House of Commons Hansard #156 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was young.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Opposition Motion—Appearance of the Prime Minister before the Standing Committee on Finance Members debate a Conservative motion asking the Prime Minister to testify before the Finance Committee about deficits, debt interest and taxes. Conservatives cite rising borrowing costs and affordability pressures; Liberals defend strategic investment, affordability programs and Canada’s relative fiscal position. The Bloc supports inviting the Prime Minister, while questioning the government’s fiscal accounting and priorities. The motion calls for testimony on public finances. 49100 words, 6 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Relieving Grieving Parents of an Administrative Burden Act (Evan's Law) Report stage of Bill C-222. The bill amends EI and the Canada Labour Code so parents who lose a child can continue parental benefits and retain job-protected leave, including additional bereavement support, without repeated reporting or a new claim. Speakers from multiple parties support the measure and call for further consideration of protections when a parent dies. 5200 words, 30 minutes.
Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities Members debate a committee report on youth unemployment, with Conservatives urging tax and red-tape cuts, targeted training, housing near jobs and immigration aligned with labour needs. Liberals cite summer jobs and skilled-trades initiatives, while the Bloc emphasizes Quebec’s jurisdiction over training and employment and calls for tailored solutions and EI reform. 20300 words, 2 hours.
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that the Premier of Quebec was invited to welcome the dignitaries and attend the dinner, as were several other provincial premiers who will be there, as well as a number of representatives of major industries, major businesses and major institutions in Quebec who will also be there. The invitation is still open.
I think it would be good for the Government of Quebec to be there.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal tanker ban is a gigantic multi-billion-dollar gift to Donald Trump's America. Right now, we are getting a $26-a-barrel lower price in the U.S. than we could get on the world market, because we cannot get our oil overseas. What if there were a company with a railroad already in place, promising to move 250,000 barrels a day and ship it from Prince Rupert to get world prices through the Pacific? Well, it turns out there is one. What is standing in the way? It is the Prime Minister and his tanker ban.
Will the Liberal government vote for Conservative Bill C-264 to get our oil to the world?
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, Canada, B.C., Alberta and affected first nations are working together to build the Pacific link, which will massively increase exports. We are building in partnership with indigenous people all across this country.
Rather than pick fights with indigenous people, why do the Conservatives not join us on the north coast transmission line and help us build that with indigenous people? Why do they not help us build the Darlington SMR with indigenous people? Why do they not stop fighting indigenous people and start building Canada strong?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, it is all well and good to build a pipeline to the Pacific 10 years from now with tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money, but that does not stop us from also allowing a project that could begin today and that could start shipping oil in two years on a rail track that already exists, without any taxpayer subsidy required. There is only one thing standing in the way, and that is the Prime Minister and his tanker ban.
Will the Prime Minister get out of the way, vote for Conservative Bill C-264, get rid of the tanker ban and get our oil to the world?
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat it. The Conservative leader can join us with indigenous people and help us build the sunrise pipeline expansion. He can join us and help us build the Taylor to Gordondale expansion. He can join us and build the Pacific link. He can join us and build the north coast transmission line. Instead of fighting indigenous people, he should work with indigenous people to build Canada strong.
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON
Mr. Speaker, the previous Liberal government over the last decade blew through every single fiscal anchor it had established. Last year, we got a new Prime Minister and new Liberal leader, who established new fiscal anchors in the last budget, with deficits double that of its predecessor. Well, here we are, less than a year later, and the PBO projects that the Prime Minister is going to blow through these new fiscal anchors.
Will the Prime Minister confirm the PBO's projection that the upcoming budget will blow through the fiscal anchor?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear: We are spending less to invest more in the Canadian economy.
We found over $60 billion in government savings, reported a lower deficit in the spring economic update, and are on track to balance the operating budget a year ahead of schedule. We have done all that while cutting taxes on income, housing, fuel and new business investment, and supporting Canadians with groceries and essentials, while seeing the highest level in foreign direct investment in nearly two decades. That is how we demonstrate fiscal discipline and build Canada strong.
