Debates of Feb. 23rd, 2026

Scout Week 2026

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to Scout Week 2026, which was celebrated across the country from February 16 to 22. This year's theme was “Scouting, a source of unifying pride”.

For generations, the movement has helped shape committed, responsible and caring young people through outdoor activities, volunteerism and community projects. It develops leadership, resilience and teamwork, qualities that are essential to building the Canada of tomorrow. The end of this week coincides with Founder's Day, which pays tribute to Robert and Olave Baden-Powell, who played a key role in the development of the Girl Guides and in bringing young girls into the movement.

I want to thank the volunteers and leaders who support our young people with such dedication. Together, let us continue to build a strong Canada.

Food Affordability

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Mr. Speaker, under the Prime Minister, food prices have skyrocketed by 7.3%. Canada is now the food inflation capital of the G7.

This is a made-in-Canada problem. Seventy per cent of all food is produced domestically. We produce 80% of our processed foods.

Conservatives have a food affordability plan to remove hidden Liberal taxes on food, such as the industrial carbon tax on farm equipment, fertilizer and food processors. Let us get rid of the fuel standard tax on farmers, truckers and those who bring our food. Let us dump the food packaging tax, which costs Canadians $1.3 billion annually. Our plan reduces taxes affecting the price of food. It restores nutritious, affordable meals for Canadians.

Will the Prime Minister work with us to achieve this goal? Canadians want to know.

Arnold Sylliboy

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish, NS]

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, a community gathered to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Arnold Sylliboy, who passed away a year ago.

Arnold enjoyed bringing people together for a good cause and good times. He competed with determination in any sport or contest, and at the same time, had the ability to bring joy and laughter to every situation. Arnold was a caring leader, a natural athlete and a committed volunteer, who will be fondly remembered for his great empathy and ability to listen to others. This naturally made him great at his work as a youth worker, a social worker, a barber and a staff member for this MP. A more loyal wingman in life one will not find.

His loved ones held a bowling tournament in his honour to raise money for his community and a local high school scholarship to honour his legacy.

There are no words for goodbye in the Mi'kmaq language, only “we will see you again”.

[Member spoke in Mi'kmaq and provided the following text:]

N'multisnen ap Nitap. Kesalulek.

[Member provided the following translation:]

We will see you again, friend. We love you.

[English]

Health Services for Asylum Claimants

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

Mr. Speaker, rejected asylum claimants should not be receiving better health care than Canadians who have paid into a system their entire lives. It makes common sense.

At a time when six million Canadians cannot afford a family doctor and are waiting for care, it is unacceptable that bogus asylum seekers are receiving better health care than Canadians. When over 13,000 residents in Niagara Falls are forced to use a food bank, and when our homeless shelter, the Coronation Centre, is bursting at the seams, why is the government providing better health care services to non-Canadians than to citizens who are desperately in need?

Conservatives discovered this health care mess, and we proposed solutions, including removing federal benefits from ineligible claimants, except for emergency health care. Conservatives will make sure that there are enough jobs, houses and health care for Canadians before bringing in new immigrants, and we will restore compassion and fairness to Canada's broken and abused asylum system.

Recognition of Bravery

[Chris Malette, Liberal, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour and recognize an extraordinary act of courage and compassion by a private citizen in the face of grave danger on Highway 401 near Trenton in my riding of the Bay of Quinte, a gentleman I welcomed here in Ottawa today, Isik.

During a recent snowstorm, in a multivehicle crash on one of Canada's busiest highways, this individual did not hesitate to put others before himself. Amidst whiteout conditions, he stopped his own car and raced from vehicle to vehicle, checking on motorists, urging them to remain safe and calm. Witnesses say he returned repeatedly to harm's way to carry out trapped and injured passengers, including pulling a woman from a burning vehicle and helping another man to safety, acts that emergency officials say undoubtedly saved lives on that day. Isik himself has humbly downplayed his actions, saying he does not consider himself a hero, but a hero he is indeed.

I invite all members to join me in thanking Isik for his courage and his bravery on that day.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, over the last decade, the Liberals have enabled hundreds of thousands of bogus refugee claims. Liberals' failures on immigration like this one mean billions of tax dollars have been spent on hotels and social welfare for false refugee claimants, all while Canadians struggle to access health care and while legitimate refugees languish. This has to stop.

Will the Liberals support our constructive motion to restore fairness and prioritize Canadians who pay for the health care system over fake refugees?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the member to this important discussion. We have already introduced and made changes to the interim federal health program that will considerably reduce the costs. We are also making significant changes and have introduced Bill C-12, which would curb the misuse of asylum. We will control costs and we will truly protect those who are vulnerable, in line with our international and humanitarian obligations.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have not been able to get hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of pandemic scam fraud returned to them, so I highly doubt they will be able to get fake refugees on deportation orders to pay back their health care. This is something that needs to end.

I will ask the minister again. This is a common-sense motion. Literally everybody agrees with it. Will the minister support our constructive motion to ensure that Canadians who pay for our health system are given better access than fake refugees?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, to keep our program sustainable, we have made and are making measured changes to the health coverage. We have already introduced copay to the system. We are already curbing the misuse. We have introduced a lot of integrity measures. Bill C-12 is currently in front of us, and I thank the Conservatives for supporting that. That would also reduce misuse of the system. We also have international obligations that Canada will continue to honour, particularly for those who are in need, and most of them are children.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer revealed that the interim federal health program will cost taxpayers over $1.5 billion a year. The Liberals expanded this program to provide deluxe health benefits like physiotherapy and home care to bogus asylum claimants whose phony claims have been rejected. Canadians are not entitled to them, but rejected asylum claimants are.

