House of Commons Hansard #90 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was veterans.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1 Third reading of Bill C-15. The bill, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget, is debated in the House of Commons. Discussions highlight the bill's 603-page length and its amendments to 49 statutes, with concerns raised about its "omnibus" nature. Members discuss the budget's projected $78.3 billion deficit and its implications for national debt and affordability. Key measures include a high-speed rail network and tax credits for carbon capture, while opposition members criticize cuts to veterans' benefits and agricultural research. 40200 words, 4 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Criminal Code Second reading of Bill S-228. The bill aims to strengthen the Criminal Code by explicitly clarifying that forced or coerced sterilization constitutes aggravated assault. This survivor-centred, Indigenous-led legislation addresses a profound injustice disproportionately affecting Indigenous, disabled, and racialized women, which continues today. It seeks to deter the practice, ensure accountability, and provide survivors with legal recognition, while not restricting access to voluntary sterilization. 7200 words, 1 hour.
A message from Her Excellency the Governor General transmitting estimates for the financial year ending March 31, 2027, was presented by the President of the Treasury Board and read by the Speaker to the House.
Shafqat Ali LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table in both official languages the main estimates, 2026-27.
Shafqat Ali LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table in both official languages, on behalf of the Minister of Finance, a document entitled “Report on Federal Tax Expenditures” for 2026.
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present in both official languages the 17th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
The committee advises that, pursuant to Standing Order 91.1(2), the Subcommittee on Private Members' Business met to consider the order for the second reading of a private member's public bill originating in the Senate, and recommended that the item listed herein, which it has determined should not be designated non-votable, be considered by the House.
Procedure and House AffairsCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Yvan Baker Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages with respect to the motion adopted on Thursday, February 5, 2026, regarding the historical interpretation of the events and actions that contributed to the decline of the French language in Canada and in Quebec.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of the constituents of Saanich—Gulf Islands to present a petition through which constituents in Saanich—Gulf Islands are looking to see the government pursue the promise of protected marine areas. It has been such a long time, as it has been decades, since it was first proposed that there be a protected marine area next to the Gulf Islands National Park. It was so long ago that Jacques Cousteau endorsed the idea.
In any case, there are 11 classifications for marine protected areas, and depending on how they are classified, a different department would oversee the marine protected area. Petitioners are pointing out that, when areas are closed off to fishing, there is a net benefit to fisheries throughout the region. Areas where there is a no-fishing rule allow fisheries to recover and be more plentiful in the areas surrounding the protected area.
The petitioners call on the government and DFO to work with relevant government branches to simplify the communication and ensure that marine protected areas are put in place.
Carol Anstey Conservative Long Range Mountains, NL
Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Canadians to present a petition.
Petitioners argue that massage therapy is vital for both mental and physical health and for injury recovery. Currently, massage therapy is not recognized by the Excise Tax Act and Canadians are charged HST and GST on massage therapy. Petitioners draw attention to the inequality this creates in relation to affordability and access.
Petitioners call on the Minister of Finance to include massage therapy under the Excise Tax Act and remove the HST on massage therapy.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to table two petitions.
The first is from citizens who are concerned about potential abuses of power by cabinet. Proposed section 12 in part 2, division 5 of Bill C-15 permits ministers to exempt entities, meaning companies, from the application of any act of Parliament apart from the Criminal Code.
These citizens are of the opinion that such unlimited, unrestricted and undefined power could undermine core protections established by laws related to the environment, public procurement and competition. They are therefore calling on the government to reconsider proposed section 12 in Bill C-15 to prevent such abuse of power by ministers.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the second petition comes from a group of citizens who are concerned about animal welfare.
Canada has no national registry of individuals who have been convicted of animal cruelty, neglect or killing under the Criminal Code of Canada. That means there is a possibility that shelters, rescues or breeders could place animals with criminals who are a danger to the animal's welfare.
The petitioners are calling for the creation of a national registry of people who have been convicted of abusing, neglecting or killing an animal. They are also asking that the names remain on the registry for 10 years and that the provinces be able to share this information so that these individuals cannot move to another province and continue to compromise animal welfare. This petition has been signed by more than 7,400 people.
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition from Canadians on Vancouver Island, from Victoria and Courtenay to Port Alberni and Parksville. They are all calling on the federal government to take leadership on brain injury awareness, prevention and treatment.
The petitioners note that brain injuries can occur in many ways, from accidents and sporting events to illnesses, strokes and overdoses, and they often result in serious physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural effects. They would like to see better coordination between the provinces and the federal government on this issue.
The petitioners further point out that brain injuries are frequently linked to other challenges, including substance use and homelessness, and they create additional barriers for those affected. It is estimated that there are 1.6 million Canadians who are living with a brain injury today, yet there is no coordinated national response.
