Debates of May 30th, 2025

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my new colleague in the House, but we are off to a good start. The first thing we did was offer tax cuts to 22 million Canadians, including people in his riding, who will be happy to hear that today. There are 22 million Canadians who will pay less in taxes. This is a flagship measure.

During the election campaign, we said that we would be here to make life more affordable for Canadians. We promised, and we delivered. My colleague should be happy to support this government motion.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to improvise with Quebeckers' money. They would have us believe that they can both raise spending and lower revenues without increasing the debt or cutting services. Quebeckers can see that this does not hold water. However, by not presenting a budget plan, the Liberals are asking Quebeckers to take them at their word.

The Liberals have proved time and time again that they do not deserve Quebeckers' blind trust when it comes to public finances. When will we see a budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, one thing is clear: Quebeckers put their trust in us by electing 44 incredible members of the Liberal Party, which, of course, forms the government. That is twice as many as the Bloc Québécois, which has 22 members. Quebeckers know that we are in a tough situation right now. There is a tariff war that is directly affecting our workers and our economy. We are here as Quebec MPs and ministers to defend the interests of Quebec, and we will continue to do so.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a reminder for the Liberals. Quebeckers elected a minority government, and so they expect the parties to co-operate. They expect transparency. Most of all, they expect restraint. Tabling over $200 billion in new spending without a budget explaining where the funds are coming from is a blatant violation of the Liberals' mandate in every sense. We asked the government to co-operate, to show transparency and restraint.

Are the Liberals going to live up to Quebeckers' expectations and present a budget plan?

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

Mr. Speaker, the government and the Liberal Party always live up to the expectations of Quebeckers. That is why we earned Quebeckers' trust again this year. We just passed this test during the election. That is why we are now 44 members strong, a record for our party, and very proud of it. I want to thank all my colleagues for their hard work and congratulate them.

Naturally, we are going to co-operate with the Bloc Québécois at times. However, the reality is that we are going to defend Canada's sovereignty, whereas the Bloc Québécois is more interested in Quebec's sovereignty. We are going to be there to create jobs and protect our economy. That is our priority.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's first bill has shattered his spending promises. He was elected on a promise of financial transparency, accountability and responsibility, and only one month later, he has already torn down that facade, treating taxpayer dollars like some seedy, secretive corporate bank account instead of the purse strings of this nation.

In what world can the Prime Minister justify spending half a trillion in taxpayer dollars without a budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, this new government is making sure that spending is being carefully managed and focused on our most pressing priorities. We will continue to review our spending to make sure we are being efficient, effective and focused on meeting the challenges and opportunities Canada faces.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government's dismissive rhetoric does not stand up to scrutiny. It promised to cap spending at 2%, but hours later increased it by 8%, with no fiscal anchor and no fiscal guardrails. We are in a fiscal free fall and working-class Canadians are paying the bill, including nearly $1,400 per household spent on the Prime Minister's corporate consultant cronies. It is insulting to Canadians.

How is the Liberal government asking to spend half a trillion dollars without a budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the investments in the main estimates. They include important funding to support the Canadian Forces, health services for first nations, dental care, border services and immigration, veterans' benefits and housing. The new government is investing in Canadians to build Canada strong.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals, it is the same spending, same ministers and same painful consequences for Canadians, except now, we do not know the government's full plan because it refused to table a budget, something quite new to Canada. Budgets have been presented during wars, economic downturns and, yes, even following elections. We do know the government has increased spending on consultants by 36%, meaning every Canadian household must pay $1,400 to get gimmicks instead of results.

How is the Liberal government asking to spend half a trillion dollars without even a budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is the same old Conservatives but with new slogans. We have been just a week in the House and they are coming back with slogans. On this side of the House, Canadians watching at home know they can trust us, because we promise and we deliver.

We promised to be there for Canadians, and the first thing we delivered was a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. There are people in the member's riding watching today, and they are going to thank this new Liberal government for making their lives more affordable.

We have even more good news: We are removing the GST on new homes for first-time homebuyers, up to a million dollars. This is a great—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes.

Rail Transportation

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think asking for a budget on behalf of Canadians is a slogan, and, actually, something that Canada has always had is a budget.

The government has spent $330,000 just on consultants to rebrand a Crown corporation. The goal of that name change is to get people really excited about high-speed rail from Toronto to Quebec City. People in my area have grown quite tired of waiting decades for this project to become a reality.

