Debates of June 9th, 2025

Natural Resources

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Mr. Speaker, they are the same old Liberals. Our allies, like Germany, are desperately needing energy. Canada has the energy but, due to 10 years of anti-energy policies from the Liberals, we have blocked all pipelines in Canada and we cannot sell to Germany. The German ambassador says that they will now need to import LNG from America. The Prime Minister is selling out our country by sending our jobs and our wealth to the States.

Does the Prime Minister not realize that no one is building pipelines in Canada because of Liberal anti-energy laws, or is it the Prime Minister's plan all along to keep it in the ground?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's new government will get projects built, create high-paying jobs and bring greater prosperity to Canadians. That is why we presented the one Canadian economy bill, which would fast-track projects of national interest. If my Conservative colleagues want to get projects built, they should support the bill. Let me be clear. We will do this while respecting indigenous rights. By working with indigenous partners and premiers, we will build the strongest economy in the G7.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the German ambassador said again yesterday that he still wants to import our natural gas. With Bill C‑69 and Bill C‑48, the production cap and the industrial carbon tax, this Liberal government is stifling our economic growth with its anti-energy measures.

When will the Liberal Prime Minister finally allow Canadians to build pipelines, help our allies and benefit from Canada's resources by scrapping his anti-development agenda once and for all?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, we are not going to take the Conservatives' advice. When they were in power, they were unable to get projects built because they did not have environmental assessments or consultations with indigenous peoples. We have nothing to learn from them.

We are going to get it right. We are going to build Canada strong, a Canada that takes care of the environment and consults with indigenous peoples.

Employment

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada summer jobs program provides young Canadians across the country with an opportunity to gain quality work experience over the summer, which also helps them develop their job skills. Since 2020, the program has helped create over 454,000 jobs for young Canadians.

Can the secretary of state update Canadians on the status of this important program for the summer of 2025?

[Anna Gainey, Liberal, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for her commitment, and I welcome her back to the House.

To build a strong economy with the most robust workforce in the G7, we need our young people to gain valuable work experience. That is why your new government is going further by creating up to 6,000 additional summer jobs for young people this summer, for a total of 76,000 jobs.

I encourage young Canadians to apply for these exciting job opportunities.

[Kurt Holman, Conservative, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week, dozens of skilled workers at General Dynamics Land Systems in London were laid off, leaving many London families in uncertainty. In addition, Ontario lost over 25,000 manufacturing jobs since last May alone. Canada's unemployment rate has climbed to 7%, the highest level since 2016, outside of COVID. Meanwhile, record mortgage defaults and soaring food prices are forcing even full-time workers to rely on food banks.

When will the Liberals admit the harm their policies have caused and table a budget that gets General Dynamics Land Systems employees back to work?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will create jobs in this country. We will invest in our manufacturing sector. We will invest in the steel and aluminum sector. That is why the announcement that the Prime Minister made today is pivotal. It will create jobs across different industries, including at GDLS, including in the member's riding. We will also make sure that we build Canada through major national projects. That is why we need to support the one Canadian economy bill.

The Environment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there is no way on God's green earth that Bill C-5 is ready for passage. Concerns and alarms have been raised by every environmental law association in Canada, by the Climate Action Network and now by the grand chief of the Assembly of First Nations. The Canadian Cancer Society has pointed out that the interprovincial barriers that come down may lead to a race to the bottom on health and environmental risks.

Will the government please redraft and reintroduce a bill that has a hope of passage?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for her hard work and her real commitment to Canadians. I am really glad that she raised the issue of the interprovincial barriers to trade. The fact is that today we effectively impose a 7% tariff on each other: Canadians imposing tariffs on Canadians with these interprovincial barriers to trade. Now is the moment when Canadians understand we need to stop doing this and we need to knit our country more closely together. We need to build the strongest economy in the G7.

Public Transit

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is my great honour to rise to present a petition on the subject of public transit.

The petitioners note that the 10-year transit plan that was funded will end in 2027 and that the funding was inadequate to meet the needs of a modern, industrialized country. They ask for a continuation and an expansion of the fund, and for all governments to pull together in order to ensure that Canadians have access to public transit across the country from coast to coast to coast.

