Debates of Oct. 7th, 2026

Justice

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor of the private member's bill for starting a conversation on a very important issue.

I am pleased to share with the Leader of the Opposition that just a few hours ago, I announced that Canada would be moving forward with the exclusion of medical assistance in dying for people who are seeking that on the sole basis of a mental illness. We are going to be moving forward legislation that we will put forward during this fall sitting to ensure that the law maintains that exclusion in an indeterminate way.

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, in 2023, the Liberal finance minister said that he would stabilize grocery prices by Thanksgiving. He made the comment in September of that year. Since that time, food prices are up 10%. In fact, the cost of a Thanksgiving meal is up 10% in just one year under the Liberal Prime Minister.

Given that the finance minister promised stable and low grocery prices by Thanksgiving, I ask him now, which Thanksgiving?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will take no lessons from the Leader of the Opposition—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Order. I want to remind members that when noise levels exceed a certain threshold, they pose a health hazard to our interpreters, who are just here to help us understand each other better. I would ask members to pay attention to noise levels.

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I was just saying we will take no lessons from that leader. At every step of the way, since he has been on these benches, whenever we presented a motion to support Canadians, he voted against. Conservatives voted against the Canada child benefit. They voted against the national school food program. They voted against the Canada disability program. They voted against the Canada groceries and essentials benefit.

Canadians know we have their backs. We will always support families, always support Canadians, and every day is a good day to fight for Canadians.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if only screaming, hollering and the minister's finger in the air could lower grocery prices by Thanksgiving, everyone would be eating for free, but in reality, they are paying more than ever. In fact, today, Canadians are paying 25¢ a litre more for diesel than the U.S. and global averages because of Liberal taxes, a weak Liberal dollar and Liberal laws that prevent us from refining diesel for every Canadian.

Will they vote today for our motion to get rid of all the taxes on diesel so that we can save Canadians money and bring home our jobs?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I have some good news. Canadian diesel production is up 16% this year. More good news is that diesel prices have gone down three cents in the last several days. I have even more good news. If the member wants to actually help, he can vote for Bill C-38 and extend the excise tax exemption.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that is good news? Three cents a litre is the good news he announces after prices are up 100% and have risen to the highest place anywhere in the world outside of the Prime Minister's beloved Europe. It is not good news to have three cents off.

We need to bring diesel prices down so that we can lower the cost of food, appliances and basic essentials. Everything that we have comes in a truck. Conservatives have a plan to lower the cost and repatriate the production. The Liberals can vote on it today.

Will they vote to save Canadians money?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that the Leader of the Opposition likes to talk, but now he will have a test. Will he walk the talk? Instead of presenting a motion to oppose, I have a suggestion for him and his entire bench. Why do they not vote for farmers? Why do they not vote for truckers? Why do they not vote for families? Why do they not vote for Canada one day? They could vote for Bill C-38 and extend the suspension of the fuel tax. That is an immediate measure that would help all of Canada.

Will they vote for Canada once and for all?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we want to vote to get all taxes off fuel until at least July 1, 2027, and get rid of the worst Liberal taxes on fuel forever. That would be the way to vote for farmers, for truckers and for Canadians.

We have a motion before the House of Commons today to reduce the price of diesel by at least 20¢ a litre, bring production back to Canada, supply our markets with our own energy and have a strategic reserve.

Will the Prime Minister vote to save Canadians money and be masters in our own house here in Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians watching at home know that the Leader of the Opposition likes to talk, talk, talk, but I have an idea for him.

Today, instead of talking, he can take action. He can take action to help farmers across the country. He can take action to help families across the country. He can take action to help truckers across the country. I have a great idea for him. Today, he even has a chance to show it to Canadians by voting in favour of Bill C-38 to extend the suspension of the federal gas legislation.

Will he vote in favour of Canadians for once?

Housing

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there are more than 12,000 homeless people in Quebec. What was restricted to big cities now extends to all regions of Quebec. These are people who are suffering, who are hungry and who are at risk every day. They are dying, as we have sadly seen today. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois and no doubt all my colleagues in the House, I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of the woman who died.

Quebec's new government is making the fight against homelessness a national priority. Will the federal government follow suit?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for the question. This is an extremely important issue.

In Quebec and Canada, we are facing a homelessness crisis that we intend to tackle through bold and ambitious action. Our goal is to cut homelessness in half in this country. This is one of the issues on which our government intends to work closely with the Government of Quebec.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear what the minister just said in response because the government is forcing massive bills down our throats, bills like C-5, C-15 and C-39 in the name of national interest.

