Debates of Feb. 2nd, 2026

Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit Act

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Shefford on her speech and on her commitment to seniors. When the measure proposed by the government in Bill C‑19 ends in five years, seniors especially but also families will be faced with the prospect of losing it. There is also a growing number of seniors, particularly those between 65 and 74 years of age, for whom my colleague has been advocating for a long time.

Can my colleague talk to us a little about the anxiety that seniors, especially low-income seniors, are facing over a measure that will help them for a while, until they are eventually left with the anxiety of losing their increased GST credit in five years' time?

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in five years, people will still need to pay for groceries and rent. Where will we be economically? No one can predict that.

One thing is for sure: It is time we thought about solutions that will help people and give them some predictability. This measure will make people think they have a little more money now, but that they have to be careful because they do not know what will happen next. That means that people are still in a state of economic uncertainty, which adds to their stress. We know that stress and economic uncertainty are determinants of health.

Scarborough Southwest

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

It is my duty to inform the House that a vacancy has occurred in the representation, namely Mr. Blair, member for the electoral district of Scarborough Southwest, by resignation effective earlier today.

Pursuant to paragraph 25(1)(b) of the Parliament of Canada Act, I have addressed a warrant to the Chief Electoral Officer for the issue of a writ for the election of a member to fill this vacancy.

The hon. member for London West.

The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C‑19, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit Act

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to address the House today on this bill that is very important for all Canadians.

This is especially important for those who sent us to the House to represent them. As we just came back from the break, we have had the opportunity to chat with many constituents who have spoken to us about the state of what we all know, the state of where finances are for Canadians. Many Canadians are looking for opportunities to be able to afford to put food on their table, to put their kids in child care and to afford dental care and many other needs that they have.

It is a privilege and an honour to lend my voice to support Bill C-19, the Canada groceries and essentials benefit act, which is an important priority for our government. We were elected with the promise that we were going to do our best to bring costs down for Canadians. We want to create new opportunities for Canadians across the country.

That is why the first thing we did was cancel the divisive consumer carbon price as of last April, directly helping Canadians save money at the pump. It is also why we delivered three major tax cuts and supercharged homebuilding to increase supply and lower housing costs. We also introduced the automatic federal benefits so that millions of Canadians can receive the support they qualify for. Of the many things we have done as a government, I think this is a game-changer. We know there are so many families that are not receiving the supports they need because they either are not able to file or have not been in the right spaces to learn how to file their taxes. We have seen an increase in Canadians receiving the supports they need because of this.

Last week, the Prime Minister announced the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which we know would help more than 12 million low- and modest-income Canadians to afford their day-to-day essentials. I hope the colleagues who were heckling a little while ago will also help us pass this legislation and not just heckle it, and that they will help us pass the legislation as soon as possible, to be able to deliver these supports and make life more affordable for Canadians.

This new benefit will replace the current GST credit, but it will be much more generous. For one, the credit will increase by 25% for five years, starting in July 2026.

Second, we will add a payment this year that will be equivalent to a 50% increase in the current benefit.

As global prices continue to surge, the increase will be considerable and will make a real difference for Canadians struggling to put food on their tables. This measure would particularly target low and modest incomes. Again, this is what Canadians were talking about on the campaign. This is what Canadians continue to talk about now. As the world changes, we see the different needs that Canadians have. We have to be a government that can step up and support Canadians and meet them at their point of need.

I want to take this opportunity to mention that I am splitting my time with my colleague the member for Winnipeg North.

Right now, a senior living alone who is eligible for the GST credit could receive a maximum of $543 for 2026 and 2027. That same person would get approximately $950 in total from the one-time payment in the 2026-27 benefit year. Thanks to the changes that we are proposing, this is real money that would go into the pockets of Canadians to help them.

For a couple with two children, the amount will increase from about $1,086 to $1,890. That is approximately $800 more going into Canadians' pockets. I am a parent. We know how much $800 can make a difference for parents, for single parents, for many parents across Canada. This new benefit will be indexed to inflation, meaning that the amounts paid to Canadians will increase each year in line with the rising cost of living.

We are not going to stop there. Our government has also announced a suite of measures to tackle food insecurity, to support producers and to strengthen supply chains across Canada over the mid and long term. Last September, we also launched a new strategic response fund to help sectors impacted by tariffs, and we have committed $500 million from this fund to help food businesses expand their capacity so that they can strengthen Canada's food supply for the future.

We have also committed $150 million under the regional tariff response initiative to specifically help small and medium-sized businesses in the food sector, as well as the organizations that support them. We will allow food growers to fully write off the cost of new greenhouses immediately, allowing them to free up the capital they need to expand production, which will also translate into lower prices and better food security for all Canadians.

