Debates of May 28th, 2025

Finance

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what I see before me are the same ministers and the same government we have had for 10 years. We know what came of 10 years of Liberal government.

What we have right now is a new Prime Minister, but it is a Prime Minister without a plan. He said he had a plan during the election campaign, but he does not want to table a budget, because he knows full well that his plan is a disaster and that there is a monumental hole in the public finances.

Can the Prime Minister commit to tabling a budget by the summer?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government will take immediate action to cut taxes for the middle class. That means $840 in savings for a family of four. We are also going to lower the GST on new homes.

We have a plan, and we are implementing it.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, we were in the middle of an election campaign. The main purpose of the election campaign was to scare Canadians about Donald Trump's threats.

The new Prime Minister's government put Canadian tariffs in place as a retaliatory measure, but it quietly got rid of them during the election. It deliberately kept that from Canadians, because Canadians were afraid and it wanted them to stay that way.

Now we have a $20‑billion budget shortfall. The fiscal platform that was presented projected a huge deficit, but now there is a deficit of another $20 billion. Can we have a budget before the summer to find out the state of Canada's public finances?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is talking about the Conservative platform when he refers to that $20 billion. Yes, that is correct.

We have put in place tariffs, a tariff response targeting the United States, and they have maximum impact in the U.S. and minimum impact here in Canada.

Speech from the Throne

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what led the election to be called and formed the basis of the entire Liberal strategy was a trade crisis, a tariff crisis and an annexation crisis, even, featuring Donald Trump. However, in yesterday's Speech from the Throne, which was read by a foreign sovereign, there was no reference to trade or tariffs.

That leads me to wonder what happened to make people forget the terrible crisis that got the Prime Minister elected.

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for those who were there, the Speech from the Throne talked about the transformation of the global trading system. This is a crisis for Canada, a security crisis for Canada.

Our government has a bold plan to address it.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Prime Minister will agree that some things are clearer when we read them than when we hear them.

We have time, but the speech given by the King was centralizing. It was so centralizing that even Justin Trudeau must have been embarrassed to be there. The government is talking about one economy without asking anyone's opinion, when the National Assembly has unanimously denounced such a notion.

Should we be worried that the Prime Minister sees Canada as a country whose provinces are like branches of a bank with a head office in Toronto?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of an economic crisis. This is a time for unity. The Americans created this crisis. We need to be united. That is why the minister and I will be meeting with the premiers of all the provinces, including Quebec, in Saskatoon this weekend.

Climate Change

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that would feel like a military staff meeting where a general gives his orders and expects them to get done.

On another topic, we believe that the climate crisis is real too. The climate crisis is causing damage, human and economic damage. We believe that action must be taken to fight the climate crisis. However, yesterday's Speech from the Throne suggests doing the exact opposite. It would ignore the climate and introduce measures that would worsen climate change and harm the environment.

Does the Prime Minister acknowledge that climate change is real?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, yes, the climate crisis is real. It is a major challenge for our nation.

That is why Canada needs to become an energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy. That is why we will be discussing wildfires at the G7 meeting in Alberta next month.

Natural Resources

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister said that Canadians should not focus on pipelines. He should tell that straight to the hundreds of thousands of workers who lost their jobs when the Liberals killed pipelines, killed LNG exports to allies and capped Canadian oil and gas. Last year, 98% of Canadian crude went to the U.S., Canada's biggest customer and competitor, because of the Liberals. However, in April he said he would not repeal the Liberals' no-new-pipelines, never-build-anything, unlawful Bill C-69, and he ignores premiers and businesses.

When will the Prime Minister repeal Bill C-69?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House for the first time. I wish to thank the people of Markham—Thornhill for their trust. I am also thinking of my family, who have supported me from day one, and my parents, who I wish were still with us.

It is time to get many projects built in Canada. We will cut red tape, fast-track projects and approve projects within two years. We will create jobs for Canadians and build the strongest economy in the G7.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that in five years, the Liberals killed 16 major energy projects and $176 billion in options to make Canada affordable, safe, self-reliant and united. Half the ministers are the same.

The Liberals must kill Bill C-69, but they cannot get their story straight. Two weeks ago, the culture minister said that Canada does not need more pipelines. Last week, the energy minister talked a good game, but just like right now, he will not commit to concrete action. How can Canadians believe anything they say?

