Debates of Oct. 21st, 2026

Public Safety

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Sydney—Glace Bay, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act directly targets repeat and violent offenders with stricter bail and sentencing changes. At the same time, and I want to reiterate this, the government is hiring 1,000 new RCMP officers and investing $1.3 billion to secure our borders and to stop illegal drugs before they reach our streets. That is real action, and that is a government that is choosing results, with stronger laws, stronger enforcement and safer communities.

Steel and Aluminum Industry

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, for years, United Steelworkers has warned the government that Canada's dependence on American markets and the failure to have a good, comprehensive industrial strategy, including a national steel strategy, were putting our steel industry and Canadian workers at risk. Now at Stelco, hundreds of United Steelworker members are facing layoffs.

The human cost of this decision is devastating. Workers who have spent years building this country are now facing uncertainty about their job, their mortgage and their family's future, and the circumstances around this make it even more outrageous. Cleveland-Cliffs, the American corporation that owns Stelco and has cheered on Donald Trump and the U.S. steel tariffs, made binding legal commitments to maintain unionized employment for five years, when the federal government approved its purchase in 2024. Now those jobs are at risk.

United Steelworkers has demanded an immediate compliance review and enforcement of these commitments. It has asked the government to act decisively and not simply issue press releases after workers have received their layoff notices. The government has legal tools available under the Investment Canada Act. It must use them aggressively and without delay. If Cleveland-Cliffs will not honour the commitments that secured approval for its takeover, the government must be prepared to pursue meaningful consequences, because if the Liberal government does not act, then it is telling every single corporate bad actor that agreements do not matter, that breaking legal commitments does not have consequences and that impunity will be rewarded.

Today the Prime Minister and Doug Ford announced a package to support Ontario's steel sector, and that is a good step, but let us be clear: An announcement is not a plan to protect every worker facing a layoff right now, and billions of dollars in support cannot be a blank cheque for corporations while workers are left behind. How much of this support will protect jobs at Stelco right now? What conditions will be attached to public money? Will the government finally use every tool available under the Investment Canada Act to enforce Cleveland-Cliffs's commitments?

United Steelworkers has laid out what Canada needs. We need stronger protections against dumped steel, tighter import controls, and loopholes closed, so foreign steel cannot displace Canadian production. We need buy Canadian procurement that creates reliable demand for Canadian-made steel. We need investment in modern steelmaking technology and a comprehensive industrial strategy that builds on Canadian production and reduces our dependence on the United States, and we need immediate action for workers, including retention and income supports, alongside enforceable conditions that protect Canadian jobs whenever public money is provided to industry.

These are not new demands. The USW has been calling for this kind of action for years. The government should not have needed a trade war, layoffs at Stelco and mounting uncertainty for Canadian families to understand the urgency. The Liberals talk about building a stronger economy, protecting our sovereignty and creating a better future, but we cannot build a strong economy while workers lose their livelihood. We cannot build a strong Canada by weakening unions and allowing good jobs to disappear, and we cannot build a strong future by asking working people to sacrifice their security while corporations protect their profits.

Workers' rights are not separate from economic strength; they are part of its foundation. It is time for the government to act.

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the intervention from my colleague from Edmonton Strathcona on this very important and very timely topic at this important and timely moment for Canada's steel sector.

As I think the member acknowledges, in part at least, that what we are seeing right now is a result of unjust, unjustifiable and illegal tariffs on the sector, affecting not just workers but Canadian communities across the country. These tariffs have undermined our workers by raising production costs and prices that have threatened their livelihood, and, yes, if unanswered, those impacts would result in fewer jobs and lower wages. We cannot allow that to happen, because these products are not just important for their communities; they also anchor crucial manufacturing clusters around the country that employ hundreds of thousands of Canadians. We just cannot stand by while our workers and families remain exposed to the impacts of these illegal tariffs.

There are things we cannot control, but there are many things we can control. We cannot control the actions of foreign governments, but we can control our actions. The hon. member refers to some of the tools under the Investment Canada Act. Indeed, we are looking at all those options: the forced divestiture of assets, financial penalties, and requirements that the company honour its undertakings that it made sacredly through the Investment Canada Act provisions to every worker, to the government and, in fact, to the entire country. I want to encourage the hon. member to walk with us as we take a very strong and committed line with the company to say that it must honour its undertakings and that we are looking at all available steps under the Investment Canada Act.

I would also add that the member referred to the visit by Premier Ford today. I just want to highlight the really significant measures that were in today's announcement with the Prime Minister, ministers, and the Premier of Ontario.