The Prime Minister also announced $20 million in funding to enable food banks and other local, regional and national organizations to provide more nutritious food to families in need.

We are currently developing a national food security strategy to address the root causes of food insecurity. This strategy will help strengthen national food production and improve access to nutritious food in a way that is very affordable.

This strategy would also include measures to implement unit price labelling and support the work of the Competition Bureau in monitoring and enforcing competition in the market, including food supply chains. We are doing this because we promised it to Canadians. This is what I said earlier. We went to the electorate and said that this is what we were going to do as a government. We are going to work together to find every single measure we can find to make life more affordable. Canadians have been impacted by COVID-19, the tariff war that we are experiencing right now and many other factors that are external. We need a government that is able to meet the moment and make sure that we are responding to Canadians' needs.

This new legislation would build on significant action to lower costs for Canadians and protect essential programs. Our middle-class tax cut would save money for 20 million Canadians. We are going to eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes costing up to $1 million. We are taking action to help Canadians keep more money in their pockets, and that is what families across Canada need right now. What is more is that we removed the consumer carbon price as of last April, which we know is helping reduce fuel costs in most provinces and territories, including lowering prices at the gas pump.

Our middle-class tax cut alone will save two-income families up to $840 this year. In the future, it is expected to save Canadians more than $27 billion in taxes over five years. As I said earlier, most of this tax relief will go to people whose incomes fall in the two lowest tax brackets. We are eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes up to $1 million and reducing the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes between $1 million and $1.5 million. We will also enable first-time homebuyers to save up to $50,000.

We tabled budget 2025, which was the Canada strong budget. Budget 2025 proposes making the national food program permanent for Canadian families. This is something that has been well received across Canada. This program helps 400,000 more children each year receive healthy meals in their schools, and participating families with two children will save $800 on groceries. The budget also proposes to start automatically delivering federal benefits to low-income Canadians through the Canada Revenue Agency. We will continue to ensure that the federal benefits to which they are entitled, including those they may not be aware of, are also received through these measures that we have put forward.

I see that my time is coming to an end. I am not able to finish my speech, but I am happy to answer and take questions in the House.

However, one thing I want to say before I end my speech is that all of us came to the House because Canadians asked us to respond to their needs. We told Canadians that we were going to make life more affordable. Even Canadians who live in Conservative ridings want to see us remove the obstruction. They want to see us move forward in making life more affordable for all Canadians, so I hope that my colleagues are going to do exactly this, that they are not going to stand in the way, that they are not going to obstruct and that they are going to support us in making sure that we can respond to what Canadians sent us here to do in April 2025.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is always good to see my hon. colleague, who is my riding neighbour.

She mentioned in her remarks that the Liberal government, as an affordability measure, removed the consumer carbon tax. However, in a previous speech in the House, she said, “The central plank of our climate plan, the federal carbon pricing system, is giving Canadian households more money back in climate action incentive payments than they pay in.”

Was she misleading then, or is she misleading now? I am just having trouble reconciling these two contradictory statements.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I called it a very divisive tax because the Conservatives made sure that Canadians could not get the truth about this tax. This was money that was going into Canadians' pockets and we had to respond. We will continue to respond to the needs of Canadians when they ask us to because they elected us to do so.

Maybe the Conservatives can stop obstructing and actually respond to the questions that Canadians have, even in Conservative ridings.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague. I am willing to work with her on this important matter. There is a food bank near me in Gaspésie that has had to turn away people. Let us imagine these people, who must overcome their shame and who show up to get food, but who are unfortunately turned away because so many people showed up that the food bank worker had to screen applications. I spoke with this worker in December. It is heartbreaking.

That is what we are talking about today. There are people who cannot feed themselves. It is not all their fault. Often, we hear that people are not working hard enough. That is not the issue. The issue is that food inflation has increased so drastically. That is a known fact.

My colleague wants us to work together. The Bloc Québécois will support Bill C‑19. Are she and her government willing to support us with regard to increasing OAS?

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate my colleague's question and I appreciate all the work he has done. I look forward to continuing to work with him.

On the matter of food banks, I just told the House that we are increasing the amount that we give to food banks across Canada by $20 million in order to respond to this issue. As my colleague said, it is an issue that is heartbreaking. This is not a topic for a light debate, given that people's lives are at stake.

As I mentioned earlier, there are also measures that will help seniors in Canada as well as seniors in Quebec. I am willing to continue to work with my colleague to address issues of affordability across the country.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one of the most devastating things for us to see within our communities is the ongoing food insecurity. I just want to take a moment to thank the amazing grassroots organizations that are supporting people through food banks, making sure that food is on the table and providing supports for everyone. This benefit would absolutely help ensure that people are able to keep food on the table. I would like for the member to talk a bit about what the long-term plan is. Yes, we are in the business of supporting people, but we also want to make sure that there are long-term solutions.

