Debates of Feb. 27th, 2026

The Economy

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, we should all be outraged about child poverty, but what we actually need are concrete plans. That is why, when the government brings forward plans like the national school food program and like affordable child care, it would be nice to have the support of the members opposite in passing those programs.

Why has it been so difficult for us to have a permanent national school food program in this country? Why do the Conservatives not stand up and support affordable child care that helps families? Why will the Conservatives not stand up and support proudly our Canada groceries and essentials benefit to help families? The Conservatives will not do that. The outrage is unwarranted.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nearly a decade of Liberal governments, child poverty is rising for the third straight year. Nearly 30,000 more children have fallen below the poverty line, and almost one in five children is now living in poverty. Families are not just struggling; they are falling further behind.

Why, after 10 years of higher taxes, higher deficits and higher inflation, are Canadian children worse off under the current government?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, it would be excellent for Canadians to also ask why, after so many years, the Conservatives continue to vote against the very programs that are supporting families in need, the most vulnerable families in our country, and our kids.

Why will they not support a national school food program that we have put in place? It is going to help half a million kids coast to coast. Why will the Conservatives not support making it permanent? Why will they not support affordable child care, which is helping nearly a million kids across this country get early learning and child care? These are the types of programs that support families and support our kids, but somehow the Conservatives will not stand up and support these programs when they get the chance.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what the government fails to realize is that people are better off, when they have more money in their pockets, they do not need endless government programs. They have a responsibility to provide for their own families through good jobs, yet we have a cost of living crisis. There are 30,000 more children living in poverty. There are so many food-insecure households in this country. The number has doubled, and now working parents cannot even afford to put food on the table.

How much worse does it have to get before the Liberal government lowers costs, fixes the economy and lets Canadian families keep more of what they earn?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, there are children living in poverty in this country, and we have an opportunity to fight for them. The government supports the Canada child benefit because it goes to six million kids. There are 3.5 million families that get the Canada child benefit, but the Conservatives have never supported it. We support child care. They do not. What about pharmacare, the beginnings of it? That helps families too. We support it. They do not. When it comes to the school food program, the hon. member across the way called it “garbage” a few months ago. Have we forgotten that?

It is a hard time. Let us have the backs of Canadians by pursuing serious agendas, not games.

[Helena Konanz, Conservative, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, when are the Liberals going to realize these programs are not working?

I was recently approached by a young mom who told me how hard it has become to feed her children. It was heart-wrenching. I see her face now when I hear that child poverty rose for a third straight year in Canada. Nearly 30,000 more children have fallen below the poverty line.

When will the Liberal government end the trend of child poverty getting worse every year?

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, it is really ironic for the Conservatives to talk down our programs, when they do not even have a plan. Not only that, but they are voting against every solution we are putting forward to ease the burden of families and put more money into the pockets of Canadians: the dental plan, the groceries benefit, affordable child care and the national school food program.

No one really believes the Conservatives are there to protect the most vulnerable. Let us be serious. I invite them to work with us for real solutions.

Health

[Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, cancer can upend lives in an instant. Every Canadian knows someone, be it a friend, a family member or a colleague, who has faced a cancer diagnosis. It is a disease that touches far too many families across our country. Even some members of the House have, sadly, faced that news themselves.

We all understand the importance of prevention and early detection. Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health update the House on what the government is doing to strengthen cancer prevention and ensure that more Canadians benefit from early detection?

[Maggie Chi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, my mom is a cancer survivor, and I know what it is like when a loved one goes through cancer treatments.

We also know that prevention matters. Up to 40% of cancer cases could be prevented. That is why I am proud that our government announced $41 million for groundbreaking cancer prevention research. Through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and partner organizations, we are supporting 19 teams whose work will save lives, build a healthier Canada and make sure we get to spend more time with our loved ones.

The Economy

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the face of poverty is changing. Today, it might be a single mother who skips meals so that her children can dress properly and not be singled out at school. School trips have become luxuries. Families are going into debt to ensure that their children are not left behind. This is the result of 11 years of Liberal policies.

Families do not want pity. They do not want more government cheques. They want to be able to provide for their children.

When will the Liberals understand that ideological programs do not work and finally make decisions that will give our children access to a life of plenty?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned ideology, and that is exactly what this is about.

On this side of the House, we firmly believe that the government has a role to play in reducing poverty through social programs. We firmly believe that social programs are important and help improve the lives of families.

The Conservatives want to eliminate them. That would make things much more difficult.

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, despite all these wonderful, virtuous programs, child poverty is on the rise for the third consecutive year. Nearly 30,000 more children have fallen below the poverty line. One in five children under the age of six lives in poverty in Canada. That means that 2.5 million children are part of a family that is facing food insecurity. In Montmorency—Charlevoix, families are struggling to pay their rent and community organizations are overwhelmed.

