Debates of Feb. 25th, 2026

Industry

[Stephen Fuhr, Liberal, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement)]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for South Shore—St. Margarets for her advocacy for Nova Scotia's manufacturers, such as Hawboldt Industries. Companies like this prove that advanced defence manufacturing is thriving in rural Canada.

Our defence industrial strategy makes procurement a driver of growth. In Atlantic Canada, the sector supports 10,000 good-paying jobs. Through a defence investment agency, at least 70% of our defence spending will focus on generating jobs and investments here at home. That makes work in communities like Chester and allows faster delivery for equipment to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Housing

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the hope of ever owning a home is slipping away for young Canadians. Nearly half of young Canadians are being forced to move out of the communities they grew up in because they can no longer afford the Liberal housing hell.

From 2019 to 2024, for every 100 new adults added to our population, there were only 12 housing starts intended for ownership. This is less than half the pace of previous decades. Now, a new CIBC report confirms what young Canadians already know: Homes are still too expensive to buy and not profitable to build.

After years of Liberal rhetoric and red tape, when will the government finally scrap the GST on all new homes and let young Canadians build a life?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the good news is that there is a tax break coming for first-time homebuyers. I thank members of the House for standing up for our young people. We are now seeing prices starting to come down, rents coming down and home prices coming down. We see that in the new CMHC housing affordability index report that came out this morning.

The trend is in the right direction, but we have to double down. We have to focus on delivering Build Canada Homes' $13 billion for affordable housing. We have to make sure that the entire House is committed to bringing down the price of housing for young Canadians.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, instead of laying foundations for homes, the Liberal government is laying foundations for another bureaucracy.

The Liberal Prime Minister promised to build at a pace not seen since the Second World War, yet a recent report from the government's own housing agency says that homebuilding is expected to drop in each of the next three years, with housing starts in 2028 falling as much as 18% compared to last year. That is 55% below what is necessary to meet the Prime Minister's own targets.

Instead of building homes, they are building roadblocks with a fourth Liberal housing bureaucracy. When will the Liberals finally admit that they themselves are the problem?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, our next steps are critical. The next step that the member can take is supporting the Build Canada Homes act to make sure that the government has every tool available to invest in affordable housing. We have $13 billion labelled for non-market housing. That will leverage tens of thousands of units of affordable housing, from rental to affordable home ownership.

We need everybody on board with this. This is not a time to take potshots and not a time to fall back on the failed record of the Conservatives on housing.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a new report from CIBC confirms what young Canadians already know: The dream of home ownership is slipping away. In fact, the bank says prices are too high to buy and that the average down payment in Ontario is now nearly $300,000. That is an impossible number. Behind that number is a young family who cannot buy a home, start a family or build a life. The bank says that, unless we cut the cost of homes, things will only get worse.

Our suggestion is to cut the cost of GST on all new homes. Will the housing minister agree to that?

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, forgive us if Canadians recognize that that party has no credibility when it comes to housing. Their leader called middle-class housing shacks and said co-op housing was Soviet-style. That member mocked modular housing. The leader even called on his MPs to boycott the housing accelerator fund, which would have actually helped in their ridings.

On this side of the House, we are serious about getting houses built. That party is just full of obstruction and rhetoric.

Families, Children and Social Development

[Bienvenu-Olivier Ntumba, Liberal, Mont-Saint-Bruno—L’Acadie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, at the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, our government again tried to move a motion to study the national school food program, after hearing credible witnesses talk about its positive impact on children and their families.

However, the Conservative members spent the meeting filibustering and denying that food security is linked to affordability, climate impacts and the idea that families should not have to worry about whether their children remembered to bring their lunch, whether they ate enough, or whether they had full bellies.

Can the Secretary of State for Children and Youth tell the House how this program helps children eat well and families worry less?

[Anna Gainey, Liberal, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Mont-Saint-Bruno—L'Acadie for the question. It is true that if the Conservative Party wants to talk about food security, it should support the national school food program.

