House of Commons Hansard #14 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was strategies.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Albanian Heritage Month Act First reading of Bill C-209. The bill designates November every year as Albanian Heritage Month across Canada to celebrate the contributions and heritage of Albanian Canadians. 100 words.
Opposition Motion—GC Strategies Inc. Members debate the Auditor General's report finding GC Strategies was paid over $64 million with insufficient proof of work, particularly for the ArriveCAN app. A Conservative motion calls for the government to recover taxpayers' money within 100 days and impose a lifetime contracting ban on the company and its founders. The Liberal government acknowledges the findings, states it is taking action, including legal proceedings, and notes the AG made no new recommendations. Other parties support accountability and recovery but express skepticism about the timeline and government effectiveness. 57400 words, 7 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (A), 2025-26 Members debate the government's main estimates, questioning the President of the Treasury Board on planned spending. Topics include the national debt, deficit, consultant spending (particularly on ArriveCAN), public service growth, housing initiatives, national defence, indigenous services, and social programs. The Minister highlights priority investments and efforts to manage spending, often referring to the estimates document. 13800 words, 2 hours.
Scot Davidson Conservative New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government ignored procurement rules, accountability and basic common sense to funnel sweetheart contracts to their friends at GC Strategies, the ones who were behind ArriveCAN. It handed out an eyewatering $64 million in taxpayer money to Liberal insiders, with no evidence that any work was actually completed.
Will the Liberals take responsibility, show respect to Canadian taxpayers and get the money back?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, I think I have made it abundantly clear in previous answers that we will always protect the integrity of our procurement process, which is why we have taken legal action against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the RCMP, and we will always hold bad actors to account.
Scot Davidson Conservative New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON
Mr. Speaker, that answer would not take the scum off rice pudding. The report from the Auditor General was clear: No work was done. The only thing delivered was a cheque to Liberal insiders. Despite an RCMP investigation and $64 million wasted, the cabinet ministers responsible were not fired. They were promoted to new titles, bigger offices, all courtesy of the Prime Minister; talk about failing upwards.
Why is it that under the Liberal government, failure is rewarded and Canadian taxpayers get stuck with the bill?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, as I have noted before, we will always defend the integrity of our procurement process. We will never tolerate any form of misconduct from our suppliers or their contractors, which is why we have revoked GC Strategies' security clearance. We terminated all contracts more than a year ago. Now the office of supplier integrity has barred them from contracting with the Canadian government. We have referred cases to the RCMP. We have taken legal action. We will always hold bad actors responsible.
Richard Bragdon Conservative Tobique—Mactaquac, NB
Mr. Speaker, what a complete and totally comprehensive non-answer that was. Earlier this week, the Auditor General released their scathing audit, stating that GC Strategies was paid $64 million for the ArriveCAN app, with little to no evidence of any work having been completed. The Auditor General made note that this is just one example of what is likely a widespread issue. There may be a new prime minister, but it is the same old Liberal government.
Will the Prime Minister stand up today and vote for our Conservative motion to return this money to hard-working Canadian taxpayers, yes or no?
Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions
Louis-Hébert Québec
Liberal
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the Auditor General for her work.
I would like to point out that we have taken action on all of her past recommendations, but we did not stop there. We terminated all contracts with GC Strategies over a year ago. We have revoked their security clearances. We have launched legal action against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Why? It is for the simple reason that we will always defend the integrity of our procurement system and hold bad suppliers and their contractors to account.
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
Mr. Speaker, in a report released on Tuesday, the Auditor General indicated that the Liberal government did not follow the rules regarding the contracts awarded to GC Strategies. A total of $64 million was given to this two-person company. Moreover, there is no evidence of any work being done.
This morning, the Conservatives moved a motion to ban this company for life.
Will the Liberal government vote with us and get that money back for Canadians?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will be pleased to know that last week, the office of supplier integrity that we put in place decided to ban GC Strategies from bidding on contracts with the Government of Canada. I would add that more than a year ago, we terminated all contracts with GC Strategies. We have taken legal action against the company. We have referred cases to the RCMP.
Why? It is because we will never tolerate misconduct from our suppliers or their contractors.
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
Mr. Speaker, we are not asking for a seven-year ban, but a lifetime ban.
There are always scandals with this Liberal government. The Liberals ignore the rules; they allow their buddies to get rich. The taxpayers of Beauce and the rest of Canada are paying for it.
The Prime Minister had the opportunity to change the situation by replacing the cabinet ministers responsible, but no, he gave them a cushy promotion instead.
Why, under the Liberals, are politicians rewarded while Canadians foot the bill?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, we will always defend the integrity of our procurement system. That is why, more than a year ago, we terminated all contracts with GC Strategies. We have revoked its security clearances. We have implemented the Auditor General's recommendations from previous reports to ensure that bad suppliers are held to account. We have referred cases to the RCMP concerning that company. We have taken legal action against GC Strategies.
On this side of the House, we will always hold bad actors accountable.
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, what do a foreign entity involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil, a tyrant who ordered the dismemberment of a journalist at an embassy in Turkey, and a malicious leader who silences any form of opposition have in common?
The answer is, of course, that they are all honoured guests of the Prime Minister at the G7. Human rights should not get in the way of a good business opportunity, after all. That is the new Liberal government.
