House of Commons Hansard #29 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was prices.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Opposition Motion—Food Taxation Members debate food affordability and rising grocery prices, with Conservatives arguing that Liberal policies, including industrial carbon taxes, inflation, and packaging taxes, are increasing costs. They highlight soaring food bank use and higher Canadian food inflation compared to the US. Liberals counter that global factors and climate change contribute to prices, while their government implements social programs, tax cuts, and housing initiatives to improve affordability and support farmers. The Bloc criticizes both sides for simplistic solutions, calling for increased senior benefits and addressing grocery chain competition. 59400 words, 7 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is off on another pointless and costly trip to escape the scandals, inflation, crime and problems related to the Minister of Public Safety here at home. This minister lost track of 600 foreign criminals who are here in Canada. He broke the Liberal promise to hire 1,000 border guards and he admitted that his program to harass farmers and hunters will not protect Canadians.
When will the Prime Minister protect the lives of Canadians and fire this minister?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. Yes, the Prime Minister is travelling around the world building bridges. Yes, the government will present a generational plan, a plan to build Canada and to grow Canada, a plan to create jobs across Canada.
Instead of criticizing, the Conservative leader should stand up and congratulate the Prime Minister for building relationships and building a stronger Canada. On our side of the House, we plan to build a future for Canadians.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is on yet another costly and useless photo op tour to escape inflation, criminality, the housing price crisis and, of course, the scandal around his public safety minister. That is the minister who lost track of 600 foreign criminals on our streets, broke the Liberal promise to hire 1,000 new border guards and was caught on tape admitting that the Liberal plan to harass farmers and duck hunters has nothing to do with saving lives and everything to do with preserving the Prime Minister's political fortunes.
Will the Prime Minister put Canadian lives first and fire the minister?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, it is another day, but it is the same old Conservatives. On this side of the House, we are about building the future. We are going to present a budget to build this nation. It is going to be a generational investment in our future. We are going to build the country. We are going to build jobs. We are going to create the opportunities for young people in this country.
We are going to build the strongest economy in the G7, and we hope the Conservatives will vote for this budget, because it will build up our nation.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, my mother and people like her actually built this nation, and today is my mom's birthday. It reminded me that even when my schoolteacher parents were struggling, we always had delicious, nutritious meals. We had meat and potatoes on our plate, and we had to eat all the broccoli. When I called her today for her birthday wishes, she said grocery prices are terrible. I did not have the heart to tell her that the Prime Minister's bait and switch is the culprit.
Will the Prime Minister give my mother the ultimate birthday gift and end all Liberal taxes on groceries?
The EconomyOral Questions
September 25th, 2025 / 2:20 p.m.
Thunder Bay—Superior North Ontario
Liberal
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite's mother a happy birthday, but I am also very sad to tell her that her son voted against the school nutrition program. I think she would be really disappointed, because when I spoke to teachers and volunteers and met with students, they talked about how this healthy nutrition break for their students helped those students reach the goal of having careers as architects, teachers, engineers and tradespersons.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, my mother, as a substitute teacher, sometimes taught math. She would not be happy with the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report today, which reveals that the Prime Minister is more expensive than even Justin Trudeau. The PBO reports that the deficit is now two-thirds higher than the one Trudeau left behind. Over the next five years, the Prime Minister will add an amazing $300 billion of additional inflationary debt, twice what Trudeau would have added, all of which will add to the cost of living for Canadians.
How is it possible that any prime minister could be more expensive than Trudeau?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, let me start by wishing the mother of the Leader of the Opposition a happy birthday. I am sure she is watching TV today during question period. I have good news for his mother: We cut taxes for her, along with 22 million Canadians.
I do not know his mother, but I know in her heart she must be proud of the Liberal government. We cut taxes, we are fighting for families and we are going to build the country of the 21st century. Let us celebrate.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that he definitely does not know my mother. My mother knew how to budget better than anyone. She could stretch a dollar further. In fact, I think she should come in here as the finance minister. We would have a balanced budget right away. We would surely not have a PBO report showing the government adding a third of a trillion dollars of extra deficits.
We know that every single dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of hard-working Canadians. Why do they not know that?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, keeping with the theme of mothers, one thing I know about mothers is that every mother is certain that no child should go hungry. It was particularly disappointing to see the members opposite, many of whom I know are mothers, vote against the school nutrition program, which is making sure that no matter a kid's circumstances, they have the nutrition to learn and grow.
We will always stand up for Canadian families on this side.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, another thing my mother always taught me is to keep my promises. The Prime Minister promised to spend less, but the Parliamentary Budget Officer showed today that this Prime Minister is going to make his inflationary deficit two-thirds higher. He is going to add another $300 billion, or a third of a trillion dollars in deficit. That is double what it was under Justin Trudeau. That caused inflation and pushed prices up.
Why should Canadians who cannot even feed their families have to feed the debt of this irresponsible Prime Minister?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, if the opposition leader's mother is watching, I would not want to tell her that the Leader of the Opposition voted against the child care program, that he voted against the dental plan, that he voted against pharmacare and that he voted against school nutrition.
On this side of the House, we will always be there for Canadians. Even the opposition leader's mother knows that.
Christine Normandin Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, mail is an essential service, but the Canada Post reform the federal government just announced seems to forget that fact entirely, and in doing so, it has forgotten thousands of Quebeckers. Some seniors need to get their mail delivered to their home, especially those outside the major cities. People with disabilities are also worried about this.
