Debates of Jan. 26th, 2026

Justice

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, since January 1, there has been a minimum of one extortion case every single day in the Lower Mainland. These are real consequences of the Liberals' failure to take crime seriously. Families and businesses across Abbotsford and Surrey are terrified, and entire communities are living in fear. It is time for the Liberals to fix their soft-on-crime laws that have failed to keep innocent Canadians safe.

When will the Liberals stop delaying, finally work with us and restore mandatory minimums for extortionists and repeal their catch-and-release laws, Bill C-5 and Bill C-75?

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

Mr. Speaker, in Canada, someone who commits extortion can serve up to 25 years in prison. We have the laws in place, but we are going to improve on those laws. That is why we have put forward a bill on bail and sentencing reform. I am glad to see that it is progressing through committee.

One law that could really help these cases is lawful access. It was the second bill we presented in the House. The Conservatives have been obstructing it all along. We had several different summits across this country. What did law enforcement ask for? It asked for lawful access. The Conservatives need to stop the obstruction.

The Economy

[Steeve Lavoie, Liberal, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in Beauport—Limoilou and across the country, the cost of living is still too high for many families. Our government has already taken concrete action by eliminating the consumer carbon tax, cutting taxes for nearly 22 million middle-class Canadians and eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers. However, we know that we need to do more and that we can do more to help Canadians keep up with inflation.

Can the Minister of Finance tell the House about the concrete steps we are taking to support families in Beauport—Limoilou and across the country?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent question, because he really showed Canadians all the measures we have taken to help people. Today, 12 million Canadians across the country are celebrating the news of the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit. This will be a major help to families. As my colleague said earlier, it can help a single mother with concrete things such as buying clothes or shoes.

On this side of the House, we will always be there to help Canadians. We will always be there to move our country forward. We will always work to build strong communities.

Forestry Industry

[Aaron Gunn, Conservative, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last week was a devastating one for forestry workers and their families on Vancouver Island. Just outside Port McNeill, the Atli Chip plant announced it would be permanently closed, and curtailments were announced at the Ladysmith and Saltair locations of the iconic Chemainus sawmill, where my grandfather worked for 30 years. These were good-paying jobs, the type of jobs that built communities up and down Vancouver Island and right across B.C.

The government promised to stand with these workers, to have their backs. Instead, mills keep closing and workers are being laid off. When will the government's actions and results finally live up to its rhetoric and its words?

[Corey Hogan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the government stands with forestry workers. We have announced $2.5 billion in supports. We have a task force active right now looking at additional supports. I was in Prince George last week.

Members in Conservative ridings want results, and I want to tell members of the House a little bit of a story. The last time we talked about this in the House of Commons, we got suggestions from the NDP. We put them into effect. We got suggestions from the Bloc. We put them into effect.

We got no suggestions from the Conservatives. We want their help. We want to support this sector. We are tired of hearing noun, verb and no solutions every time these guys open their mouths.

[Aaron Gunn, Conservative, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a suggestion, and it is to drop the ideological 30 by 30, which stops forestry workers from doing their jobs.

I appreciate my colleague's comments on this issue, and I appreciate the government's promises of support, but forestry workers in my riding and across B.C. cannot eat Liberal promises and they cannot pay their mortgages with a Liberal speech. They need action. They need results. They need the government to actually deliver something.

Literally thousands of jobs have been lost. How many more mills have to close? How many more people have to be put out of work before the Liberal government steps up and takes this crisis seriously?

[Corey Hogan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot think of a more out-of-touch comment than talking about 30 by 30. They are clearly not talking to people on the ground. These are not the challenges the sector faces. We need solutions, not obstruction, from the members opposite.

I am welcoming them to work with us. We want to help them out. We need their help because they are the people on the ground representing the Conservative ridings with these mills. We have not been hearing from the Conservatives. These ridings deserve better.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Ear Falls sawmill has been shut down since October. The Ignace mill is expected to close in March, and now 150 people will be affected by the closure of a line at Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper.

Every day more closures are announced. These are good-paying jobs for hard-working Canadians that are now gone. The government's rhetoric of supporting workers is not matching the reality of the workers who are losing their jobs.

Conservatives stand ready in the House to support government actions that will save forestry jobs. When will we finally see some action from the Liberal government?

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

Mr. Speaker, forestry, mill jobs and the forestry sector in Canada are part of the very fibre of our country, the very fibre of our communities.

The parliamentary secretary just outlined the many measures we are putting in place to make sure we protect those workers and those facilities against an ill-advised trade war that will only increase the cost of housing in the United States and elsewhere. We are going to put those people to work producing wood, producing mass timber and building homes. We are going to do that in the face of Conservative—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Labrador.

