Debates of June 20th, 2025

Government Priorities

[Shuv Majumdar, Conservative, Calgary Heritage, AB]

Mr. Speaker, if their math is like their promises, we are in serious trouble. They promised to put more money in Canadians' pockets. It is not $800 a year; it is seven dollars a month: broken. They promised to rein in government spending. We have $26 billion in consultants and $1,400 in taxes for every Canadian household: broken. The Prime Minister has promised to rein in inflation. Beef is up 34%, baby formula is up 9% and apples are up 18%: broken.

Was the Prime Minister misleading us in the campaign, is he misleading us now or is it both?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, at a time when Canadians are struggling and when we are fighting a trade war with one of our greatest allies traditionally, we have offered 22 million Canadians an income tax cut that is going to put more money in their pockets.

What did the Conservatives do? We are glad that for once they voted for a tax cut, which is fantastic. We know they have a history of complaining in this House about affordability and then voting against every single measure we put forward. At least finally they came to their senses and helped Canadians for once.

Ethics

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

Mr. Speaker, it has been over 100 days and the Prime Minister still has not set up an ethics screen to deal with his business interests. Just imagine a local school board trustee voting for a multi-million dollar contract, then going to his business partner to build a school without telling anyone he is going to profit from it. Canadians would be outraged, and they should be.

When will the Prime Minister show some basic ethics and stop treating public office like a private opportunity?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has a record of achievement in 100 days that would make anyone around the world blush. We have reduced taxes. We are creating opportunity for Canadians. We have committed to passing a bill by July 1, which is on track to getting done.

The Prime Minister has proactively filed all disclosures required under the most stringent code of ethics that exists almost anywhere in the world. Of course, the Prime Minister will meet his requirements under that code and will keep delivering for Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just voted to ban gas-powered vehicles, adding up to $20,000 to the cost of a new car. Families are already drowning in bills, and now he is making it even harder to get to work or drop off the kids. Is it just a coincidence that Brookfield stands to profit off this mandate?

When will the Prime Minister stop treating public money like his personal investment portfolio and finally be transparent about the deals he stands to benefit from?

[Wade Grant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, this is the first time I rise to answer a question. I thank the hon. member for asking my first question.

I ran because I wanted to fight for jobs in this country and wanted to fight to protect the climate in this country for my children and my children's children. That is why we are building an electric vehicle supply chain and are driving record investment in the economy that is going to protect our workers not today, not tomorrow but seven generations ahead. I am thankful I am on this side, and I look to the other side to work with us.

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is the last day in the House before Parliament adjourns for the summer. Let us look at the disastrous record. We have had four weeks of broken promises by the Liberal government, including promises on spending, tax cuts, consultants, national defence and our relationship with the United States. Take tax cuts, for example. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is saying that Canadians will not save $800, but rather $90.

Why did the Liberal Party mislead Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, one thing is clear. This government is moving quickly. We have been able to do more in 100 days than many other previous governments have. This includes cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians and cutting the GST for first-time homebuyers.

If the opposition supports us, of course, we will also be able to pass a bill that is essential to supporting our workers and our industries that are currently at risk because of the tariff war.

I hope the opposition will be there to support us.

Finance

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with my limited experience in the House, what I have come to realize is that the Liberal government likes to play “mirror, mirror”.

Today, if the promise to save $800 is broken, it is because Canadians misunderstood. They should have understood that it was up to $800. Do members know what is simple to understand and not subject to interpretation? A budget.

Will the Prime Minister finally take responsibility, let Canadians know the state of public finances and table his budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, one thing is clear: Canadians know that we are there for them in a tariff war. We are there for our steel and aluminum workers. We are there for our auto sector. We are there for all Canadians across the country because we know we have to play our part.

Some 22 million Canadians will benefit from a tax cut. We will also be there to build our country at a time when it is under attack.

Government Priorities

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

Mr. Speaker, the CSN is also speaking out against Bill C‑5 and how it will impose energy projects on Quebeckers. The CSN said, and I quote:

The use of closure to pass Bill C‑5 is an undemocratic tactic supported by the Conservative Party of Canada that will open the door to irreversible mistakes...

I will repeat word for word the question that is troubling the CSN: If Bill C‑5 is so good for workers, why not take the time to study it properly?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing many challenges, particularly in relation to the tariff war triggered by our neighbours to the south.

What Quebec workers and the FTQ are telling us is that we need to take action, that we need to quickly build projects of national significance that will not only create jobs, but will also enable Quebec to prosper today, tomorrow and for decades to come.

That is what we are doing with this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, the CSN is adding its voice to the Assembly of First Nations. It even joins a few Liberal MPs and, no doubt, a few ministers who prefer to remain silent. They are the ones we are addressing as the vote approaches.

Bill C‑5 makes it possible to circumvent all environmental measures and suspend nearly all legislation by order in council. It is the most authoritarian bill since the Emergencies Act.

Will the ministers who disagree have the courage to oppose it before it is too late?

