Debates of Oct. 8th, 2026

Housing

[Jennifer McKelvie, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to point out that Habitat for Humanity is building in my neighbouring riding of Whitby. We are so happy it is building housing for young Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

In addition, I would like to point out that we are making record investments in infrastructure across the country. What that is doing is creating jobs for youth, high-paying careers, and building housing, infrastructure and major projects. Not only are we building houses, but we are also providing them jobs, and getting it done.

Employment

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in 1982, the recession under Pierre Trudeau's Liberals forced my father-in-law, a Vancouver electrical contractor, to lay off his son, my husband, to help keep the rest of his crew working. Forty-four years later, it is déjà vu. Under the current Liberal government, B.C. has seen 845 foreclosures in just eight months, surpassing all of last year. That is a 20-year high.

How many more sons have to lose their jobs before the Liberals admit they are all talk and no results?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member that we live in a very different time. Investment is up in this country. Growth is up in this country. Employment is up in this country. The one thing we see that is down is the Conservative Party in this country.

I can assure the member that with the policies we have put in place to grow the fastest economy in the G7 and tackle affordability when it comes to housing, the price of gas and the price of food, we are on the right track. We will keep building for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after losing his electrical job, my husband turned to farming. Everyone said farming was recession-proof. Today, under the Liberals, even farmers are struggling, and the construction industry as well. Metro Vancouver condo starts have fallen 40%, and B.C. lost 4,800 construction jobs in August alone. The Liberals keep spending, borrowing and making grand promises while hard-working Canadians pay the price.

How many more livelihoods will be lost before the government changes its costly policies and delivers affordable homes, good jobs and hope for Canadian families?

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

Mr. Speaker, maybe that member should come and join us in celebrating the 6,100 jobs at LNG Canada phase two in her province. Maybe she should join us in helping with 4,000 new jobs at the sunrise expansion in her province. Maybe she should get excited about the 2,000 new jobs at Tilbury. Maybe she should be excited about the thousands of new jobs at the port of Vancouver, and she might be excited about the 140,000 jobs coming from Pacific link.

Housing

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister promised to “build, baby, build”, but the Liberal insider he appointed to chair the new housing bureaucracy supposedly tasked with fixing the Liberal housing crisis called the dream of home ownership a “regressive” idea and told Canadians to stop glorifying it.

The latest numbers are out: 47% of Canadians would move an hour away from their community just to afford a home, and 56% of Canadian non-homeowners say they may never own a home.

Why does the Liberal government think the dream of home ownership is regressive, and how much longer do young Canadians have to keep sacrificing before its talk turns into results?

[Jennifer McKelvie, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that I very much enjoyed announcing a project in that member's riding in the spring. I am so excited that we are bringing affordable housing to Richmond Hill.

I would also like to point out that we are not stopping there. We are making investments in housing-enabling infrastructure across the province, with big announcements happening all around the province, including in Mississauga, Vaughan and the city of Toronto. We have also invested $76 million to create a state-of-the-art community centre at Humber Polytechnic. We have also invested 1.5 kilometres for a multi-use path in Ajax. We are building all across Ontario. It is creating homes, it is creating jobs, it is creating—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for South Shore—St. Margarets has the floor.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Jessica Fancy-Landry, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, as chair of the Liberal rural caucus, ensuring that we make life better for our rural Canadians, particularly our farmers, is a top priority for me and my colleagues, and it should be for the Conservatives. From the very beginning, our new government has had a clear and genuine focus on reducing red tape, and yesterday Bill S-7 was tabled, which builds on those existing efforts.

I wonder if the minister could help us in addressing some of the long-standing concerns from our agricultural communities.

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question and congratulate her on her new role.

Our government has been focused on making life easier for farmers, ranchers and producers. Farmers want to be farming, not filling out forms and applications. That is exactly what this legislation is all about. We are taking steps to make it easier to streamline assessments for important agriculture products, reduce administrative burdens, transfer farms from one generation to the next and remove long-standing age restrictions. These are practical changes that farmers have been asking for for some time. We are moving forward in the farming and agriculture sectors.

Public Safety

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister's statements about the Liberals' failure to catch a Canadian-linked spy at NATO lack any credibility.

Three years ago, the Public Service Commission found the spy had committed fraud by applying at CBSA under two different names and emails, failing to clarify why she submitted multiple applications. It was Belgium, not Canada, that caught this spy. How embarrassing. The basic facts of this case show just how incredible it was that this spy was still able to get the necessary Canadian security clearances. The Liberals failed to keep Canadians safe.

