Debates of Nov. 6th, 2026

The Budget

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I have great news this Friday. Budget 2026, announced yesterday, is leveraging our fiscal strength to support small businesses right across the country. With the productivity mega deduction, Canada is the most tax-competitive jurisdiction for new business investment in the world. From mines to mills to auto manufacturers and from bakers to dry cleaners, we are giving businesses the confidence, through a tax deduction, to invest in themselves today. With the Canada growth incentive, we are, more than ever, supporting successful entrepreneurs to reinvest—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. member for Regina—Lewvan.

Public Services and Procurement

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, let us try this again. There is no doubt that the AI minister, the Prime Minister and the Telesat CEO are good friends. They hang out together. They are in running clubs and book clubs. Their kids all go to the same rich private school, so there is a close relationship.

Why did the AI minister put Dan Goldberg of Telesat on his ethics screen but the Prime Minister did not?

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, what I will say is that when we look at Canada in terms of ethics and when we look at all the other rules and regulations as they pertain to ethics, Canada leads the way. As members of Parliament, all of us here follow them every single day, and we will continue to do so.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after being here for a few years, I thought Justin Trudeau was going to have the most corrupt government ever in the history of the country, but the Prime Minister said, “Hold my beer. Watch this.” He is giving $2.3 billion to Telesat and to a close personal friend.

We all know the Prime Minister thinks he is better than the average Canadian, but why does the Prime Minister think he is above the law?

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we are about 15 minutes into question period and they have already jumped the shark three times. It is amazing.

Our country, again, has the most focused, stringent ethical rules of any nation in the world. We are focused on them every single day. The Prime Minister spoke about this on several occasions today, and the answer is that we follow the rules every single day. Why? It is the right thing for this country.

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh!

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

Order. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport is an able member. I know members are suggesting a lot of things he could say, but if they could just withhold them until after question period, they could suggest them to him at that point.

The hon. member for Repentigny.

Climate Change

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government has delivered yet another budget that acts as though climate change did not exist. There is nothing in it to reverse the government's climate betrayal. The Liberals are not making amends for their historic rollbacks. On the contrary, they continue to subsidize oil and gas. They are weakening the clean electricity regulations. They want to generate more energy from gas and nuclear power. On top of that, they are weakening their industrial carbon pricing.

The only thing green in this budget is the picture on the cover. How can they table such a budget in 2026?

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

I would remind the member that members are not to hold up objects or hold props in their hands in the House, either during question period or during debate.

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, our nature strategy is the envy of the world. We are making historic investments in clean energy. I am thinking of our electricity strategy and the Churchill Falls project, which will be a game changer for Quebeckers and will capitalize on Hydro-Québec's expertise.

Our government is firmly and resolutely committed to growing the economy and protecting our environment.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, Canada will arrive at the COP climate conference in Turkey with yet another budget that says the exact opposite of its lofty rhetoric.

In the meantime, on Thursday, the Auditor General said that Canada had quietly reneged on its promise to stop exporting thermal coal, the worst fossil fuel in the world. Canada had promised to stop exporting it by 2020. Since then, not only have exports continued, but they have also increased.

Does the government realize that it deserves to be tarred, feathered and driven out of COP?

[Wade Grant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I am so honoured today that my son is on the Hill. He is 18 years old. This budget is about his generation, his future and what he is going to inherit.

We can build the economy while protecting the environment and protecting nature. His favourite place in the whole world is Haida Gwaii, on the coast of British Columbia. That is why we are investing $1.2 billion to protect our oceans and protect whales and in marine conservation, with $3.6 billion for the conservation of nature. We are also investing nearly $20 million to establish three new national marine conservation areas in the north.

Rail Transportation

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's budget raises fundamental questions about the government's spending priorities. The government cannot claim fiscal responsibility while taxing the fuel rural Canadians rely on and committing billions to Alto high-speed rail. Families in Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga face the prospect of paying for a vanity project that could also take their land without any demonstrated business case. This is not responsible governance. It is a staggering disconnect from reality.

Will the government cancel Alto and put those billions toward the priorities of Canadian families?

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to high-speed rail, in particular this high-speed rail, it is a generational and transformational opportunity for Ontario and Quebec, boosting the GDP by up to $32 billion, with 50,000 jobs, and reducing our carbon footprint. The big thing, quite frankly, is that we are listening to Canadians. We are listening to Ontarians and Quebeckers with respect to high-speed rail. We have, we are and we will.