The petitioners call on the government to support my bill, Bill C-206, to develop a national strategy on brain injuries; to improve education, awareness and prevention; to ensure better access to treatment and rehabilitation; and to have better coordination and recovery supports for Canadians living with the impacts of brain injuries.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the first petition I am presenting to the House today is with respect to the urgent need to implement a foreign influence registry. The petitioners highlight concerns about foreign interference in Canada, which are broadly shared, especially within certain diaspora communities that have been targeted through foreign interference. They highlight the need to defend our country, our sovereignty, and the integrity of our democratic processes.
The petitioners want the government to implement a foreign influence registry, rather than see it back off as it tries to warm relations with the powers that are responsible for a lot of the foreign interference.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling highlights concerns with an amendment to a Liberal bill, Bill C-9, that would criminalize situations in which an individual might read a passage of a sacred text such as the Bible, the Quran, the Torah, etc. The petitioners are saying that the state has no place regulating the reading of a religious text or the teaching of a faith community. They highlight that freedom of expression and freedom of religion are fundamental rights that must be preserved in this country. They are against the efforts of Bill C-9 to infringe on those fundamental rights.
The petitioners are asking the government to protect religious freedoms, uphold the right to read and share sacred texts, and prevent government overreach into matters of faith.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition highlights specifically the impact of the carbon tax and the continuing impact of the industrial carbon tax on farmers. They highlight the costs associated with the carbon tax and, importantly, that its impacts are still being felt because the government continues to believe in this tool and apply it through the industrial carbon tax.
Therefore, petitioners are calling on the House to exempt farmers from the impacts of this tax. They encourage the House to recognize the broader economic harms associated with the government's continuing this policy.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the final petition I will table today deals with medically facilitated death and the impact of the current regime on Canadians with disabilities. The petitioners are concerned with the frequent offers of facilitated death by those in authority, including in cases where people are not seeking information on it. There have been instances where people with disabilities are seeking access to unrelated public services and, instead, have been confronted with proposals from people in authority that they pursue facilitated death.
There is a bill before the House that I put forward, Bill C-260, the care not coercion act, which seeks to deal with situations where MAID is proposed to those who are not seeking it. The petition goes further than the bill and calls on the House to protect all Canadians whose death is not reasonably foreseeable by prohibiting medically facilitated death for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Fairhaven, Meadow Green, Parkridge and Confederation Park in Saskatoon about the challenges they are facing because of the crime, chaos and disorder that has taken over their neighbourhoods. The petition speaks to how neighbourhoods have been overrun with drug use and homelessness, making public areas unsafe. It also talks about how the safe supply and harm reduction programs paid for by the federal government have prolonged and encouraged drug use instead of offering treatment for addictions.
The petitioners are calling on the government to bring back the mandatory minimum sentences for the trafficking and importing of illegal narcotics, which were removed in Bill C-5. They want to end the dangerous safe supply experiment, which has lowered the cost and increased the supply of narcotics on the street. Finally, they want the government to invest in real treatment for drug users, such as rehabilitation beds, that encourage people to get off drugs.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time.
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
[For text of questions and responses, see Written Questions website]
Bill C-15 Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1Government Orders
Saint-Maurice—Champlain Québec
Liberal
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
moved that Bill C-15, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025, be read the third time and passed.
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand before the House to speak to the third reading of the budget. The finance minister has done an extraordinary job of putting forward a blueprint for Canada that would enable us to be more competitive, to provide for prosperity and to protect our sovereignty. These are important steps, so I thank the minister of finance for doing so. These are values that are critically important to all of us. I believe it is a vision shared by all parties and certainly by Canadians.
I came back into politics for a number of reasons. I think many members have as well. It is important for us to provide value in the House and to enable the next generation to be better off than we are, given the circumstances and the opportunities that we have in this place to do something better.
We are at a pivotal moment in our history. Geopolitical challenges are before us. Our largest trading partner is becoming less dependable, which is requiring us to be more forthright, to broaden our reach. The budget speaks to that. These are complex issues, so gimmicks do not work in this case. We need a serious road map. We need some serious engagement by all sides to enable this to succeed and to enable Canada to succeed.
At times, I hear us attacking the independent institutions in our democratic society that make us trusted partners around the world. I hear attacks on the Governor of the Bank of Canada or our securities commissions or our independent judges. We create the laws, but judges enact them, and we need that to be the case. The blame game that we sometimes see in the House can only go so far. We are all accountable here. We are all accountable to our constituents. We are all accountable to our children and to our parents. We in this House are trying to enable our society to care for our elders and to provide every opportunity for our children, which brings us to the budget.