A new study by the Breakfast Club of Canada notes that when children are well fed at school, academic results improve, children's health improves, and families spend less on groceries. While Conservative members are obstructing progress, we are listening to families and experts.

Justice

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week, Peel police charged four men with sex trafficking girls as young as 11 years of age, yet within 24 hours, these disgusting criminals were released on Liberal bail. Let that sink in. Grown men charged with exploiting young girls are now walking free. This is an absolute disgrace. This is what a broken justice system looks like. Enough is enough.

When will the government stop coddling the worst criminals in our society and finally stand on the side of innocent children?

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

Mr. Speaker, just today I was with Peel Regional Police at a human trafficking symposium. We talked about these issues with survivors. It is really important that criminals of this type, who have committed this heinous crime, get the sentences they deserve. That is why we brought in bail reform.

Had the Conservatives co-operated, we could have had it passed before Christmas, but they chose to obstruct. I am glad to see that the legislation is now progressing, and we can put an end to the revolving door.

Indigenous Affairs

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people are meeting with government officials to discuss safety in communities impacted by resource extraction, yet this follows a budget that included zero funding for MMIWG and the Liberals' exclusion of indigenous women from the development of Bill C-5, despite the high rates of violence around these projects.

Will the government mandate enforceable community safety plans for corporations and restore funding to address this ongoing crisis?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, we owe it to survivors and to the people we have lost to act and to prevent gender-based violence. As we advance these major projects, we are working with communities to protect women, girls and gender-diverse people. Through our national action plan, we are strengthening prevention and ensuring that survivors can access those supports.

This is how we ensure that progress never comes at the expense of the safety of women and girls in our country.

150th Anniversary of Library of Parliament

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I would like to take a moment to bring to my colleagues' attention a very important anniversary this week: the 150th anniversary of the Library of Parliament.

For 150 years, parliamentarians have been able to count on this wealth of information, knowledge and expertise. I think that all members appreciate the exceptional services provided to us day after day by the Library of Parliament staff. With intelligence, professionalism and innovation, this institution has evolved over the years to provide us with the information we need to serve our constituents and our country as best we can. In a political workplace where change and unpredictability are the norm, we count on the cool heads, diplomacy and wisdom of the staff at the Library of Parliament.

For the last 150 years, the library has evolved and innovated to meet the changing needs of Parliament. The days when the library's services were centred on a collection of books, journals and reference works is long gone. Today, thanks to technology, the walls of the library have disappeared, and parliamentarians can access its resources wherever they are and whenever they want. Dynamic, digital and highly specialized, the Library of Parliament has risen to the challenge of meeting the needs of modern parliamentary democracy.

At the heart of the library's evolution are the people who make that possible. Generations of librarians, researchers and numerous other specialists have worked tirelessly to ensure that parliamentarians get the information they need, when they need it.

From preparing in-depth research briefings and legislative summaries to answering urgent reference questions, helping with speeches, and guiding senators and members of Parliament through complex data and historical records, library employees provide expertise across a remarkable range of subjects. Their commitment to accuracy, impartiality and service ensures that Parliament can function with knowledge and confidence.

As we celebrate the library's 150th anniversary, we honour not only the building itself but also the extraordinary staff whose skill and dedication have sustained this institution for a century and a half. On behalf of the House, I express the deepest gratitude of its members to the Library of Parliament for the excellence of its services, which continue to inspire, inform and support parliamentarians.

The House resumed from February 24 consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Interim Federal Health Program

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

It being 3:17 p.m., the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion of the member for Calgary Nose Hill relating to the business of supply.

Call in the members.

And the bells having rung:

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The question is as follows.

May I dispense?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

[Chair read text of motion to House]

(The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:)

Vote #72

Business of Supply

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I declare the motion defeated.

The House resumed from February 13 consideration of the motion that Bill C-244, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Clean Coasts Act

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at second reading stage of Bill C-244, under Private Members' Business.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #73

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I declare the motion carried.

Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.

(Bill read a second time and referred to a committee)