Debates of Nov. 4th, 2026

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, for years, Canadians have been able to take pride in the fact that we have a company capable of operating satellites in Canada. Successive governments have supported this company because we believe it is important for Canada not to rely on foreign companies, but rather to rely on companies that manufacture here at home. That is why Telesat is such an important company.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is all well and good to watch the results south of the border, but we have real problems as well here in Canada, real problems in the real lives of real people who cannot afford eat, heat, or house themselves, real problems that have gotten much worse since the Prime Minister took office.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister distracts with grand theatrical gestures, so my question is, will he actually stand up and do his job in the House, in our country, to save Canadians money by taking all taxes off gas and diesel so Canadians can afford to eat, heat, and house themselves?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the government have and will continue to, and I note that the budget is tomorrow, support Canadians who are feeling pinched by foreign wars, wars in the Middle East and a number of external factors, including trade wars, that have affected their quality of life and affordability.

I have to also note the systematic opposition of the Conservative leader and party to every single possible initiative that we put forward to help Canadians in need.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister actually believed that, he would stand up and say it himself. The question was about the 20¢ a litre he adds to the price of gas, including with a tax that takes money out of the pockets of hard-working Canadians to subsidize American biodiesel and biogas firms.

In the middle of a trade dispute that the Prime Minister has been unable to solve here at home, he drives up the costs for single moms, seniors and small business people to subsidize the Americans. Enough is enough. There are real problems here at home.

Will the Prime Minister take his taxes off gas so Canadians can afford to eat?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, we take affordability very seriously. That is why, in fact, many people in the Leader of the Opposition's community and, frankly, in communities right across the country, are going to be able to, with this heating season, take advantage of the heat pump rebates we have put in place. That is going to be a very tangible way to save Canadians, on average, over $1,000 every single year. These are true savings.

If the Leader of the Opposition wants to talk about clean fuel regulations, I am sure he might like to have a conversation with Imperial in Strathcona. It is right outside his riding.

Publics Services and Procurement

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the question was not about how much Brookfield can get in heat pump subsidies from the Prime Minister. The question was about the cost of living.

There are two economies right now: the economy for those who follow the rules and one for those who make the rules. It is illegal for the Prime Minister to discuss matters that affect the financial interests of a friend, under section 9 of the ethics act. Dan Goldberg, from Telesat, is in two clubs with the Prime Minister, travelled to see him in London and attended both of his swearing-in ceremonies.

Did the Prime Minister ever discuss with any of his staff the $2.3 billion in contracts that went from the government to that company?

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

Mr. Speaker, in the House, there are two philosophies that are contradicting themselves. First, the Conservatives are never talking about the American tariffs. Then there is us dealing with the impacts of a trade war, knowing that Canadian companies are key to our sovereignty and the protection of our people. That is Telesat. That is a company we need to protect. Why? It is because we need to have sovereign capability when it comes to satellites in this country.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there we go. There we have it. Every time they get caught with their hands in the cookie jar, they raise grand theatrical distractions. It is illegal under the ethics act for the Prime Minister to be in any way involved with a company with which he has a friendship.

Dan Goldberg, the CEO of Telesat, is in a book club and a jogging club with the Prime Minister and attended two of his swearing-in ceremonies. He even flew over to London to see the Prime Minister.

Given that it is illegal to help a friend, did the Prime Minister ever discuss this contract with anyone in the government?

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

Mr. Speaker, it has been constant industrial policy for decades now to support being able to have companies operating telecommunication and satellite services. The Harper government, the Trudeau government and this government have all supported Telesat. We believe that thousands of jobs in this country are linked to the company.

I would like to know what the Leader of the Opposition suggests. Is it more Telesat, or more of an American company?

Finance

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today is November 4 and tomorrow, a budget named “Masters of Our Destiny” is going to be tabled. The real question, however, is who is going to end up master of whose house.

The Liberals caved to Donald Trump by sacrificing our culture. They used our own money to buy a pipeline for American oil company owners. They want to sell our airports to foreign interests. We even found out this summer that they are toying with the idea of allowing more U.S. dairy products onto our shelves to make Donald Trump happy.

Why does it seem like, under the Liberals, it is the Americans who are becoming masters in Quebec's house, instead of Quebeckers?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, would anyone like to know what being masters of our destiny means? It means doubling our hydroelectric generating capacity. It means major projects like the one at Churchill Falls. The CEO of Hydro‑Québec says that project will ensure prosperity for generations of Quebeckers.

For once, will the Bloc Québécois show it is capable of supporting a project that is building Quebec?

