Debates of Sept. 25th, 2025

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, since we are talking about school food programs today, I invite my colleague to call the Quebec chapter of the Breakfast Club of Canada. It will not take long. It is an excellent organization that goes into the schools and provides oranges, yogourt, eggs and waffles. Sometimes, it might even invite the local member of Parliament to tag along so they can see first-hand how the program enhances our young people's ability to learn at school.

Canadians want support and assistance, not Conservative free-market rhetoric.

[Éric Lefebvre, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will take no lessons from the leader. I just set up a food program for schools in my riding with friends. I think there is a lesson to learn here for the leader.

The Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by the cost of groceries. Unfortunately for him, that has been a total failure. Beef is up 33%, soup is up 26% and coffee is up 22%.

The Prime Minister has failed, his team has failed, the same Liberal team. Can the Prime Minister produce a respectful budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the Minister of Finance, will not only produce a respectful budget, but a generational budget that will create opportunities for jobs and economic growth to build this great and beautiful country.

If he cares about school food programs, I invite the member to rise and defy his whip, someone he has probably not yet met, who will tell him to vote against help with school food programs.

I invite him to stand up for young people in his riding and in mine, and support school food programs in Canada.

Indigenous Affairs

[Ron McKinnon, Liberal, Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians across the country are preparing to mark the day of truth and reconciliation on September 30. This is an opportunity for us all to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools and to honour survivors and their families.

Can the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations share with us the importance of this day and how Canadians can do their part to address the legacy of the residential school system and advance reconciliation?

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and his great work in his riding.

On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we honour the children who never returned home and stand with survivors, their families and communities living with the legacy of residential schools. In response to call to action number 80, this day was established as a federal statutory holiday in 2021. Since then, our government has supported hundreds of community events every September 30, including 339 across the country this Tuesday.

I encourage my colleagues and all Canadians to participate in ceremonies or events in their communities and to reflect, remember and recommit to the ongoing work of reconciliation.

The Economy

[Carol Anstey, Conservative, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Prime Minister spends adds to the deficit and pushes the price of food higher for Canadian families. In fact, the Parliamentary Budget Officer revealed that the deficit will be higher than was promised just six months ago. Runaway deficits drive up the price of everything we buy. This is a tax on working families.

The Prime Minister said that we could judge him by the prices at the grocery store. When will the Prime Minister finally admit that this is another broken promise?

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

Mr. Speaker, for someone who has actually put together budgets in the private sector, versus a Conservative leader who has never done it, I am proud to stand with a government that is going to deliver a plan on November 4 to cut operational spending so that we can invest more in our country and build our economy into the strongest economy in the G7.

The Conservative leader and the party opposite have fought against every affordable measure we put forward. I say shame on them.

[Carol Anstey, Conservative, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, regardless of the career of the member, the harsh reality is that Newfoundland and Labrador families are struggling just to eat. Nearly 40% of children live in food-insecure households, and single-parent families experience a 56% food insecurity rate. That is the highest in the country. Thousands of kids and parents are depending on food banks just to get by.

Meanwhile, food prices continue to climb. Does the Prime Minister understand that his broken promises and skyrocketing deficits are making food unaffordable for all families?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague in the opposition from Newfoundland and Labrador for the opportunity to celebrate a very successful fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador: northern cod with increased quotas. I visited communities, spoke with harvesters, visited processors and spoke with plant workers. This is an economic boost for rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

I would invite the colleague for Long Range Mountains to work with this government to encourage young people to see the fisheries as a viable future. There is so much to celebrate.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I hear it every day in the calls, the emails, the letters: We cannot afford food. The Daily Bread Food Bank expects four million people to visit, which is a lot of Canadians in despair.

Today, the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the deficit will be double that of Justin Trudeau. That is the reckless spending that drives up inflation and increases the cost of everything we buy. The Prime Minister himself said that he would be judged by the price at the grocery store. Well, he has failed, completely and undeniably.

When will the Liberal government stop emptying the wallets of Canadians to cover for their failures?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Secretary of State (Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, studies show that school food programs improve student health and mental health. They also improve learning outcomes, for better grades in science, math and reading. Those healthy meals in schools can also save a family up to $200 a month. That is a real solution for affordability and for health for Canadians.

Why did the Conservatives, when they had the chance to vote for healthy school food, vote against it? Why did the member for Calgary East just now talk down all those programs that are supporting tens of thousands of kids in Alberta and hundreds of thousands of kids right across Canada?

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Liberal government, Canadians cannot afford to feed themselves. Printing money has resulted in inflation tax, which has driven up the cost of food. The Liberals' industrial carbon tax has increased the cost of farming, which has driven up the cost of food. The food packaging tax installed by the Liberal government has also driven up the cost of food. Families are struggling, and the hardest hit among them are children. In Lethbridge, food bank use among kids is up 150% in just the last four years.

