Debates of May 29th, 2025

Natural Resources

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

Mr. Speaker, in trade wars, we must capitalize on every competitive advantage we have. This means working with provinces, territories, indigenous peoples and proponents to make Canada an energy superpower. We will fast-track projects, cut red tape and approve projects in the national interest within two years. These activities will build the strongest low-cost, low-risk, low-carbon economy in the G7.

Finance

[Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House for the first time, representing the people of Brampton Centre. I want to thank my family, friends, campaign team and constituents for all their love and support. Our constituents from across Canada sent us to Ottawa to deliver to them real results.

Can the President of the Treasury Board share with the House what we are doing to bring down the cost for Canadians?

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to work with the newly elected member for Brampton Centre to deliver results for our community and for all Canadians.

Canadians elected a new government to take bold actions, and that is what we are doing with our first act: a tax cut for 22 million Canadians, new supports for first-time homebuyers and removal of the consumer carbon price. The new government is taking decisive actions to make life more affordable for Canadians and to build Canada strong.

Natural Resources

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when the Liberal government was first elected in 2015, it killed 16 major resource projects and chased $176 billion out of the Canadian economy. This resulted in thousands of lost jobs in my city alone, and Bill C-69 continues to make it impossible to build the pipelines needed to unleash our resources and to restore our economic independence.

Will the Prime Minister commit today to cancelling Justin Trudeau's no more pipelines law, Bill C-69?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have been clear: We will support new pipelines if there is a national consensus in favour of them. With our country's facing American tariffs, we must strengthen our energy and natural resources sectors. There is no question that energy is Canada's power. We will help build the strongest economy in the G7, create jobs for Canadians and give the best cards to our negotiators at the negotiating table.

Canada's new government will win this trade war.

Carbon Pricing

[Mike Dawson, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives and Canadians know that if people pay more taxes to the government, the weather will not get better. Conservatives have been standing up for Canadians and against the carbon tax for more than a decade. The Prime Minister made a big splash in March when he told Canadians he would axe the carbon tax. After the Conservatives pleaded for years, finally his government removed the consumer carbon tax.

Will the Prime Minister also repeal the industrial carbon tax so Canadian companies and industries can compete in the global economy, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, that was an interesting question, but I am going to disagree with all of its premises. If we actually care about industries, then we are going to look at what is actually costing them right now, which is the tariffs coming from the United States and impacting their ability to do what they need to do.

We are here standing up for Canada. We are here standing up for a strong economy. We know that is what we need to do. That is what Canadians asked us to do, and that is what we are going to keep doing.

Oil and Gas Industry

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says that half of Canada's oil needs to stay in the ground, and now he is backing that up with a production cap that the Parliamentary Budget Officer says will kill 54,000 jobs and gut $20 billion from our economy. This keep-it-in-the-ground agenda does not just kill paycheques; it also makes us more dependent on foreign oil. It weakens our economy and punishes Alberta families and Saskatchewan families that have built this country's energy sector.

I will ask the Prime Minister a simple yes or no question: Will he scrap his job-killing production cap and finally let Canadians restore energy independence?

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

Mr. Speaker, my goal is to get things built where there are proponents. Canada's new government will fast-track projects, cut red tape and approve projects in the national interest within two years. We will make Canada strong and protect ourselves from American tariffs if we work together with indigenous partners and our workers, but across party lines.

I encourage my Conservative colleagues to join us in creating new jobs, building the strongest economy in the G7 and making Canada an energy superpower.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of Liberal anti-energy policies, the devastation continues. There have already been hundreds of thousands of job losses in the industry, and thanks to the radical ministers on the front bench, the Liberal oil and gas production cap has another 54,000 jobs and over $20 billion on the chopping block. The Prime Minister campaigned on having a plan to get things built, yet he has already committed to not overturning the production cap.

Is the Prime Minister's refusal to scrap the cap an admission that he supports this devastating policy?

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

Mr. Speaker, after seeing, under the former Conservative government, nothing getting built, I think we had some lessons to learn. What we learned is that we cannot actually get results if we decide that we are not going to do any environmental assessments and that we are not going to be consulting with indigenous peoples.

What we are going to do is to make sure that we build an effective, efficient assessment system that gets projects built. That is what we committed to do and that is what we will do.

