in order to move forward, in order to support families and children, we need to invest in our future. That is what we are doing with budget 2025. We are investing in jobs for young people. We are investing in affordable housing. We are investing in school food programs. We are investing in affordable child care. We are investing in dental care. All of these things are helping Canadian families get ahead. We are proud to support these measures.

It is a shame that the members opposite do not support these measures.

Forestry Industry

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, the Prime Minister is meeting with Donald Trump in connection with the FIFA World Cup. He should not be talking about sports. He should be talking about the economy. He was elected on a promise to protect us from the American President. So far, not only is no one claiming victory, but yesterday we learned that the Prime Minister is giving up on our forestry industry's main demand in order to appease Mr. Trump. He is refusing to support our companies when it comes to countervailing and anti-dumping duties because he is afraid of the President.

When will we see progress instead of concessions?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it is true that we need to continue having conversations with the United States. We need to be at the table for these conversations and negotiations. At the same time, we continue to diversify our supply chains and our trade partners, like India, Indonesia and Mexico.

On this side, we are continuing to build our economy. On the opposition side, that is not the case. Every single time, they vote against—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. member for Gaspésie—Les Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine—Listuguj.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is not the first concession the Prime Minister has made out of fear of Donald Trump. He abandoned the digital services tax, which would have forced American web giants to pay their fair share. Then he abandoned the anti-evasion measure known as the global minimum tax in order to spare the people who are financing the President's new ballroom. Today, he is abandoning our forestry industry by refusing to respond to its main request for support.

When will the Prime Minister stop backing down on Quebec's interests and start defending them?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the rest of the government are here for the whole country, not just for one province, not just for one territory. We are here for Canadian jobs, for our industries and to build the strongest economy in the G7. At the same time, we are building supply chains and partnerships with all global economies. The reason is that the world is changing, the geopolitical situation is changing, and we continue to respond—