Debates of Nov. 5th, 2026

Oil and Gas Industry

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière—Hébertville—Pays-des-Bleuets, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the rate they are going, heat pumps will end up running on gas.

Oil companies are posting record profits again this year because of the war in Iran. Meanwhile, the Liberals want Canadians to foot the $40-billion-plus bill for a pipeline out west. We are already forking out tens of billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies, and now we are learning that the upcoming budget will overhaul exploration deductions for oil and gas companies. I would bet an old two-dollar bill that the goal is not to reduce those deductions.

When will the Liberals stop making Canadians pay to help the greedy oil industry?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about energy investments that benefit Quebec and Canadian consumers.

We are providing $6 billion in refundable tax credits to move the Churchill Falls project forward and secure a supply of renewable green energy for future generations of Quebeckers.

Let us talk about energy investments and Quebec consumers. We are very much looking forward to this debate.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, last year, the Liberals set the immigration levels and then promptly added a couple of side programs to inflate their numbers nearly 40% higher, a classic Liberal smoke-and-mirrors confusion campaign. Even worse, they blew through their targets. Instead of 385,000 temporary residents, they have issued permits for 950,000. They planned for 60,000 temporary foreign workers, but they have issued permits for 120,000. Today, the government will issue a new immigration levels plan with more smoke and mirrors.

Does the immigration minister really think Canadians do not see when she cooks the books?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister and I have said a number of times, we will not budge from sustainable levels.

We have acted on the mandate that Canadians gave us to restore sustainability and durability to the immigration system, and the results are clear. The temporary resident population has dropped. We have stabilized levels, and as a result Canadians are seeing lower prices. I very much look forward to tabling our government's immigration levels plan later today.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians do not believe that. That is why they are asking for lower immigration levels. The government likes to pretend the numbers are coming down, but they are comparing them to the highest levels in Canadian history, created by the Minister of Justice over here.

What really matters? On housing, our housing starts are decreasing. The levels plan will not consider where those people will live. On jobs, unemployment is rising, especially for our youth. The levels plan will not consider where they work. The current plan is adding a city the size of Saskatoon every year.

Where will these people live, work and find a doctor?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we have made reforms to the immigration system to restore sustainability, stability and balance. These reforms are working.

As the Prime Minister said and as I have said, we will not budge from sustainable levels. While the Conservatives are focused on division, our government is focused on building a strong Canada and a sustainable immigration system. Again, I look forward, very shortly, to tabling our next immigration levels plan.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON]

Mr. Speaker, grape growers and wineries in my riding are anxious about their future. Many have completed their harvest not knowing if the wine sector support program will be renewed for this or future vintages. Worse, they fear changes could force wineries to reduce Canadian wine production, purchase fewer Canadian grapes and cancel contracts with local farmers.

Today is the federal budget. Will the government commit to extending the wine sector support program to provide the certainty our grape growers and wineries so badly need?

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

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleague to take a look at today's budget.

Our government will always be there to support all producers in value-added sectors in order to have the strongest economy in both rural and urban areas, to develop the economy and to produce quality Canadian products.

Finance

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after 11 years of Liberal government, food affordability continues to get worse. A recent Salvation Army report found that one in three Canadians is skipping meals. In Niagara Falls, visits to Project Share increased by 23.7%, while visits to Newark Neighbours in Niagara-on-the-Lake have doubled since 2022.

Will the Liberal government's budget deliver tax cuts to help Canadians who are struggling right now?

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

Mr. Speaker, the very first day that the government formed, we delivered a tax cut for 22 million Canadians, and affordability has been at the top of our agenda ever since.

We are going to continue making progress when that member gets to see the federal budget later this afternoon. We are going to be committed to the programs that we have created and brought forward, things like our national school food program and our groceries and essentials benefit. These are programs that are helping put food on tables and ensure that Canadians have the support they need in their lives.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my team and I recently volunteered at the North York Harvest Food Bank. We witnessed first-hand the growing hardship facing Canadian families. One in four food bank clients is a child, and 53% of clients have skipped meals to afford other necessities. The Salvation Army reports that 31% of Canadians are skipping or reducing meals, because they simply cannot afford groceries.

