Debates of Dec. 8th, 2025

Taxation

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are tired of excuses. They want groceries they can afford. The food price report put it bluntly: If 2025 was difficult for Canadian households, 2026 will not be easier. After the most expensive Prime Minister in Canadian history has already shattered household budgets and forced families into desperation, Canadians are now being told the pain will only deepen.

Will the Prime Minister commit today, yes or no, to scrapping the industrial carbon tax and the fuel tax on food production, or will he keep choosing ideology over empty stomachs?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we have already gone down this path. The Canadian Climate Institute has said there is a negligible impact on the price of food; the industrial carbon tax has a 0.08% impact, so we know that is not the case. There are other factors in the world like a geopolitical trade war, climate change, and drought in the prairie provinces. These are all adding to the rising cost of food. The Conservatives know that, so let us get on board and treat Canadians fairly.

The Economy

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, no one expected the verdict to be this tragic when judging the Prime Minister by prices at the grocery store. I heard from an 82-year-old woman who was forced to leave her hometown of Cambridge and her family just to afford groceries and rent. Lacy, a single mom from Cambridge, told local media she spends her days asking where the sale is, clipping coupons and skipping meals, just to feed her son. This is the reality for thousands of Canadians. Families are forced to buy whatever they can afford, not what is healthy or good for them, if they eat at all.

When so many families, seniors and working adults are going hungry, how can the government possibly justify any more inflationary—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. Secretary of State for Financial Institutions.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader's heart is two sizes too small when it comes to delivering affordability for Canadians. We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We cut the tax for first-time homebuyers. We are continuing to deliver on affordability, on the school food program and on the personal support workers tax credit.

On this side of the House we are focused on affordability. It is time for the Conservative leader to let the light in, let his heart grow and join us in delivering affordability for Canadians.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister told Canadians that he should be judged by the cost of groceries. That is perfect. I hope he has a good lawyer because the verdict is brutal. According to Le Journal de Montréal, 36% of Quebeckers are experiencing food insecurity. The most tragic thing about all this is that 41% of them have a job. Hunger is hitting so hard that Quebec's food banks received a record 3.1 million requests in one month.

When will these Liberals finally stop their inflationary spending so that Canadians can afford to feed themselves?

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

Mr. Speaker, our investments are helping families. Budget 2025 includes a lot of investments for families and children. This includes Canada's national school food program, which will help families keep up to $800 a year in their pockets. There is also the Canada child benefit, which represents up to $8,000 per child under six. That benefit is indexed to inflation.

On this side of the House, we are there for Canadian families and children.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is very unfortunate, because it is not working. This is the nightmare facing a family of two parents and three children in my riding. Because they are struggling with inflation, they are spending the winter in a trailer. They were so ashamed that they did not dare ask for food. It was a frontline worker who stepped in and requested food assistance for them.

Now a report confirms that next year, it will cost $1,000 more to feed a family. When will the Prime Minister stop his inflationary spending and give Quebeckers back their dignity? It is as simple as that.

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

Mr. Speaker, we take these issues very seriously on this side of the House. We are not fixated on imaginary taxes. We are here to help Canadian families. One of the first measures we implemented as a government was a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. That is how we help families, and that is how we help children. We are here to do the work.

Transportation

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Washington is asking the federal government to do more to fight the scourge of Driver Inc. truckers. Even the Americans are fed up with the public menace these drivers pose on roads on both sides of the border. Yes, the Liberals have echoed our call to force companies to report the income of independent drivers, but the U.S. embassy is saying that, while this is a step in the right direction, it is not a magic bullet. The Bloc Québécois proposed 10 measures, and the Liberals adopted only one of them. That is not good enough. As for the rest, they are shirking their responsibilities.

When will they take this issue seriously?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We are the ones taking this issue seriously. That is why we are proposing concrete measures, including tax measures, information sharing measures and corrective measures under the Canada Labour Code.

We are taking all of these measures. Then, to everyone's surprise, the Bloc Québécois voted against the budget, the same budget that will solve the federal Driver Inc. problem and ensure that we make significant progress on this issue. I hope the Bloc Québécois will come to its senses.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals had done enough on the Driver Inc. issue, the Americans would not be demanding that they do their job now. Washington is getting impatient. We need a formal inquiry to get to the bottom of the exploitation of drivers in the trucking industry, particularly foreign drivers. It is spreading like a cancer. We need to stop temporary immigrants from incorporating in the trucking industry. We need a public registry of non-compliant businesses that includes penalties imposed. Not only are the Liberals not taking action, but they are blocking work in committee.

How many accidents will it take before they wake up?