Indigenous Services

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a huge honour and privilege to table this petition, signed by members of the Port Alberni Friendship Center. They highlight that friendship centres across Canada serve as vital community hubs for indigenous people, offering culturally appropriate services in areas such as health, education, housing, employment and youth programming.

The petitioners also highlight that governments at all levels have increasingly depended on the services of friendship centres to respond to socio-economic conditions, climate events and public health emergencies, such as the toxic drug crisis, but that funding for friendship centres has failed to keep pace with the rate of inflation.

The petitioners are calling on the government to commit to enhanced core funding to ensure friendship centres have sufficient financial resources to maintain and expand their services to meet community needs, as well as to provide multi-year, predictable funding agreements that allow them to plan strategically, recruit and retain qualified staff, develop culturally appropriate resources to support growing responsibilities, and recognize and support the role of friendship centres in reconciliation.

Nicotine Replacement Therapies

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

Mr. Speaker, petitioners in my riding of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford are concerned on behalf of small businesses, including convenience stores, and ask the government to remove the restrictions on the sale of nicotine pouches.

Many adult Canadians make use of nicotine pouches to help them quit tobacco-smoking by relieving cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Only allowing pharmacies to sell the product from behind the counter takes away the freedom of choice on where and how adults can access such products. Small businesses have a track record of selling age-restricted products, including nicotine replacement therapies.

The petitioners call on the Minister of Health to remove the restrictions on the sale of nicotine pouches only to pharmacies and allow convenience stores to continue selling these products as they have always done in the past.

Anti-Semitism

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last night, Canada's national Holocaust memorial was vandalized. The Ottawa police are now investigating the matter.

The CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa said, “This is not just vandalism, it is an act of desecration against the memory of six million Jews and millions of other victims murdered in the Holocaust.”

The House must unequivocally condemn this vile, anti-Semitic act. The government must enforce the law and protect Jewish Canadians from hate, violence and intimidation. The Minister of Public Safety should immediately and publicly condemn this act in solidarity with the Jewish community.

I am tabling a petition today about human rights and political discrimination. I commend this to the consideration of the House.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

I did not want to interrupt the member's petition, but I think this is worthwhile to review. When we present petitions, we are supposed to capture the essence of the petition and convey that to the House, not indicate whether we support or do not support the petition. I have noticed that we seem to get off track maybe a little too much on that issue, so I submit that just as a point, believing that maybe it is something the Speaker might want to review.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

U.S. Decision Regarding Travel Ban

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The Chair has notice of a request for an emergency debate from the hon. member for Vancouver East.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 52(2), I am seeking leave to propose an emergency debate regarding the discriminatory U.S. travel ban announced by President Donald Trump, which came into effect at 12.01 a.m. today.

The sweeping travel ban bars entry to the United States from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Additional partial travel restrictions have been imposed on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

This is a deeply troubling and discriminatory policy that disproportionately targets countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South America, many with large Black and Muslim populations, or those deemed “anti-American” under vague ideological criteria. A former Biden administration official at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services called it “a misguided concept of collective punishment”. It echoes the xenophobic and Islamophobic Muslim ban from Trump's first term and raises serious human rights concerns.

Many Canadians have family, work or study ties in countries facing a travel ban in the United States. Dual nationals, cross-border families and individuals from affected communities are already experiencing fear and confusion. Human rights organizations report widespread concern and uncertainty. Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnès Callamard, in response to the travel ban, said:

Trump’s new travel ban is discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel. By targeting people based on their race, religion, or nationality, from countries with predominantly Black, Brown and Muslim-majority populations, this blanket ban constitutes racial discrimination under international human rights law. It also spreads hate and disinformation, reinforcing the misleading idea that certain populations are more likely to pose security risks or engage in acts of violence.

Canada has a duty to respond. This is especially urgent given that the government has signed the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States. Urgent action is required on Canada's diplomatic and policy response to the new U.S. restrictions to protect the rights of Canadians and for Canada to ensure a human rights approach to protect vulnerable communities.

I hope that this request will be granted.

