Debates of Oct. 29th, 2026

Steel and Aluminum Industry

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am really glad the member wants some reality. Let us have some reality.

Stellantis needed help from the government. What did it get? Nothing. CAMI needed support from the government. What did it get? Nothing. PACCAR needed support from the government. What did it get? Nothing. Algoma needed support from the government. What did it get? Nothing. Stelco workers needed support from the government. What did they get? They got a useless letter.

Now National Steel Car needs help from the government. What is it going to get, another useless letter?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, Algoma Steel? Do you really want to go there?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

It is not me who wants to go there. Members can go where they want, but I do not care.

The hon. member may continue.

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Algoma Steel, we have been trying, and succeeding, to keep the company alive and help it pivot to a new way of making steel so that it can be the preferred supplier of high-quality steel for the shipbuilding industry.

Algoma Steel, really?

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' abandonment of the steel sector is causing tremendous harm to Canadian workers. Following the loss of 500 jobs at Stelco, another 2,000 jobs are now being lost across Canada. In recent months, dozens of Quebec businesses have contacted us to denounce the Liberal government, which is completely out of touch with reality. These businesses have submitted concrete recommendations to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Industry in hopes of securing their survival.

My question is simple: Why has neither of these Liberal ministers listened to Quebec businesses?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we have been doing exactly that for at least six months, especially in my colleague's region and in the Centre-du-Québec region. We have visited dozens of small and medium-sized businesses.

Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions has programs tailored to the tariff response to assist businesses. My colleague should speak with these businesses, because they will confirm what we have done over the past six months and will continue to do.

Public Safety

[Terry Sheehan, Liberal, Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma, ON]

Mr. Speaker, first nations and Inuit policing is a matter of fairness and equity. Policing in first nations and Inuit communities has been underfunded for far too long. The courts and the Parliamentary Budget Officer have told us that clearly.

This week, the Prime Minister convened a first ministers' meeting with first nations leadership for the first time in over two decades to advocate shared priorities, including on security and community safety, and announced historic funding of close to $634 million over four years and over $250 million annually to renew and expand first nations and Inuit policing agreements.

Can the Minister of Public Safety update this House and Canadians on that?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma for his hard work and advocacy.

Every indigenous community deserves to feel and be safe. This historic funding supports police services such as the Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service in Alberta. This is on top of the $140 million for indigenous-led crime prevention and public safety programming, like community safety officers. These investments in policing support community-led solutions, close gaps and ensure that indigenous people have the tools they need to ensure their safety and security.

The Economy

[Éric Lefebvre, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska—des-Sources, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bank of Canada's October report indicates that inflation is at nearly 3%, economic growth is less than 1%, thousands of jobs are being lost, businesses are cutting back on investment and, month after month, they are absorbing the cost of tariffs, but at some point they will have to pass them on to consumers.

On top of all that, the policy rate went up. That is the result of the Liberal strategy. Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. That is the Liberals' real record.

Will the government finally follow the Conservative plan to give Canadians some breathing room?

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, I am confused about what my colleague is saying because, quite simply, the Conservatives have no plan to make life more affordable for families.

On the contrary, they have consistently voted against everything we have done since the beginning of the year. From the very start, they have been telling us that the government has no business getting involved in building affordable housing. We are there. We are already hard at work. Rents have gone down over the past 24 months.

Tens of thousands of housing starts are under way thanks to the programs that we put in place.

Let us be serious. The Conservatives need to get to work.

Families, Children and Social Development

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the plans Conservatives have announced. Just today, we announced an exciting new idea to support families: allowing both parents to simultaneously claim the CPP child-rearing dropout. This means families who share caregiving responsibilities would no longer be penalized in the calculation of their pension eligibility.

Parents should not have to choose between spending time with their kids and protecting their retirement. Will the finance minister include this constructive proposal in the upcoming budget?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we are going to take no lessons from the Conservatives in terms of affordability for families. We have been delivering it. We have put in place longer parental leave options, shared parental benefits, greater support for working families and, perhaps most importantly and most historically, a Canada-wide early learning and child care program saving families over $16,000 a year in some cases, which the member opposes.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we are zero for one in terms of answering my questions.