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers would feel a little more like masters in their own home if their money were used to meet their needs. That means Ottawa would need to reverse all its environmental rollbacks and fossil fuel subsidies and invest here instead. It would need to reverse its cultural concessions and make American tech giants contribute to our creative industries. It would need to invest in housing, in combatting homelessness, and in lowering the cost of living, instead of investing $40 billion in dirty oil pipelines.

Will the government meet Quebeckers' real needs?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, if my colleague wants to talk about addressing Quebeckers' real priorities, we can talk about the Canada child benefit, which has reduced child poverty by nearly 40% in Quebec. We can talk about Canada's national school food program, which helps 100,000 young people in Quebec. We can talk about the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. We can talk about the Canadian dental care plan, which helps millions of Quebeckers.

It would be nice if, for once, the Bloc Québécois would rally behind initiatives that truly help our community.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is budget day, and Quebec's finance minister, Nicolas Marceau, has outlined his expectations. He is calling on the federal government to finally pay back the debt it has owed Quebec since 2024 for costs related to taking in asylum seekers.

Quebec is also calling for an increase in health transfers, as the Liberals are about to cut the growth rate from 5% to 3% beginning in 2028. That rate needs to be locked in at 6% annually for a minimum of five years.

Will the government listen to these two reasonable demands from Quebec?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that all 44 members from Quebec on this side of the House will always want to work with Quebec. Take, for example, what we have done in the past 11 months: $11 billion for the Davie shipyard, 5,000 jobs, the biggest contract—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I am not in the habit of rising to respond, but I am hearing a lot of noise at the back of the room.

The hon. minister can continue his answer.

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their enthusiasm. It is true that what we have done for Quebec is impressive. I spoke about the Davie shipyard, but I could have also mentioned the $10 billion we are investing in infrastructure, including $1 billion for health care infrastructure at Quebec's request. We will continue to work with Quebec to build Canada strong.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, four times I have asked a question about the government's fiscal targets and four times there has been no answer. Here is why the question is important. Here is what economist Christopher Ragan said in today's Globe:

...our governments are suffering from “fiscal complacency.”...

They are doing what is easy and painless in the short run, but avoiding the tougher decisions that would better prepare them for an uncertain and risk-filled future.

For the fifth time, will the Prime Minister and the government meet fiscal targets to reduce the deficit and debt in tomorrow's budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have good news for the member and all members across the House. Tomorrow, we will table budget 2026. On this side of the House, we are serious about building a strong economy and the most resilient and diversified economy in the G7. We are going to continue to attract outside investment. We are going to bring down barriers. We are going to invest coast to coast in infrastructure, major projects and housing. Also, as something that party would never do, we are going to make sure we address affordability for Canadians who are struggling.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's new national security framework states that Canada needs to “Prepare for all contingencies up to and including war and other worst-case scenarios.” It puts economic security at the heart of that plan. Canada had the fiscal capacity to deal with the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic, but the government's rising debt and interest are reducing the capacity of the federal government to deal with the future crisis that the Prime Minister says is coming in his upcoming framework.

For the sixth time, will the government hit its fiscal targets in tomorrow's budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue the work of building a strong economy, the most resilient economy in the G7, for all Canadians. We are going to invest in our country. We are going to continue to bring down impediments to investment. We are going to develop and double our non-U.S. investments.

We believe that we can build the strongest economy in the G7 while looking after those who need support. That party has voted against every affordability measure we have ever brought forward.

We stand with Canadians. Tomorrow, we will be proud to table budget 2026, another step to becoming—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Thornhill.

The Economy

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the evidence is impossible to ignore. Yesterday, The Salvation Army reported that one-third of Canadians are skipping meals or cutting their portions, up almost 30% from just last year. Food bank visits have hit 2.35 million in a month, and that is double from 2019. This is not just some rough patch caused by something somewhere else far away. It is a slow and consistent leak in every household budget. The Liberal government has offered absolutely nothing to fix it. It has an affordability problem. Will Thursday's budget fix it?

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

Mr. Speaker, any time a child or family in Canada is hungry, it should stop us all. It is why this government made the national school food program permanent. It is why we tied the Canada child benefit to inflation. It is why we introduced the Canada disability benefit. It is why we are not finished.

I would invite the member opposite to stay tuned tomorrow, when we introduce budget 2026. Those guys talk about spending in the budget and they talk about inflation, but they leave to the rest of our imaginations what they would cut. We know that and Canadians know that, because they vote against all of these measures time and again.