Order. I think we all got off on the wrong foot on that one. We will have to take it from the top.
House of Commons Hansard #69 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was meeting.
House of Commons Hansard #69 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was meeting.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Youth Criminal Justice Act Second reading of Bill C-231. The bill amends the Youth Criminal Justice Act to allow courts to refer young people struggling with addiction to treatment programs. It aims to prioritize rehabilitation over punishment for youth facing drug-related charges, enabling judges to delay sentencing pending treatment completion. Luc Berthold advocates this approach, seeing addiction as a mental health issue to be treated early. 8000 words, 1 hour.
Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1 Second reading of Bill C-15. The bill implements budget provisions, drawing Conservative criticism as a "credit card budget" that increases debt and the cost of living. Conservatives also raise concerns about a provision allowing ministers to grant "regulatory exemptions" and the lack of support for small businesses. Liberals argue the budget "strikes a balance" by investing in social programs and "creating jobs", while accusing the opposition of "filibustering legislation". Bloc members question the lack of "cell coverage" investment and the absence of a "digital services tax". 15600 words, 2 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Liaison Members debate the systematic obstruction of parliamentary committees by the Liberal government, citing examples of cancelled meetings, ministerial absences, filibustering of government bills, and the failure to advance key legislation like bail reform. Liberals counter that Conservatives are also obstructing the budget implementation bill and other legislation, accusing them of political theatre and a lack of co-operation. 20300 words, 2 hours.
Liaison Members debate the Liberal government's alleged obstruction of parliamentary committees, with Conservatives citing frequent cancellation of meetings and ministers refusing to appear or provide information. Conservatives accuse the government of lacking accountability and transparency, while Liberals argue the opposition is filibustering important budget legislation. The role of committee chairs and ministerial responsibility are key points of contention. 6100 words, 45 minutes.
FinanceOral Questions
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
Order. I think we all got off on the wrong foot on that one. We will have to take it from the top.
Bruce Fanjoy Liberal Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, residents of Carleton have made it very clear that they want real leadership and an economic vision for this country. Budget 2025 cuts taxes for 22 million Canadians, makes permanent the national school food program and invests tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure and major projects across the country. These are actions that will improve the lives of Canadians.
Can the Minister of Finance update the House on how the budget implementation act would help strengthen our economy and on why it is being stalled?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, even the Conservatives can feel the passion in that question.
The people of Carleton will know that there is only one reason alone why these key pieces of legislation have not yet been passed: It is the opposition partisan game. Even ahead of Christmas, the Conservatives are stopping legislation for first-time homebuyers. They are stopping the creation of tens of thousands of jobs. They are stopping the national school food program.
On this side of the House, we are going to build Canada strong.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wants us to believe he disagrees with everything that he wrote about pipelines over the last 10 years. He supported the Liberals' cancelling a west-coast pipeline in 2016, in his 2021 committee testimony. The Liberals' tanker ban off the west coast makes a pipeline impossible.
Will the Liberals admit they were wrong about pipelines and wrong about the tanker ban and vote for our motion to approve a pipe to the Pacific and remove the tanker ban, just like the Prime Minister promised Alberta in the MOU?
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, it is really sad that the Conservatives are divided, because the Premier of Alberta supports the entire MOU, the Premier of Saskatchewan supports the entire MOU and the Premier of Ontario supports the entire MOU. Canadians can see through the Conservatives' cynical ploy to pick and choose. Why do the Conservatives not come on board with all of us and all the provinces, and vote for building Canada?
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are talking out both sides of their mouths.
The Prime Minister tells his “keep it in the ground” caucus there will be no pipeline. He tells Alberta that there will be one. He says he supports a tanker ban, but then promises to override it. He is going to flip-flop regarding the pipeline until after the election, pretending he wants to build one without ever offending his loony left Liberals.
Will he stand up to his “keep it in the ground” caucus, get out of—
Natural ResourcesOral Questions
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
The hon. member was not targeting a specific MP on this side, but it still was maybe not the nicest language.
He may continue.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister talks out of both sides of his mouth. He tells the “keep it in the ground” caucus there will be no pipeline, while promising Albertans that there will be. He says that he supports a tanker ban, and then promises to override it. He is going to flip-flop on the pipeline until after the election, pretending he wants to build—
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, I would invite the member opposite to read the entire MOU. Then maybe he could join the premier of his province and support the MOU like all of us and all of the other premiers. Why does he not get on board and build Canada strong?
Mike Lake Conservative Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB
Mr. Speaker, a decade ago, the Liberal government killed the northern gateway pipeline, which would have shipped 525,000 barrels of Canadian oil per day to Asian markets. The value of that oil would have been billions of dollars coming annually into the Canadian economy. Instead of that economic supercharge, the Liberals enacted crushing policies with no environmental benefit, while doubling Canada's debt. That Liberal political decision greatly benefited the economies of other oil-producing countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela and Russia.
What did Canadians get from that sacrifice other than a mountain of new Liberal debt?
Rachel Bendayan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the minister has answered that question a number of times already today. What is clear to me is that the Conservative Party members do not see the need to be investing in our economy.
We put forward a plan in the form of a budget, and that budget would see over $50 billion going straight into the community of each and every member of Parliament in this room. It would create community centres and recreational centres. It would create local infrastructure that would benefit Canadian families from coast to coast to coast, and the Conservatives seem to be against everything that is good for Canadians.