I joined politics after 25 years in the private sector having my own business. I spent 20-plus years in the banking sector, supporting commercial business clients and participating in the capital markets. I enabled mergers and acquisitions and fostered ways for Canada to succeed. In that circumstance, I recognized—
Bill C-15 Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 1Government Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
I must interrupt the hon. member to remind members that if they wish to have conversations, they may do so outside the chamber.
The member for Mississauga—Lakeshore.
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I know the members are very interested in what is happening. It is creating discussion, and that is important.
After 25 years in the private sector, I wanted to give back to a society that enabled us to have opportunity. Many of us are products of immigration. My parents came in 1953 from a postwar fascist regime in Europe, seeking that opportunity to continue to prosper, to allow us that engagement and recognize that we all play an essential role in the well-being of Canada.
My first priority in politics and government is to promote economic growth, to promote economic stability and to enable opportunity and prosperity. That is essential to who we are and what we do in the House. The budget speaks to that in a large way.
The second priority is to be able to sustain social programs. We cannot do that without a strong economic force, and those programs are essential to help those less fortunate, to ensure that we have education and health care and that we have the backstop for those who are most in need. My community in Mississauga—Lakeshore cares about our economic prosperity and our ability to have jobs but also about ensuring that no one is left behind and that we support our elders as they move on to retirement.
Another priority has been unity. Spending the years I did in the private sector, I recognized some of the challenges between provinces. Tearing down those barriers and enabling us to foster greater competitiveness as a country means we have to have stronger unity as a country between provinces. I tried at one point to foster a national co-operative securities regulator across all provinces, and I was able to get eight provinces to sign on. That enabled us to have a shared vision, one where we could attract more foreign direct investment at a lower cost to them, and people of all political stripes understood that.
National unity is essential for Canada's prosperity. We can have our differences, but we recognize that when we work in tandem and try to help one another, we all succeed in our federation. At that time, I was representing the Province of Ontario, and we in that provincial government were going through some challenges with the 2008 downturn and the financial crisis. We still picked up, and we still contributed more to the rest of the federation than we brought in, because we understood that Canada is one, notwithstanding all the provincial differences. I strongly support co-operation and success in Quebec, success in British Columbia, success in Alberta and success in all of our provinces, because that way we all succeed.
Last, a fourth priority in this engagement, as to why I became a member and sought elected office, is to ensure that Canada stands proudly on the world stage. We have a lot to be proud of. Some may say we are reliant on major powers, and others may say Canada is a trusted partner and one that actually provides engagement regarding peace and the rule of law. That stands Canada apart. It is why we are a major force in NATO. It is why we continue to be a major force in the United Nations. It is why we must continue to stand tall and stand proud, to enable the rule of international law to prevail.
Canada is sought after because of our sense of peace, our sense of democracy and our sense of rule of law. We are not here to dictate what others should do but to, by our own example, encourage other parts of the world to behave appropriately, with respect. The budget speaks to respect: respect of our businesses, respect of our citizens and respect of those around the world. Yes, we have global challenges, and Canada is facing them.
In Mississauga—Lakeshore, in my community where I grew up, people care about the community. They care about education, jobs and security. They do not care about who is responsible. They just care about the results. They do not care about us deflecting blame to others. They care about us working together to ensure that greater security is had at home, that protection measures are there for them, and that prosperity and opportunity are provided for them as we go forward. The budget speaks to their priorities, investing to build more homes and protecting our society through a number of bills beyond our budget, on crime and bail. In the budget, there is already an allotment for greater border security, greater RCMP and greater measures of protection to ensure that Canada remains safe.
More importantly, this budget is about empowering Canadians, giving them skills and job opportunities and providing a number of aspects within industry, with our trade routes and our negotiations abroad, to enable Canada and Canadians to do even more. The budget not only charts a course for Canada, but it charts a course for individuals to succeed.
There are a lot of discussions around generational investments in the budget to build major infrastructure. The major projects being proposed would unleash the great potential that Canada has. It is why so many are seeking to invest in Canada and so many are trying to control those investments. We need to foster and protect our indigenous communities and protect Canadians. We must protect our borders, and we must empower Canadians by also providing better measures of affordability.
Again, the budget would provide tax cuts for low-income Canadians, incentives to produce more housing, and support within the mix so people can afford those groceries that have been costed up by inflation, which has been under control, but we need to do better in the interim. We must compete, and the budget talks about how we can compete and prosper, how we can build to enable that support and that prosperity, but it also says we must be more responsible and eliminate some wasteful spending. There are measures within the budget to empower us to invest but also to be mindful of where we spend. That is clear in the budget and the process by which we are proceeding without impeding those social programs that are so critical to all Canadians.
Attracting investment is a third issue in the budget that I want to touch upon. Canada is one of the strongest in the G7. We are unleashing over $1 trillion over the next five years through our major projects, our critical minerals sovereign fund, roads and bridges, our communities strong fund and Build Canada Homes. The defence industrial strategy is yet another piece of an economic imperative as well as a sovereign imperative.