Can the government guarantee all Quebeckers who feel abandoned today that they will continue to get the home delivery services they deserve?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I fully agree with her. Canada Post is an essential service for all Canadians across the country. That is why, today, we are introducing reforms needed to ensure Canada Post's long-term viability.
As for her question, even though we are lifting the moratorium on community mailbox conversions, Canada Post has a service in place, an accommodation program, to ensure that Canadians who are older or who have a disability can access their mail. We want to ensure that all Canadians have access to their mail and that Canada Post has a sustainable future.
Christine Normandin Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, the regions are also being abandoned in the federal government's reforms to Canada Post. Today Ottawa announced that it is lifting the moratorium on closing rural post offices. This decision will set us back 30 years. People in remote areas rely on Canada Post, particularly to deliver medication. Canada Post absolutely cannot reduce services in rural areas when these are often the only services available.
Will the government ensure that Quebeckers in the regions will not be abandoned?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, the short answer is yes. We will ensure that all Quebeckers and all Canadians living in rural and remote regions and indigenous communities have access to Canada Post services. That is a priority for our government.
It should be noted that the moratorium we are lifting today was created in the 1990s and covers 4,000 locations, some in areas that used to be rural but may now be suburban or even urban. Those are the ares we are targeting, not rural and remote communities. I want to reassure my colleague about that.
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, modernizing Canada Post should not mean abandoning people with reduced mobility or Quebeckers in the regions. The minister did not adequately consult Quebeckers. He comes here today with what looks like a one-size-fits-all federal reform that does not take into account the specific needs on the ground.
He must ensure that people with reduced mobility continue to receive their mail at home just as quickly. He must guarantee that there is no reduction in service in the regions.
Will he commit to doing so?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, yes.
I would like to remind my colleague that, right now in Canada, 77% of Canadians receive their mail through community mailboxes. We plan to convert the remaining four million addresses to community mailboxes. As Canada Post has done in the past, we will ensure, throughout the transition, that Canadians with reduced mobility have access to a service so that they can get their mail even if they are not able to get to a community mailbox.
I also want to point out that, since 2018, Canada Post has accumulated $5 billion in losses. We had to inject $1 billion. The corporation is losing $10 million a day. It is time to act to save Canada Post.
Melissa Lantsman Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, what do we call a person who says one thing in public but admits the exact opposite in private? Most Canadians have their own word for it, but around here in this place, we just call them a Liberal.
The public safety minister admits that his government's gun buyback is a politically motivated scam that will not work. Those are his words. He is letting convicted criminals roam the streets and shoot up our neighbourhoods so he can play politics and pretend that he is actually doing something about it.
Everyone behind him is also wondering this: When is he getting fired?
Gary Anandasangaree LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, the people playing politics are in the party opposite. They are actually fundraising off our buyback program.
This week, I had the chance to launch the program in Cape Breton as a pilot. We look forward to its expansion across Canada. We look forward to Canadians surrendering the over 80,000 AR-15s that are in their possession. We need to take dangerous weapons off our streets, and we will do everything we can to support Canadians in that effort.
Melissa Lantsman Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, that is a lot of bravado, and we are hearing the exact opposite when he thinks nobody is listening.
The minister got caught in a scandal of his own making, and it is so painful for everyone here to watch him pretend like everything is fine. He is going to go ahead and spend $750 million on a confiscation program that he admitted no one will participate in and will not work. That is fewer cops on the streets, fewer scanners in our ports and less money for a leaky border, where the guns are coming in.
I have one question for the Prime Minister: Why is he keeping this guy around?
Gary Anandasangaree LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, we have a comprehensive plan to address guns. It starts with the buyback program that we launched this week. It is about investing $1.3 billion at our borders to increase scanning capabilities, as well as new tools for law enforcement. It is about hiring 1,000 new CBSA and RCMP officers. It is about Bill C-2, which is in the House right now. If the party opposite is serious about guns, it should support Bill C-2's passage and get it to committee.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Ponoka—Didsbury, AB
Mr. Speaker, in a leaked recording this week, the public safety minister told the truth and admitted that his Liberal gun grab is a failure. It will not improve public safety, it will be expensive and it is politically motivated. Then on CTV's Power Play, he refuted his own words, saying they were “in jest”.
Taking people's property without consulting them is not funny. Wasting $750 million for the sake of crass politics is not funny. Demonizing vetted and tested law-abiding Canadians is not funny. The only funny thing here is that the minister still has his job.
When will the Prime Minister fire him?
Gary Anandasangaree LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, law-abiding citizens abide by the law. We launched a program this week to support law-abiding Canadians in giving up their AR-15s and other prohibited weapons to obtain compensation. It is a fair way to treat law-abiding citizens. It is about ensuring that our streets are safer. It is in line with the work we are doing at the border, with $1.3 billion in investments and Bill C-2, which is before the House today, as well as adding 1,000 CBSA and RCMP officers.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Mr. Speaker, senior Iranian government officials were banned from entering Canada in 2022 for gross human rights violations and state-sponsored terrorism. In June, border services still had 66 open cases into Iranian officials right here in Canada. We know the Minister of Public Safety has lost 600 foreign nationals with criminal records, and over 400 of those evading the government are convicted of serious criminality right here in Canada.
The minister has one job: keep Canadians safe. When will the Prime Minister fire the incompetent public safety minister?