The Bank of Canada is now confirming that it is harder than ever for unemployed Canadians to find work, as we have now hit a 29-year low in labour force participation. Meanwhile, the fisheries minister saw no problem with subsidizing a company that fired Canadians to hire illegal workers.

The Liberals put the shellfish interests of this foreign company ahead of Canadian workers. Will the fisheries minister finally stand up and explain why they subsidized the company that fired Canadians to hire illegal workers?

[Ernie Klassen, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Conservatives have a member from Alberta asking questions about the fisheries in Atlanta Canada.

The member is trying to spin a single project from 2024 that was not even for employment. It was for crab processing equipment. I am sure the member has no idea how the fishery works, but the Atlantic fisheries fund has funded more than 1,300 projects in communities across Atlantic Canada, and our government just signed a new deal with Atlantic provinces for $300 million in new funding.

The Economy

[Kristina Tesser Derksen, Liberal, Milton East—Halton Hills South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in a shifting global economy, Canadians and businesses need fewer barriers and faster, more efficient government services. Our government recently introduced Bill S-7, the cutting red tape for all Canadians act. I would ask the President of the Treasury Board to explain how these measures will make life easier for Canadians and help Canadian businesses compete and grow.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, to grow businesses, we need to cut red tape, reduce burdens and lower costs. The cutting red tape for all Canadians act would do just that. We are focused on maintaining strong protections for public health, safety and the environment. Our goal is clear: less time on paperwork and more time to innovate.

We are building Canada strong.

Taxation

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, farmers along the high-speed rail route want to be heard by the Liberal government, and they deserve to be heard. However, it seems that the government listens more to visitors from Europe. What is wrong with this picture? The Liberals are silencing Canadians whose land will be expropriated by European-style projects that have no guarantee of long-term profitability.

When will this Liberal government do something about Canadians' suffering by axing the federal taxes on diesel?

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

Mr. Speaker, it should come as no surprise that the Conservatives are doubling down on their opposition to a promising project that will benefit all Quebeckers.

Of course we will continue to listen to the agricultural community when it comes to building high-speed rail. We will also continue to listen to the agricultural community when it comes to the cost of fuel. We have cut the tax and we have extended that cut in fuel prices for the farming community. We will continue to listen.

The Environment

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberal government, with the help of the Conservatives, is bulldozing through the anti-environment, anti-indigenous and anti-worker Bill C-39, scientists report that fossil fuel-driven climate change caused a 275% increase in deaths due to wildfire smoke in Canada. It is proof the Liberals' corporate agenda is putting lives at risk and jeopardizing a livable planet.

Will the government listen to scientists, save lives, stop fuelling the climate emergency and withdraw Bill C-39?

[Wade Grant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I have to disagree. We have the best science, we have the best standards and we are going to keep to them.

I am always pleased to work with all of my colleagues here as we move forward to fight climate change and protect the environment. We have introduced the national electricity strategy, we are going to double the electrical grid by 2030, we have invested $3.8 billion in the nature strategy to protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030, and we have invested $1.2 billion to protect oceans, marine conservation, whales and indigenous partnership.

Finance

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are being hammered by the rising cost of living, and yesterday brought another blow with the Bank of Canada hiking interest rates for the first time since 2023. This means higher credit card bills, bigger mortgage payments and more expensive loans for working families. It will put added strain on small businesses and things will get worse. The Bank of Canada forecasts inflation to soar through 2027.

Why is the Liberal government failing to bring down the cost of living and make life more affordable for Canadians?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Bank of Canada and its monetary policy are independent. It has to keep inflation within the target range. Obviously, inflation is being driven by conflicts in the Middle East and the oil price shocks. The member opposite knows that well.

We have invested in the Canadian economy. We have strengthened affordability supports and measures, and social support programs like the groceries and essentials benefit. That is real support. It amounts to thousands of dollars per month with child care, dental care and the national school food program. There are all kinds of supports that really impact families' lives. That makes life easier.

We are doing all that while investing in a more prosperous future.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I would like to draw the attention of members to the presence in the gallery of the Hon. Cory Bellmore, Minister of Community Services for the Yukon Territory.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!