When will the government actually get shovels in the ground instead of padding the pockets of well-connected Liberal consultants?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to have the Conservatives finally talking about supporting big nation-building projects. At a time when our economy is being battered by U.S. tariffs, that is exactly what we need.

Now is the time to get shovels in the ground. Now is the time to build high-speed rail. Now is the time to build Canada. That is what the Prime Minister will be talking about with premiers in Saskatoon. That is what is in the bill we will be presenting in this session, and we are going to count on the Conservatives to support it.

Finance

[Helena Konanz, Conservative, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the new Liberal Prime Minister is keeping the wasteful spending of Justin Trudeau. In fact, the government is increasing spending on building bureaucracy and on well-connected consultants. The Prime Minister promised to cap spending at 2% and instead is increasing it by 8%. This is without even tabling a budget to give the House a full picture of our public finances.

How is the Liberal government asking to spend half a trillion dollars without a budget plan?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the member that a lot of the funds in the main estimates are transfer payments to provinces and territories. That means billions in federal support for the member's province and constituents. I challenge the member to join us in supporting these investments so that we can deliver services to Canadians and build Canada strong.

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this week's throne speech confirms that Canadians are in for more of the same recklessness with the Liberal government. They promised to cap spending at 2%. They have broken their promise again, spending half a trillion dollars, almost 8% more than Justin Trudeau did. It is the same limitless spending and the same mistakes that got Canada into this mess.

Canada cannot trust the Liberals gambling with their futures. When will the Prime Minister stop hiding the state of our finances and release a budget?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to have been elected with this government on a strong mandate to reduce bureaucracy and make government more efficient. We are working on it. The goal is to spend less so we can invest more, and that is exactly what we are doing with a tax cut for 22 million Canadians, which is going to save, on average, $840 per Canadian family. I am hoping Conservatives will rally behind this common-sense idea.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, over the last 10 years, the Liberal government's debt and deficits have been out of control. The Prime Minister said that his government had a plan to cap its spending increase at 2% and to cut expensive government consultants, but now the Liberals want to quadruple that spending increase and spend 36% more on consultants, all without any accountability.

Why are the Liberals spending half a trillion dollars with no budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy for the question by the member. What he is failing to tell Canadians watching today is that Canada has one of the best balance sheets in the G7. Not only do we have a AAA credit rating, but we have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio. That is an enviable position.

I presided over the G7 finance ministers' meeting in Banff recently. The world is watching what Canada has to offer and wants what Canada has to offer. In this sense, we are going to build the strongest economy in the G7. We are going to make this country resilient and ambitious for all Canadians.

Employment Insurance

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals came to power 10 years ago, they promised to reform the employment insurance system. Year after year, they assured workers that they were almost ready to go, that they would be doing something in a couple of months at most.

Ten years later, EI reform is conspicuously absent from the throne speech, despite the fact that we are in the middle of a trade dispute with the United States and key industries like aluminum are being hit with tariffs.

Does the government understand that this is the worst time to abandon our workers?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have already taken actions to strengthen EI and to remove some of the challenges that workers who are facing unemployment have in accessing EI. We know that we need to respond adeptly as these tariffs threaten our workers across Canada, and that is exactly what the Prime Minister has asked me and my colleagues to do.

We will continue to be there for workers. We will continue to have an employment insurance system that works for everyone.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is not one word about EI reform in the throne speech.

Stepping back from EI reform in the midst of a tariff crisis is tantamount to betraying workers, period. The Liberals have been promising reform for 10 years. Every possible study has been done, every consultation held. The Liberals have talked enough. It is time to act.

Will the government tell us exactly when it plans to introduce EI reform, or will it admit to workers that it is turning its back on them?

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

Mr. Speaker, we know that, in this time of uncertainty around tariffs and trade with the United States, protecting our workers is critical.

That is why we made EI easier to access. We eliminated the one-week waiting period for employment insurance. Also, severance and vacation pay and so on are no longer taken into account, thereby ensuring that workers can benefit from the employment insurance system that protects all our workers.

Housing

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on day one of his new job, the Prime Minister's housing minister told Canadians that home prices do not need to come down. After 10 years, the Liberals have doubled housing prices, down payments, mortgage payments and rent. Now the housing minister is doubling down to keep home costs high.

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