There is a joint steel action fund, with five-year funding commitments of $3.55 billion from Canada and an additional $1.67 billion from the Province of Ontario.

The hon. member mentioned the buy Canadian policy. We intend to leverage the buy Canadian policy and the buy Ontario policy to prioritize Canadian steel and public procurement and strengthen domestic demand, a measure that was not mentioned in the hon. member's remarks but I know is important to the United Steelworkers and is important to her.

We are strengthening protections against foreign steel dumping and unfair subsidizing, through enhanced enforcement by the Canada Border Services Agency and tighter trade remedy practices and compliance measures.

We have a new Canada-Ontario steel task force to coordinate the implementation of measures to support the steel sector and improve its competitiveness.

The steel sector is fundamental to our economic competitiveness. Steel is a product we have been making in Canada for a long time. It is something we will continue to make and continue to turn into the kinds of products that are needed by manufacturers not just in Canada but around the world.

The hon. member referred to innovation and progress in the sector and government partnership. I will just point her to the very innovative partnership we have made with Algoma Steel to help it improve and refine its production.

When it comes to workers, I would point to the many tariff relief programs we have brought forward, the many tariff relief programs that are applied to business, and the specific protections for workers through Employment and Social Development Canada, with $70 million over three years allocated for steelworkers through labour market development agreements with the provinces to retrain and upskill up to 10,000 steelworkers.

We have also committed $382 million over five years to create six workforce alliances, working in partnership, hand in hand, with workers, unions, Canadian businesses and those who are standing for a strong Canadian economy. What is being done to the workers at Stelco is a betrayal of those workers. We will not stand for it. The Hamilton caucus members on this side have been very active in working in partnership with us to defend them. We want the company to honour its commitments.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the steelworkers have done their part. They warned us what was coming. They put forward solutions. They helped build this country. Now the government must do its part. It must use the money announced today to build Canadian steel capacity, to put enforceable conditions on public support, to deliver the protections United Steelworkers has demanded, and to make Cleveland-Cliffs answer for the commitments it made to Canadian workers.

The real measure of today's announcement will not be the size of the headline or the number of press conferences. The real measure will be whether Canadian workers keep their jobs, whether our steel industry grows stronger and whether the government finally proves that when it makes a promise to workers, it intends to keep it.

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we fully intend to be behind those workers who have built this country, in the way the hon. member mentioned, by ensuring the commitments made by companies, whether through the Investment Canada Act, through subsidy programs or other contribution agreements we make with them, are honoured to the letter. In the case of Stelco and Cleveland-Cliffs, we are looking at all our legal options and the potential remedies, including forced divestiture of assets, financial penalties and a requirement that the company honour its undertakings.

We are standing side by side, walking with workers and with Canadian businesses to make sure we have the appropriate reactions, the appropriate supports and the appropriate approach, which states very strongly that we are going to use all policy levers at our disposal to make sure that those workers, not only in Hamilton but across Canada, who are affected by these tariffs and who can benefit from a more forward-thinking approach are embraced by our approach and that we are there for them.

Taxation

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on behalf of the farm-filled riding of Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke to address the absence of an answer from the Liberal government when asked if the Liberals would support our Conservative emergency fuel relief plan.

Soaring diesel costs are putting even more pressure on the cost of food. Diesel prices have risen by nearly 80% over the last year. Diesel powers the tractors that grow our food. Diesel powers the trucks and trains that move it. When those costs rise, farmers, businesses and families pay more. That is why the Conservatives put forward the emergency fuel relief plan to cut diesel costs, produce more Canadian fuel and save Canadians money. Sadly, the Liberal MPs voted it down. Lower costs for farmers who grow our food and the businesses that ship it mean lower costs throughout the supply chain.

Our plan to save Canadians money stands in stark contrast to the Liberals' official policy of higher prices. The Liberal plan to ban 90% of plastic in grocery stores will increase the price of food. The Liberal plan to increase ethanol and gasoline has increased, and will continue to increase, the prices at the pump. The Prime Minister's promise to impose carbon tariffs will increase the cost of imports from countries without a carbon tax. The Liberal plan to impose costly new electricity regulations will push up the price of Canadians' power bills. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister claims this is all fake news. He waves his hand and tells us, “These are not the Liberal policies you're looking for.”

Instead, the Liberals reach for the Trump playbook, specifically the page on meaningless symbolic renamings. Just as the U.S. president renamed Lake Ontario, the Liberals renamed the GST credit, but the Liberal gaslighting starts when they claim their renamed GST credit is somehow proof that they care about affordability. The truth is that this is evidence of their guilt. Gaslighting is the only way to describe a party led by an economist who makes the claim that giving people back their own money lowers prices. Liberal policies such as the plastic packaging ban, as well as electricity and fuel regulations, increase costs. The Prime Minister's out of control spending is fuelling inflation.

