Debates of May 28th, 2025

Mental Health and Addictions

[Michael Ma, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since 2016, nearly 50,000 Canadians have died from the opioid crisis. Over 80% of accidental opioid deaths involve fentanyl. It takes just two milligrams of fentanyl to kill someone. Mass fentanyl production is mass murder, but Liberal laws let the monsters who kill our people walk free. Conservatives are proposing to give mandatory life sentences for anyone involved in the trafficking, production and distribution of over 40 milligrams of fentanyl.

Will the Prime Minister crack down on fentanyl production and give life sentences for drug kingpins committing mass murder?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me first welcome my friend opposite to the House.

Fentanyl has torn every community across Canada and North America. It is something that everyone in the House has been impacted by. Liberals are accelerating our work to crack down and dismantle the fentanyl trade and the organized crime that profits from it. That is why we listed seven cartels as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code.

I am working closely with Kevin Brosseau, Canada's fentanyl czar, at home and abroad to put laser-sharp focus on dismantling fentanyl rings. We will work together to address this issue. Our government will always be there—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Brampton West.

Public Safety

[Amarjeet Gill, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, soft-on-crime Liberal bills, such as Bill C-5 and Bill C-75, have unleashed crime waves in Brampton and across our country. Violent crime is up 50%. Auto theft is up 50%, and extortion is up 400%. The out-of-touch public safety minister said, during his campaign, that there was nothing wrong with the bail system. Repeat offenders should be in jail, not out on bail.

Does the Prime Minister agree with the minister, or does he stand with frontline officers, like Peel police officers, to bring in bail reforms?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, Liberals stand with all of our frontline officers within Peel Regional Police and all police agencies across the country. We are partnering with their services, and we are going to fight organized crime. We will make it tougher for violent criminals to get bail, and we will impose stricter sentences for repeat violent offenders.

The chief of police for Toronto has reported that auto thefts have decreased by nearly 39%, home invasions are down 42%, homicides are down 67% and shootings are down 46%. We will continue to be tough on crime.

Ethics

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, before taking office, the Prime Minister helped establish multi-billion dollar investment funds that were placed in offshore tax havens. He is shielding those investments from public scrutiny with a blind trust that hides but does not remove potential conflicts of interest.

Canadians are lined up at food banks in record numbers. They cannot pay their rent, but they are paying their taxes. They want to know if the Prime Minister paid taxes on his investments.

Can the Prime Minister, who I welcome here today, confirm that none of the investments he placed in the blind trust were previously held in offshore tax havens?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister followed all the rules even before they were required. He will continue complying with all the rules. Opposition members like to distract Canadians with these hypotheticals and conjured scenarios.

The fact is that we have a Prime Minister and a new government that are hard at work creating opportunity for Canadians, creating the strongest economy in the G7 and reducing taxes. The opposition does not like that, so they dig dirt on day one. Shame on them. We are going to continue our work.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians do not want an explanation on how to bend over backwards to fit through ethical loopholes. They want to be reassured that, after a decade of serial ethical law-breaking, they can have confidence that the Prime Minister is going above the basic minimum standard.

Can the Prime Minister, who I again welcome to the chamber, stand up and just assure Canadians that none of the funds he had previously were held in offshore tax havens? Can he tell Canadians what those investments were in when he sat at his first cabinet meeting?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada has among the most stringent ethics guidelines in the world. The Prime Minister has complied with those ethics guidelines and surpassed the requirements contained in those ethics guidelines.

What the Prime Minister is busy doing is not what the member is busy doing. The Prime Minister is busy creating opportunity for Canada, standing up in a trade war against the United States, reducing our taxes, building new homes and creating the strongest economy in the G7. That is what we are up to.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, how can we be sure the Prime Minister is not busy creating opportunity for himself? Why is the Liberal Prime Minister so loath to reveal the full extent of his personal fortune to Canadians? Why is so much being kept under wraps?

We know that, just before becoming Prime Minister, he set up two multi-billion dollar funds for his company, Brookfield, in well-known tax havens to avoid paying taxes in Canada.

Will the Prime Minister confirm, right now, that he does not hold any assets or financial interests in offshore tax havens?

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

Mr. Speaker, it did not take long for the Conservative Party's question-generating machine to run out of steam. The Conservatives keep saying the same thing over and over. What we are doing here is creating jobs, building a strong economy and standing up to the United States.

Naturally, the Prime Minister is meeting and exceeding all the requirements in the ethics code, the most stringent such code in the entire world.

The Conservatives are intent on digging up dirt. Members on this side of the House are busy creating opportunity for Canadians.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it did not take the Liberal government long to slip into the previous government's old habits.

The reality is that the Liberal Prime Minister seems to be taking his sweet time covering up his conflicts of interest before he opens his books to Canadians. One of his first decisions was to move his assets into a blind trust. He claims that, overnight, we will magically forget everything he owned and owns. The only people who do not know are Canadians, only Canadians.

Will the Prime Minister come clean and disclose all of his financial holdings and the conflicts of interest contained in his trust, yes or no?

We want an answer right now.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians should rest easy knowing that Parliament and our institutions are governed by one of the most, if not the most, stringent ethics codes in the world. The Prime Minister did everything he could to meet and even exceed his obligations.

