Debates of Nov. 3rd, 2026

National Defence

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government announced $9.2 billion over 13 years for ammunition. That only buys about 7,800 artillery shells a month, if nothing else is purchased. In Ukraine, they are firing about 180,000 a month. At this rate, it will take years to meet our NATO stockpile requirements.

My question was about the requirement, not history. The minister failed to answer my question, so I will ask it again.

Will he immediately table the required ammunition levels, Canada's NATO requirements and the timeline to meet that plan, yes or no?

[Stephen Fuhr, Liberal, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement)]

Mr. Speaker, there is a very good reason why that member does not want to talk about history, and I think we all know what that reason is.

We have never moved faster on the procurement for our military of aircraft, subs, radar and ammo. This is the most we have spent, and the fastest we have moved, literally in generations. We could use the Conservatives' support. What would be beneficial is if at committee they would support the supplementary estimates by voting for spending money on our military, something that member refuses to do.

Public Services and Procurement

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie South—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have yet another stunning example of public policy decisions benefiting well-connected Liberal insiders.

Dominic Barton, the chair of Invest in Canada, and Patrick Pichette, the head of digital transformation Canada, were early investors in Cohere AI through Radical Ventures and Inovia Capital, respectively. Both have long-standing ties to the Prime Minister and were recently appointed to major government roles. The Liberals just gave Cohere $1.6 billion in taxpayer money, which will increase the value of Cohere and, potentially, Barton's and Pichette's ground-floor investments.

Why is it that when the Liberals claim to be acting in the public interest, it is well-connected Liberal insiders who do well self-dealing while the people they govern suffer?

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, the theme of today's question period appears to be talking down Canada and talking down Canadian champions, so let us get after this.

Cohere is a Canadian champion, one of the only LLMs in the world that is not owned by the U.S. or China. It is a Canadian champion. It is a Canadian powerhouse. It promotes and preserves Canadian AI sovereignty. It allows us to build a strong AI network here at home. It does that by ensuring that Canadians are part of that success.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie South—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is not about Cohere. Canadians have seen this self-dealing Barton Liberal playbook before with McKinsey. They shape public policy and then benefit from the results.

Patrick Pichette and Jordan Jacobs were both appointed to the Prime Minister's AI council, and both sit on the board of Cohere. Jacobs co-founded Radical Ventures, where Barton is a partner. Together, they backed Cohere in its early stages and advised the Prime Minister on Canada's AI strategy. Now the company they invested in has received $1.6 billion in taxpayer funding.

When will the Liberals stop using taxpayer dollars to align public policy that enriches well-connected Liberals?

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, the real scandal here is the fact that the Conservatives are ignoring the facts. The facts are that Cohere is going to create more than 1,000 new high-paying jobs to employ Canadians and that Cohere is going to invest $1.7 billion into creating capacity in Canada. That is how we build Canadian champions.

The Conservatives may not like success. That is clearly what we are seeing from their own success and their own record.

The reality is that we are going to help build Canadian champions. We are going to make sure Canadian companies create the jobs here at home so they can remain at home and build Canadian companies that are going to make Canadians proud for decades ahead.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Giovanna Mingarelli, Liberal, Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week, Canadians across the country are celebrating National Francophone Immigration Week.

Francophone immigrants contribute so much to our economy, our communities and our culture. Francophone immigration plays an essential role in strengthening francophone communities outside Quebec and in preserving our proud bilingual identity.

Can the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship tell the House what our government is doing to attract more francophone immigration to Canada?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her commitment to francophone communities in Canada.

Thanks to our investments and programs, we have exceeded our targets outside Quebec for the past four years, and we will continue to help communities attract and retain francophone talent to build a stronger Canada.

This National Francophone Immigration Week, let us thank all of our partners who work every day to enrich our communities.

Steel and Aluminum Industry

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for months, our aluminum extrusion industry has been sounding the alarm, yet just weeks ago, the industry minister could not even remember that the industry exists.

The government calls aluminum and steel critical to Canada's sovereignty and success, yet leaves downstream aluminum producers facing 100% U.S. tariffs going into the U.S. while allowing record volumes of U.S. imports into Canada.

When will the minister publicly acknowledge the industry exists and protect the downstream aluminum industries just like they have steel?

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

Mr. Speaker, 100% tariffs, that is punitive. That is ridiculous. That is the world we live in. That is the world we live in with the neighbour we have, with the neighbour that the Conservatives seem to like a lot.

What are we doing? We are helping the local businesses in that industry, in aluminum, as we do with steel and other derivative products. It is important for us to keep those industries alive because we need them to build our ships, to build our airplanes and to make sure that we are sovereign in our own country.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised a deal with that neighbour to the south that was just referenced. It is all talk and no results.

The Leader of the Opposition and my Conservative colleagues recently visited Can Art Aluminum Extrusion in Windsor, Dajcor Aluminum in Chatham and eight other industry representatives. They are not asking for handouts or more debt. They are asking for a fair Canadian market to compete in. They submitted a proposal to the Minister of Finance in June 2026 and have yet to receive a response, despite the rhetoric from across the aisle.