Why, after so much massive spending and historic deficits, do our children still not have greater access to resources? Why are they still facing food insecurity?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, poverty in general is a problem, of course, and especially poverty that affects children. Food insecurity is extremely important and extremely concerning. That is why we invite all our colleagues to work together to reduce it.

The way to do that is by increasing economic growth to create good jobs that can provide good family incomes. However, if we cut social programs, we would be shooting ourselves in the foot and it would be much worse.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal policies have made child poverty worse. The child and family poverty report card shows child poverty rising for a third straight year. Nearly 30,000 more children are falling below the poverty line, and almost one in five children under age six is now living in poverty. The number of children in severely food-insecure households doubled between 2019 and 2023.

When will the Liberal government stop making child poverty worse, start caring about family food affordability and create a working economy so Canadians can afford to live?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw attention to the fact that there is no government in history that has done more to support families across this country.

Whether that is introducing $10-a-day, affordable, high-quality child care for almost a million families in this country or introducing the national school food program, we have been there for families and we will continue to be.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, if those programs were working, we would not have so many children living in poverty.

Mahatma Gandhi once said that the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable, so it is unfortunate that child poverty in Canada has risen for the third year in a row. More than 800,000 children in this country are currently living in poverty, and that number has more than doubled since 2020.

When will the Liberal government reverse the trend of child poverty getting worse under its watch and create an economy where Canadians can afford to live?

[Buckley Belanger, Liberal, Secretary of State (Rural Development)]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to know that the challenges many families in Canada face have to be recognized. I was very proud to stand with our very capable Minister of Jobs and Family in Regina several weeks ago to announce $1.6 billion to help offset day care fees for the people who want to re-enter the economy.

Any day of the week, I will compare our progress on helping families afford the needs of their children to the Conservatives, who have cut and gut many programs in the past.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Clarke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, poverty has risen for children for the third year in a row. Nearly 30,000 more children are falling below the poverty line this year. One in five children under the age of six now lives in poverty. If this does not cause the Liberals to act, I do not know what will.

When will the Liberals finally meaningfully address the affordability crisis, limit their inflationary spending and get rid of all taxes on food?

[Wade Grant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, before I came to this side of the House, I was so excited when the national school food program was put forward. I grew up in a first nations community among many kids who lived below the poverty line. When I go down to my community centre, I watch kids go into our community centre. They get breakfast, they get lunch and they go to school with a full belly.

When I graduated from high school, I was one of very few who graduated from high school. Now we are seeing kids graduate in record numbers in my community. I have no doubt that it is because of the nutritious breakfasts and lunches they get.

Public Services and Procurement

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Mr. Speaker, while the minister continues to deny issues with the software system Cúram, tens of thousands of Canadians have been impacted by the Liberals' botched update. Cases are backlogged, benefits are delayed and seniors are left paying the price. The program, which was set to cost less than $2 billion, has ended up costing $5 billion more.

Why do Liberal programs always massively exceed their projected costs, and why are seniors forced to pay the price for Liberal incompetence?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, let me try to correct some of the member's assertions today. There is no cost overrun on this project. It is in the first phase. The project is on track with respect to modernizing old age security. When this project is complete, as it is now delivering benefits on time and accurately for over 7.7 million seniors, we are going to see that this new modernization is actually there to support Canadians in some of our largest benefit programs for the next generation.

It was entirely necessary, and the Conservatives should know this because there was a 2011 report from public accounts that encouraged them to start doing the work, which they did not.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals refuse to be transparent with Canadians. The Auditor General has reported these cost overruns numerous times. Their attempt at updating an outdated technology has ended up costing Canadians $5 billion more, three times more than they projected. The bottom line is this: Canadian seniors deserve better than Liberal excuses and denial.

Why is it that Liberals cannot ever deliver on time or on budget?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, this modernization project is the largest IT project ever undertaken by the Government of Canada. When it is completed, it is going to finish the necessary modernization of our biggest benefit programs, which millions of Canadians rely on, to deliver billions of benefits over the course of our lives.

This is a 60-year-old program that required updating. It is in progress. It is delivering benefits to over 7.7 million seniors right now, accurately and on time. It is the first phase. We are going to continue to do this work carefully.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the party of cost runs is at it again. This time it is the flawed Cúram system, a $6.6-billion disaster that has had tens of thousands of seniors hurt by the latest boondoggle from the incompetent Liberal government.

What is the Liberals' response? Their response has been that it is Canadians' fault for too many of them growing older, becoming seniors and flooding the system. Why are seniors being forced to pay the price for continued Liberal incompetence?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, the 2011 report of the public accounts committee sounded the alarm on the lack of sustainable funding for renewing IT infrastructure, noting that major funding shortfalls posed a high risk for core programs not being able to support the aging system, but the Conservatives at the time, who were in government, chose to do nothing about it.

Today, these investments are long overdue. The system is in critical need of updating and modernization to move it off of a paper-based, 60-year-old system, so that Canadians can rely on it and benefits can be delivered securely in the years to come.