If the Conservative Party wants to keep trying to dig up dirt, I think voters are going to be disgusted. Our constituents expect us to work here for Canadians, not sling mud across the House.

The Economy

[Tatiana Auguste, Liberal, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, trade barriers have been stifling the development of one Canadian economy for far too long.

Given the threats to our economic sovereignty, it is more important than ever to promote free trade within our borders.

Will the Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy tell the House about the steps our government is taking to protect our economic sovereignty and build one Canadian economy?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Terrebonne for her excellent question.

During the election campaign, our government promised to build one Canadian economy out of 13. By Canada Day, we will introduce a bill to eliminate all federal barriers to interprovincial trade and work with the provinces and territories to catalyze projects in the national interest.

That is how we will build the strongest economy in the G7.

Finance

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is in an economic crisis, without a plan, because the Liberals shut this place down for half the year to avoid accountability. Now the Prime Minister is saying that there will be no budget before the fall. With record high food bank usage, a rise in the number of those using food banks who are fully employed, and a rise in mortgage delinquencies, TD Bank now also predicts that over 100,000 Canadian jobs will be lost due to a looming recession.

Given all of this information, how is it even possible that the Liberals will not table a budget this spring?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, we are being very clear that there will be a budget in the early fall of this year. In the meantime, we should celebrate, as we have now seen that the Conservatives will support our motion. This is a good thing. Now Canadians will see that, in the House of Commons, we need to do things for them.

The first thing we presented, which we had promised and are delivering, is a tax cut for the middle class. There are 22 million Canadians who will have a tax cut. This is what we have been elected for. We are going to fight for Canadians. Every day is a good day to fight for Canadians.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister sloganeered on a plan, yet he refuses to tell anyone what that plan is. He is overseeing the longest period without a budget since the 1960s outside of COVID. Uncertainty about spending and the debt the Liberals will accumulate scares away investors, small businesses and Canadians during a cost of living crisis.

We know that the Prime Minister is going to spend more than Justin Trudeau did. Why will the Liberals not be clear with Canadians to let them know how much more inflation and interest rates will go up because of all their spending?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, we already know that unjustified tariffs by the U.S. against Canadians are making Canadians' lives much more unaffordable. That is why we are cutting taxes. As the Minister of Finance just mentioned, this new government is cutting taxes on the middle class. We are also making sure we are cutting the carbon tax and the GST on first-time homebuyers.

We will create the strongest and fastest-growing economy of the G7. This is the utmost priority of our government, and we will deliver.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claimed to be the man with a plan. That is very well, but where is it?

After 14 years in finance, I have learned that, if someone does not know the numbers, that person is out. We know the Prime Minister is committed to spending more than Justin Trudeau, but he will not even tell Canadians how much. TD reported that Canada is nearing a two-quarter recession, with up to 100,000 job losses this fall.

I have one simple question: With the economic storm clouds moving in, how is it possible not to have a budget this spring?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I have one simple answer: We have a plan, and it is a plan in action.

I welcome the member to the House of Commons, but the plan is simple. We are going to cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. In fact, the leader of the Conservatives just said outside the House that he is going to support our plan. That is a step forward. That is not the only thing we are going to do. We are also going to remove GST for first-time homebuyers of a house up to $1 million, and we are going to remove the consumer carbon price from law.

This is the plan. This is delivering for Canadians. This is building a better economy for all.

Northern Affairs

[Philip Earle, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise in the House as the representative of a region that forms part of Canada's north: beautiful Labrador. We must never take our sovereignty and security in the Arctic for granted. As foreign threats to the region increase and the impacts of climate change intensify, it is imperative that Canada work in close partnership with indigenous and northern communities.

Would the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs inform the House on the government's strategy for the region?

[Rebecca Chartrand, Liberal, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a deep sense of responsibility, gratitude and humility. I stand here as a proud Anishinabe, Ininew and Métis woman representing the Churchill—Keewatinook Aski riding.

Ensuring a Canada that is strong and free in defending the Arctic and the people living there is a top priority for the new government. We will strengthen the presence of the Canadian Armed Forces, detect and deter early warnings with radar coverage, and invest in the necessary housing and infrastructure. We will do this all by working with indigenous and northern partners every step of the way.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Mr. Speaker, in yesterday's throne speech, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to persecute the fishing and aquaculture industries through Liberal policy to close down 30% of fishing grounds by 2030.

The 30 by 30 marine protected areas agenda was developed by the United Nations in conjunction with foreign activists, and the government signed it, so how can the Minister of Fisheries support shutting down the productivity of the fishing industry and the aquaculture industry, which means so much to coastal communities throughout Canada, given the impact that it will have on our very own province?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the people of St. John's East for continuing to put their trust in me. I also want to congratulate my colleague from across the aisle.

This government continues to understand the cultural and economic importance of the fisheries. I can tell members that I am very humbled and proud to be responsible for this file. I can assure the people of Canada, and certainly my colleague across the aisle, that Fisheries and Oceans remains an important ministry in the government. I will do all that I can to ensure that harvesters, the industry and communities are protected.