Will they repeal Bill C-69, yes or no?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been clear. Yes, we will support new pipelines if there is consensus in Canada for them.

With American tariffs threatening our economy and our sovereignty, we must protect our energy security. There is no question that energy is Canada's power. It will help us build the strongest economy in the G7, guide the world in the right direction and be strong at the negotiating table. We will win this trade war. We will make Canada an energy superpower.

[Ellis Ross, Conservative, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, over nine years, the Liberals' anti-energy laws have weakened our country, to the benefit of the United States. Canadian oil and gas piped to the United States provides jobs and revenue for Americans, not Canadians, and get this: It is at a discount.

Canada's energy potential has been stalled by anti-energy laws from the Liberal government for close to a decade. Will the Prime Minister scrap the job-killing and economy-killing energy production cap?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, while my Conservative colleagues are interested in playing politics, I am interested in getting things built, including pipelines where there is consensus.

We will make Canada an energy superpower in both conventional and clean energy by cutting red tape, fast-tracking projects and approving projects within two years. This means creating new jobs and growing the economy. We can make Canada strong and protect ourselves from American tariffs if we work together with indigenous partners, industry and workers, but also—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

[Ellis Ross, Conservative, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, even the B.C. NDP has removed its decarbonization policies for LNG export facilities. This is not politics. Even Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer forecast a $20.5-billion reduction in GDP and potential job loss of 54,000 full-time jobs under this energy production cap. Canada's loss is America's gain.

Again, will the Prime Minister scrap the Canadian job-killing and Canadian economy-killing energy production cap, yes or no?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the constituents of Toronto—Danforth for giving me this opportunity to stand up for Canada and build a strong Canada.

With respect to the member opposite's question, I want to be clear: If Canada wants to be an energy superpower, the Prime Minister has stated that energy is going to be low-cost, low-risk and low-carbon. We are going to get projects built right across our country while making sure that we protect the environment.

Carbon Pricing

[Jonathan Rowe, Liberal, Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, NL]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise here, representing the hard-working people of Newfoundland and Labrador, for the very first time.

While my province of Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest unemployment rate in the country, at nearly 10%, the industrial carbon tax is compromising our competitive edge and shifting our jobs abroad. Canada's energy, mining and forestry workers are pleading to have the industrial carbon tax removed.

Will the Prime Minister fully repeal the industrial carbon tax to create jobs at a time when we need that the most?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, making sure that polluters pay is a central part of moving forward and being competitive as an energy superpower. When we look at other countries around the world, they have border carbon adjustments in place; they are looking to Canada to make sure that the energy we provide is low-risk, low-cost and low-carbon.

Natural Resources

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claim that they want to make Canada an energy superpower, but they forget that it is their record over the last decade that has decimated our energy sector and kept our resources in the ground.

The Liberals' oil and gas production cap will kill tens of thousands of jobs and cost our economy $20 billion. Their industrial carbon tax will cost Canadian businesses and consumers and make Canada less affordable and less competitive. Their legislation, Bill C-69, is blocking energy infrastructure and making us more dependent on the United States.

The solution is easy. Will the Prime Minister repeal the Liberals' costly anti-energy laws?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank, first and foremost, the constituents of Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

First and foremost, we know that we are in a trade war that has been launched by the U.S., and we know that hard-working Canadians are feeling the brunt of this trade war, particularly in the manufacturing sector and particularly in the auto, steel and aluminum sectors. We continue to fight for them.

That is why we will make sure that we invest in them and that we work on attracting investments across the world while making sure that we have the fastest economic growth of the G7.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, throughout the campaign, the Prime Minister tried to convince everyone that he was open to new energy projects, but he never clearly said that he plans to repeal the law stemming from Bill C-69, a Liberal anti-development law that would scrap the GNL Québec project. The majority of Quebeckers want pipelines. The people of Saguenay want GNL Québec. We need it to reduce our dependence on the United States.

Will the Prime Minister listen to the people in the Quebec regions and repeal Bill C-69?

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

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleague as we face a tariff war started by the United States. We will work to protect jobs across Quebec and Canada. In the aluminum sector, which is important to my colleague's riding, we are going to attract investments. We will ensure that jobs are created here, right across the country. We are going to have the strongest economy in the G7.