Debates of Oct. 28th, 2026

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière—Hébertville—Pays-des-Bleuets, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Premier of Quebec is right to demand an opportunity to speak at the Canada-European Union summit.

He could even claim a seat at the negotiating table, because the federal government is negotiating with Europe on labour mobility, energy, critical minerals and more. All of these areas fall, in whole or in part, within Quebec's jurisdiction. Excluding Quebec violates the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine. It is an insult to all Quebeckers.

Will the Prime Minister grant the Premier of Quebec the opportunity to speak that is rightfully his on his own turf?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, when I get up in the morning, I am certain of three things: The sun will rise in the east, the leader of the Bloc Québécois and Bloc members will be outraged by anything and everything, and Bloc members will claim to speak on behalf of all Quebeckers. Those are certainties.

Quebeckers are asking for closer ties with the European Union. Obviously, they want that to be done in partnership with Quebec, as it was in the lead-up to this summit.

Closer ties with the European Union are good for Quebec and good for Canada. I sincerely hope that Quebec will be there with us.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière—Hébertville—Pays-des-Bleuets, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is a fourth certainty: the federal government's lack of respect for Quebec.

Whether a certain minister likes it or not, geopolitics is not a matter of federal jurisdiction. Quebec has the right to conduct its own international relations in all areas that fall wholly or partly under its jurisdiction. That is the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine. The Prime Minister's insulting attitude and his Minister of Industry's outlandish statements undermine decades of Quebec and Canadian foreign policy.

Will the Prime Minister reconsider, respect the Quebec nation and invite the Premier of Quebec to speak at the summit?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the Bloc Québécois's outrage over everything. All summer long, the Bloc criticized us for doing too much for Quebec: too much for infrastructure, with $10 billion in investments; too much for the Davie shipyard in Lévis, with 5,000 jobs in Quebec; too much for Alstom in La Pocatière and Saint‑Bruno‑de‑Montarville. The Bloc Québécois criticized us for supporting the Churchill Falls project, which will ensure prosperity for generations of Quebeckers. It is criticizing us for going ahead with the high-speed rail project, which will help build Quebec. The Bloc Québécois is busy stoking division and outrage. Our government is busy building Quebec.

Finance

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to move at speeds not seen in generations, but Canadians did not realize that what he meant was accumulating debt at speeds not seen in generations. In five years, he plans to add more debt than all prime ministers before Justin Trudeau combined. Today, because of the Liberals' inflationary spending, the Bank of Canada has raised interest rates, making government debt even more expensive.

Can the Prime Minister explain who will repay this mountain of debt and how?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, all the opposition members do is talk down our economy and our workers, but they do not realize that criticism does not create jobs. Their negativity does not make life affordable.

Did the Conservatives vote for the groceries and essentials benefit? No. Do they vote to make life more affordable? No. In the member's own riding, when we support Technical Steel Corp or Exco Engineering, do they support that investment in businesses to create jobs? No. They should get with the program, and we should build this country strong together.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member did not answer my question. My question was about the vicious cycle that the Prime Minister is building, which is more debt, more interest and more borrowing. In fact, he is borrowing to pay for the interest he already owes on the debt that he already took on. Today, the Bank of Canada raised interest rates. Now, the government pays more to borrow, families pay more on their mortgages and more taxes go toward interest instead of services.

When will the Prime Minister break his vicious cycle and finally get this borrowing under control?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the fastest growing economy in the G7 and the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. We are creating jobs.

The Conservatives talk about making life more affordable, but they do not do anything about it. Do they vote for affordable child care? No. Do they vote for national school food lunches? No. Do they vote for dental care? No. All they know how to say is no to Canadians. We will continue to say yes to building Canadian, yes to building strong and yes to making life more affordable for everybody.

[Adam Chambers, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister assumed in his first budget that interest rates would stabilize and go lower, except they have actually been going up, including at the Bank of Canada. That means that Canadians will pay more when they renew their mortgage, but it also means taxpayers are on the hook for billions more. Why is that? It is because the Prime Minister chose to double the size of the deficits he inherited, and he has pushed borrowing to record numbers, including nearly $600 billion this year alone.

Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians how much his mistake has cost Canadians with higher interest rates?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, I will share that we have chosen to be there for Canadians. In fact, thanks to our government, we have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. This means more money stays in their pockets. While things are challenging at the grocery store, we have delivered the national groceries and essentials benefits so that the average family of four in our ridings receive close to $1,900. That is real support, and we are going to continue to be there.

The good news, also, is that we have increased the Canada child benefit. That is an additional $160 per child this year.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Bank of Canada says inflation is going to remain high and exceed 3% until the end of 2027. As a result, the cost of living will continue to rise, putting even more pressure on Canadian families and farmers. Furthermore, the government intends to increase the federal fuel excise tax. The bank itself admits that this increase will drive up inflation. This is completely irresponsible.

When will the government put an end to its inflationary decisions that are driving up the cost of living?

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

Mr. Speaker, the MP rose to speak about affordability, yet time and again she has voted against measures designed to help Canadians, to help the people in her constituency. Whether it is dental care, the Canada child benefit or the groceries and essentials benefit, she has consistently opposed any support for Canadians. She will have to explain those choices to her constituents.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am quoting the Bank of Canada, which is confirming the Liberal government's failure on the economy.

Our growth has plateaued at 1%, which is less than half the rate in the United States and barely one-third of the global growth rate of 3.1%. Worse still, half of this result comes from government spending alone. According to the Bank of Canada, “Finding work continues to be challenging”. This situation is untenable, especially in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

When will the government stop adding to the tax burden and adopt our Conservative plan to create stable, well-paying jobs?

[Anna Gainey, Liberal, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, we understand the challenges Canadians are facing. That is why we made the national school food program permanent. That is why we lowered the fuel tax. That is why we brought in the groceries benefit. More recently, we announced the national heat pump rebate of $10,000 for low-income families.

We are there for Canadians. It would be nice to have the support of the members across the way on these issues.

Steel and Aluminum Industry

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Hamilton is proud to be Canada's steel city. It is part of who we are. This is—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Let us try to be fair. Let us try again.

The hon. member for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas.

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about real jobs for real people, and this disruption is extremely disrespectful.

Hamilton is proud to be Canada's steel city, and thousands of families depend on steelmaking. It—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

We will give it one more shot from the top. The hon. member will understand that there is only so much I can do.

The hon. member for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas has the floor. Let us try again.

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is a critical issue for all Canadians, and it would be nice if the opposition were interested in what is happening. In the face—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Members have to co-operate. I would ask them to help me out.

I want to finish today as close to three o'clock as possible, and I do not know if that is going to be possible now, but let us try.

The hon. member for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, from the top.

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Hamilton is proud to be Canada's steel city. Thousands of families depend on steelmaking for their livelihood.

In the face of the illegal and unjustified American tariffs, can the Ministry of Industry give the House an update on what our government is doing to protect Canada's steel industry and support steelworkers?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the steel industry helped build this country. We have it as a pivotal industry as we are building Canada strong.

Last week, I joined the Prime Minister and the Premier of Ontario to announce an additional $5.2 billion to support the steel industry from the unjustified American tariffs. We will make sure that people in Hamilton get that support, that we create growth in the country and, more importantly, that we create jobs across the steel industry.