National Defence

[Philip Earle, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have a proud history of standing with our allies during combat missions and peacekeeping exercises. In my riding of Labrador, home of Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, many families serve our country or stand behind loved ones who do. When Canada's contributions are mis-characterized or minimized, it is important to set the record straight.

Can the Minister of Veteran Affairs tell the House how Canada has stood alongside our allies and how we properly commemorate and recognize our veterans?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, when NATO invoked article 5 after 9/11, we fought the Taliban alongside our allies in Afghanistan. There were 40,000 Canadians deployed, and 158 CAF soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice. Thirty Canadian soldiers received the U.S. Bronze Star for their bravery.

The Canadian Armed Forces have made and continue to make invaluable contributions around the world. As a nation, Canada will always stand with our allies, including the U.S. As Canadians, we stand behind the women and men in uniform who serve.

Internal Trade

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, every drop of Canada's iconic award-winning Crown Royal whisky is proudly made in Gimli, Manitoba, using Manitoba grains and pure Interlake water. Unfortunately, Manitoba employees and farmers are worried because the Government of Ontario is threatening to pull Crown Royal off the shelves of its liquor stores.

The Prime Minister incorrectly claimed he has torn down interprovincial trade barriers, when, in fact, he has been sitting on the sidelines. His silence on Ontario's threat to Manitoba is deafening.

Will the Liberals stand up for Canadian jobs and pass the Conservatives' Canadian sovereignty act to remove barriers to interprovincial free trade?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by wishing colleagues a happy new year, particularly our friend from Manitoba who just asked the question. I want to thank the Conservative Party for its support last June in passing federal legislation in the House that did exactly that. It eliminated all federal barriers to interprovincial trade.

Now the challenge is to work with our partners in the provinces. The good news is that the Prime Minister will have the premiers for dinner in Ottawa on Wednesday and an all-day meeting on Thursday. We will be discussing exactly those issues of continuing to remove those barriers.

The Economy

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, families in Edmonton Strathcona and across the country cannot wait until June to get help with their groceries. In 2022, the House passed legislation and there was an emergency payment done in weeks. Instead of making Canadians wait for months, will the Prime Minister work with the NDP to get help for Canadians immediately?

If the Liberals are interested in lowering the rate for groceries, will they please take the GST off all grocery essentials, finally impose a price cap and tax excess profits to stop Canadians from getting gouged by big corporate interests?

[Eleanor Olszewski, Liberal, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, this morning the Prime Minister introduced the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit. I look forward to returning to Alberta this weekend and sharing with my constituents that a family of four can receive up to almost $1,900 to help pay for groceries and other essentials.

This is the kind of support Canadians are looking for. As Canadians, we look after each other. We are asking the opposition members to help us do just that.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I wish to draw the attention of members to the presence in the gallery of the recipients of the 2025 Governor General’s History Awards.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Government Response to Petitions

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to 152 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.

Certificate of Nomination

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to subsection 49(1) of the Official Languages Act and Standing Order 111.1, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the certificate of nomination and biographical notes for the proposed appointment of Kelly Burke as the Commissioner of Official Languages for a term of seven years.

I request that the nomination and biographical notes be referred to the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford to table two petitions.

The first is in memory of Mr. Darshan Sahsi. Daylight shootings, murders and violence underscore a broader public safety crisis in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland. Residents are calling on the Government of Canada to reinforce the process of public reporting so Canadians can clearly see how federal, provincial and local governments are working together to prevent further increases in violent and organized crime.

Supportive Housing Project

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I present today is calling for an alternate location to a supportive housing project planned for Martens Street across from the Abbotsford Traditional School. Throughout the process, there has been a lack of transparency, public input and considerations of alternate locations, nor has a disclosure of plans been provided by BC Housing. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to cease all funding to BC Housing until it finds a more appropriate location, not beside a school.

Religious Freedom

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand today to present a petition signed by residents of Canada who are concerned about the Liberal-Bloc amendments to Bill C-9 that could be used to criminalize passages from the Bible, the Quran, the Torah and other sacred texts. The state has no place in deciding what religious texts are proper for each faith community. Freedom of expression and freedom of religion are fundamental rights that ought to be preserved.

Therefore, the petitioners are calling on the Liberal government to protect religious freedom, uphold the right to read and share sacred texts, and prevent government overreach into matters of faith.

Small Craft Harbours

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Mr. Speaker, our small craft harbours are the Trans-Canada Highways of our fishing industry. For the last 20 years, the budget for small craft harbours' capital funding has remained at $90 million, and it needs to be doubled, at least.

Petitioners call on the government to live up to its election promise to increase small craft harbour funding. I am presenting this petition on behalf of the coastal communities that rely on our small craft harbours.