Debates of Feb. 13th, 2026

International Trade

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I just answered and reassured my colleague that trade is resuming with China. I also want to highlight that the agriculture minister will be in Mexico next week opening even more of the market. We secured a market for meat, and now we want to expand these opportunities. We are not stopping there, because we have the best food in the world. The world wants our food, and we will make that possible.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, despite the Prime Minister announcing that China will reduce tariffs on canola by March 1, reports say the Chinese commerce ministry revealed that it only committed to making a decision by March 9.

What kind of master negotiator is the Prime Minister when he refuses to acknowledge that the deals he promised with China and the U.S. are falling through? Canadian farmers are looking for the truth to be able to plan this year's crops, to ensure that Canadian households can afford to eat Canadian quality products. Did the Prime Minister mislead Canadian farmers into thinking he got a deal done on Canadian canola?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and to the Secretary of State (International Development)]

Mr. Speaker, the government is working day in and day out to ensure that we are diversifying on trade and working with as many countries as possible. As we speak, the Minister of International Trade is visiting places like Singapore and Vietnam so we can create opportunities in those markets.

The Standing Committee on International Trade recently sent two bills back to the House, one dealing with the United Kingdom and the other dealing with Indonesia, so we can finalize those trade agreements. Every single one of those agreements ensures that our agricultural farmers, including Kelowna farmers, have new markets in which to sell their products.

Families, Children and Social Development

[Bruce Fanjoy, Liberal, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, at the HUMA committee earlier this week, members of the Breakfast Club of Canada and the Coalition for Healthy School Food talked about the real impact of the national school food program on kids and families. When a motion was brought forward to study those impacts, Conservative and Bloc members chose to adjourn debate before it even began.

Can the parliamentary secretary for children and youth remind the House of how this program is supporting children and helping families with affordability, and why it matters that we continue to move this work forward?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for representing the great people of Carleton and the issues they care about.

Kids cannot learn if they are hungry. A new study by the Breakfast Club of Canada shows that school food programs improve educational outcomes, reduce childhood obesity and increase disposable incomes for families facing rising costs. Canada was the last country in the G7 to have a national school food program. Now we do. The budget makes it permanent.

It is a shame that Conservative members do not think kids' health and school food are worth studying or voting for.

Employment

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for almost two years, flight attendants told the government and parliamentarians they were working for free, and we believed them. Conservatives introduced a bill to fix the problem. Liberals did not believe them and ordered a study. After six months, the study determined that we need to do another study. This stuff can't be made up.

Why will the Liberals not believe flight attendants when they say they are working for free and adopt the Conservative bill that would fix the problem, instead of ordering another study to study a study?

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

Mr. Speaker, nobody should work for free in this country. We take any claim of unpaid work seriously.

After allegations of unpaid work in the airline sector, we launched a probe to get to the bottom of the claims. Phase one of that probe has now been published. We are going to keep investigating to ensure that work is happening in accordance with the Canada Labour Code.

Workers must be paid for the hours they work, and we are going to make sure that employers follow the rules.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the probe the Liberals ordered determined they needed to do another probe. I am sure there are a lot of things we could say about that.

Here are the facts:

The head of CUPE Air Canada came to committee when we were looking into this and asked what the Liberals were going to study next. Is water wet? He went on to say, about this study, “We called for action last summer, and instead we got a study that has resulted in a promise to perform an additional study”. This is really thin gruel from the Liberals.

Conservatives know flight attendants work for free. That is why we introduced a bill to fix it. Why do the Liberals not steal that idea, like they steal all our ideas, and help flight attendants instead of doing another study?

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

Mr. Speaker, we stand by the work we are doing. We want to take action that is informed, and informed by evidence. We have asked all sides in this to provide that evidence.

Phase two of the probe will collect more evidence from airlines and unions to ensure that employers are complying with the Canada Labour Code. This step is necessary to provide additional clarity on how the airline sector's pay structure aligns with the code. This is important information for us to know and get right.

[Aaron Gunn, Conservative, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, devastated, anxious and fearful of what the future may hold are just some of the emotions, I am sure, that the 25,000 Canadians who lost their jobs last month undoubtedly feel. These are individuals, like all Canadians, who, even when working, were already struggling with the cost of groceries, the cost of rent and the cost of just getting by. Now, not only are they dealing with a cost of living crisis, but they are also out of a job.

The Prime Minister promised the fastest-growing economy in the G7. When will his policies deliver anything other than job losses, massive deficits and the highest cost of groceries among our economic peers?