The Major Projects Office will trigger $150 billion in total capital investment, which is critical. Many Canadians want to see Canada invest in itself. It is not just about taking minerals out of our ground. It is about processing and refining those minerals for value-added use. These things are essential as we proceed.
Let us talk about the fiscal impacts in the budget. We are in the midst of many trade agreements. We have witnessed a record number of measures already being taken by the Prime Minister, the trade commissioner and our trade minister. The world is looking to work with Canada.
Canada is the only country that has trade agreements with all G7 countries That says something about how we are viewed by other parts of the world. Canada is also sought after because we are an energy superpower, one that has a sufficient amount of oil and natural gas that has yet to be taken to its full potential. We recognize that, but we also recognize the clean energy grid that is also important in our ability to trade and to enable some of our industry to be even more competitive in the long term. Those measures are taken into account.
Our fiscal capacity is strong. We have a strong credit rating. We have very low net debt to GDP among others. Interest rates have come down, and we have locked in our bonds and yields for the long term to enable us to take advantage of the low rates today.
The skills, training and career ability of our people are also essential. This attracts people to Canada, knowing that we have the talent pool to enable manufacturing and advanced manufacturing innovation to succeed. Canada is nurturing that. We are an incubator as well as a builder. Those things must be maintained within Canada. We know that companies all too often will go after larger markets to enable them to succeed. We can do more to help them succeed here at home by having alternative trade routes across other parts of the world.
We have talked about affordability, the grocery benefit, and having the ability to ensure that people who are less able today would be able to reduce their taxes and have a way to foster greater engagement if they have found it difficult, certainly after the COVID years. We all recognize that. We talk about that, but Canada, by enabling greater prosperity and job creation, is also able to provide greater support and opportunity for people who have had a difficult time.
However, that measure is one of global effect, as colleagues know. The United States is going through the same thing, as well as other parts of Europe and other parts of the world. Canada is one of the few countries that has stood out in providing help and supports directly to the people most in need. We also supported industry, providing stimulus and other measures to help it be more competitive through the industrial strategy.
We have a housing strategy to try to foster and create more affordable homes, reduce homelessness and provide greater social well-being. The acceleration of some of those housing projects through our housing strategy will enable that to take place. Many are now breaking ground.
Public safety, as I talked about earlier, is an essential part within this budget. So many border security officers have now been hired For the RCMP, the funding of those essential supports are part of this budget.
Also considered as a part of this budget is fraud and financial crime, which affects so many and is hard to engage. Within this budget, as we go forward, we are engaged in those protection measures.
Our defence strategy recently came out, funded by the opportunities within this budget. It will help us bolster Canadian-made supports in aerospace, ammunitions and critical minerals. Our defence industrial strategy is aligned also with NATO and Europe, our allies, because we need to ensure that we are able to broaden our reach and our markets so we can have those measures invested here in Canada to enable Canadians to invest and also to prosper within those skills and manufacturing sites.
The key to this is our defence investment agency to foster and partner with the manufacturing and production facilities at home. The security action plan with Europe, and our strategic investments as we align ourselves across this country to support the industry, will help support and guarantee northern sovereignty, as well as our overall sovereignty in Canada and the Arctic, and provide an international boost for new careers across Canada.
Our focus is on Arctic and northern defence, technology and innovation, and, more importantly, on maintaining and securing a strong Canadian supply chain.
We are talking about a budget that encompasses housing abilities, our defence ability, our industrial major projects ability, the enablement of energy, the opportunity to maximize our critical minerals, and, above all, to be a trusted partner in the engagement with other parts of the world. Buy Canadian is a big part of this budget. We recognize that is a key factor for Canadians, our citizens, to succeed. It is a positive vision, one with confidence and discipline and one that abides by the rule of law.
I thank all members across the way as we maintain and strengthen Canada to keep Canada strong.
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Madam Speaker, I normally thank colleagues across the way for their speeches, but I cannot today.
I enjoyed serving on OGGO with the member opposite, but the media, if it bothered to fact-check the member's speech today, would probably spend two or three hours picking everything apart. It was funny to listen to the beginning of his speech. The former Kathleen Wynne finance minister who helped destroy Ontario's finances thanked the finance minister, who is on his way to matching the massive debt spending. He was also the Ontario finance minister who saw Ontario receive equalization payments from the rest of the country for every year he was finance minister.
I want to talk about one specific item. The member talked about respecting institutions. The government has not yet appointed a new Parliamentary Budget Officer. The interim officer's term ends March 3, and a new officer has not yet been named. The government operations committee put forward a motion that the government consult with Parliament about choosing a new Parliamentary Budget Officer, but none has been named yet.
Why is the government not respecting the institutions the member talks about its wanting to support so much?
