Debates of June 11th, 2025

Public Services and Procurement

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government, Canada's new government, is focused on best value for taxpayer dollars. We are running a process to review our programs. We are running a process to focus on results for Canadians, not on dollars in. We are running a process to integrate technology. We are running a process to get best value for the largest increase in defence spending in precedent, making up for the failures of the members of the Conservatives before us.

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

Mr. Speaker, thanks to a Conservative motion, the Auditor General shed light on the ArriveCAN scandal. What she found was not pretty. GC Strategies, a two-person firm that operated out of a basement and had no IT experience, got $64 million for doing nothing. According to the report, nobody knows who did the work, what was done, whether those people did anything or whether they were qualified to do it.

The Conservatives are going to take the next step. We are going to move a motion to get Canadians their money back.

Will the Prime Minister vote in favour of our motion to reimburse Canadians for his ministers' incompetence?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's new government is focused on best-in-class procurement.

That is why we have a new Minister of Government Transformation and new Department of National Defence procurement at a time when we are seeing the biggest increase in spending to defend our country.

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

Mr. Speaker, he says he is new, but there might be something he is unaware of, so I will explain it to him slowly: The ministers who authorized those expenditures are members of his cabinet. They were not terminated like GC Strategies was, as the government's Minister of Government Transformation said yesterday. They were promoted. That is the truth.

The House has already demanded that the money paid to GC Strategies be returned. Unfortunately, we have not seen a dime of it yet. That $64 million comes from income tax and other taxes paid by Canadians. The Liberal government has abused their trust.

Our motion is clear. Will the Prime Minister vote to protect his ministers or to ensure that Canadians get their money back?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every hour of every day, I intend to focus on best-in-class procurement for Canadians.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the member for Mirabel asked the Minister of Finance the following: “Were these carbon tax rebate cheques that were sent out in the middle of the election...in eight provinces delivered without the tax that funded them being collected?” The minister said no.

My question for the Prime Minister is this. Were the carbon tax rebate cheques that were sent out in the middle of the election delivered without the tax that funded them being collected?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the final carbon rebate payment was issued to help with the transition that millions of Canadian families are going through. All members agreed with our decision to scrap the consumer carbon tax.

Many families outside Quebec and British Columbia need a transition period. That is the reason.

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

Mr. Speaker, the votes in the House determine what we agree on.

The matter remained under the radar during the turmoil of the election campaign, but it is now becoming a big issue in Quebec. The truth needs to come out. By refusing to compensate Quebeckers, the government is providing a carbon rebate to those who did not pay for it and failing to reimburse those who did.

I assume the Prime Minister is better than that at economics and basic accounting.

Will he compensate Quebeckers?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the provinces and Quebec had the choice to impose their own carbon pricing system.

We respect Quebec's jurisdictions.

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

Mr. Speaker, we could get a plaque with that phrase etched onto it.

In short, the Prime Minister eliminated the carbon tax and gave Canadians $4 billion up front to reimburse them for a tax that they will never pay. Meanwhile, he gave nothing to Quebeckers. He admitted it. That $4 billion is not linked to any revenue that would justify that money being paid back. That $4 billion is being added directly to the deficit, just like the $6 billion in tax cuts. The government is doing all of this without tabling a budget or providing an economic update.

Will the Prime Minister fix this obvious injustice against Quebeckers?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, there are different systems and different transitions.

This is not an injustice. We are being consistent.

National Defence

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Airdrie—Cochrane, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General released a scathing report about the Liberal government's mismanagement of the F-35 contract. The Liberals flipped, they flopped and then they flipped again. Now they are trying to hide the real costs of their incompetence.

How can the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces trust that the Prime Minister will actually deliver on his defence promises when it is clear that his own ministers are willing to mislead Canadians when it comes to defence?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we thank the Auditor General once again for her work.

In any procurement project of this size, as the member knows, it is normal for costs to change and vary over time, especially with the challenges encountered during the pandemic, such as supply chain disruptions and inflation. That is why National Defence is working hand in hand with industry now to make sure we get good value for Canadians.

