Debates of March 12th, 2026

Taxation

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals blame the world for the fact that families are struggling more than ever to make ends meet, but it is actually the government's policies here at home that are driving up the cost of food. Canada has the highest food inflation rate out of the G7. A big factor in this is the hidden carbon tax, also known as the clean fuel standard. It is making life more expensive because it is driving up the cost of fuel for trucks, farmers and fishermen.

When will the Liberals take responsibility for their actions here at home and take off these taxes that are punitive for Canadians?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, it seems like the members opposite from the Conservative Party have a big interest in the clean fuel standard. Let me talk to them and to their constituents about the opportunities that are created by this. Canola farmers in Alberta will actually see an increase in the value of their product. They will actually see an increase in their farm revenue. We see the Imperial renewable diesel facility is going to use up and require 50% of the canola produced in Alberta. This is an opportunity for farmers in her riding and in all the rest of her caucus members' ridings. We stand up for—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Lethbridge.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister, who is entirely out of touch with the people in western Canada and, I would dare say, all Canadians, would like them to believe that there is a benefit to this tax, that there is a benefit to driving up the cost of groceries and forcing seniors to have to choose between groceries and their medications or having families choose between giving their daughter formula or having to cut back on the essential amount. These are the types of tough decisions that Canadians are making, yet the minister says that this is an opportunity for them.

When will the government listen to Canadians, see Canadians for what they are saying and the challenges they are facing, and do something about it?

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

Mr. Speaker, judging from recent opinion polling, it is not us who are out of touch with the people of Alberta. It is, in fact, the Liberal government that is delivering on the promise of a memorandum of understanding with the Province of Alberta. It is this government that is making markets, creating revenues and increasing the incomes of canola farmers across Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The question for the opposition is this: When will they get behind this western Canadian agenda?

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians watching know that the government always has an excuse ready, but they cannot keep passing the buck when we have the highest food inflation and the worst economic growth in the G7. Backward Liberal policies imposed domestically, like the industrial carbon tax and the fuel standard tax, are harming our economy and making life more expensive for Canadians.

Enough excuses. Will the Liberals scrap these self-inflicted taxes they are forcing on Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, enough rhetoric from that side of the House. This is a government that is supporting Canadians right across the country. We have delivered on the groceries benefit, which in my riding is going to help over 30,000 of my constituents. I expect something similar in that member's riding as well. That benefit is going to help deliver close to $1,900 this year for a family of four. It is the part of our plan that is making an actual difference in the lives of Canadians.

When are these Conservatives going to get on board and back us up?

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, how can Canada stand on its own two feet in the world if the Liberals keep cutting our legs out from under us? Amid global instability, the government should be doing everything it can to make life more affordable right here at home. Liberal taxes are leaving Canadians more exposed to global shocks, conflicts and decisions by foreign governments.

When will the Liberals stop making excuses and scrap these taxes?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member is a man of good spirit and good heart. Let me help him with his talking points.

Canada is the second-fastest growing in the G7. We have one of the lowest debts to GDP. He should rejoice about the place of Canada in the world. We have the most educated workforce. We have strong industry. We have critical minerals. We have energy. We have trade agreements. We have everything to lead in the world of the 21st century. We believe in Canada and—

The Economy

[Steven Bonk, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals like to blame everyone else for rising food prices, but it is their own policies here at home that are driving prices up. Canada now has the highest food inflation in the G7. Instead of helping, the Liberals are now adding new fuel costs, which will rise from 7¢ to 17¢ a litre. For every new tax that increases the cost of planting, harvesting and transporting food, farmers cannot absorb them and consumers cannot afford them.

Please, Mr. Prime Minister, flip-flop again. Scrap these costly policies and finally show some mercy to the hard-working Canadian families and the farmers who feed them.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Before the member starts, I just want to remind members that we address the Chair. We are not addressing any member of the House directly, and I will just remind the member of that too.

The hon. Secretary of State for Rural Development.

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

Mr. Speaker, there is more good news as my colleague likes to say. The headlines in the newspapers in Saskatchewan state, “Saskatchewan grain terminals seeing increase in canola sales”. Saskatchewan is optimistic on oil and gas. Saskatchewan is building. Why is Saskatchewan building? It is because Canada works. That was the message we heard from the Conservative opposition for the last 10 years. I am here to say we love Saskatchewan, and everything that we do we do for Saskatchewan.