Mike Lake Conservative Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB
Mr. Speaker, back to the actual topic, the Liberal MP for Victoria defiantly stated that he is “decisively not in support.” The Liberal member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville has said that it must have B.C.'s consent. The Liberal MP for Fleetwood—Port Kells went further, saying that any pipeline must have the consent of the Premier of British Columbia. Without support from that one Canadian, he said emphatically that “there will be no pipeline”.
Will the Prime Minister stand up to his “keep it in the ground” caucus, or is his real plan simply to delay any pipeline until after the next election when he can kill it?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I do not know if that member is saying that we should be building a pipeline without having partnerships with first nations and over the objections of the democratic and duly elected provincial Government of British Columbia. I do not know whether that is what that member is saying; it seems to be what he is saying. If he could perhaps clarify for the House and for the people of Alberta and British Columbia, that would be very helpful.
For our part, we are going to work with British Columbia, we are going to work with first nations and we are going to execute this MOU, every part of it.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians he would build now and move at unimaginable speeds, but eight months later, all we have is a questionable MOU that punts the pipeline proposal down the road. It does not create jobs and it does not boost the economy. All it does is give Premier Eby another excuse to keep saying, “over my dead body”. The Constitution is clear that B.C. has no veto, so why are the Liberals stalling?
Will the Liberals admit they were wrong and vote for our motion to approve a pipeline like the Prime Minister said he would?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, this time the question is from a member of Parliament from British Columbia. The member of Parliament from British Columbia wishes to now let it be known that he would stomp all over the duly elected government of the Province of British Columbia and stomp all over indigenous and first nations' involvement in any such advances. The member wants it to be made very clear that there is only one part of that entire MOU that appeals to him.
For our part, we like it all. We are working on it all, and we are going to work with others to get it done.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Speaker, we are hemorrhaging jobs at a staggering rate in B.C. Over the last two weeks, thousands of British Columbians have lost their jobs because of the Prime Minister. The pipeline will create jobs and make our economy self-reliant. We need this. Our nation needs this, but the Liberals cannot get their story straight. One MP says no pipeline without B.C.'s consent, and the member for Victoria says he is “decisively not in support.” They say one thing to one group and another to another group.
How can Canadians take the government seriously when it cannot get its story straight and cannot get its caucus in line?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, let us talk a bit about British Columbia, the single province with the most projects of national significance and the largest capital investment in the history of this country, as announced by my colleague the Minister of Natural Resources. If that is not enough, how about three straight months of job growth? How about inflation being down? How about wages being up over the rate of inflation? How about celebrating the economic progress and successes of this country instead of sitting over there and talking Canada down?
Dan Albas Conservative Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he would be judged by the prices at the grocery store. In British Columbia, food bank use is entrenched, with about one-quarter of families food-insecure. A family of four will pay about $1,000 more for food next year. We know this out-of-touch Prime Minister does not do his own shopping, but Canadians still have to pay at the till.
Will he admit to B.C. families that he does not know a thing about grocery prices and that, under the Liberals, higher bills are the new normal, or will he adopt Conservative ideas to make life more affordable, like cutting inflationary spending and ending the industrial carbon tax?
Kody Blois LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, again, it is hard to take the member and that party seriously on questions. The member has a lot of farmers in his riding. They are the ones who contribute in this country. In the platform of April 2025, there was not a single platform commitment from the Conservative Party for farmers in this country. It is hard to take the member opposite seriously when he votes against the national school food program, which benefits 400,000 young children in this country. He votes against it. How about tax cuts? That used to be the party that stood for that.
They are standing in the way of the House passing budget 2025, which is good for Canadians.
Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he should be judged by prices at the grocery store. I heard from Amy in Cloverdale. She lives in a household of two, does not have children of her own and still cannot keep up with groceries. When she heard more increases are coming, she wondered if the ultimate goal is to force people to crawl on their hands and knees begging and pleading for relief. For Amy, meat is a luxury, and she is terrified for the future of her five nephews. Amy asked me when it will stop.
When will the Prime Minister finally stop driving up food costs so Canadians can afford to feed themselves?
Jill McKnight LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I know the people in British Columbia are concerned about prices, and we are too. We are taking care of them. They want a government that is going to stand with them. That is why we are investing in the national school food program to support 400,000 families. That is why we are investing in supports for seniors, and it is why we are investing in supports for families to take care of their children.
We are going to stand with British Columbians. We are going to stand with all Canadians and take care of them.
Mel Arnold Conservative Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he should be judged by prices at the grocery store. Food bank visits have increased up to 80% in B.C. The Kamloops Food Bank had almost 74,000 visits last year, and the number keeps growing. Now donations are dropping and food banks are reducing service areas to remain sustainable, cutting off rural areas from support.
When will the Liberals cut their inflationary spending, their industrial carbon tax and their new fuel tax so Canadians can afford to eat?
Rachel Bendayan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, that Conservative member talks about food prices, yet he voted against making the national school food program permanent. That is a program that helps young people, that helps school-aged children eat food in order to learn better.
This morning I made an announcement at a women's shelter in Montreal that our government has funded in order to help women find a secure and safe place to call home. The Conservatives are against supporting our frontline workers, whether it is in the food industry or whether it is our shelters—
The EconomyOral Questions