When will the Minister of Finance act to save this downstream industry before it is actually lost and our sovereign capabilities are gone forever?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have also visited a number of companies in those industries in Quebec as well as in Ontario. That is an industry that is crucial to our sovereignty. We will keep that industry alive. That is where our spending goes. The Conservatives keep saying it is inflationary spending. That is where our money goes, to making sure our industries stay alive.

We are facing an attack from outside with 100% tariffs. That makes no sense. We have to stay alive throughout this period. That is what we are doing. That is what the regional initiative on tariff relief is all about, and we will continue to maintain it.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's housing crisis will not be solved if builders cannot get the materials they need. A building supplier in my community says jobs are at risk because rising steel costs are hurting roof truss production. No trusses means no roofs. No roofs means fewer homes. The Liberals promised to double homebuilding, yet only 2,000 homes are under construction, and now they are failing to make homebuilding more affordable.

When will these Liberals give builders relief on this deal that holds Canadian homes together?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action on buy Canadian with all of the housing that we are financing. We are financing a significant amount of housing. Last year, over 8,000 non-market homes were built, which is a record of many decades. We are seeing a big scale-up in rental housing.

The builders across Canada are using Canadian materials increasingly. We need to support that. We could use support from the Conservatives for buy Canadian rather than taking pot-shots at our own industries and not supporting affordable housing.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Eric St-Pierre, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, something that I have been hearing from my constituents is that certain benefits are not being obtained because some have not filed their tax return. Today the House is debating Bill C-31, which would help ensure Canadians get the benefits they are entitled to thanks to automated federal benefits.

Could the Secretary of State for Canada Revenue Agency share with the House how automatic federal benefits would benefit my constituents and all Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, if we want to talk about affordability or a transformational program, let us talk about 5.5 million Canadians receiving automatic federal benefits. CRA would automatically file taxes, in particular for low-income individuals, finally getting them the benefits they are entitled to. I encourage members to vote for this bill to help us ensure Canadians get the benefits they deserve.

National Defence

[Mike Dawson, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, for more than a decade, the Liberal government has been questioning and erasing the very values that define this nation, but in New Brunswick, at CFB Gagetown, it reached a new low. This summer, the Liberal government actually stole Jesus off the cross and came back for the nails. Using building improvements as a cover, it stripped St. Luke's Chapel of its crosses, its altar and its stained glass after nearly 70 years and is refusing to put them back. The congregation was never consulted, and multi-faith spaces already exist on base. We are not making room for others by erasing the faith of those who already serve.

Will the minister order that St. Luke's Chapel be fully restored at CFB Gagetown?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Armed Forces is strengthened by the diversity of traditions, backgrounds and beliefs of all its members. The policies to support diversity are a moral and ethical responsibility of the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service, the chief of the defence staff and CAF leadership, and their commitment to care for all. The spiritual health and well-being of Canadian Armed Forces members are vital to our operational effectiveness. These guidelines do not ban private or personal faith and are meant to be more inclusive for a wide range of spiritual and faith traditions. The member knows this.

Health

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, since 2016, over 57,000 Canadians have died from a toxic drug supply. In response, the Liberals committed $1.3 billion to border security and appointed a fentanyl czar. However, enforcement alone cannot treat substance use disorders.

We may disagree on approaches, but surely we can all agree on investing in prevention, education, treatment and recovery. We need a compassionate, coordinated response where help is ready when people are ready.

Will the Liberal government finally show federal leadership and fund treatment on demand in this budget?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is always there to support the provinces and territories, as they are responsible for delivering services to their residents. I am working closely with my provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure that the services are appropriate.

Natural Resources

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 10 first nations have now gone to court to challenge the designation of the so-called Pacific link pipeline in the national interest. They point out that it contradicts and violates their treaty rights and constitutional rights, because how can they possibly assess whether a project impacts their treaty rights when the route is not finalized, the engineering has not been done and there is no environmental impact statement?

The Tsartlip First Nation is one of the 10 and is completely within the boundaries of my riding. I thank them in their language, SENĆOŦEN: HÍSW̱KE SIÁM.

Someone has to stand up for the British Columbia southern coast, for the Salish Sea, for our precious marine protected areas—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. Minister of Energy.

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

Mr. Speaker, the consultation that happened in listing the project the member is referring to was the most intensive consultation ever held. There were more than 100 submissions. There were more than 100 in-person meetings. It was the most comprehensive consultation that has been done on a project, and it was the earliest consultation that has been done.

We will continue to work with indigenous peoples to make sure projects are properly reviewed.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

I am persnickety about the Standing Orders, and I particularly like Standing Order 16. I have never heckled in this place in 15 years. I know some members do, and I find it offensive when opposition members heckle members of the government's cabinet, but I find it even more offensive when the hon. member for Simcoe North, who happens to be one of the MPs whom I never hear heckle, is shouted down by the bellowing of the Minister of Energy. I would ask that cabinet members try to set an example.

The House resumed from November 2 consideration of the motion.