Why is the minister covering up for this Liberal incompetence?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I share the member opposite's outrage in this regard. Canada's law enforcement and intelligence agencies maintain strong partnerships with their domestic and international counterparts to identify, investigate and respond to threats, including incidents such as the arrest made in Belgium.

This is an active investigation. It would be inappropriate of me and the member opposite to speculate. We will continue to work to protect Canadians and Canadian interests with our partners at home and abroad.

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has talked about there being gaps. The biggest gap is in the minister's credibility. The more he talks, the worse it gets.

For months, the minister promised to “get to the bottom of what happened”, yet he cannot even answer basic questions. This majorly embarrassing failure compromises Canadian security and, critically, the trust of our allies. The Liberals will not even confirm media and source reports that it was a spy working for the CCP in Beijing.

What are the Liberals hiding? Can they answer the basic question of which country this spy was working for, or are they too worried about upsetting Beijing?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the member opposite does not understand how due process works. The Belgian officials are currently investigating this matter. We are co-operating in every way we can, including the RCMP and CSIS.

It would be inappropriate for the House to opine and come to conclusions without the full benefit of all the facts that are available.

Democratic Institutions

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's foreign influence registry is in shambles. The deadline to register has passed. This week, the commissioner revealed that only 30 persons or entities have registered, despite an estimated 2,400 that are required to do so, according to Public Safety Canada. That is a pathetic 1% compliance rate.

How does the minister explain that?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, Canada now has an office dedicated to increasing transparency around foreign influence activities. The office is now fully operational, with Mr. Boegman being at the helm. This is a major step for Canada.

The registry will be a tool to hold individuals and entities accountable for conduct of influence on behalf of foreign entities. It will provide more transparency for Canadians, and it is a testament to the principles of protecting Canadians, defending our democracy and upholding the rule of law.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, again, the Liberals are all talk and no results. They have had two and a half years to get the registry up and running, and there is a pathetic 1% compliance rate. Canadians deserve to know who is influencing elected officials and other public office-holders on behalf of foreign governments. Compliance is not optional. It is the law.

What exactly is the minister doing to enforce the law?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I share the member opposite's assertion that compliance is not optional. It is the law. That is exactly what we have set up. Mr. Boegman is seized with establishing the registry, which is already done. He is in the process of registering and onboarding those who are required to register, and those who do not comply will face the full consequences of the law.

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is travelling around the world. He is going to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and China. In 2025, China was recognized as a threat to national security because it interfered in our elections. Today, the government is discussing national defence with the Chinese government.

Meanwhile, the foreign influence transparency commissioner reports that there are 2,422 foreign influence agents here in Canada. How many of them have registered? Only 30.

Can the Prime Minister tell us who is taking care of defending and protecting the integrity of Canada's democracy while he is off travelling the globe?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister has been engaging many world leaders and has been ensuring that business investments come into Canada, investments that this country critically needs. It is a testament to his leadership that we have been able to expand them and have a level of investments that we have never seen in Canada before.

With respect to the integrity of our electoral system and the protection of Canadians, the transparency registry is on target. It will continue to register and onboard those who are required to register.

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the independent officers of Parliament are all sounding the alarm, one after the other. The Information Commissioner of Canada recently wrote to the Senate to warn it that the Liberal government is concealing more and more records and shunning transparency. This week, we learned from the foreign influence transparency commissioner that just 1% of foreign agents have registered in the two years since the law was passed.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister asked us to give him a break because he just got here. Are the Liberals not interested in protecting Canada's democracy in a world that has never been so divided and dangerous?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, protecting Canada's democracy is our collective responsibility in this House. I can assure the member opposite that we have a system that is working. We have a commissioner who is engaged and who is working to ensure that those who are required to register will register. If people do not comply, we have laws in place to hold them accountable.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Jonathan Rowe, Conservative, Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, NL]

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I got up here and sounded the alarm on the France crab grab, and the Liberals tried to dismiss it as fearmongering. Once they started to realize that this was a $60-million issue, all the minister did was say that she was disappointed in France's intent.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians do not want a government that is simply disappointed. Will the Prime Minister stand up for Canadians, stand up for Canadian sovereignty and say no to the France crab grab?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I will not play politics with issues as important as this. What I will say is that French officials confirmed that no new snow crab licence was issued.

What I will say to the member is that the residents and constituents in his riding reach out to me regularly to talk about the things that matter: small craft harbours, the Churchill Falls agreement, the work on training our young people for Red Seal certifications, and on and on it goes.

It is enough of the nonsense. We have work to do. Canadians know we need to work together. The member needs to—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!