Debates of Jan. 26th, 2026

The Economy

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is now the inflation capital of the G7. Food prices are rising faster than families can keep up, twice the rate of the U.S., and recycled Trudeau-era rebates do not fix the problem. Canadians cannot eat the paper on which this Prime Minister's empty promises are written. Restaurants are being squeezed out of business with higher food costs, and Canadians are cutting back because they cannot afford to eat. Conservatives are ready to work on long-term solutions Canadians can feel at the checkout, like cutting the industrial carbon tax and the fuel standard tax to bring prices down.

Will the Prime Minister work with us, or does he consider the food bank the new order of fine dining for Canadians?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, $1,900 per family is real money that will help Canadians pay for groceries, pay for schools and pay for activities for their children. Canadians in Conservative-held ridings want to benefit from this support from our government.

Why are the Conservatives systematically blocking every time we want to help Canadians?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, food is expensive in Canada. It is more expensive than anywhere else. There is not another G7 country where food costs more than in Canada. Ground beef is unaffordable: it is 17% more expensive. Apples have gone up by 10%, lettuce by 13%. Oranges have gone up by 15% and ground coffee by 42%.

Is the Liberal government in trouble? Its credibility is the only thing that is going down.

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

Mr. Speaker, coming from a star of Infoman, I am not surprised. I really admire my colleague, but he is behind the times. He must have gotten up a little late, because now it is called the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. The people in his riding applaud it. I know that, deep down, he applauds it too.

The real question is whether he will stand up in the House, commend this measure that will help 12 million Canadians and say that the Liberal government is doing good things for Canadians.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, votes cannot be bought. They must be earned.

The latest consumer price index data shows that food inflation has risen by 6.2%, making Canada the food inflation capital of the G7. The Prime Minister can blame the rest of the world, but this is a problem created right here at home by the high Liberal taxes imposed on our farmers.

Will the government agree to immediately introduce legislation that eliminates hidden taxes on food?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague. We are here to help families, not only with their grocery bills, but also with living expenses, such as child care costs and unplanned expenses. We are asking our colleagues to heed the letter from their leader, who has indicated that he is open to working with us to help 12 million Canadians.

[Jessica Fancy-Landry, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, when I was back home in my riding, I had many conversations with people in my community about how important the school food program was to families in my riding of South Shore—St. Margarets.

Can the Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature please update the House on how the government will deliver real, near-term relief for Canadians facing a higher cost of living?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is great. The member for South Shore—St. Margarets is going to be able to go back home this weekend and talk to families about the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which is going to help a family of four with almost $1,900 a year. That is going to help over 12 million people right across the country. It is her hard work that is delivering these results. Not only that, we have made the national school food program permanent. There are the dental benefits supporting families, Canada child care and the Canada child benefit. There is such a long list, I could go on forever.

We are going to continue working for Canadians.

Carbon Pricing

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, eating has become a luxury. The numbers are painful. The price of beef is up 17%, lettuce is up 13% and apples are up 10%. Under this government, making a simple salad is like investing in the stock market. Even coffee is 41% more expensive.

When will the government finally stop taxing our farmers and truckers? Will the government commit today to axing the industrial carbon tax and the taxes on fuel standards?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Health, of course I want Canadians to eat well. That is why we implemented this measure today that is meant to leave more money in Canadians' pockets to help them get through these difficult times.

In my riding, a family of four that needs this help will receive $1,890 this year. We are taking action to help Canadians get through these challenging times.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal announcement this morning is merely a band-aid solution for the 2.2 million Canadians who will continue to rely on food banks. Canada has the highest inflation rate in the G7 because of Liberal taxes, which are killing our local businesses. For example, it is estimated that 7,000 restaurants shut down in 2025, and another 4,000 are expected to shut down this year, in 2026.

Will the government axe the tax on fuel, which is driving up transportation costs and the price of food?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are actually helping Canadians with the cost of living by lowering their costs with a rebate worth nearly $1,900 a year for a family of four. This measure is in addition to other investments, such as the tax cut for 22 million Canadians and the $800 in savings for families with children who benefit from the national school food program.

We are here to help families move forward. The Conservative Party should get out of the way and support our initiatives.

The Economy

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if we judge the Prime Minister by prices at the grocery store, as he said, he has failed.

Canada's food inflation now sits at 6.2%, the highest in the G7. Conservatives are ready to fast-track real relief by scrapping the industrial carbon tax, eliminating the ever-increasing fuel standards tax, boosting competition in grocery stores and cutting red tape for farmers.

When will the Prime Minister stop offering band-aid solutions and work with Conservatives to bring food prices down once and for all?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Canada groceries and essentials benefit will put food directly onto the tables of hard-working Canadian families and not just a few. We are talking about 12 million Canadians.

Only Conservatives are willing to stand in the way of affordability for families that need a little bit of help. This Liberal government has the backs of Canadians. That Conservative leader turned his back on helping Canadians a long time ago.