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

I am going to allow the member to answer the question, but I will remind members that they should be in their own seat when they ask a question.

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the member on—

[An hon. member]

They're always mature.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

Order. I am going to ask members to restrain themselves and not be inappropriate or childlike with the comments they make.

The hon. member.

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, London Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member's question gives me the opportunity to say that Bill C-19 has received royal assent. It shows what we can do when we work together in the House of Commons. This is the groceries and essentials benefit, which will provide up to $1,900 for a family of four in what is, certainly, a difficult time for this country.

I also urge the member to look past politics and to work with all members in the House. To echo what Prime Minister Harper said, let us work together on behalf of the country in a very difficult moment. We can do it.

[Aaron Gunn, Conservative, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, working together is great, but the question was about jobs.

In the real world, Liberal rhetoric and platitudes do not create a single job. GDP was flat in November. Real GDP is projected to decline. The Bank of Canada says that business investment will remain weak. Meanwhile, 5,400 forestry workers in coastal B.C. are already out of a job.

The government promised to build nation-building projects and create jobs at a speed we have never seen before. My question for the government is this: Where are these projects and where are these jobs?

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be associated with a government whose record on jobs is very strong. Jobs are growing faster here than even in the United States, and incomes are growing faster than inflation.

The next part of our plan, the budget implementation act via Bill C-15, is before Parliament right now. The hon. member opposite can work with his colleagues and work with us to ensure speedy passage of the bill in order to forward the major projects the member is talking about and the economic growth that is behind the bill.

The Economy

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the price of food is out of control. Too many families in Alberta are struggling. In Alberta alone, grocery prices have risen 50% in five years. Beef prices are up 53%, eggs are up 37% and vegetables are up 20%. These are not luxuries. These are essentials.

Canadians cannot afford the Liberal government. The Prime Minister said that he should be judged by the cost at the grocery store. Well, Judgment Day is coming.

When will the Prime Minister remove taxes and start getting things built so Canadians can live affordably?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, we made a big announcement addressing this very issue because we know it is something Canadians are struggling with. Therefore, we announced the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit. This not only gives a one-time benefit to Canadian families but also helps them for the next five years.

We are not only doing that. We are also looking at how to strengthen our supply chains. We are investing in companies that are in the business of food manufacturing. We are investing in greenhouses so we can have more food in our country—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

The hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk.

Housing

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one little-known aspect of the housing crisis is that it is having a direct impact on the birth rate.

An article published today in La Presse clearly documents the unfortunate situation of couples who are putting off having kids until they can purchase a home. Louis-Philippe Beaulieu explained the situation clearly, saying he did not want his kids to have any less than he himself had received. That is exactly what the Canadian dream is all about, but unfortunately, it was shattered 10 years ago when this Liberal government came to power.

Why will the government not adopt our proposal to eliminate the GST on new construction?

[Pauline Rochefort, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Rural Development)]

Mr. Speaker, I recently met with people from real estate boards in northern Ontario. They talked about the need for affordable housing and supportive housing. They want us to pass the Build Canada Homes legislation and the budget implementation legislation as soon as possible.

I encourage my colleagues to vote with us.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that these people have been in government for 10 years and the public has spent 10 years being disappointed in the government's action or inaction on housing. What is coming down the pike does not look any better.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation predicts an 18% decline in housing starts. It is time to grab the bull by the horns. It is essential to come up with something positive for the public.

Why not adopt our proposal to abolish the GST on new construction?

This will have a direct impact on Canadian buyers.

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages and to the Secretary of State (Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, we agree that it is important to have affordable homes and housing.

We are at 100 days of Build Canada Homes and it is producing results: We have an agreement with the provinces, including Quebec, to take action; six construction projects on federal property; and thousands of new housing units, 7,500 to be precise, including in Longueuil, Quebec, in Nova Scotia and in Ontario.

The budget has to be adopted so that we can have affordable housing.

Pensions

[Éric Lefebvre, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, all week long I have been asking questions about the Cúram system, a financial disaster that was supposed to cost $1.6 billion but ended up costing $6.6 billion and leaving 86,000 seniors waiting for their money.

The answer that I was repeatedly given was to provide the names of the people concerned. Seriously, is this what passes for Liberal leadership? I am going to give the minister one last chance to come up with an answer that does not involve asking for names. If she tells me once again that she wants us to submit names, it will simply prove the Liberals' incompetence.

How will the member show leadership, I wonder?