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what stats the member is cherry-picking, but business capital formation has declined in five of the last six quarters, and GDP growth is under 1%, effectively zero. As to spending, the debt is growing at double the rate of the deficit, and interest payments on the national debt are skyrocketing to 14¢ per dollar of revenue by decade's end.
I ask the government to answer the question. Will the government blow through the fiscal guardrail in the upcoming budget, yes or no?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, Canada starts with the strongest fiscal position in the G7. We have seen the net debt-to-GDP ratio is the best in the G7. We have a AAA credit rating, the best in the G7. In Q2 of this year, we had the highest GDP growth in the G7. I do not know how many stats the member opposite needs. We saved $60 billion in government operations. We have attracted over $500 billion of new commitments in investment in the Canadian economy.
I am not sure what the member opposite needs in terms of stats to understand that Canada is doing well and only getting stronger under the current government.
Melissa Lantsman Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Canada health transfer child benefit, EI, the child benefit and equalization payments do not have much in common, but they do have one thing in common: Canada spends less money on each of those than it does on interest on the debt. After the Liberals doubled the national debt, the Prime Minister doubled the deficit in his first year alone. Eleven cents of every federal dollar is now for interest payments. That is not social programs, it is not health care and it is not police. It is just interest.
Will the Prime Minister get out of his seat and tell Canadians which matters more to them: their services or his creditors?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are blinded, I think, by their pessimism and negativity. They cannot even see the opportunities that our government is seizing in the Canadian economy: $500 billion in new investment commitments from domestic investors; doubling non-U.S. trade by the year 2030; and projects such as Darlington, Contrecoeur, Grays Bay, Roberts Bank and Churchill Falls. These are generational projects that will secure long-term prosperity for Canadians.
Budget 2026 next week, on November 5, will build on that progress. The Prime Minister says, “Fortune favours the bold.”
Melissa Lantsman Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, in just the time that it took the member to answer that question, Canadian taxpayers were forced to pay $112,000. That $112,000 will not pay for one of the government's social programs. In five out of the last six quarters, investment has been down in this country, despite what the member says. That is Liberal hypocrisy in a nutshell. Their fiscal recklessness means less money today and even less tomorrow. The member cannot explain it.
Will the government support our motion today and have the Prime Minister come to committee and at least try?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, let me put a few facts on the record for the member. We are building a strong economy that benefits all Canadians. We have the second-fastest growth in the G7 and the best balance sheet in the G7, and we are the most competitive country for business investment. We have higher per capita job creation than the United States.
This is a government that is focused on what matters to Canadians, like bringing the cost of housing down, ensuring that they have affordable child care and ensuring that there are investments in the skills, training and education that they need to build the brightest future possible. That is our record.
Éric Lefebvre Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska—des-Sources, QC
Mr. Speaker, the federal deficit will reach $63 billion this year. National interest payments will cost the equivalent of $6,000 for a Canadian family of four. However, the government continues to run up deficits while families are struggling to make ends meet. One of my constituents wrote to me and said that she is collecting empties to be able to fill up her gas tank to pick up her daughter. That is what life is like under the Liberals.
I asked the Prime Minister to appear before the Standing Committee on Finance. Will he accept my invitation?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, no one can remain indifferent to the account he shared concerning his constituent. Keeping in mind those families who are struggling to make ends meet, for example, let us look at the Conservative reality. At every turn, they vote against measures that have a real impact on people's lives.
I am thinking of the member opposite and, more specifically, his riding of Richmond—Arthabaska—des-Sources, where 20,587 children are receiving an average of $4,176 a year through the Canada child benefit, and 34,563 of his constituents are benefiting from the Canadian dental care plan.
I know he is very active in his riding. Does he tell the people he meets that he has consistently voted against all these measures that are helping residents?
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑39 continues to raise concerns. Yesterday, the United Steelworkers sounded the alarm regarding workers' rights:
The power the government is trying to give [the] minister here is a power that does not exist in other G7 countries. Even in the United States...there is no such power to force an end to a strike and send employees back to work. This is something that...should send a signal. There are a lot of red flags being raised....