Can the member highlight some of those long-term plans? I would appreciate it.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work my hon. colleague does for her constituents.

I did talk about the national food security strategy that this bill proposes. I think the quicker we can pass this bill, the faster we can have discussions around the long-term plans addressing food insecurity in Canada and supply chains across the country. We saw what happened with COVID-19, and we know that we are vulnerable when we do not have the infrastructure in place to be able to address these issues.

I appreciate that my colleague is raising this really important question in the House of Commons to make sure we are all mindful of the fact that these issues can happen at any time. COVID-19 or a similar situation could happen again, and we have to put the infrastructure in place to be able to address those issues in the future. I think that the national food security strategy and the national housing strategy, as well, are measures that would work together to ensure that we have a plan and that we are capable of meeting the moment when necessary with the partnerships that we have built across the country.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise to speak to Bill C-19.

It was not that long ago, just back in April, when Canadians had a vote and elected the new Prime Minister of Canada, along with 70 new Liberal members of Parliament. Through that last election, a number of issues really came to the surface. The whole idea of building Canada strong, building healthier and stronger communities, is something the government and the Prime Minister have been focused on since day one. We have seen substantial legislation and budgetary measures to demonstrate very clearly to Canadians that this is a government and a prime minister who genuinely care and will do whatever they can to be there to support Canadians.

I have heard lots of discussions and a lot of debates on the issue of how we have our greatest asset, the Prime Minister, going abroad, travelling and bringing in investments, bringing in trade opportunities and export opportunities in particular, and talking about the importance of jobs and how important those things really are, along with the idea of building Canada strong by building capital projects. It is all very critical. At the same time, it is really important that we recognize what Canadians' immediate needs are. The issue of affordability is very real, and it is there. We have a prime minister and a government that are responding once again to that issue.

Members should recall that one of the very first actions the Prime Minister of Canada took was to get rid of the carbon tax.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, he should be applauded for taking that action; I agree.

Another action he took was to give a tax break, reducing taxes for 22 million Canadians. These are the types of initiatives that were taken shortly after the last election.

We continue to look at ways we can support Canadians. When we take a look at the grocery prices as a whole, we see that Canada is doing relatively well compared to the rest of the world in terms of the cost of some basic products like eggs, milk, apples and so forth. However, we realize that inflation and food costs are going up and we want to be able to assist Canadians, especially those who really need that assistance. That is what Bill C-19 is all about. It is about being there to support Canadians who really need that support, and we have come up with a way of doing it that is not only for this year but for a number of following years. From my perspective, it clearly demonstrates a government that is responding to a need that is there, even though our overall inflation rate is relatively under control, especially when compared to other nations of the G20, if I may say that.

We are genuinely concerned about food inflation. That is why the Prime Minister made an announcement dealing with greenhouses and what we could do as a government to support the building of greenhouses. It is about food security. It is about how we can enhance opportunities to stabilize food prices into the future, so that we are not as reliant on other trading partners or on the climate to the same degree. We are talking about literally millions and millions of dollars being invested to ensure that we can see companies expand in terms of food production.

We are recognizing that food banks do play an important role. They have played an important role in society, not just in the last few years but for decades now. When I was an MLA many years ago, food banks played a very important role, and that continues today. The Prime Minister and the government have recognized the need to support those organizations, which is why we are putting in $20 million. These are initiatives that are there to really help.

I have listened to the Conservatives respond to this legislation. What was the finance critic's plea? The best thing that the government can do is “get out of the way”.

[An hon. member]

Hear, hear!

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, they say, “Hear, hear!” and they applaud.

We also hear it from the leader of the Conservative Party, and we have witnessed first-hand the types of actions the Conservative Party would take if it were given the chance to govern. These are the far right Conservatives. Do not get them confused with progressive Conservatives. I feel for those Conservative members of Parliament who are so-called “red Tories”, or progressive in their thinking, who genuinely care about how social programming and government policy can give a lifting hand. The current leadership just had a convention, and I was amazed in terms of how much support he received from within the Conservative right. Anyone who is a progressive or red Conservative has to feel uncomfortable with the direction of the Conservative Party, because their mentality is “get out of the way”. We heard it today, and we have heard it for months coming from the leader of the Conservative Party.