I know that Conservative leader is obsessed with his grip on power right now and probably cannot focus on much else, but if he could focus on what Canadians need and helping them out at the grocery store, we could use his vote.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, enough with the temporary and recycled Trudeau-era rebates, and enough with blaming global factors when all the other countries have lower food price inflation than Canada.

This is a homegrown problem, and we need long-term solutions.

My recent visit to Simcoe Hall's Food Bank with the Conservative leader was yet another reminder that more working families are struggling and visiting food banks.

Will the Prime Minister stop treating the House of Commons as the house of elites, and finally work with Conservatives to bring food prices down for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is always pretty fresh to hear the Conservatives talk about elitism when they are talking down supports for hard-working Canadians. Twelve million Canadians are going to benefit from the Canada groceries and essentials benefit.

From a personal perspective, when my hard-working single mom got that benefit four times a year, that meant running shoes for me and my brother, that meant guitar lessons for me and my brother, and that meant fresher food and maybe a trip to Swiss Chalet.

However, those Conservatives have never cared about affordability or lower-income families. They are only here to help their rich oil and gas friends with this nonsense on hidden taxes that do not exist.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada now faces the highest food inflation in the G7. The government's responses relied largely on short-term relief measures that may ease pressure temporarily, but do nothing to address the underlying drivers of rising food costs.

Food affordability requires deeper structural action. Conservatives have put forward practical solutions, including eliminating the industrial carbon tax and the fuel standards tax, boosting competition in the grocery sector and cutting red tape for farmers.

Will the government work with Conservatives to deliver lasting relief for Canadian families?

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Secretary of State (Labour)]

Mr. Speaker, from day one, our focus has been on lowering costs for families and putting money in their pockets. Today's announcement of the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit will give Canadians the relief they need.

However, more than that, we have delivered a tax cut. We have protected the Canada child benefit and we have grown it. We reduced child care costs. We have cut the carbon tax. We have delivered dental care. Through Build Canada Homes, we are building low-cost, affordable housing. We have made the national school food program permanent.

Voters in Vaughan want this stuff. Why is the member obstructing? He should get out of the way.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Mr. Speaker, if those measures worked, Canadians would actually be able to afford their groceries. Lettuce is up 12%, beef is up 16%, apples are up 10% and even baby formula is up another 6%. After 10 years of Liberal inflation and taxes, Canada now leads the G7 with the highest food inflation. Conservatives are ready to fast-track solutions: eliminate the industrial carbon tax, cut the fuel standards tax, boost grocery competition and cut red tape for farmers.

Will the Liberal government introduce legislation to implement these solutions and to work with us to finally lower the price of food for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure which Saskatchewan people the member is speaking with, but the Saskatchewan people I am speaking to talk about the $10-a-day day care. They talk about the reduction of GST on homes. They talk about the school food program. Now they will talk about the Canada groceries and essential benefit, $11.7 billion that will help many Saskatchewan families.

Saskatchewan families do not ask for much, just a fair shot and some breathing room at the end of the month.

Public Safety

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, soft-on-crime Liberal laws ended mandatory jail time for extortionists and released repeat violent offenders back on our streets. Since then, violent crime has doubled and extortion is up over 350%. Businesses, media studios and homes are being shot at. Literally, we are seeing bullets fly through the bedrooms of our children. Canadians are terrified and feel like they are the ones on house arrest while the criminals walk free.

When will the Liberal government stop making excuses, work with us, take action and protect Canadians?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, at the outset, let me thank and congratulate the members of the RCMP for their work in the arrest of Ryan Wedding in collaboration with the FBI. Ryan Wedding was the number one wanted person in the United States, and this is the type of collaboration that law enforcement in Canada, working with the United States, can achieve.

To the member's question, we have six bills in front of the House that deal with public safety. The obstruction of the Conservative Party in passing not a single one of them is atrocious. I invite the member opposite to pass these bills today.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, extortion cases are exploding and it is a full-on crisis. In Surrey alone, police are responding to more than one case a day. Families and small businesses are terrified, truckers are feeling the heat and people feel abandoned by Justice Canada. After years of Liberal promises, the results speak for themselves. Crime is up and criminals walk free. Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 strip mandatory minimums and entrench catch-and-release policies.

When will the government work in good faith with the Conservatives to eliminate mandatory minimums for extortionists and repeal the catch-and-release laws that are hurting our country?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is easy for members to make mistakes when reading a question that was handed to them from their party's whip rather than actually doing research to understand the facts on the ground.

If the hon. member actually surveyed the statistics on violent crime in Canada, he would see that in the last two years, there has been a reduction of crime in this country. The bills he points to actually made it harder for someone to get bail if they were charged with offences touching on intimate partner violence and made house arrest impossible for serious charges, including advocating genocide, torture and murder.

We have put forward a plan that is going to treat repeat violent criminals with serious laws that help protect communities against crime. I hope the Conservatives—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Abbotsford—South Langley.