Debates of March 10th, 2026

Public Safety

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there have always been wars in the Middle East, but never before did those wars spill onto our streets here in Canada. After 10 years of Liberal immigration and Liberal open borders, they have allowed criminals, terrorists and illegal guns to enter our country. After 10 years of Liberal catch-and-release laws that the Prime Minister has not changed one word on, we have criminals released on our streets, and now our synagogues are being shot at, Iranian dissidents are killed on our streets and there are 700 IRGC terrorist agents on our streets.

What will the Prime Minister do to restore the safety that Canadians had before his Liberal government took office?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have to go quickly.

Bill C-14 would change the bail laws. The member might want to read it and definitely wants to support it. The member opposite has voted against every single gun control measure ever put before the House.

The government has banned the Islamic guard. The government has sanctioned over 200 Iranian entities. The government is investigating over 17,000 individual cases. We are protecting this country with 1,000 more RCMP—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, what I voted against was a Liberal approach that has doubled gun crime by wasting billions of dollars going after duck hunters, farmers and legal sport shooters. The Prime Minister is more worried about protecting turkeys from hunters than he is about protecting synagogues from terrorists. That is the real problem.

We have 700 IRGC terrorists in this country. It does not matter if they are banned. If they are on our streets, they are a danger. They are shooting up synagogues, killing dissidents and threatening our people.

Will the Prime Minister reverse the Liberal agenda that unleashed this violence on our streets?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we want to protect synagogues, we want to protect community centres and we want to protect places of worship, which is why Bill C-9 is before the House today.

I challenge the member opposite to put his votes behind his words to protect the Jewish community and to protect communities of faith across this country.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, his solution to synagogues being shot up is to ban sections of the Jewish Torah. That is not our solution on this side of the House. That is according to his own immigration minister and his own heritage minister.

We need to be safe at home. We need to be affordable at home. Even before this war broke out and raised gas prices, the Prime Minister doubled food price inflation and gave us the worst grocery price increases in all of the G7, so excuses about global impacts are not going to work.

Will the Prime Minister reverse his new taxes on food, fuel, farmers and fertilizer so Canadians can afford to eat?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that the member opposite read the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects the Torah, which protects the Bible and which protects freedom of expression. The House should not be otherwise informed by possible misrepresentation. We should follow the true word that protects all Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the question was about food prices. The Prime Minister said he could be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Since he took office, food price inflation has doubled, and the Prime Minister has introduced new taxes that increase the fuel prices for the farmers who feed us. Now, 2.2 million people are lined up at food banks and faced with even worse fuel costs today.

Will the Liberal Prime Minister reverse his latest Liberal tax so that Canadians can afford to eat?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it feels like Groundhog Day. I am once again required to remind the member opposite that the impact of the industrial carbon tax on fuel prices is approximately zero.

The impact, though, of our trade deals on the farmers in his constituency is absolutely enormous. It is almost planting season, and the farmers of Alberta, including in Battle River—Crowfoot, can plant canola.

Foreign Affairs

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, bring out the good china; we have visitors in Parliament. Judging by the Prime Minister's inclination to travel the world like Marco Polo, he is his own foreign affairs minister. Unfortunately, this foreign affairs minister is not known for his clarity, and by not accepting his own invitation yesterday, he missed a tremendous opportunity to explain his policies in Parliament.

When will he explain his strategic vision for the Middle East?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's policy is clear: Canada supports the need to prevent Iran's nuclear program and the export of terrorism.

Canada is not taking part in offensive operations by the United States and Israel, and it never will.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if I could call that clear, that would be news.

In military terms, Canada is clearly the smallest of the major players. Among the mid-level players, it is clearly the most isolated and no one seems to have understood its position so far.

Has the Prime Minister spoken with our allies in Europe? What have they agreed on in terms of a common position?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I just had a conversation with the chair of the G7, Mr. Macron. I had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan. I had a conversation with the President of the United States. That is three members of the G7. I am the fourth member. I will be meeting with Mr. Starmer, who is a fifth member of the G7 and with Ms. Meloni.

Yes, we will find common ground within the G7. We will do that and there will be de-escalation.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I should have been more specific in my question and asked whether he spoke with all of our allies in Europe together. Also, it will take a lot more continental drift for the United States to end up in Europe.

Does the Prime Minister intend to propose any short-term measures to help people who are suffering and who will continue to suffer as a direct result of this war?

