Debates of Oct. 22nd, 2026

Public Services and Procurement

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie South—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised that Canadian companies would receive preferential treatment on contracts worth more than $5 million. After being outbid by less than 1%, a CRA security contract was awarded to U.S.-based Allied security, a company with ties to ICE's mass deportation efforts in the United States, instead of the Commissionaires, a Canadian not-for-profit that employs thousands of veterans and RCMP officers.

Why is the Prime Minister ignoring his own procurement policy by giving a major federal contract to an American-owned company instead of supporting a 100-year-old Canadian institution?

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

Mr. Speaker, that member knows better too. It is simply not true. The contract was awarded after a rigorous process that included technical criteria.

As I mentioned, contracting is done free of political interference. Maybe on that side 12 years ago they had political interference. On this side, we do not do that. We are talking 60 employees. Thirty-three were rehired. Twelve of them are veterans.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie South—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this was a $12-million security contract with the CRA that was awarded to an American-based company that refers to itself as America's most patriotic company. It is also a company known for paying lower wages and benefits to its employees.

For 100 years, the Commissionaires has employed thousands of veterans, RCMP officers and former members with good wages and benefits. Was supporting Canadian veterans and Canadian workers ever a consideration with this contract or was it always intended for the same corporate networks that keep benefiting from the Prime Minister?

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

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague has already spoken to, and as I spoke to yesterday, this was a contract awarded through the CRA following a fair and open procurement process. It selected a registered Canadian business headquartered in Ontario, which employs thousands of Canadians.

Our government will always stand with Canadian workers and Canadian businesses, and we will build the strongest economy in the G7.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have again betrayed veterans, stripping the Commissionaires of a $12-million CRA contract only open to Canadian companies. It went to Allied Universal, an American company with just 1% of its workforce in Canada and tied to Donald Trump's ICE deportations. The Liberals wrap themselves in the flag at election time, and then pay Americans at contract time. Here is the kicker: Allied Universal has been suing the government for $420 million.

Will the Prime Minister give the contract back to the Commissionaires?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague across the way for his service to Canada and for his advocacy on behalf of veterans. As we have stated, this was a fair and open procurement process. The decision was made by officials at CRA. We will continue to stand with Canadian workers and Canadian businesses.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when people say “Canada first”, it has to mean something.

This is a perfect example of what not to do. The government just took a contract away from the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires and gave it to an American company, Allied Universal. That company is the one involved in deporting people in connection with Donald Trump's ICE operations.

How is it a “Canada first” move to take a contract away from the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, which employs Canadian veterans, and give it to an American company?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that, on this side of the House, we always support our veterans with job opportunities.

In this case, my understanding is that this is a contract for 60 security officers. Of those 60 officers, 33 were commissionaires and 12 are former uniformed service members.

We obviously expect all government officials to comply with the buy Canadian policy.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister who just responded is the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, so his department was the one that took this contract away from our Canadian commissionaires and awarded it to an American company.

Can the government please explain why no one put a stop to this and said that, instead of favouring an American firm, the work should remain with our veterans and a Canadian company?

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

Mr. Speaker, what my colleague is suggesting is somewhat contradictory.

As I said, the contract awarded by the Canada Revenue Agency involves 60 security officers, 33 of whom are former commissionaires and 12 of whom are veterans who served this country in uniform.

At every stage, we make every effort to give preference to Canadian companies and to ensure that all departments and agencies comply with and follow buy Canadian procurement practices.

Canadian Identity and Culture

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, all TV and radio station operators in Quebec are required to pay levies, pay fees, pay into the system. That is how cultural production is funded.

However, thanks to the Liberals, American streamers like Netflix do not have to pay a penny. The American web giants that are infinitely richer than Quebecor or Bell Media get a free pass, which, by the way, directly contradicts the Online Streaming Act.

Why is the federal government giving an advantage to American multinationals with billions of dollars at their disposal at the expense of our businesses and our culture?

[David Myles, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages and to the Secretary of State (Nature)]

Mr. Speaker, they seem to be forgetting the historic investments we made in budget 2025, including more than $700 million for the cultural sector.

Did they forget about the investment in the creative export strategy, which injected another $95 million in the cultural sector?

We have not forgotten those investments, nor have we forgotten that they voted against all of them.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Liberals have forgotten their $600-million promise, their commitment to impose a levy on the web giants.

