Debates of May 29th, 2025

Employment

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, our most important job is probably our first job, because it starts us on the road to our career, but after 10 years of Liberal failures, that road is blocked for one in seven Canadian young people. This is already an unemployment crisis, with 100,000 more job losses coming.

Rather than address this crisis, the Liberals continue to waste billions on consultants, a $6-billion increase. Why are they choosing a great job market for elite Liberal insiders and consultants and a terrible job market for Canadian young people?

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

Mr. Speaker, I share the member opposite's deep and profound concern over ensuring that Canadian young people get opportunities across the country, especially in their first job. That is why it is so exciting that Canada summer jobs will provide almost 70,000 jobs this summer, with great first-time jobs for young people all across the country. These are quality employers and quality jobs, and I look forward to hearing about them in my own riding.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has sat around the cabinet table for more than 10 years, and unemployment is steadily going up. It is actually at the highest point it has been in 10 years, outside of the COVID period. We have an unemployment crisis, and the Liberals are making things worse with another outrageous spending bill. The Prime Minister wants to spend even more than Justin Trudeau.

How can they ask Parliament for another $400-billion blank cheque with no budget, no plan for jobs and no plan to address the pain that their policies have caused?

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

Mr. Speaker, we hear the member opposite talking out of both sides of his mouth. On one side, he is talking about the need to do something: to do something about unemployment and do something about youth having excellent experiences in the workforce. On the other side, he is talking about the need to reduce spending.

We know that we can do big things together. That is what employers want across the country. They want skilled workers all across this country in every sector.

We will be there with the provinces and territories to make sure that we have the fastest-growing economy in the G7.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Prime Minister introduced his first spending bill, and despite promising to cap spending during the election, the bill would increase spending by another 8% on an already bloated federal government. Half a trillion in spending was introduced the same day as he promised again to cap it, all with no budget, on the backs of hard-working Canadians and at the expense of future generations.

When will the Liberals finally cap spending and put the financial future of young Canadians first? Will the Prime Minister give us the date for a spring budget today?

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

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the member to the House of Commons.

One thing is clear: We have the backs of young Canadians. If the member had been listening carefully, he would have known that in the very first motion we introduced in this House was the elimination of the GST for first-time homebuyers for their first house. This is a measure to help young Canadians get into the real estate market.

Young Canadians who are watching understand that we have their backs and we will always work for them.

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Clarke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on April 5, 17, 20, 21 and 29, the Prime Minister committed to “Free trade in Canada by Canada Day”. Almost immediately after the election, the Prime Minister already broke his promise, saying instead that the Liberals would only introduce legislation to eliminate federal and provincial trade barriers by Canada Day.

I have a simple question: Why did the Prime Minister mislead Canadians?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I am really delighted to get a question on internal trade from the Conservatives.

We do not agree about a lot of things, but I think everyone in the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party agrees that free trade in Canada will make us all richer. That is why I have a question for my Conservative counterparts. Will the Conservatives vote for our legislation on free trade in Canada by Canada Day? We are counting on them. Canadians are counting on them.

Small Business

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, small businesses are struggling with the complexity and obscurity of the customs notice. For a government program that was designed to help businesses, the CBSA is causing turmoil, costing time and money for many in manufacturing and its supply chains.

On May 20, the department quietly issued an updated notice on its interpretation of the scope, narrowing the order. Why, in this time of uncertainty, should businesses be left to navigate costly and consequential red tape from the government? Does the government not understand that livelihoods and Canadian businesses are on the line?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague opposite for the question. He brought this to my attention a couple of days ago, and we are looking into the situation. I look forward to responding to him in the next couple of days.

Finance

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, even with a new leader, the Liberals are spending like there is no tomorrow.

The Prime Minister promised to limit spending increases to 2% per year, yet the main estimates show that he is going to raise spending by another 8% this year. That comes before the tax cuts and before the $200 billion in spending that he hopes to pass during this session.

It is ridiculous to present these measures without disclosing the precise status of government finances. Is the Prime Minister going to table a budget or is he going to govern exactly like Justin Trudeau?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé and he knows it. However, it comes as a bit of a surprise that the Bloc Québécois is opposing a measure that will help people in the member's own riding.

We just tabled the first motion in the House to cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. That can add up to as much as $840 for a two-income family. This measure is important for the people of Berthier—Maskinongé.

The people of Berthier—Maskinongé expect their member of Parliament to stand up for their interests and vote for the motion put forward by this new government.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Saint-Maurice—Champlain expect parliamentarians to draft a budget before spending the money. It is as though the Prime Minister followed Trudeau's example when it comes to spending and thought, “Just watch me”. What is next? Is he going to show up here wearing Adidas running shoes? The Prime Minister is proving that this is the fourth edition of the same Liberal government. The Liberals would still have us believe that they can continue to spend while reducing revenues, without increasing the debt or cutting transfers to the provinces.