No other G7 country goes as far as Bill C‑39. Why do the Liberals want to continue trampling on workers' rights?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑39 is intended to build Canada strong by advancing major projects and major construction initiatives, as requested by workers, among others. People are also looking to make significant investments. At the recent investment summit, we know that commitments of $500 billion in investments were announced. We want a very healthy labour-management climate. We want to provide a framework for these discussions and support them so that many more collective agreements can be reached at the bargaining table.
Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette—Manawan, QC
Mr. Speaker, there is a big difference between the wishes expressed here and what is written in the bill.
People are still talking about Bill C‑39. Here is what the CSN said this morning:
The powers given to the minister to suspend a strike...are...a serious infringement on freedom of association. Even framed by the national interest, it remains arbitrary, vague and...unacceptable.
Yesterday, law professor Maxime St‑Hilaire criticized Bill C‑39 for making emergency measures permanent without any guardrails. He said that he has observed several instances of totalitarian behaviour on the part of the current government.
Will the Liberals finally realize that they are out of control?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I think that is an exaggeration. We obviously do not share that view.
What we want to do is support the parties. Ninety-five per cent of parties successfully negotiate collective agreements. We want to better support the remaining 5% with special mediators and support from the Department of Labour, so that collective agreements can be reached in the federal sector.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie South—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday at the fisheries and oceans committee, the Liberals blocked a motion to have the Prime Minister's wife, Diana Fox Carney, appear to explain her appointment as Canada's new ocean envoy. The request was straightforward: explain her mandate, her priorities and how she plans to oversee more than $1.2 billion in taxpayer funding tied to the role created by her husband, the Prime Minister.
If there is nothing to hide, why are the Liberals preventing Mrs. Carney from appearing before the committee responsible for fisheries and oceans, and being accountable to Canadians for this appointment and the taxpayer funds associated with it?
Ernie Klassen LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, Madame Carney is an expert in climate policy, and we thank her for stepping forward as Canada's ocean envoy.
The Conservatives are trying to score cheap political points, but we are focused on the work. Our Liberal government will protect Canada's oceans and build our coastal economy.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie South—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, Diana Fox Carney has been given an official government role that her husband, the Prime Minister, created, and she has been given more than 1.2 billion tax dollars to work with. The government is not a family-run business. It is not The Sopranos, but it is looking more and more like well-connected Liberal insiders are taking care of themselves while the people they govern are suffering.
If that is not the case, why not allow Mrs. Carney to come to the committee responsible for fisheries and oceans to explain her role and be accountable to Canadians?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, this is a particularly spurious attack coming from the opposition.
Canada is a world leader in oceans protection and oceans conservation. We have multiple departments, multiple ministers and multiple initiatives, including on our west coast, where we are working very hard on the southern resident killer whale population.
We will continue to be world leaders in oceans protection. We thank the Prime Minister's wife for volunteering to spearhead our efforts.
Michael Guglielmin Conservative Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, the industry minister said Cleveland-Cliffs has broken its commitments. Now just today the company again said it is fully compliant with all 34 of its undertakings, including employment. Meanwhile, Stelco workers remain laid off. Competing press releases do not help workers.
Yesterday, the industry minister stood in this House and said that she would provide the demand letter to this House. Today, the member for York—Durham formally made that request. I am assuming, since she is so confident that the company is in breach, she will have no problem providing that letter. Will she do it, and when?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Mr. Speaker, what is most important is this morning I met with Marty Warren, who is the head of the steelworkers. The steelworkers in Canada are 100% behind the government when dealing with this issue.
Of course I am willing to work with the opposition, because I believe that not only do we have a strong case but this should not be a partisan issue. We should be working together to make sure that we protect jobs. Meanwhile, what I expect from the Conservatives is that they take a strong stance on American tariffs, while also making sure that they support us while trying to protect these jobs.