We are making a generational investment in the air force, and we are going to get this right.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Airdrie—Cochrane, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this is anything but normal. This is the Liberals trying to hide their own incompetence. They misled Canadians by not factoring in currency exchanges, inflation and project delays to pretend that they were saving costs, when in fact the F-35s were 50% over budget, because of the Liberals' incompetence. Worse yet, Trudeau's minister responsible for this creative accounting was promoted by the current Prime Minister.

Is it not true that the Liberals' so-called new defence spending is actually just the costs they were hiding from Canadians all along?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I am going to thank the Auditor General for her work and her recommendations, many of which we are acting upon already.

National Defence officials are committed to being open and transparent, and they will keep Canadians updated every step of the way, without compromising operational security. National Defence officials are keeping a close eye on costs and working hand in hand with industry to make sure we get the best value for Canadians.

We are focused here, focused on supporting our top Canadian aviators as they work to keep Canada safe.

Public Services and Procurement

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General proved what Canadians already knew: The Liberals cannot run a lemonade stand, let alone the government. They funnelled tens of millions of dollars to their friends at GC Strategies, with nearly half of the contracts delivering little to no result. With respect to the Liberals' federal lands housing initiative, after seven years, they have not delivered even 8% of what they promised they would. The F-35 program is 50% over budget and plagued with construction delays and staffing shortages.

Here is a simple question: Why is it that Liberals can never deliver any project on time or on budget?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear: We will always protect the integrity of our procurement process. We have been elected on a mandate to deliver best value for Canadians as we embark on an ambitious journey for this country. I am hoping Conservatives will get on board.

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Auditor General revealed that Canadians are paying more and getting less. The Liberals have poured $300 million into a housing program and missed their targets by 97%. With respect to the F-35 jets, it is nearly $30 billion and 50% over budget, with no jets flying, no pilots ready and no facilities built. To top it off, the fraudulent arrive scam contractor, GC Strategies, has siphoned $64 million from Canadian taxpayers.

If Liberals cannot be trusted to manage any of these projects, how can Canadians trust them to balance a budget?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, let me be absolutely clear: We will never tolerate misconduct from our suppliers or their subcontractors. We will always hold bad actors to account so that we deliver the best value for Canadians. This is exactly what we are doing for Canadians.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General reconfirmed what we already know: The Liberals are bad with Canadians' money.

With respect to housing, the Liberals promised to build 4,000 units in six years, but the real number is a pathetic 309. The F-35 budget has exploded by $14 billion, and there are no pilots to fly the jets. Worst of all, the Liberals funnelled $64 million to arrive scam contractors, just two guys working from their basement, with no proof they did any real work.

They are the same Trudeau ministers, the same failures and the same old Liberals. Why did the Prime Minister promote the very ministers responsible for these scandals into his cabinet?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for her work. I had an important conversation with her about office space, which is something that was included in the report she released yesterday. I would like to point that, in her report, she notes that we are on track to meet our targets for affordable housing on federal lands. That is good news for Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have no foresight, and they do not care about their exorbitant budgetary spending.

After 10 years of unacceptable and avoidable delays, we are now facing the real possibility that Canada will not have operational fighter jets. We know that our CF‑18s will reach the end of their useful life in 2032 and that the delivery date for our F‑35s is uncertain.

How is it that the Liberals keep spending money but can never deliver?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we thank the Auditor General for her work.

In a procurement project such as this, it is normal for costs to change over time, especially given the challenges posed by the pandemic and inflation. The member knows that. National Defence is closely monitoring costs and working hand in hand with the industry to ensure value for money for Canadians. We are making the largest investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in over 30 years.

Steel and Aluminum Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, industry, businesses and workers in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean are hurting because of American tariffs on steel and aluminum, which have now reached 50%. Hundreds of jobs in Saguenay are at risk.

I would remind the House that the Prime Minister was elected on a promise to stand up to Trump. On top of that, he was supposed to raise $20 billion through countertariffs. Now we have learned that China just signed an agreement with the Americans. Why is China getting a deal before Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am well aware of the situation, as are the Prime Minister and his cabinet.

We are well aware that the 50% tariff was imposed in a completely unacceptable, unjustified and illegal manner on aluminum workers in my colleague's riding, as well as on steel workers in the ridings of several other members here. That is why we are implementing very strong countermeasures. We are also in touch with industry and labour, and we are going to fight for the tariffs to be removed.