They need to show us in a budget how they plan to do that. Is transparency too much to ask?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to salute the people of Saint-Maurice—Champlain, who have sent me here for a fourth term, which I will fulfill with humility and conviction. That conviction includes presenting a fiscal framework, a budget, in early fall, as we have indicated. It is a prudent way of doing things. It will be an ambitious budget, one that will enable us to build the Canada of tomorrow. I know that is exactly what Canadians expect. We will build a strong economy, the strongest in the G7, and a resilient and strong Canada.

Housing

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I recently talked with a young fellow who said that unless his parents die and leave him their house, he will never own one. That is a reality for many young Canadians, so imagine their shock when they heard the new housing minister say that home prices do not need to come down. Under the former mayor of Vancouver, house prices shot up 179%, rent went up 50% and homelessness went up 40%.

If the housing minister did not fix it then and does not see a problem now, how much more expensive does he plan to let things get?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we are spending many days this week with mayors and councillors from across the country at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities meeting. I would caution members opposite against insulting our local government officials, who we are partnering with to deliver results on the ground.

We will deliver cuts to the GST for first-time homebuyers. We are going to see a $50,000 savings for first-time homebuyers delivered by this new government.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the housing market in the GTA is descending into complete chaos. New data shows that GTA home sales are the worst since the market crash of the 1990s, falling 89% below the 10-year average, and that condo sales fell 94% below the 10-year average. Home prices are too high for buyers and too low for sellers. Sellers cannot sell, buyers cannot buy and builders are not building. The report warns that there will be a massive housing shortage in just two years.

Can the Prime Minister tell us why he refuses to present a budget immediately to provide much-needed help for both buyers and sellers?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the critical piece that we need to invest in is more affordable housing across Canada right now, and we are doing that by delivering a GST cut for new homebuyers. We are doing that by reducing the cost of housing through development cost charges. We are working in partnership with local governments to deliver that. We also have to be sure we build more affordable housing for young people and those most vulnerable across our country.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, new data out this week shows that home sales in the GTA are down 89% below their 10-year average. That is not a slowdown; that is a market stall. What is the Prime Minister's response? It is a GST proposal that industry has dismissed, saying it will not improve affordability.

What is the Prime Minister's plan today, not in September, for buyers who cannot buy, sellers who cannot sell and builders who cannot build?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we have good news coming with the GST cut for first-time homebuyers. We are seeing a stall in the market as people wait for that cut. We hope the members opposite will support the cut to the GST.

We are also going to focus on building more housing on the affordable end of the spectrum. That is what the young people of Canada need. That is what we need to deliver in this House for the people of Canada.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the price of the average home in my hometown of Oshawa has gone up 121% since 2015. According to Equifax, a record number of Ontarians are missing mortgage payments now, up 71.5% since early 2024. A TMU professor said, “The first thing you make sure you do in life is to pay your mortgage, but people aren’t doing that, because the whole system is so broken now.”

The Liberal housing minister, former mayor of Vancouver, comes to us with an already broken record of sky-high prices and surging homelessness, so why should Canadians trust him to do the job?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, again, I will caution the members opposite against insulting local government officials who are here in Ottawa this week to partner with the federal government. The only way we get housing built in this country is with alignment with the provinces, territories and local and indigenous governments. We need to work in partnership and collaboration to deliver housing for Canadians that they can afford.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, according to new data, Ontario's homeowners are missing mortgage payments in record numbers. The 90-day mortgage delinquency rate has jumped 71% since last year. Canadians are facing 40-year inflation highs, lacklustre housing supply and skyrocketing mortgage rates. What does the housing minister have to say? He says that prices do not need to come down. As Vancouver's mayor, he oversaw rent going up 50%, home prices up 179% and homelessness up 40%.

Can the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure tell Canadians how many more families must fall behind before his government takes action and finally tables a budget?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I say to the member opposite that we have real challenges with housing across this country, and we have to address the affordability. We also have to tackle the trade war we face with the United States. The tariffs are having an impact on Canadians. They are impacting affordability. They are impacting our markets. That is why I applaud the actions of our Prime Minister and our ministers in addressing the challenges we face with the U.S., growing the Canadian economy and ending this trade war.

Natural Resources

[Steven Bonk, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after years of delays, uncertainty and economic damage, it is undeniable that Bill C-69, the no more pipelines bill, has been an absolute failure for Canadians. Industry leaders, provinces and indigenous communities have repeatedly sounded the alarm over its complex, unpredictable regulatory process that chases away investment and blocks development.

Now that the Supreme Court has confirmed that key parts of the legislation are unconstitutional, will the Liberal government finally admit it got this wrong and scrap Bill C-69 to take real action to get Canadians back to work?