Debates of Sept. 26th, 2025

The Economy

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON]

Madam Speaker, we are not going to join the finance minister in patting himself on the back while millions of Canadians are lined up at food banks.

Let us talk about the economy. The GDP shrank in Q2. The finance minister should know that. We have not seen a budget from him, but we have seen all of the warning signals, and so has the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who said it is “very alarming” what is happening and that “something's going to break”. It has already broken for Canadians. They cannot afford to feed themselves or their families. They are worried about the cold coming and not being able to heat their homes. It is the policies of the Liberal Prime Minister that are vaporizing any supposed savings they are going to have from tax cuts.

Why will the—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Madam Speaker, I know the Conservatives are eager to see the budget, and hopefully they will vote for it.

Indeed, we need to change course in this country. We need to spend less so we can invest more. What we are proposing to Canadians is generational investment in our future to make sure we build the most resilient economy in the G7, that we build jobs across this country and that we build a future that our children want for this nation.

The Conservatives should be rejoicing that they have a government on this side that thinks about all Canadians and will grow this economy.

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, I do not know what the minister is rejoicing about because prices are skyrocketing, food banks are overwhelmed and families are skipping meals. Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Budget Officer called the government's finances “shocking” and “unsustainable” and warned that “something's going to break”. Every dollar the Liberal Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians.

When will the Prime Minister stop his money-printing deficits that drive inflation and admit that his broken promises have left Canadians hungry?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Madam Speaker, I do not know what the Conservatives are reading or listening to, but they should be listening to the good news we have. The economy grew in July. They should be rejoicing. I am sure they are going to put that in householders to tell all their constituents that the plan of this Liberal government is working.

I am sure they are going to talk about the November 4 budget. I can even send them some great infographics to inform their constituents. We lowered taxes for Canadians, we made sure we removed GST for first-time homebuyers and we removed the carbon tax. There is so much good news they can put in their householders that I am going to—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, it seems the only thing new about the government is the way it avoids responsibility. Yesterday, the Parliamentary Budget Officer said, “as anyone who has managed a household budget knows...at the end of the month [when] you don't have enough money to pay your bills...something's going to break.”

Let me tell members what is breaking. It is is the morale of families that are going hungry. Beef is up 33%, soup is up 26% and grapes are up 24%, and there will be a projected four million visits to Toronto food banks.

The Prime Minister claimed to be an economic expert, yet his broken promises have doubled the deficit and driven up food prices. When will he admit that his fiscal failures are starving families of hope?

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

Madam Speaker, the economy is growing and we saw the last numbers. The GDP grew in July. Meanwhile, interest rates are being lowered. This is good news.

My colleagues should know, because many Conservative voters agree with it, that we cut taxes on the middle class. We were also able to cut taxes on first-time homebuyers, and we cut the carbon tax. Since so many Conservative voters are in favour, and of course many voters in general, please just support the government's agenda.

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

Madam Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer called our finances “very alarming”, “shocking” and “unsustainable”. He warned if we do not change, “something's going to break”, and it already has. Every dollar the Liberal Prime Minister spends is coming straight out of Canadians' pockets, wrecking our finances and driving up the cost of food. He said he would be judged by grocery prices. Well, Canadians are being crushed at the checkout.

Will the Prime Minister end patting himself on the back and end his reckless spending that has doubled the deficit, or will he keep punishing families for his failed ideology?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Madam Speaker, the members opposite are quick to point to government spending as a cause of food inflation, but the Bank of Canada cut interest rates last week because it actually understands economics.

We are focused on affordability every day. That is why we cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. That is why we are massively increasing the supply of homes, and that is why we are building major projects that are going to create tens of thousands of good jobs for Canadians.

Canadians voted for solutions, not Conservative slogans.

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

Madam President, I would like to quote a well-known Quebec influencer and entrepreneur: “$126 for six steaks, with no side dishes, nothing, and on top of that, you have to cook it yourself. It's ridiculous!!! A package of meat at $55 per kilo. Who can afford that?”

He is not alone. Yesterday, the Parliamentary Budget Officer said that the situation is shocking and unsustainable. Will the Liberal government align itself with the Conservatives and allow Canadians to feed themselves at a fair price?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Madam Speaker, I have news for my colleague. If there is one thing we will never do, it is align ourselves with the Conservatives. I will say that, and he can even share the news with all his colleagues. However, there is one thing we will do, and that is always be there for Canadians.

I hope my colleague will respond to whoever made that statement and tell them that the first thing we did was cut taxes. Some 22 million Canadians are paying less tax. I hope he will respond that this government will always be there for families, for workers and for industry.

Together, we will build the most resilient economy in the G7.