The worst part of all of this is that taxpayers will have to foot a $600-million bill to make up for the government's backtracking on the levy. Instead of making the web giants pay, the government is foisting the bill onto all taxpayers, even those who do not have Netflix or Disney+ subscriptions, even those who chose to cancel their subscription as a show of solidarity toward Canadian culture.

Let us not forget that Netflix made $3.7 billion in profits in the last quarter alone, while Disney+ made $712 million. The median income for Quebeckers is about $40,000, yet they are the ones being forced to pay.

Does the minister think that is fair?

[David Myles, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages and to the Secretary of State (Nature)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member once again for his question. It is important to note that that money has been held up for more than a year. That is why we announced an investment of $600 million, which will start flowing shortly.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals set a gold standard for incompetence at the CRA. A so-called sovereign citizen stole $10 million from the CRA. He called and told them he was going to commit the scam, and they gave him the money anyway. The bank had to stop future payments, not the CRA, even though it was known that he was committing the scam.

The CBC claims that there is around $300 million in bogus claims going out under the same scam. The incompetent finance minister says he is clueless. Why does he not know, and when will Canadians get their $300 million back?

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

Mr. Speaker, we cannot talk about specific cases. The member knows that.

Let us be clear that fraud is a crime and that anyone who commits fraud will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This could include up to 14 years in prison, and extensive fines and penalties of up to 200%.

There are new measures in place to ensure fraud and scams are detected, including secondary reviews of large refunds. We will stop at nothing to ensure those who have committed crimes are brought to justice.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that answer should be treated like fraud.

The fact that the bank had to stop future payments and not the CRA speaks volumes to how bad these guys have messed up the CRA. They will give their Liberal-connected insiders millions of dollars in tax-free writeoffs if they are connected to their green slush fund scandal, but they will fleece Canadians for every single dollar.

The CRA minister said the buck stops with him. When will they collect the money? When will Canadians get answers?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member knows that abuse of the tax system is illegal, and the CRA will always take enforcement action when tax fraud occurs. We all know we cannot comment on specific cases, but Canadians can be assured that when it comes to fraud, every action is on the table to hold fraudsters to account.

We have implemented additional safeguards to help ensure greater consistency and accuracy in refund processing. The measures include strengthening controls, intensified oversight and tightened authority levels. On this side of the House, we will go after—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Langley Township—Fraser Heights.

The Economy

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley Township—Fraser Heights, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Food Banks Canada is reporting an 8% increase in visitors this year compared to last, double what it was seven years ago. One-fifth of visitors were actually employed and one-third were children. Food inflation is outpacing wage growth again this year according to the report, and things are becoming more difficult for many families despite the many promises from the Prime Minister.

Will he at least acknowledge that relying on food banks is the unfortunate reality for far too many Canadian families, or is he totally out of touch with reality?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like, on behalf of all members of this House, to thank the people at Food Banks Canada. They do very important work across this country, and I think we should all applaud their work and thank them for their work.

We implemented one of the recommendations, which is now called the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. With that, 12 million people in this country will receive a benefit to help them with groceries.

On this side of the House, we are always going to do what is right to support Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, Quebec's food banks are overwhelmed. They are now handling a record number of requests for food assistance—more than three million every month. That is a 44% increase over the past five years. One in three children relies on food banks. Vulnerable households now spend 112% of their disposable income just on food, housing and transportation.

Will this government adopt our plan to scrap taxes on diesel? It is very simple.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak on behalf of all my colleagues and thank those who work in food banks across the country. They perform essential and extraordinary work helping the most vulnerable members of our society.

We have actually gone further than what my colleague is suggesting. What we have done is provide direct support through the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. More than 12 million Canadians are receiving direct assistance to help them at a time when they need it most. On this side of the House, we will always be there to stand up for the interests of Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, may I remind the House that, just this week, the Liberals refused to acknowledge the cost of living crisis? A 67-year-old woman in my community has been forced to take house cleaning jobs 25 minutes away from home. She cannot afford winter tires or groceries. Food bank usage has increased by 30% nationwide since 2019. Who was in power then? It was the Liberals.

Will the government adopt our Conservative plan to lower grocery bills by eliminating all federal taxes on diesel?

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

Mr. Speaker, we understand the situation perfectly. We are acutely aware, as are all Canadians, that affordability is the priority—housing, food and gas prices. That is precisely why we introduced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will help 12 million Canadians.

What is unfortunate, however—and the people watching at home know it—is that my Conservative colleagues voted against that measure, which will help 12 million Canadians. I hope that they will reconsider their position and support a government that supports Canadians.