What does “get out of the way” mean? The Prime Minister and the government made a decision that the national school food program was successful and that we needed to make it permanent. This is a program that has been needed, not just in the last few years, but since the 1980s, and maybe even earlier than that. I remember standing in the Manitoba legislature, listening to individuals such as Sharon Carstairs back in the 1980s, saying that we needed to feed children in schools, because they cannot learn on an empty stomach. This is not new, but with the Conservatives' “get out of the way” attitude, we can see that they would get rid of this program that the Prime Minister and government have put into place, which members across the way have called a “garbage” program. We have even heard some members say that it does not even feed children. It is constant misinformation.

These are the types of programs that matter. Canadians in Conservative ridings want these programs. Millions of Canadians are benefiting from the dental program. For the first time in many years, some seniors are getting the dental work that they have been wanting, because of that program. We have a Prime Minister and a government reinforcing the importance of that program, and the Conservative Party's response is “get out of the way”.

We have to know that today's Conservative Party, the far right, will get rid of these programs. Would they bring in a program such as Bill C-19? No, because in the comments they make, they would say, “Forget that and just do something permanent. Get rid of the GST,” or something like that. I am waiting for them to come out with that particular policy. I think it is only a question of time. That is how far gone they are.

This is a focused attempt to support Canadians, even in Conservative ridings. They want to see relief; C-19 provides them substantial relief. It shows that the government is listening, much like when the Premier of Manitoba made a statement about the cost of milk in order to minimize the inflation on milk in the province of Manitoba. Manitobans appreciated that. I believe that Canadians as a whole understand what the Prime Minister and government are doing through Bill C-19. That is the reason that in all likelihood it will only pass on division. The Conservative right does not want to vote in favour of it; they just do not want to—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

Order. It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for York—Durham, International Trade; the hon. member for Yorkton—Melville, Agriculture and Agri-Food; the hon. member for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, Justice.

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

Mr. Speaker, we can tell by the member's speech just how important this bill is, because he talked about food insecurity for about two minutes and then spent about eight minutes on a far right wing-nut theory that he thinks he has a handle on.

However, I do have a legitimate question for the member. When he brought forward this bill, I asked the finance minister how much GST Canadians pay on food. He said that Canadians do not pay GST on food. On a radio show in Saskatchewan, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, the food professor, said that Canadians pay between $7 billion and $10 billion a year in GST on food.

Does the finance minister not realize how much GST Canadians are paying on food?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am at a condo on Metcalfe and Lisgar, and there is a Farm Boy nearby. Maybe the member and I could go there and buy some eggs, milk and bread. Then we could see if there is any tax on those three items or the groceries Canadians want to buy.

This is an imaginary tax, and the Conservative Party is trying to give Canadians a false impression around it. The member knows full well that the items I have referred to, those basic groceries, are not being taxed. The member knows that, but it will not stop the Conservative Party from saying otherwise, unfortunately.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

That is enough with the grocery lists going back and forth.

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite a privilege to hear a speech from the member for Winnipeg North. We were lucky today. What are the chances?

That being said, I would like to hear his comments on the mechanics of his government. Why did his government choose to cut a cheque instead of permanently increasing OAS and therefore seniors' incomes?

Is it because the OAS delivery system is failing and more and more seniors are not receiving it, regardless of the government House leader's claims that it is a simple error and that sometimes there are IT bugs?

The situation for seniors is critical and must not be trivialized, especially when we know that the cost overruns for this system are 10 times greater than for SAAQclic. The cost has shot up from $1.75 billion to $6.6 billion. In fact, we were supposed to get answers on this at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts today, but so far, the government is refusing to be held accountable.

My question for my colleague is the following. Why not go ahead and increase OAS? Is it because his government has failed at making sure these payments go through?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, ultimately, I believe this is the most effective way for the government to support grocery relief for Canadians.

For Canadians, including single parents, some with three children, and those on a fixed income, many of whom will be seniors, the most effective way of ultimately delivering and putting the money in the pockets of Canadians is done through exactly what Bill C-19 is doing. There is that one-time enhancement payment and then an ongoing increase that will be there for the next four or five years. It increases disposable income in order to deal specifically with the issue of food inflation.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I really appreciated the member's speech. Talking about context and how we are supporting Canadians, whether it is through Bill C-19, the Canada child benefit, the dental care program, pharmacare, supporting seniors through New Horizons, Canada summer jobs, etc., it builds a safety net for Canadians.

It boggles my mind that the party opposite refuses to support Canadians. Maybe the member can help us understand why the opposition does that.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the short answer is this. It is because the leader of the Conservative Party, which has really gone far right, I would ultimately argue, takes this “just get out of the way” attitude, as if government does not have any role to play in terms of assisting Canadians in any fashion whatsoever. We have seen that demonstrated day after day. I believe, from a national perspective, that the government does have and must play a role in supporting Canadians.