Debates of Feb. 9th, 2026

Transportation

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

Mr. Speaker, the member for Beauport—Limoilou has done more for the tramway in his nine months here and in the House than anything the member has done in his 10 years in the House. I can assure him of that.

Unlike that member, our government has been supporting the tramway project since 2018. To date, the federal commitment, as my colleague just said, amounts to nearly $1.4 billion, which clearly shows how important this public transit project for the Quebec City region is to us.

Obviously, we are still in discussions with Quebec concerning the Canada public transit fund and funds available under the Canada community-building fund.

Pensions

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' mismanagement repeats and repeats like a broken record. In 2022, they gave us the ArriveCAN app. The budget was $86,000, but the actual cost was $60 million.

Five years later, the same Liberal team is back with more IT scandals, this time with Cúram. The initial budget was $1.6 billion, but the actual cost is $6.6 billion, and it is a failure. The Minister of Transport tells us that there are a handful of cases, but in fact, 86,000 seniors are waiting for their money.

What do you have to say to seniors like Sylvie Bolduc in my riding? By the way, your answer is going out live on air.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I do not have an answer. I can confirm to the hon. member that I do not have an answer to give.

The hon. Secretary of State for Seniors.

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

Mr. Speaker, the OAS modernization is now complete and it came in under budget. More than seven million seniors are receiving their benefits on time through a modern system. The total cost of Cúram will cover four separate projects. The $6.6 billion is the amount planned and approved for the life of the project.

I invite the members opposite to give me the names of the seniors affected, and we will assist them.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers saw the cost overruns of SAAQclic. Hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted. That is a drop in the bucket compared to the federal fiasco involving Cúram, which cost $6.6 billion instead of $1.6 billion. That is $5 billion in cost overruns for a failed software program that was supposed to deliver old age pensions and does not even work properly. Currently, there are 86,000 seniors who are not receiving their money because of federal incompetence. The Liberals are still wasting billions of dollars, and Canadians are paying the price.

What is this government going to do with this federal version of the SAAQclic fiasco?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to tell Ms. Bolduc, who is obviously listening to us, and to the constituents of all the MPs here, that one case is indeed too many. We are going to resolve every last one. Ms. Bolduc and everyone else will receive every cent of the benefits to which they are entitled. However, that is beside the point. We have modernized government technology infrastructure that will serve Canadians well and provide both better service and faster access to OAS.

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

Mr. Speaker, the new Cúram software for managing OAS benefits is a complete disaster. Not only has it exceeded its projected costs, but it works so poorly that employees themselves give it a rating of 5 out of 10 or less. According to one employee, if the department had listened to public servants, they could have developed a system that was a thousand times easier to use.

Why should seniors suffer the consequences of this federal version of the SAAQclic fiasco?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is simply incorrect. There are not cost overruns. In fact, the project is on budget and 7.4 million OAS clients were migrated in March of 2025. Seniors can apply directly online. This is a 60-year-old system. Indeed, Canadians expect us to keep our IT systems modernized, and that is exactly what we are doing. If the member opposite has a constituent who needs help, he can please give them our name. We can certainly accelerate their case.

International Trade

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the United States government has unilaterally started a trade war against Canada—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I really could not hear a word of that, so we will have the hon. member start from the top.

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the United States government has unilaterally started a trade war against Canada. In response—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

There is obviously a subtext here somewhere, but let us put that aside in good faith. I do not want to call anyone out on this side either.

The hon. member for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas.

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the United States government has unilaterally started a trade war against Canada. In response, the Prime Minister has committed to doubling non-U.S. trade, with direct measures to help Canadian businesses adapt and grow.

Can the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources tell the—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

This is going to make question period a little lengthier than I had anticipated. I was going for a new record today of 3:03 or 3:04, but I do not think that is going to happen. We are going to give it another shot. We have to or else this is going to go on for a long time. We will cut into committee time and everything

The hon. member for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas has the floor, and let us see if we can get through it. We will try from the top.

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the United States government has started a trade war against Canada. In response, the Prime Minister has committed to doubling non-U.S. trade, with direct measures to help Canadian businesses adapt and grow.

Can the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources tell the House what our government is doing to support Canadian businesses impacted by unjustified American tariffs?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we are standing shoulder to shoulder with workers and businesses facing the impacts of unfair and unjustified U.S. tariffs, with targeted support to help businesses adapt, retool and stay competitive. That includes $1 billion through the regional tariff relief initiative, which is helping businesses protect jobs and diversify to new markets.

We are not just helping businesses weather this moment; we are building Canada strong.

Employment

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been disappointed to see that the Prime Minister is not delivering on his promises. He promised the strongest economy in the G7, but we lost 52,000 private sector jobs last month. He promised to build at speeds unseen in generations. We are actually losing jobs at speeds unseen in generations.

Conservatives have offered solutions like the Canadian sovereignty act and the Conservative youth jobs plan, which Liberals continue to oppose. When will they reverse course and start creating jobs, instead of more job losses?

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

Mr. Speaker, Conservative slogans, rhetoric and obstruction do not feed Canadian families. We have cut taxes for 22 million Canadian families. We have cut the GST for first-time homebuyers. We have cut the consumer carbon tax. Just a couple of weeks ago, we announced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will put up to $1,900 in the pockets of working families.

On this side of the House, we are going to continue to be laser-focused on affordability for families. That side should stop the obstruction.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I truly have no idea what that member is focused on, but my question was about the results of their policies. Now, let us talk about the results: 52,000 private sector job losses, 28,000 in manufacturing alone. That is just in the last month. He talked about the price of food. We have food inflation in this country that is more than double the food inflation in the United States.

If this member cannot answer a question about the results, when will he look at those Statistics Canada reports? If he sees the problems that every other Canadian can see, when will the Liberals reverse course?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader and that member actually supported giving millionaires child benefit cheques. Think about that. Let me say it again. They supported giving millionaires child benefits. They voted against the school food program. Every other affordability program we have put forth, they have voted against.

That party is focused on obstruction. We are focused on delivering for Canadian families.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are losing jobs, plants are shutting down and investments are fleeing. Canada lost 52,000 private sector jobs last month alone. Workers and families are paying the price, from GM employees in Oshawa to forestry families in Quebec who are struggling to put food on the table. This is the opposite of what the Prime Minister promised.

When will the Liberals admit that their rhetoric is far from the reality that Canadians face and finally listen to common-sense Conservative solutions?

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

Mr. Speaker, 134,000 jobs were created in the past year. Wages have been outpacing inflation for almost three years, with a rate of inflation that is well within the Bank of Canada's guidelines at 2.4%. However, we will not rest on that. We cannot, because the aim now must always be to secure Canada's future. Budget 2025 puts a foundation for that in place.

Will the Conservatives join us and put the politics aside? Let us work on behalf of our constituents. Let us work on behalf of Canada right now.