Speaker's Ruling

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I thank the hon. member for Vancouver East for her intervention. However, I am not satisfied that this request meets the requirements of the Standing Orders at this time.

The House resumed consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Food Inflation and Budgetary Policy

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in today's debate on the timing of budget 2025, a subject that the Canadian government obviously takes very seriously. With that in mind, I am pleased to inform the House that I will be sharing my time with my esteemed colleague from Whitby.

We believe it would be both ill-advised and confusing to draft such a major financial planning document in the few weeks we have left before the House rises for the summer. Instead, the government will present a comprehensive, carefully planned and detailed budget in the fall, a budget that will reflect Canada's major national and international priorities, one that will provide a much more accurate picture of our macroeconomic outlook than what is currently available.

As we all know, the Government of Canada is restructuring its relationship with the United States, our oldest and, historically, largest trading partner. It is crucial that this be done in a spirit of co-operation and mutual understanding, with a view to ensuring a better future for citizens on both sides of the border.

As the Prime Minister aptly said not long ago, the road there will be long. There is no quick fix. That is precisely why our ongoing discussions with the United States are so important. That is why it is essential that we develop an updated picture of this important economic relationship before we rush into drafting a budget.

Of course, we know that a lot of Canadians are understandably anxious and concerned about the impact that U.S. tariffs are still having on their lives and pocketbooks. To these people, we make and repeat this promise: Our government will never back down. It will keep working tirelessly to protect our businesses, our workers and our country's sovereignty. By focusing our attention on this important issue at this decisive time, we will ensure Canada's success in a radically different world, and build a new, stronger Canadian economy for everyone.

In addition, the government will undertake a review of its daily spending based on its core mandate of spending less to invest more. That is why we are taking action to keep the Government of Canada's operating budget increase below 2% by capping the size of the public service, eliminating duplication and using technology, including artificial intelligence, to improve the productivity and quality of public sector services.

I would also like to touch briefly on how Canada's defence spending plays a very important role in the timing of budget 2025. Our government is working very hard to review this defence spending ahead of the upcoming NATO leaders summit later this month, where new defence spending targets will be discussed, as well as to better prepare us for future global conflicts and the rapidly changing geopolitical environment.

In short, by tabling the budget in the fall, we will have a better idea of our macroeconomic picture and will be in a much better position to share our overall investment plan with Canadians. In the meantime, our Canadian government will continue to deliver on its mandate to build a stronger economy, reduce the cost of living and keep our communities safe.

Just last month we implemented a tax cut for the middle class, a major investment that will support 22 million Canadians across the country. We are also getting rid of the goods and services tax, or the GST, for first-time homebuyers on homes valued at up to $1 million, which will allow them to save up to $50,000. We are also reducing the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes valued at $1 million to $1.5 million.

The government continues to work with its provincial, territorial and indigenous partners to implement a major $10-dollar a day, Canada-wide early learning and child care system. We are giving more money to families through the Canada child benefit, which is lifting 1.5 million children out of poverty every month. We are providing meals to children who go without, through the national school food program, which, for Quebec alone, will help close to 100,000 children. In addition, roughly nine million Canadians who are now eligible will save close to $800 on average through the Canadian dental care plan.

These are all things that put more money in people's pockets and help create healthier, stronger, more resilient and more unified communities.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie South—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, today we are dealing with an opposition motion that speaks specifically to the heart of affordability. There are many Canadian families, single moms and seniors who cannot afford groceries. We have actually seen inflation on grocery prices increase by three times in the last couple months; by comparison, in the United States they have dropped by 2%.

Would the hon. member not agree with me that these inflationary causes are a direct result of policy-driven initiatives by his own government?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, no, I would not agree with that.

What I would instead add is that it is surprising for his leader, Pierre Poilievre, though I do not believe it would be the member's opinion, to unfortunately declare things such as that the Canadian dental care plan is a communist plan and to describe the school food program as a bureaucratic program, while it is a program that is going to help 400,000 school children in the years to come. I suppose, or hope at least, that this is not the view of the member, but it is certainly the view of Pierre Poilievre, and I would invite the member to have a conversation with his leader.