Debates of Jan. 28th, 2026

The Economy

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Ponoka—Didsbury, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Liberals never let solutions get in the way of their ideology.

While the jet-setting Prime Minister travels the world to glad-hand and talk about his new world order, food prices are up and families are struggling to put food on the table. In the meantime, the government is closing the very agricultural research centres that allow Canadian farms and agribusinesses to be so innovative.

When will the Liberals finally understand that when we learn more, grow more, build more and export more, incomes go up and life becomes more affordable for Canadians?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we know this is going to be a difficult time for some, but this was the mandate that Canadians elected us for: streamlining research, collaboration with academia and the private sector, prioritizing high-impact areas, reducing duplication and aligning projects with the needs of farmers and ranchers across this country. We are going to work with stakeholders and move this industry and sector forward that has been neglected for over 20 years.

[Colin Reynolds, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect us to work together to improve their lives. In that spirit, we worked with the Liberals to pass Bill C-5, giving the Prime Minister sweeping powers to get projects built faster. Despite the press releases and photo ops, nothing has been built.

When we build, Canadians get jobs, our economy grows and life becomes more affordable. We have put forward a bill that would repeal regulations that block development, reward provinces that build, and protect Canadian innovation.

Will the government work with us and pass a Canadian sovereignty act?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is the Conservatives' platform, not ours. On this side of the House, we are focused on building one strong Canadian economy. On Monday, our Prime Minister announced a groceries and essentials benefit that would put $1,900 in the pockets of working families.

On this side of the House, we are going to continue to build Canada strong. We are going to continue to focus on our economy. The Conservatives are focused on obstruction.

[Jonathan Rowe, Conservative, Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, NL]

Mr. Speaker, when Canada builds more and exports more, incomes rise, our dollar gets stronger and life becomes more affordable. One of the first things I voted for was to give the Liberals extensive powers to improve projects at speeds never seen before, but despite all the Liberal slogans, they have not removed any barriers. Not a single new project has been approved.

When will the Liberal government work with Conservatives to build a country that all of us can be proud of and approve a Canadian sovereignty act to have an independent economy?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, here we go again with another round of canned notes that do not address what the government is actually doing. It is another example of obstruction.

I have heard from the member's constituents. They support what the government is doing: building this country, investing in provinces and investing in rural communities, such as those the member represents.

Let us stop the nonsense. Let us get to work. Canadians expect it, and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians expect it.

[David McKenzie, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives voted for Bill C-5, but the Prime Minister's Major Projects Office has not approved any new projects. What is worse is that the Liberal mountain of antidevelopment laws is still in place. When we build more and give Canadians jobs and opportunities, incomes and prosperity go up.

I ask the Prime Minister, will his Liberal government support a Canadian sovereignty act to unleash development, protect Canadian innovation and reward Canadians for building our country?

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

Mr. Speaker, what can we say about the motion? It includes a few things we are already doing and a few things Canadians rejected. It feels like the Leader of the Opposition found it in a jacket he has not worn in a while.

It is time of new ideas. We have some like the MOU with Alberta. It is an exciting time to be an Albertan. We are getting things built, and we invite the members opposite to get on board.

[Gaétan Malette, Conservative, Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, northern Ontarians keep asking me when we will finally unlock our economic potential. I reply that it will be when the government finally decides to cut regulations. A Canadian sovereignty act is a chance to do exactly that and repeal needless barriers. In northern Ontario, economic sovereignty leads to affordability. When we grow our industries, such as mining, sawmills, pulp mills, agriculture and manufacturing, incomes rise and unaffordability dies.

Will the government work with us to deliver results for Canadians?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member of Parliament for their advocacy for northern Ontario, a topic I am always happy to get up to talk about.

As the member knows, we have been there for northern Ontario in many difficult and challenging ways. Most recently I have been working with Kap Paper to support the mill as it reorients its product to a product that will be sellable across the world.

We will be there for northern Ontario, whether it is through the capacity of FedNor, direct supports to the lumber industry or supports for critical mining. Northern Ontario knows it has a strong partner in the federal government.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals told us that they wanted to fast-track major projects. That is why we voted in favour of Bill C-5.

Today, we see that absolutely nothing has changed. No barriers have been removed. Red tape continues to slow things down, and permits are still not being issued in a timely manner. That is why the Conservatives are proposing the Canadian sovereignty act so that we can export more and build more.

Will the government vote in favour of our motion or will it continue to hold back the economy?

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

Mr. Speaker, we put our ideas to the test last year during the election, and the Prime Minister's plan to build Canada strong won the day, while the member's approach was rejected. I guess that is news to them.

I want to reiterate to my colleague that we just announced a project at the port of Saguenay, not to mention the port at Contrecoeur, a logistics and supply chain megaproject in Quebec.

Firearms

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

Mr. Speaker, January 17 was a historic day for Canada. The Canadian government, together with the Quebec government, announced the launch of the assault-style firearms compensation program in Montreal.