Will the Liberal government finally get its spending under control and cut taxes, instead of forcing struggling families to pay the price for another unaffordable budget as its programs are not working?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Secretary of State (Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague knows this, but the number one way to help out Canadians with affordability is to ensure that they have a safe and affordable home to live in. That is why our government has thousands of shovels in the ground.

We have a budget today that will build more affordable homes for all Canadians, homes like the Lou Fruitman Reena Residence in that member's riding, in Vaughan, where 138 of her constituents live. Despite her opposition to supportive housing, we are getting the job done.

Her Conservative leader has a record on building housing; he built six when he was the minister of housing. Not only that, he stands in front of people's homes, embarrasses them and shames them. The Conservatives have a bad record on housing—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Davenport.

Foreign Affairs

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are focused on strengthening Canada's sovereignty so that Canadians can continue to live as they choose and be free to determine their own future. True sovereignty requires greater strategic autonomy, built on a secure and growing economy, and a disciplined foreign policy rooted in our national interests. We are moving quickly.

Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs take a moment to update Canadians on recent developments and how they are advancing Canada's sovereignty and strategic autonomy?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this has been a landmark week in Canadian foreign policy. From releasing the national security strategy to the Canada-EU Summit to the G20 and the Commonwealth, we are forging relationships around the world, securing over 20 security, defence and trade agreements in the last year alone. We are deepening our national resilience. We are strengthening our strategic autonomy and, through budget 2026, we are masters of our own destiny.

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, Telesat received a $2.3-billion contract from the government. The CEO of Telesat just happens to be a close personal friend of the Prime Minister. Section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act states that a public office holder shall not influence a decision to further the interests of a friend.

Did the Prime Minister discuss, and I emphasize the word discuss, this $2.3-billion contract with his staff or anyone in government, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, Canada has among the most stringent ethics guidelines and laws in the world. These measures and these rules are followed rigorously by all members on this side of the House and, indeed, I assume, all members of the House and all senior officials. The Conflict of Interest Act and other measures are constantly followed and constantly updated. We will continue to follow them.

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

Mr. Speaker, that was a yes-or-no question. The Prime Minister has a blatant conflict of interest in relation to his friend, the CEO of Telesat, which received a $2.3-billion contract.

Again, did the Prime Minister discuss any aspect of this contract with his staff or anyone in government, and why did he not issue a public declaration of recusal as required by law?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, like, I assume, all members of the House, rigorously follows all of the various kinds of ethics requirements that are in place.

[Jamil Jivani, Conservative, Bowmanville—Oshawa North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, hello, everyone. It is nice to be here with all of us—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

That is eating into the member's time.

The member may continue.

[Jamil Jivani, Conservative, Bowmanville—Oshawa North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the AI minister, the Prime Minister and the Telesat CEO are all buddies. They sent their kids to the same elite private school. They are in the same book and running club. They even ran a marathon together. The AI minister took the correct steps of adding Dan Goldberg to his ethics screen.

Why will the Prime Minister not do the same?

If the AI minister can do it, why can the Prime Minister not do it?

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

Mr. Speaker, no one in the House will ever match that member for describing his friendships to the world.

[Jamil Jivani, Conservative, Bowmanville—Oshawa North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we see another example of the Liberals deflecting and dodging a very important question about $2.3 billion of taxpayer money. What we are pointing out is that the AI minister took the correct steps of adding Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg to his ethics screen. The question is why the Prime Minister cannot do the same.

Their personal friend Dan Goldberg has been personally enriched by a government contract and Canadians deserve to know why the Prime Minister will not acknowledge his friendship in his conflict of interest ethics screen.