I am talking about purchasing power, inflation, pensioners and home ownership for young families. I am talking about all of these issues that cannot be resolved in Norway over a five-year period but that must be addressed now for the people of Quebec and Canada.

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the best option is de-escalation and peace. That is why I am having conversations with other members of the G7 and with leaders of Middle Eastern countries, such as Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. We also need to use the G7's oil reserves.

The Economy

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. Record food bank usage, personal bankruptcy rates and an increasing number of Canadians borrowing money to buy food are proof of that. While there are some things that are outside of our control, there are things that the government does control, like its new fuel tax, which is already raising the price of gas by seven cents a litre and is set to climb up to 17¢ a litre, raising the cost of everything that Canadians buy.

When will the Liberals finally take responsibility for their reckless policies and stop making life more expensive for Canadians?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. Studies show that the impact of the industrial carbon price on food is zero. The clean fuel regulations do not impose a price at the pump, but they do create an impressive economy for our canola farmers. He should speak to the leader of his Conservative Party. There is a canola crush plant in his constituency, and Canada's largest renewable diesel facility is right on the edge of that riding. Canola farmers will see their price go up by $1.09 a bushel, according to Advanced Biofuels Canada.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every country in the G7 is facing external pressures, but this government stands alone in having created the worst food price inflation and the only shrinking economy in the G7. Instead of making life more affordable, the Liberals are making it worse with their higher fuel and carbon taxes, which are raising the costs for farmers, fishers and truckers, driving up the cost of everything for cash-strapped Canadians.

Why do the Liberals not finally focus on what they can control and get rid of these harmful policies that are punishing Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about what we can control: building Cedar LNG, building Woodfibre LNG, expanding Tilbury LNG, approving LNG Canada phase two, approving Ksi Lisims and approving the PRGT pipeline to the west coast.

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know we cannot control what happens abroad, but the government controls the policies here at home. Under the Liberal government, Canada now has the worst food price inflation in the G7 and the only shrinking economy in the G7. Our families, seniors, workers and those who transport our food have no alternative but to use fuel. These costs are imposed here at home, not abroad.

When will the Liberals end the era of self-sabotage and remove the policies that are driving up costs here at home?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, they seem to like to repeat their questions, so let me repeat the answer.

Studies have shown the industrial carbon price does not increase the cost of food. The clean fuel regulations do not impose a price right at the pump, and if they want me to be really clear, it creates an economic opportunity. I would think they would like to see that. In fact, according to the Advanced Biofuels Canada, it will create or preserve an average farm revenue by $60,000. That should mean something to the members opposite.

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, tell that to the producers and farmers in Victoria, Carleton and York counties in New Brunswick, who are being hit by the Liberals' newly renamed carbon tax, the clean fuel standard, which adds seven cents a litre. At the same time, the Liberals have raised the industrial carbon tax on steel, aluminum and farm equipment. All this is driving up costs for dairy, beef and poultry producers in my region and throughout the country. These costs are imposed here at home.

I will ask again. When will the Liberals end their era of self-sabotage and remove the policies that are making life more expensive for all Canadians?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things we cannot control in the world, but there are many things we can control. What we definitely can control is how we build one Canadian economy.

There is good news on our manufacturing PMI, which basically monitors new business activity. My colleague referred to steel, aluminum, auto, etc., and we are at a 13-month high. That means that businesses are now receiving more orders, and more jobs are being created. The tariffs have impacted us, but we have a good plan, we are bouncing back, and we will fight for jobs.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, I spoke to farmers in my riding recently and they have had enough. They are paying more and more for inputs like gas, fertilizer and farm equipment all because of the Liberal carbon and clean fuel taxes, for example.

Meanwhile, grocery prices continue to rise and everyone is paying more and more, which is really hard on families.

When will this Liberal government finally stop going after those who help our communities survive and eliminate these inflationary taxes?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like set the record straight in terms of what we are hearing from the other side. Repeating something day after day in question period does not make it true. To keep it simple for my colleague, according to all of the serious and rigorous analyses that have been conducted, the impact of the industrial carbon tax is virtually zero.

The Conservatives are telling us that there are things that we cannot control and things that we can. One of the things that they should control is how they vote. They voted against a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. They voted against the Canada child benefit, which has reduced child poverty by 40% in Canada. They voted against the grocery benefit, which will give families about $1,800 a year this year.

They should change their approach and support this government's affordability measures.