Why are the Liberals giving bogus asylum seekers better health care than Canadians who fund the system?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, to speak to the PBO report, those are projections in that report. They do not take into account the changes that would come in Bill C-12, nor do they take into account the interim health measures that we have introduced, including copay and other provisions, so I look forward to that.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals defend deluxe health benefits for bogus asylum claimants, millions of Canadians are waiting in line for care. There are Canadians in this country who cannot get health care they need because the wait-list is too long. Ahead of them on that wait-list are people who filed fake refugee claims that were rejected by the government's own refugee board.

Will the minister explain to Canadians why bogus asylum seekers are ahead of them in line?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I want to point this out to the member, who I respect quite a bit; last session we were on the same committee. In 2014, it was a Conservative government, and the Supreme Court ruled that its changes were unconstitutional. It took away health care coverage for the most vulnerable, including children. This is not something we will do on this side of the House. Again, we are curbing misuse. We have introduced changes by introducing copay. Asylum claims are down by a third under the current government—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of this Liberal government, our once exemplary immigration system is now in shambles. At the Standing Committee on Health, we found out that health care providers are charging taxpayers up to five times the provincial rates for illegal asylum seekers. Meanwhile, six million Canadians do not have a family doctor. It is an insult to Canadians who have paid taxes their whole lives. A bogus asylum claimant receives better health benefits than a Canadian citizen.

Will the government finally support our motion to restore fairness and put Canadians' health first?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are working hard to ensure that our system integrates asylum seekers. We have reduced asylum claims by a third. We also introduced Bill C‑12. I want to thank my colleagues for helping us with this bill.

The good news is that asylum claims are down by a third and we are making adjustments to our program to keep it sustainable. We will continue to work hard.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report is scathing. The soaring costs of the interim federal health program prove that the Liberals have lost control. The system is broken.

We will have no choice but to cut federal benefits for ineligible asylum seekers, except in cases of emergency. Furthermore, we must ensure that Canada has the housing and health care capacity to welcome newcomers before they arrive. Will you finally guarantee that non-residents will not receive better health care than our own citizens?

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I am not in a position to give any guarantees. However, the hon. minister may respond.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the figures cited by the member are projections. They are not actual figures. They are projections that do not take into account the changes made to the program or the significant improvements we are making to the asylum system in Bill C‑12. This work is already well under way. We are reducing costs and we will protect vulnerable people.

Pensions

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

Mr. Speaker, the Cúram fiasco has been costly.

We were wondering where Quebeckers' money was going, and then we got our answer when we learned that the cost of the software had risen from $1.75 billion to $6.6 billion, a cost overrun of nearly $5 billion. Quebeckers' money is going into the pockets of private companies. Of the total bill of $6.6 billion, $3.4 billion, or more than half, is going to the private sector. Worse still, we do not even really know what this money is being used for because the government refuses to disclose its contracts to either the media or elected officials.

When will there be a public and independent investigation?

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

Mr. Speaker, Bloc members say they do not know what the money is being used for, but they were on the committees that approved the spending. They know that this money has been used to complete the transformation of a 60-year-old system. If we had let that system stand, people would not be getting their benefits. This program is not costed in a cost-overrun situation, as they would assert. This has cost just over $1.4 billion, and the OAS conversion is now complete. The amount they are talking about is a theoretical approval for a possible four-system transformation. This OAS system is now complete, people are being transitioned, and there are no cost overruns.

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

Mr. Speaker, there are so few cost overruns that when asked about Cúram, the government's response is that cost overruns are “common practice”. That is the problem.

There were problems with ArriveCan and there were problems with Phoenix, but that is okay. It happens all the time. In fact, as early as 2023, the Auditor General warned the government about the risks of “[taking] shortcuts...as happened with the Phoenix pay system.” Clearly, no one listened to her because we are now looking at $5 billion in cost overruns for software that is causing problems for 85,000 pensioners.

Again, when will there be a public and independent investigation?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, funding for a project of this magnitude involves incremental allocations, not a lump sum payment. The program's initial $1.7 billion in funding was to launch the first phase of the project; it was never intended to cover the complete restructuring of multiple benefits systems. This investment is going to generate efficiency and reliability gains for years to come.

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

Mr. Speaker, 85,000 pensioners are having problems with their OAS pension because of the Cúram software, which has chalked up $5 billion in cost overruns to date.

What are the people responsible doing? They are paying themselves bonuses. In 2024‑25, senior officials at Employment and Social Development Canada received bonuses amounting to more than $15 million. When 85,000 pensioners are having problems because of the federal government and when taxpayers are on the hook for more than $5 billion in cost overruns, why in the world should the people responsible be rewarded for their “good” work?

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

Again, Mr. Speaker, my friends across the aisle know there are no cost overruns. This was a planned, phased project. Just over $1.4 billion has been spent and the OAS project is completed. If there are individuals who are having problems getting payments on time, we invite them to contact us, and we would like them to do so. Those numbers will go down as Canadians transition to an online system. We would really like them to transition to the online system, and this will speed things up.