Enough is enough. Will the Liberals support the Conservative motion to scrap the tax on food?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the government has consistently stood by and supported families. We know they need support; they have asked for it. The result of the previous election shows that the plan and the commitment to support families, particularly children, is a strong record and a strong plan that we are delivering on.

We have a national food program. We have a national dental care program. We have the Canada child benefit. I would encourage members to support us in making that national school food program permanent.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the member says the Liberal government has “stood by and supported families”, a direct quote.

I would like her to tell that to Scott. Scott is in my riding. He has children and a wife. He works hard, but he finds it very difficult to make ends meet. We recently got off the phone, and he was telling me on that call that he is struggling to feed his family. In fact, he and his wife are down to one meal a day to make sure that his kids get enough food and their bills can get paid.

This is a hard-working family that is not able to make it happen for them. They are struggling. What would this member have me tell Scott and his family?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have a number of supports for children and for families, including a national school food program, including a dental program, including the Canada child care benefit.

I would encourage the member to vote in favour, and support these programs that deliver meaningful supports to families, not only in her riding but in mine and in all of ours across the country.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, how do the Liberals not understand that if they would stop taxing Canadians to death, we would not need the programs?

After 10 years of the Liberal government's reckless spending, prices of groceries continue to rise. The Prime Minister said he would be judged by the costs at the grocery store. Well, among Saskatchewan children, 35% live in food insecure households.

When will the Liberals scrap their industrial carbon tax, scrap their second carbon tax and scrap their food packaging tax so Canadians could afford to feed their own kids?

[Buckley Belanger, Liberal, Secretary of State (Rural Development)]

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out from a Saskatchewan perspective that people are celebrating the hundreds of thousands of homes we are building for families across the country. That celebration is in Saskatchewan as well.

We have the lunch program, as indicated, and all the supports of different types for families across this great country. Again, from the federal government perspective, we are going to be there for families, and that includes in Saskatchewan.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this northern Saskatchewan member of Parliament has abandoned his constituents faster than any MP I have ever seen.

The member voted in favour of a gun buyback program, so his people could not hunt on their own land. There is the fact that he got up and voted in favour of a gun buyback program and supports that program, and then there is the fact that there is a 259% increase in food bank usage in Saskatchewan, despite them not having the ability to feed themselves.

He wants to stand and take credit for Liberal programs. He should support Saskatchewan people and not his Liberal lapdogs.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, the member references the compensation program for firearms.

These firearms have been prohibited for the last several years. I want to thank the responsible gun owners who have stored these guns safely and now are waiting for a plan. In this plan, they will be compensated for those firearms that are now prohibited.

I believe this plan will get assault-style firearms out of our communities, which is essential and important. There is no place for these types of weapons in Canada.

[Ned Kuruc, Conservative, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is breaking news in a bombshell report from Canada's independent fiscal watchdog: the Liberal government deficits are exploding.

This means an even bigger pile of debt for Canadians and also means higher prices on everything. Grocery prices are already up 70% over target, but the Liberal plan is just to add more fuel to the fire. Our debt is exploding, our economy is shrinking, and the government's cupboards are bare.

Why is the Prime Minister going ahead with his crazy budget to double the deficit and send even more Canadians to food banks?

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where the Conservatives have been for the last four months, but we are laser focused on delivering affordability for Canadians. We have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We cut the GST for first-time homebuyers. Interest rates are down. Through “build Canada homes”, we are going to build homes at a scale not seen since the Second World War.

It is time for the Conservatives to cut the rhetoric, get on board and join us.

[Ned Kuruc, Conservative, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Liberal Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of hard-working Canadians. Never has the government spent so much to achieve so little. The Liberals lit a pile of money on fire to give us record food bank usages and grocery store prices that are 40% higher than before. The budget watchdog says the Liberal deficits will now be twice the size of Justin Trudeau's.

Will the Liberals change course and vote for our Conservative motion to stop the Liberal taxes on food?

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is building bridges internationally, and I have good news for Canadians. We just signed a generational trade agreement with Indonesia, the fourth-largest country in the world, with over 275 million potential consumers and the fastest-growing middle class that is looking to buy Canadian products.

This is another concrete example of how our international efforts are opening new doors for Canadian workers and businesses in communities across Canada.

National Defence

[Tim Watchorn, Liberal, Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the Standing Committee on National Defence, I heard about the remarkable work done by the Canadian Armed Forces across Canada and in Europe. I had the opportunity to witness this in person in Petawawa yesterday.

At a time when Canada is making a generational investment in national defence, can the minister tell us about how we will enhance our military presence in Canada and around the world?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we know that our partners want to see Canada play a much bigger role on the international stage.

Yesterday, we signed a new agreement with Indonesia to enhance the participation of the Canadian Armed Forces in military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region. This agreement will also benefit Canadian industry and create jobs. Thanks to this new agreement, we will see more of the Canadian Armed Forces at their best in the Indo-Pacific region.