Quebec occupies a special place in the Canadian landscape when it comes to public safety, particularly because of its history, its collective awareness and its unique legislative frameworks.

Can the Secretary of State for Nature explain how the partnership between Ottawa and Quebec City is essential to the success of this program and to achieving our common security objectives?

[Nathalie Provost, Liberal, Secretary of State (Nature)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, which address an issue that is important to Quebeckers and to all Canadians. Let us not forget that Canadians want this program to work well and they want to get assault-style weapons off our streets. What does it mean to partner with Quebec? It means that Quebec is making the Sûreté du Québec available to participate in this program.

I would like to thank the hunters and gun owners across Canada who are already registering in large numbers to get these guns off our streets.

Justice

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wants to talk about the gap between rhetoric and reality. Well, last week reality came in the form of two police cars in my driveway investigating a report of shots fired on my street. My neighbours are wondering if we are now in the line of fire of some extortionists. Surrey's mayor, Brenda Locke, is asking the government to declare a state of emergency.

Conservatives are asking, will the government stop with the rhetoric, restore mandatory minimums and repeal the catch-and-release laws so criminals will feel the consequences?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives need to decide whether they are going to help us stop extortions or whether they are going to obstruct us giving law enforcement the tools they need to prevent these crimes from happening.

Right now it takes about six months for police agencies to connect a phone number to an IP address or to a person, to a criminal, but these Conservatives are against supporting our lawful access measures, which would give law enforcement these exact tools.

Which side are they on? I hope they will vote with us when we put this bill before Parliament.

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

Mr. Speaker, the York Regional Police recently arrested a man accused of extorting a Vaughan resident for seven years through threats and violence. Extortion is not a talking point; it is impacting real Canadians.

Now Liberals are spreading falsehoods. Let us look at bail reform. The Liberals tabled bail changes on October 23. We agreed to send the bill to committee on November 18, and until yesterday, they sidelined public safety to attack freedom of expression.

Will the Liberal government stop its obstruction, work with Conservatives to restore mandatory minimums for extortion and repeal catch-and-release laws Bill C-5 and Bill C-75?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about catching these criminals. In order to catch these criminals, the police need the tools to do so. They need to be able to connect IP addresses and phone numbers to the criminals, which the Conservatives are obstructing and stopping from passing in the House.

We brought lawful access measures to Parliament in June, yet the Conservatives have been obstructing those measures all along. Whose side are they on? Will they help our law enforcement and police officers with catching these criminals?

Public Safety

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Federal Court of Appeal has once again affirmed that the Liberal government broke the most supreme law in this country, which is the Constitution, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, when it wrongly used the Emergencies Act. It also ruled that the government violated the charter rights of Canadians by freezing the bank accounts of political protesters and limiting the legal right to protest.

If this truly is a new government, will it say to Canadians right now that it will accept this ruling, uphold the civil liberties of Canadians and not appeal to the Supreme Court?

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

Mr. Speaker, as a proud resident of the national capital region, I can only lament this member's repeated, and he has been consistent on this, endorsement of the occupation of this downtown and of the disturbance and unbelievable annoyance this created for residents of downtown Ottawa. The fact is that it was an unlawful demonstration that was ultimately ended by the good graces and very Canadian model of co-operative law enforcement.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Emma Harrison, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the Prime Minister announced new measures to put money back in the pockets of Canadians, including the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which I know will mean a great deal to my constituents in Peterborough and Canadians across the country.

The announcement also included new measures to improve our domestic production and enhance food security in Canada. As a farmer, I cannot stress enough just how important this is. Now more than ever, Canadians want food made and produced right here in Canada.

Can the Minister of Agriculture please explain what Monday’s announcement will mean for our producers and for food security in Canada?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague gets it as a farmer. Canadians want access to Canadian-grown food, and our world-class farmers, producers and ranchers are ready to deliver. On Monday, our new government announced immediate expensing for greenhouse buildings. This will allow producers to fully write off greenhouses that become available for use before 2030.

We are developing a national food security strategy, investing $20 million into a local food infrastructure fund and much more. Simply put, we are improving affordability for more than 12 million Canadians, and building a more domestic, resilient food system here at home. I hope the Conservatives can agree.

Forestry Industry

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, forestry families on Vancouver Island are struggling. The Crofton mill closed. The Atli mill closed. The Chemainus mill was curtailed until the end of 2026. Hundreds and hundreds of jobs have been lost, but more importantly, already struggling families are now facing dire consequences. The government's handouts and subsidies are not helping those affected and will not save this critical and renewable resource industry.

When will the Prime Minister deliver on his promised softwood lumber trade deal?

[Claude Guay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the closure of a mill is difficult news, whether it is on Vancouver Island or anywhere across the country. It is difficult news for workers, their families and the community.

The federal government has come forward with support for the sector. We urge the provincial governments to work with us as partners to protect these jobs—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!