The latest PBO report highlights just how much more reckless this Liberal government is compared to the previous Trudeau government. The report reveals that, before any new spending has been announced in the upcoming budget, total borrowing over the next five years will reach three quarters of a trillion dollars. Every Canadian should know that the first $1,500 they send the government in taxes is going to pay the interest on the Liberal debt. Interest payments are the fastest-growing expense. By the end of the government's term in office, the federal government will be spending $83 billion on interest payments, and that same year the federal government is budgeted to spend $64 billion on health care. We have an aging population, but prime minister Brookfield wants to spend more on corporate welfare than Canadians' health care.

Out of control spending pushes up demand in the economy and stokes inflation. Liberal regulations push up the cost of fuel and electricity. They will deny this reality as long as they can, but Canadians paying higher prices can see the truth. Higher prices are the official policy of the Liberal Party.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that Canadians are facing economic uncertainty as global instability and rising costs put pressure on household budgets. Tariffs imposed by our largest trading partner are having a significant impact on workers and businesses from coast to coast to coast. At the same time, conflict and instability in the Middle East have contributed to higher fuel prices around the world.

In the face of these pressures, Canadians need relief, and our government has delivered. Last spring, we acted to ease the impact of the high fuel costs on Canadians. In April, after disruptions to crude oil shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz drove fuel prices even higher, our government temporarily suspended the federal fuel excise tax.

This measure saved Canadians and Canadian businesses up to 10¢ per litre on gasoline and unleaded aviation gasoline, up to 11¢ per litre on leaded aviation gasoline and up to four cents per litre on diesel and aviation fuel. The cost savings were immediate. When the temporary suspension of the federal fuel excise tax was first introduced, gasoline prices declined by 11% per litre on the first day of the implementation, delivering immediate results to consumers.

With Bill C-38, we are continuing to provide relief at the pump by proposing to extend the temporary suspension of the federal fuel excise tax until and including January 31, 2027, and to apply 50% of the regular excise tax rate from February 1 through March 31, 2027, inclusively. This measure would help lower everyday costs for Canadians, including truckers and businesses in the food, agriculture, housing, construction and delivery sectors. In short, it would continue providing timely and meaningful relief when Canadians need it the most.

We also recognize that groceries do not reach the store shelves on their own. In a country as vast as Canada, moving people and goods is essential and it depends heavily on diesel fuel. Higher diesel prices at the pump have also squeezed business margins by increasing the cost of bringing goods to market. The government remains in close contact with refiners as they maximize diesel production capacity to respond to current conditions.

As our government has said many times, we remain focused on what we can control, including strengthening Canada's economy, diversifying our international trade partnerships, managing public finances responsibly and supporting Canadians, who are facing rising costs on a daily basis.

Across the country, Canadians are concerned about the cost of essentials, including fuel, food, housing and other basic necessities. Our government understands these pressures and is taking concrete, responsible action to provide relief while safeguarding Canada's long-term economic stability. That action includes temporarily suspending the excise tax on gasoline and diesel.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister's response to my question, he randomly accused me of not supporting farmers in Pembroke. While there are nearly 1,000 farms in my riding, none of them are located in the city of Pembroke. This geographic confusion is easily corrected.

There is no better time than autumn for a road trip to the Ottawa Valley. I would like to invite all members of Parliament to take a drive along the scenic Opeongo Line, stop for lunch at Calabogie's Redneck Bistro or enjoy a dinner at Whitewater Brewing in Cobden. There is even still a little time for picking apples at McGregor's Orchard near Renfrew.

The Prime Minister's hand-picked parliamentary secretary may have hallucinated farms in Pembroke, but he can be rest assured that I support all the non-imaginary employers in the beautiful riding of Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Sydney—Glace Bay, NS]

Mr. Speaker, to reiterate, temporarily suspending the excise tax on gasoline and diesel reflects our government's balanced approach to delivering immediate cost relief through very targeted supports. Our government will continue to address affordability measures with fairness, discipline and a clear focus on the results for Canadians. We are helping Canadians manage today's uncertainty and affordability challenges while building a stronger, more resilient and more independent economy. That means once again taking practical steps to lower costs while investing in long-term prosperity.

Finally, I would like to say that, if the member is offering to travel to some of these places, I would take that invitation and join her. As a Cape Bretoner speaking to someone from Ontario, I would relish that opportunity.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:17 p.m.)