Will the Prime Minister listen to reason and immediately withdraw his indecent invitations?
Anita Anand LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, the world has an international security crisis on its hands. We must never lose sight of the fact that our sovereignty, security and prosperity are tied to overall global stability.
Canada believes in collaboration. The G7 is an essential forum for world leaders to have frank and productive discussions.
Security, stability and protection are necessary for Canadians. At the same time, we must have these conversations.
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, Justin Trudeau welcomed “those fleeing persecution, terror and war” to Canada. We remember the fiasco that this tweet caused and the impact that it had on our intake capacity. Nevertheless, Justin Trudeau wanted to welcome the persecuted. Now the new Prime Minister has chosen to welcome the persecutors.
Are there any Liberals on the other side who will talk to their leader, the Prime Minister, and ask him to rescind the invitations to Modi, bin Salman and bin Zayed, or are we to understand that the Liberals now see human rights as a thing of the past?
Anita Anand LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, the G7 is an important forum for international dialogue with international leaders. At the same time, we must have security and the necessary conversations about protecting our fellow citizens and our population. That is our top priority.
We will do that, and we will always protect Canadians.
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, there are questions on the public safety minister's recent recusals. Was the Ethics Commissioner consulted prior to the public safety minister setting up an internal conflict screen? Can the Prime Minister explain to this House why the minister has recused himself?
Gary Anandasangaree LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, in all national security decisions, my utmost concern is that of the safety of Canadians. I will support law enforcement and national security agencies, who do their work impartially and effectively. In an abundance of caution, and to ensure that there is no perception of any conflict, I have asked the public safety officials to implement a screen on national security issues relating to the Tamil community.
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, in British Columbia, an offender was recently sentenced to house arrest for possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material. The victims of such deplorable materials are living a psychological life sentence. Whom do I blame for this? It is not the judge, not the prosecutor and not the defence lawyer. I blame weak Liberal laws that allow people like these to serve their sentence on the couch.
Will the public safety minister recognize this injustice and stop allowing house arrest for people who watch sexual abuse of children?
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, let me condemn, in the harshest possible terms, sexual crimes committed against children. As a former prosecutor, I am sure my hon. colleague would know that the law on the books today actually holds a mandatory minimum penalty of one year's imprisonment for these types of heinous crimes. I hope that this does not become a bipartisan issue. We want to work together to implement reforms, not only to punish heinous crimes but to prevent these harms from becoming a lifetime problem for vulnerable children.
Dan Albas Conservative Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna, BC
Mr. Speaker, despite having world-class shipbuilders such as Seaspan in Vancouver, BC Ferries has chosen a Chinese state-owned enterprise to build four new ships, even though the Prime Minister has declared China the biggest security threat to Canada. Meanwhile, the Liberals are providing BC Ferries with $36 million, with no conditions to protect Canadian workers.
Will the minister grow a spine of Canadian-manufactured steel and make Canadian jobs a requirement for this funding, or will she side with Premier Eby in selling out our ship- and steel-building industries?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Transport and Internal Trade
Mr. Speaker, our government will always side with Canadian workers, particularly in our steel and aluminum sectors, which are being battered right now. I was disappointed and concerned when I learned of this procurement, particularly at this moment, when Canadian workers need our support. BC Ferries is entirely under provincial jurisdiction. The support BC Ferries receives from Transport Canada is entirely for operations, and there is no capital expenditure.
Jeff Kibble Conservative Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC
Mr. Speaker, what a great non-answer.
Yesterday the Minister of Transport refused to act on my concern over BC Ferries' buying four ships from a Chinese state-owned shipyard. She used the excuse that it was not a federal project, which was not the question that I asked. The Liberals should be supporting Canadian shipyards and our economy instead of supporting CCP-owned shipyards and their economy.
Again, I ask this: Will the Liberals attach the obvious condition of buying Canadian-built ships in order for BC Ferries to get their over $30-million Liberal subsidy?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Transport and Internal Trade
Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree that we need to be supporting Canadian shipbuilders. That is why we have a national shipbuilding strategy. I absolutely agree that we need to be supporting Canadian steel and aluminum workers, and further, I agree that we need to be alive to national security challenges and bear those in mind when it comes to procurement.
I have spoken to my B.C. counterpart about this issue, and I would underscore that BC Ferries is entirely under provincial jurisdiction. I do not think any B.C. MPs would challenge federal support for operations of ferries.
Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that Canadian production of critical minerals could drop by nearly 60% in 2040.
It is not really surprising. Mining projects in Canada under the Liberals take forever to develop. However, Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean has exceptional geological potential, including phosphate. Since 2018, we have been working to include it on the list of critical minerals.
Why are the Liberals incapable of delivering the goods and developing our resources?
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, mining is crucial to our economy, and Canada is facing American tariffs. We must support our mining workers. That is why we will speed up permitting of new mines by cutting red tape and approving projects within two years. This will create jobs for Canadians, grow our economy and provide more opportunity for mining workers in our country. We hope our members across the aisle will support the one Canadian economy act.
Terry Duguid Liberal Winnipeg South, MB
Mr. Speaker, our government has introduced the one Canadian economy act, which aims to help advance major projects through the regulatory process. We have seen indigenous people across Canada strongly assert the requirement for consultation before major projects are approved.
Can the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations tell us about how consultations will happen under the new act?