Employment

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government keeps talking about its ambitions, but today's jobs report from Statistics Canada tells a very different story. Unemployment is up 6.7%, youth unemployment has jumped to 13.7% and 50,000 private sector jobs have vanished in just one month. Meanwhile, the government is projecting five more years of massive deficits, exceeding $50 billion annually, along with mounting debt servicing costs.

When will the government stop making promises and deliver a credible plan to create jobs and put Canadian finances back on a sustainable footing?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the lowest debt service costs in the world. We have a AAA credit rating, and long-term bond yields are rising less than other countries in the G7. Everyone in the world recognizes the strong fundamentals in the Canadian economy except the Conservative Party of Canada. It is the only one doubting Canadians and this country.

We will never apologize for investing in Canadians and putting our country on track for a prosperous future. That is what we were elected to do. When will they get on board?

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, pretending one's grades are better than they are is not a way to improve one's performance.

The question was about jobs. The answer did not mention jobs. The budget barely mentioned jobs. We see the results today in the Statistics Canada jobs report. That report is not about aspirations; it is about results. Over 50,000 private sector jobs were lost in one month alone. Youth unemployment spiked. Unemployment overall spiked. Less than 20% of Canadians who were looking for a job found a job in the last month.

Canadians are struggling. Jobs are down. When will they actually fix the problem?

[Stephanie McLean, Liberal, Secretary of State (Seniors)]

Mr. Speaker, the budget that was tabled yesterday shows that we care about Canadians. It also shows that we are investing in the future of Canadian workers. Just yesterday, Canada's Building Trades Unions said:

Canada's Building Trades Unions (CBTU) welcomes the federal government's investments in infrastructure, housing, energy, and major projects in Budget 2026. These investments represent an important opportunity to build Canada's economy, strengthen energy security, and create good-paying, unionized jobs with lasting benefits for Canadian workers and their families.

Canadians believe in this budget. They should too.

The Budget

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have fittingly titled their new fiscal approach as though it is the next instalment of the Marvel universe. For over a decade now, Liberals have self-identified as heroes, unbound by the laws of physics or economics, and nothing is real. A former Liberal hero once made the fantastical claim that budgets would balance themselves. Now, in this fourth instalment, “masters of deception”, the Liberals' newest star, surrounded by the same old supporting cast, is using his cloaking superpower to render his gargantuan deficits invisible to the common eye.

Can anyone over there distinguish fantasy from reality anymore?

[Corey Hogan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that tour through the Conservative cinematic universe, but let us get back to the facts here. The reality is we have seen in our home province of Alberta an increase of 40,000 jobs since the start of the year. We are seeing debt servicing at low levels internationally. Our deficit is the second lowest in the G7, 2.5% compared to the U.S.'s 8.5%.

We are on track to meet the targets we said we were going to meet a year ahead of schedule, in fact.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, back in the real world, in 2015, Canada had a balanced budget and the richest middle class in the world. After a global economic meltdown, Canada's federal debt was $616 billion. Yesterday, we found out that after a decade of mismanagement, the Liberals' costly credit card budget would add more debt in the next five years than our country accumulated in 148 years. The Liberals have a predictable and increasingly tiresome response, an almost trance-like repetition of all the new things they are spending on in, entirely fuelled by massively out-of-control debt.

When will this unconstrained explosion of deficit spending end?

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is speaking about heroes, but we are all wearing the poppy, and about the spending for our veterans. Here is what the budget would do. Veterans were always there for Canada, and we will be there for them. Our government is committed to ending veteran homelessness. That is what budget 2026 would do. It proposes $6.5 billion over 10 years to renew Reaching Home and the veteran homelessness program, supporting community-led initiatives to prevent and address homelessness. Those who serve our country deserve a safe place to—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. member for Spadina—Harbourfront.

Canadian Heritage

[Chi Nguyen, Liberal, Spadina—Harbourfront, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Spadina—Harbourfront is home to one of the largest arts and culture communities in Canada. We know a thing or two about showcasing incredible Canadian talent and the artists who tell our stories. Budget 2026 includes much-needed investments to support professional artists and organizations experiencing financial pressures.

Could the parliamentary secretary tell us more about the measures included and how we are investing in Canada's cultural sovereignty?