The national interest seems to be a broad concept, but, in our view, funding ambitious measures to combat homelessness would truly be in the national interest. Some 12,000 unhoused people in Quebec are getting ready to spend the winter outside. The federal government transfers a few million dollars to Quebec to deal specifically with the encampment crisis.

Does the government think that is enough?

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

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that we have an ambitious plan. The homelessness crisis is a national crisis that we are taking seriously. We are in contact with the people on the ground, with the municipal and provincial authorities. That is why there is at least $1 billion, at a minimum, in Build Canada Homes that will go toward transitional housing. Obviously we need the provinces to come to the table with support measures for mental health and addiction and all that.

We are at the table. We are there for Canadians.

Taxation

[Shuv Majumdar, Conservative, Calgary Heritage, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we have the oil, we have the workers and we have the capacity, yet Canadians pay 24¢ per litre more for diesel than Americans do. The government keeps talking about making Canada stronger, while making Canadian energy more expensive for Canadians. A country with the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world should not be paying a premium to fuel itself.

Will the Liberals vote for our Conservative motion to save Canadians money today, or will the Prime Minister keep making Canadians pay more?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can see through the cynicism on the other side of the aisle.

The federal government has already reduced the price of gasoline by 25¢ a litre. We are building new energy infrastructure across this country. Rather than talk down Canada, why do the Conservatives not help us build the right Canada for the future?

[Shuv Majumdar, Conservative, Calgary Heritage, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this Thanksgiving, the same family dinner costs 10% more than it did just a year ago. When diesel goes up, everything goes up. Farmers pay more to grow the food, truckers pay more to move it and families pay more at the till.

The government says it wants to lower costs, but here is its chance. Will the Prime Minister vote for our emergency fuel relief plan today and drive costs down for families instead of giving empty promises and false prophecies?

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

Mr. Speaker, while the other side focuses on caucus revolts, image reboots and finding the leader yet another riding to run in, we are focused on affordability for Canadians. The groceries and essentials benefit will lift 77,000 Canadians out of poverty. On this side of the House, we are going to deliver affordability measures for Canadians. The Conservatives can continue to vote against each and every one of them.

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Edmonton Gateway, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the world's fourth-largest proven oil reserves, yet Canadian truckers pay 24¢ more per litre for diesel than Americans do and 31¢ more than the global average. Diesel prices have surged nearly 80% in the past year, driving up costs for truckers, farmers and families.

Our Conservative emergency fuel relief plan would cut diesel taxes today and refine more Canadian fuel here at home instead of relying on U.S. refineries. Will the Liberals support our Conservative plan to save Canadians money?

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

Mr. Speaker, maybe the Conservative Party would join with us in pausing the federal excise fuel tax, which will save Canadians 10¢ a litre when they fill up at the pump. We also cut the consumer carbon tax, saving Canadians 18¢ a litre when they fill up at the pump. The leader has been in the House for 7,600 days. He has produced nothing for Canadians. We are focused on affordability.

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, hundreds of dump truck drivers hit the roads protesting the rising diesel prices. Diesel powers the trucks that move our goods, the equipment that builds our communities and the farms that put food on our tables. When diesel costs rise, Canadians pay more for everything.

Today the Liberals have the opportunity to vote on a Conservative emergency fuel relief plan to cut all taxes on diesel until Canada Day and bring some relief during Thanksgiving. Will the Prime Minister listen to our truckers and finally give relief to Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, with the ongoing global conflicts and supply chain disruptions, we are focused on what we can control: bringing down costs for Canadians so they can get ahead. By suspending the federal fuel excise, we reduced costs by 10¢ per litre on gasoline and four cents on diesel.

Lowering the price at the pump is one step to support Canadians, but let us also talk about the Canada groceries and essentials benefit that arrived in bank accounts this week, including in those of almost 1.5 million Canadians who live in British Columbia.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all of my colleagues on both sides of the House for their messages over the past few weeks. I would urge them to take care of themselves and their loved ones.

The situation facing our farmers is unsustainable. Nick Majeau, a farmer in Quebec, told us that his diesel bill has doubled this year, and he is not alone. In a country with the world's fourth-largest oil reserves, this is unacceptable.

The Conservatives' emergency relief plan would provide immediate tax relief and expedite approvals for energy infrastructure projects. For the past 11 years, the Liberal government has raised taxes and created more bureaucracy.

Will the Liberals finally vote in favour of our diesel motion and help our farmers?

[Daniel Gobeil, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Our government has always been there to protect workers, farmers and employees across all sectors of the economy.

That is precisely why we have introduced Bill C‑38, which would suspend the tax on diesel and oil. I invite our colleagues opposite to support this legislation, which represents a first step toward making life more affordable for Canadians.