Debates of Feb. 23rd, 2026

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. Canada has one of the most robust immigration refugee protection systems in the world. The Immigration and Refugee Board is the gold standard by which adjudications are made towards refugee protection. As a country that is a signatory to the refugee convention of 1951, it is important that we have full faith in our system. The IRB adjudicates and ensures that those who are inadmissible and those who are ineligible to seek asylum do not go forward, and that those who are deemed to be clear refugees do get asylum.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are shutting down agricultural research, and now their red tape is literally choking the life out of agri-food businesses. A survey said that 90% of agri-food business owners believe that Liberal policies are putting the future of Canadian agriculture at risk. Red tape and regulations have already increased Canadian food inflation to 7.3%, by far more than double the rate in the United States. Experts are clear: Red tape, inflationary spending and the industrial carbon tax are increasing the cost of food production.

How expensive do groceries have to get before the Liberals stop strangling Canadian farmers?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is going to continue to invest in our farmers and ranchers right across this country. We will continue to make sure that they lead the world in science, as we talked about.

I also want to come back to the industrial carbon tax. We know that it is negligible to the cost of food in this country. However, one thing I want to say to everyone is that it is not the farmers who are making the money.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is right: It is not the farmers who are making the money. This is why 90% of agri-food business owners say that Liberal policy is restricting their ability to be productive and grow, and 70% of Canadian farmers are telling their kids not to take over the family farm. This is devastating for the future of Canadian food production and food security. It is making Canada less productive, less competitive and less food-secure.

Canadians are already paying among the highest grocery prices in the G7. Why is the Liberal government so determined to drown farmers in red tape and taxes and make food unaffordable for Canadians?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I travel around the world, and our farmers are the envy of the world for what they do here at home. They are some of the best farmers in the world, and we will continue to ensure that they continue to be that.

Blaming farmers for the cost of food is not appropriate. We are talking about many different types of issues that defuse some of the costs around groceries and items. We will continue to support them as best we can.

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I keep hearing from farmers and producers that Liberal red tape and taxes are choking the life out of them and threatening our food sovereignty. Nearly 90% of food businesses believe that the future of Canadian agriculture is at risk. Liberal red tape means punishing regulations, and the industrial carbon and fuel taxes are driving up the cost of production across the entire food supply chain.

How high will grocery prices have to skyrocket before the Liberals stop strangling Canadian farmers with taxes and red tape?

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives refuse to acknowledge the success of Canadian agriculture and the work of farmers, the facts speak for themselves. Our agri-food exports have reached over $100 billion. The sector supports over 2.3 million Canadians, or one in nine jobs.

We will continue standing with our farmers as they export to countries around the world.

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that 10 years of bad Liberal policies and hidden taxes have driven Canadian food inflation to 7.3%, which is the highest in the G7 and far more than double the rate in the U.S. This is a Liberal-led, made-in-Canada problem that is driving up food prices and driving Canadian producers right out of business.

With 70% of all food produced domestically, including 80% of our processed foods, when will the Liberals actually take this seriously and start cutting taxes and red tape for our farmers?

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of farmers, we are listening to our farmers. In fact, in our last trip to China, we got them over $7 billion of agriculture access in canola, seafood and beef. That means good jobs for our farmers: over 200,000 jobs in the canola sector; over 250,000 jobs in the beef sector and 35,000 jobs in our seafood sector.

That is what we are doing. We are standing with our farmers and opening new markets around the world.

[Ned Kuruc, Conservative, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in December, the Stoney Creek food bank saw a record 1,694 total visits, the largest number since 2022. Also in December, the Fare Share Food Bank in Oakville saw the largest number of people they have ever served, over 913 families.

Canadians rely on food banks because food prices have skyrocketed by 7.3%. How many Canadians need to visit a food bank before the Liberals stop strangling Canadian food production with red tape and punishing taxes?

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

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way, as the government works to support families in need, the Conservatives vote against it. They obstruct our budget bill in the House, money that Canadian families need for all kinds of things, including the jobs that many of our union workers are relying on. Do members know what helps with food insecurity? It is good-paying jobs.

Here is a newsflash: The Conservatives vote against every measure that actually creates good-paying jobs. Whether it is helping hungry people or helping hard-working Canadians, they are opposed. What is it going to take?

National Defence

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians elected a new government with a mandate to build Canada strong. This means investing in our workers, our industries and our supply chains by unlocking new opportunities and investing in our sovereignty. This also means investing in the brave men and women who are members of our Canadian Armed Forces.

Can the Minister of National Defence provide an update on what we are doing to build Canada's defence industry while supporting our Canadian Armed Forces?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, last week, we launched Canada's first-ever defence industrial strategy. It is a plan that provides a signal to industry, allies, partners, the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadians alike that we are moving forward quickly and with purpose.