Ethics

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister was the chair of Brookfield, Brookfield registered $30 billion of investment funds in offshore tax havens in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, all to avoid paying taxes in Canada. Now the Prime Minister refuses to come clean and disclose his assets to Canadians. Canadians deserve to know.

Does the Prime Minister have any financial holdings hidden away in offshore tax havens, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians should feel very reassured that we have among the most stringent ethics requirements for public office holders in the world. The Prime Minister has not only complied with all of those requirements but has also proactively and pre-emptively filed all the information the Ethics Commissioner requires.

Obviously, complying with the rules is something we will always do on this side of the House. Canadians can bank on that.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been anything but transparent, hiding behind a loophole in Canada's ethics laws to hide his assets from Canadians.

It really begs the question “Why?” Is it because Mr. Elbows Up himself is dodging paying taxes?

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not know that evoking conspiracy theories is going to advance the case of the Conservative Party. What I would say, to repeat one more time, is that Canadians should feel very reassured by the fact that we have among the most stringent ethics guidelines in the world and that the Prime Minister has not only met those requirements but exceeded them.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, 10,000 people in Lévis recently applied for food aid. That is twice as many as in 2021. People working full time can no longer put food on the table. Meanwhile, the Liberals promise to cut spending in the morning and then increase it in the afternoon by 8%. The Prime Minister has a new face but the same bad habits.

Does the Prime Minister realize that his out-of-control spending is fuelling inflation and driving Canadians to food banks?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are all concerned about this situation across the country. That is why the very first measure that the government introduced was an affordability measure, to ensure that 22 million Canadians across the country get to pay less tax. The best way to keep money in the pockets of Canadians is to keep taxes low. That is one way to help Canadians across the country. That is what we will continue to do.

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

Mr. Speaker, those who are profiting right now are the consulting firms. They are getting a 36% increase, $6 billion more. There are 10,000 people in my riding using food banks.

Can the government at least have the decency to table a budget this spring?

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

Mr. Speaker, our goal right now is to help the people who are having a tough time making ends meet. That is why we are lowering taxes for the middle class. We are also cutting the GST for first-time homebuyers. As my colleague knows, we are currently in a tariff war. Our goal is to fight to create jobs, protect those currently under threat and, again and always, invest in creating the strongest economy in the G7.

Taxation

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your election.

This is my first time rising in the House as the member for Beauport—Limoilou, and I thank my constituents for putting their trust in me.

Last month, my constituents called for change that will put more money back in their pockets. Can the minister explain what this government will do to make life more affordable for Quebeckers and Canadians?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I too would like to thank my constituents in Louis-Hébert, without whom nothing would have been possible. I thank my constituents for placing their trust in me once again. I would add that I thank the people of Beauport—Limoilou for giving us a third voice in Quebec City, a third member to join me and my friend and colleague from Québec Centre. With his strong voice, we will be able to defend the interests of the Quebec City region even more effectively. With his help, we are already taking action with a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. This will mean an average reduction of $840 per family. My colleague can be proud of that. I hope we will have the support of the entire House as we meet Canadians' expectations for a more affordable country and a stronger economy.

Public Safety

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is not serious when it comes to public safety. We recently learned that terrorist-related charges were up 488%. If we thought this statistic and the problem that goes with it would be reported in the Speech from the Throne, we were wrong.

Why is the government so unserious about a matter that impacts all Canadians?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty obvious that my friend opposite did not hear the Speech from the Throne, because we have some very significant measures to address issues of security. New threats to our safety are emerging each and every day. Canada's intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies have robust measures in place to monitor and take action to address them. From listing terrorist entities to investigating and prosecuting those who seek to cause us harm, our government will always be there to protect Canadians.

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, will the government always be there to protect Canadians? Let us move to exhibit 2: the case of Randall Hopley, who kidnapped a three-year-old child. He served a lengthy jail sentence. He was released into the community in 2023. Shortly thereafter, he was at large for 10 days, with his photo being plastered everywhere. He was released again this week and did not last even a day in the community.

If the government is so committed to going after sex offenders, to protecting Canadians, will they repeal the legislation that allows this?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, when we speak about crime, safety and security, it is important that we have the facts right. The case in question is a matter of statutory release, which is in law. I invite my friend, again, to—