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

Madam Speaker, good nutrition is one of the mainstays of a long and healthy life. In recent years, however, eating properly has become unaffordable. Food prices have climbed by 40% in the past 10 years under this inflationary Liberal government.

Fruits and vegetables have become a luxury. Buying good protein is now a budget buster. Does the Liberal government realize that jacking up food prices is damaging Canadians' health?

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

Madam Speaker, one thing is clear. The government understands that we need to cut taxes for middle-class Canadians so they can afford proper nutrition, as my colleague said. That was why, in the circumstances, we cut the taxes of 22 million Canadians. We also managed to lower taxes for first-time homebuyers and remove the consumer carbon tax.

All of these measures are good news for anyone wishing to enjoy a good standard of living.

Democratic Institutions

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, we need to keep talking about the Governor General, because it gets even worse. She has spent more than $52,000 on French lessons since she was appointed; that is 52,000 of our tax dollars. That is more than the average salary in Quebec after taxes. However, she still does not speak a word of French. I am sure all francophones will agree that that is a lot of money just to mock us.

Do the Liberals now understand why unilingual anglophones should never be appointed to bilingual positions?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Madam Speaker, the Governor General plays a very important role in our democracy, and she is making an effort to learn a third language. She is already bilingual. I think we should be encouraging her, not discouraging her.

I admire her efforts to improve her French, and I would point out that her French is improving. What the member opposite said is not true. I have spoken with her, and have done so in French. Her French is not perfect, but she is working on it. She should be commended for that.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, $52,000 is a lot of money. The $52,000 spent on French lessons for the Governor General reminds us that, last year alone, the monarchy cost us, wait for it, $71 million.

Imagine what we could do with $71 million. For example, today everyone is talking about the postal strike and the reduction in public services.

Does the government not think that $71 million to offer mail delivery to our seniors would be a better investment than spending it on royal trinkets?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Madam Speaker, I think that we have a good example why the Bloc Québécois will never be in power. Canada Post's accumulated deficit over the past few years is $4 billion. Seventy-one million dollars out of $4 billion does not make much of a difference.

It is important in our democracy to have our Governor General as head of state. This has been part of our democracy since the very beginning. We will continue to support our democracy. It would be nice if the Bloc Québécois got on board.

The Economy

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Madam Speaker, after 10 years of the Liberal government, Canadians cannot afford to eat because of the Liberals' tax hikes on food. Their food inflation tax is fuelled by money-printing deficits, the industrial carbon tax on fertilizer and farm equipment, their second carbon tax, hidden as fuel standard, and a plastics ban. Here are the consequences: Chicken is up 11%, soup is up 26%, white sugar is up 20% and beef is up 33%, with overall food prices rising 48% faster in Canada than they have in the U.S. since the Prime Minister took office.

Every dollar the Liberals spend comes out of the pockets of hard-working Canadian families. When will they stop—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Madam Speaker, food prices have increased. That is why we are taking concrete action to lower costs for Canadians.

We have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We have 3.6 million Canadians who now have dental coverage. We have also established a national school food program for over 400,000 kids across the country. I met with the Canadian Teachers' Federation, which said this program is so successful that it is its number one priority to make it permanent. Why will the Conservatives not get on board?

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Madam Speaker, Samaritan House Ministries' food bank in Brandon is Manitoba's second largest, and under the Liberals, it is distributing between 60 and 80 food hampers a day. For context, that is 15,529 hampers by the end of August in a city of only 55,000 people. The Prime Minister once said that Canadians would judge him by the cost at the grocery store. Well, for families in the wheat city, the verdict is in and they are lined up at the food bank.

The Liberals have a chance to admit their mistakes and reverse course by voting for our Conservative motion to end their taxes on food. Will they do so?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, when we talk to experts who know about food security, they talk about the things that are going to make a difference for families, things like supporting families through the Canada child benefit. They recommend we feed kids in school with a national food school program, and they recommend that we build affordable housing, because that is the number one driver of costs for Canadians.

These are the things we are doing. They are part of our plan, and Mr. Speaker, these are all things the Conservatives have voted against.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

I would remind hon. members that I am a woman and it is “Madam Speaker” or “Speaker”.

The hon. member for Chatham-Kent—Leamington.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Madam Speaker, what grade should we apply to the following statements? The average family of four is expected to spend over $800 more on food this year. Some 61% of Canadians fear that they will not be able to afford groceries in six months. Poverty and food insecurity have risen 40% in the past two years. Saddest of all, there were two million visits to food banks in 2023, with four million visits expected this year.

Since the Prime Minister said he would be judged by the cost of groceries, how does it feel for him to flunk his own final exam, the one he himself wrote?