[Steven Bonk, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, that answer shows just how out of touch these Liberals are. That member represents a riding in Saskatchewan, which is the breadbasket of Canada and the world, yet there have been 27 confirmed cases of scurvy in that member's riding. These are not people who are coming over in wooden ships across the Atlantic in the 1600s. Unfortunately, this is just another day in Liberal Canada.

When will the government be morally or ethically serious and stop these crazy policies that are driving up food inflation in Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have been trying to speak with our premier, Scott Moe, in Saskatchewan, but I cannot get a hold of him. He is too busy signing deal after deal with the Prime Minister, which means benefit after benefit for the Saskatchewan people.

Any day of the week, I will compare the Prime Minister's and our government's ability, credibility and capability versus a phantom plan designed by an anonymous economist and led by someone who never worked in the private sector before.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, the rising cost of living is hitting my constituents, Quebeckers and Canadians hard.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I must interrupt the hon. member.

Some members are still talking about the last exchange. I am going to ask them to settle down.

We may have to extend oral question period.

The hon. member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord.

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

Mr. Speaker, the rising cost of living is hitting my constituents, Quebeckers and Canadians hard. We have the worst food inflation in the G7.

Despite this, the Liberals are determined to make life even more difficult by increasing the fuel tax, which is going up from 7¢ per litre to 17¢ per litre. That leads to higher prices for our farmers and our carriers.

When will the government put an end, once and for all, to these taxes that are a burden on Canadian families?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague, I am saddened to see him rise in the House when, on previous occasions, he failed to defend the interests of his constituents, protect them from the rising cost of living and fight for affordability and their purchasing power.

I am thinking of the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, for example, which helps 12 million Canadians, including three million Quebeckers. That is $1,800 per family for the most vulnerable families. There is also the increase to the Canada child benefit and a tax cut for the middle class. However, it is not just that. This is also about building major projects, such as the expansion of the Port of Saguenay, which creates good jobs for the economy in my colleague's riding and for Quebec's economy.

Public Services and Procurement

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, which includes my Liberal colleagues, unanimously adopted a motion calling for a commission of inquiry into the failures of the following federal IT systems: Phoenix, ArriveCAN and Cúram.

The Quebec National Assembly has also unanimously called for such a commission of inquiry. The federal government's IT track record shows taxpayers' money going into flawed systems and people ending up in trouble as a result. These billions of dollars could have been better invested. It is time to shed light on all of this.

When will there be an independent public inquiry?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear with the member. The government tabled a response at the public accounts committee in January. There were over 50 pages of documentation on the progress of the benefits delivery modernization program that are publicly available and can be found online, so what the member has asked for has already been conducted. Just this morning, he also participated in a technical briefing with the department, where he learned that the benefits system is providing services to over 7 million Canadians and is on track, and that so far the expenditure is under budget.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister criticized us for not attending a briefing on Cúram. However, that briefing session was held today, and we were in attendance. The bottom line is that Cúram is still causing problems. Tens of thousands of seniors are still without their old age security benefits. The bills keep coming. Cúram continues to cause the same problems, and thousands of people are still anxious and worried.

What are the Liberals waiting for? Instead of holding briefings to defend their bad system, when will they set up a commission of inquiry?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by congratulating the Bloc Québécois members, who finally agreed to attend a technical briefing that I believe will help them understand this issue. With regard to the Cúram system, the direct costs of the project are lower than expected.

It is important to remember one thing: 7.7 million Canadians are receiving their OAS payments through Cúram. What the Bloc Québécois is proposing is completely unacceptable. It would leave millions of seniors to rely on an archaic system that is doomed to obsolescence, that is vulnerable and that put the financial health and security of millions of seniors across the country at risk.

Housing

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is a new day, and that means there is another CMHC housing report that is warning that housing starts are falling because projects simply no longer work financially. Government taxes, fees and regulations now account for up to half the cost of a new home.

When government takes that much, fewer homes get built, so will the Liberal government please just listen to the Conservatives, listen to experts and take the immediate step to improve the economics of housing and eliminate the GST on all new homes?