[Mandy Gull-Masty, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be sitting on this side of the House to ensure that the reconciliation process will now be a “reconcili-action” process. We are working in partnership with the indigenous peoples here in Canada.

They will be engaged in a process that will be clear, serious and self-determined. This party is very open to ensuring that everyone has a place at the table, as only our government can do.

The Environment

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first it was the CSN, then first nations and then even a few Liberals, and now environmental groups are also speaking out against Bill C‑5.

Equiterre, Climate Action Network and Ecojustice: the list goes on. According to Greenpeace:

Bill C‑5 would...sidestep long-standing environmental protections, silence communities, and violate Indigenous rights in order to ram projects through to the benefit of multi-billion dollar corporations.

Everyone is telling the Liberals the same thing. We need to study Bill C‑5 as we normally would, not force it through on a time allocation. Will they listen?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada is proud to be a leader in respecting environmental standards. We know we can undertake major projects, important projects, that create jobs and opportunities, without sacrificing our environmental values or our processes.

Clearly, we need to take action, economic action. We need to speed up the process and stop settling for processes that are too slow. We need to speed things up to make room for opportunities.

Government Priorities

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's first four weeks have been filled with broken promises on spending, consultants, defence spending and relations with the U.S. Now the Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed another broken promise, this time on tax cuts. He advises us that the average Canadian will save only $7.50 a month and low-income seniors will save even less, under five dollars a month, under the Liberal proposals.

Perhaps it is not a surprise the Prime Minister will not table a budget this spring, because so much of what he is saying now is so different from what he said during the election. I am curious: Did the Prime Minister deliberately mislead Canadians during the election, is he misleading them now or is it both?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, our government received a strong mandate from the Canadian people to build Canada strong.

What have we done? In just four weeks, we have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians, we have helped secure our borders, we are breaking down internal trade barriers, we are fast-tracking major nation-building projects and we have strengthened our ability to defend ourselves. That, to me, is strong leadership for a strong and independent Canada.

While Conservatives bash, we will build. We will continue to build with Canadians all across this great country. That is how we will make the best country in the world even better.

Finance

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is a broken record of broken promises, and the list keeps on growing. There are broken promises on spending, and we still do not have a budget plan. There are broken promises on consultants and on consulting with Canadians. There are broken promises to have his elbows up with the Americans. Instead, what the Prime Minister has lifted is his middle finger to Canadians on affordability, inflation and Liberal policies.

Canadians need real change from the Prime Minister, not pocket change in tax cuts, not broken promises and not false hopes. Will the Prime Minister table a real budget plan this spring or will he not?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member is a member of long standing, and I do not even think he believes the stuff he was handed to read.

The fact is that this is a transformational Prime Minister in a new government who will be presenting a budget this fall and who has already delivered a spending program that was passed by this House, has already delivered a tax cut for 22 million Canadians that will save families up to $840 a year and has taken off the GST on homes for first-time buyers. That is progress.

Government Priorities

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what the member just said is completely misleading to the Canadian public. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has said this big tax cut is actually going to deliver $15 a month. That is not transformational. That is not going to build anything. The average Canadian can buy a couple of coffees at Starbucks for $15 a month, so it is all talk and no action, realistically, from the government.

The Prime Minister has broken four promises in four weeks of being the Prime Minister. That is not leadership. That is not transformational. That is misleading the Canadian public. Is “misleading the Canadian public” the new mantra for the “new government”?

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, we are building the strongest economy in the G7. I am not sure where the member opposite has been. We are cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians. We are permanently cutting the consumer carbon tax. We are cutting taxes for first-time homebuyers.

The Conservatives, sadly, are still stuck in the past. It is time to get on board or get out of the way.

[Colin Reynolds, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's first four weeks in Parliament were filled with broken promises: a broken promise on spending, a broken promise on the tax cut, a broken promise on consultants, a broken promise on defence and a broken promise on being elbows up with the U.S. The Parliamentary Budget Officer found the Liberals' tax cut will only save Canadians $90 this year and $190 next year. That is $15 per month or about four cans of tuna.

Did the Prime Minister mislead Canadians during this election, is he misleading them now or is it both?

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister announced a $9.3-billion investment in Canada's defence, which means we will achieve NATO's 2% target this fiscal year. This is not only an investment in our armed forces, but also an investment in good-paying jobs, in Canadian innovation and in economic growth. Our generational investment is strengthening Canada's role as a strong, reliable international trading partner while rebuilding and rearming our forces here at home. It is unfortunate the Conservatives voted against it.

Health

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Mr. Speaker, according to recent reports, hundreds of American doctors wanting to work in our hospitals are, in their words, “stuck in bureaucratic hell”. Instead of serving Canadians, American doctors are blocked from working because they are trapped in a licensing logjam. Nearly seven million Canadians do not have a family doctor, yet government gatekeepers are blocking qualified doctors from working in Canada.

When will the Liberal health minister introduce our Conservative blue seal program to recognize the credentials of international doctors so Canadians can get the care they need?