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

That really takes the cake, Mr. Speaker. The member is well aware that it is the provinces that certify truck drivers, inspect trucks and hire traffic controllers. Similarly, U.S. states issue driver's licences and send drivers to Canada as well.

For the first time in its history, the Bloc Québécois is asking the federal government to interfere in an area of provincial jurisdiction. They should own up to it.

The Economy

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he should be judged by the prices at the grocery store.

Most people ask Santa Sarah from GoCleanCo for something they would not normally buy for themselves, such as a new winter coat or a fancy new vacuum, but this year there were more asks for needs than for wants. One mom from Kelowna asked for groceries. She shared that after rent was paid and she had put 10 dollars' worth of gas into her car, she was left with $3 for the next two weeks. She has a baby in diapers.

Does the Prime Minister think that people's asking Santa for groceries is okay in this country?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, our government is taking real action on affordability, on protecting women's economic security and on empowering women across the country.

We are introducing a middle-class tax cut that is going to benefit 22 million Canadians across the country, and we are making the national school food program permanent. This is going to feed kids at school, while putting more money back into Canadians' pockets. We are also making housing more affordable through Build Canada Homes; this is going to help give single mothers, as well as families, a safe place to live. We are also making tax filing automatic for 5.5 million Canadians.

This is real impact for Canadians, and that includes women and families across the country.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal food inflation is crippling Canadian families. The Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by the prices at the grocery store, and he is failing.

More and more Canadians are relying on charity, simply to make ends meet. Thirty-three per cent of food bank users are children, and infant formula is in high demand at food banks, which is no surprise; a container now costs nearly $50, up 84% in the last eight years.

Does the Prime Minister care that feeding babies has become a daily struggle for Canadian families, yes or no?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, my heart goes out to parents facing challenges, and we care about families.

While Conservatives amplify panic instead of offering a single solution, the evidence is clear. Research from the C.D. Howe Institute confirms that the Canada child benefit is one of the most effective tools we have to reduce child poverty and help families afford essentials.

Let us be honest: Conservatives voted against it. They voted against it then, and they vote against supports now for families and children. Their actions speak louder for themselves.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once said that the grocery aisle would be his report card. Well, today in that aisle is a mother standing still, staring at the price of baby formula, which has gone up 84%. She does the math in her head and wonders what she is going to cut next, because feeding her baby is not optional. Under the Liberals, even that has become a source of fear and anxiety. Their policies have driven up the cost of growing, shipping and selling food.

When will the Liberal government stop piling on taxes, stop its inflationary spending and let mothers afford the formula their babies need to thrive?

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

Mr. Speaker, while the opposition focuses on imaginary taxes, we are focusing on real supports for Canadians, and that includes the Canada child benefit that keeps up with inflation, seniors benefits that keeps up with inflation, and a dental care plan that allows Canadians to get their teeth fixed, for God's sake, which is something the Conservatives vote against time and again. I ask myself what support for Canadians the Conservatives would actually vote for, because for them it is sink or swim.

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he would be judged by the cost of groceries. Well, the 60,000 Manitobans who are lined up at food banks each month have judged him. They judged him based on grocery prices, which have not come down. They judged him because even though they are working multiple jobs, they are not able to put food on their own table. They have done everything right, but the Prime Minister has failed them.

The question is very simple: When will the Liberals end their inflationary spending and taxes so Canadians can afford to put food on their own kitchen table again?

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party is a party that voted against targeting the Canada child benefit to the people who needed it the most. It is a party that voted against dental care for seniors. It is a party that voted against the school food program. Time and time again the Conservative Party has voted against affordability programs.

Canadians can judge. Canadians know that on this side of the House we are focused on delivering affordability for Canadians.

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know the truth about the other side of the House, which is that under the Liberals, their grocery bills are still going up. What the Liberals have done has made life more expensive, not less.

How much worse does it have to get before the Liberals realize that there are disastrous tax hikes, packaging standards and out-of-control spending that are responsible for 60,000 Manitobans' now having to rely on food banks each month just to eat? How can the Liberals live with themselves? Will they take ownership, cut the red tape and the spending, and bring affordable grocery prices back for hungry Canadians?

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to take the member and the Conservative Party seriously, frankly, because the budget actually contains a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. They stand in the way of progress of the bill's being advanced to help support Canadians. They vote against the national school food program.

Talking about food, there was not one single thing in the Conservative platform for farmers in this country in April 2025. That is why we are on this side of the House. We are working for agriculture producers. We are working to help reduce taxes and to help support Canadians across this country.

Finance

[Bruce Fanjoy, Liberal, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, residents of Carleton have made it clear that they want leadership and an economic vision for the country. Budget 2025 would reduce taxes for 22 million Canadians, make a national food program for children—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!