We are building. We are partnering. We are buying Canadian. We are strengthening our relationship with our partners. We are transforming procurement. We are investing in results. That is what our new strategy is all about.

Pensions

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

Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to turn to page 54 of the Liberal election platform, where it says, “The federal government has been spending too much.”

When the Liberals came to power, the debt was $700 billion. After 10 years of Liberal management, it is $1.4 trillion, including $78 billion for this year alone. Next, in their platform, they talk to us about “efficiency” and “performance”. Those are the words the Liberals use in their platform.

A Cúram computer system that goes from $1.6 billion to $6.6 billion and 85,000 seniors waiting for their benefits, is that what Liberal efficiency looks like?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I know that it is Monday and my colleague wanted some good news. Well, I have some for him. Canada has the second-fastest-growing economy in the G7. That is the Liberal plan. That is the Prime Minister's plan. It is to grow the Canadian economy.

Instead of speaking against the economy, my colleague should be proud. We are attracting talent. We are building ships. We are building automobiles. We are building aircraft. We have critical minerals. We have energy. We are the only G7 country to have a free trade agreement with every G7 country. We are building Canada strong together.

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

Mr. Speaker, is this how the minister shows respect for our seniors? I am talking about 85,000 seniors who are waiting for their cheques, and he is talking to me about Canada's economic development. There are 85,000 seniors waiting.

Is that his answer to our seniors, the people who built our country?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is political grandstanding, plain and simple.

We made the transition from an outdated system dating back to the 1970s and modernized it. There were no cost overruns. The computer system was updated. Yes, there have been a few cases, cases that the member opposite has been slow to bring up. If the member knows of people who are affected by this situation, he should let us know and we will resolve these cases. However, until then, this is good news for Canada.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I would like to make a brief reminder to everyone. Even though members can sometimes get passionate, please avoid banging too hard on the podium because it can be dangerous for the interpreters.

The hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, following the Phoenix disaster, now we have Cúram ruining the lives of our seniors. It was initially expected to cost $1.75 billion, but the price tag has now ballooned to $6.6 billion. That is four times more. While the Liberals waste taxpayers' money, our seniors have been waiting for their pension cheques for nine months.

My questions are very simple. The first is this: Why do the Liberals' programs always go way over budget? The second is this: Why should seniors have to pay the price for the federal Liberals' incompetence with yet another failed software program?

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

Mr. Speaker, the conversion to the new OAS payment system is complete. It came in under budget. More than seven million seniors are currently receiving their benefits on time thanks to a modern system. The total cost of Cúram is meant to cover separate projects. The $6.6 billion is the amount planned and approved for the lifespan of the project.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, same government, same old Liberal habits: Once again, consulting firms are getting rich. Since the Liberals took office, they have awarded $26 billion in outside contracts. With Cúram—a project that is totalling $6.6 billion, half of which is going to private companies—history is repeating itself. In the meantime, 85,000 pensioners are suffering due to late pension payments or endless administrative errors.

Why do seniors have to pay the price for Liberal incompetence?

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

Mr. Speaker, over seven million Canadians benefit from the OAS and have never had any problem with the new, modernized system.

Obviously, a few glitches are to be expected when transitioning from 60-year-old software to a modern system. There are glitches and we are fixing them. The number of glitches is going down every day. When glitches happen, we encourage people to contact Service Canada or even their MP, and we will fix them.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, $5 billion is appalling. That is how much more Cúram is going to cost taxpayers. For the Liberals, that is perfectly normal. Worse still, it is impossible to get information on the private external consultants to whom most of this money is being paid. This lack of transparency has become the norm over the past 10 years. This is the federal version of the SAAQclic fiasco, except that it is costing five times more.

Why should seniors and taxpayers pay the price for this catastrophic mismanagement?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is not true what the opposition is saying. The initial program authority of $1.7 billion was intended to be used to kick-start the first phase. In fact, the program is under budget. The great news is that 7 million Canadians have transitioned to this new system. The previous system was 60 years old. Can members imagine the paper applications that were being filed, with lots of mistakes? This is going to make life easier for all seniors going forward.

If the member opposite has some urgent cases that they know of, I ask him to please send them our way. We are able to process those in 24 hours.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is yet another scandal. Following the Phoenix fiasco, Liberal incompetence has reached new heights with the Cúram software, a federal version of SAAQclic. The price tag for this IT project has risen to $6.6 billion, and more than half of that money will go to consultants who are racking up delays, failures and cost overruns with impunity. While Canadians are struggling, public money is being thrown out the window.

Why are cost overruns in the Liberals' DNA?