Debates of March 25th, 2026

The Economy

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at what has happened to the United States since the summer. It has lost 6,000 jobs. This country has created over 80,000 jobs since August.

Let us look at what has happened to wages in this country. They are growing the highest in years at 4%. They are growing twice the rate of inflation. Canadians are getting ahead every single month with this government.

Canadian wages have grown faster than the rate of inflation. Rents are at a 33-month low. Affordability is the best it has been in over a decade.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I guess those people who stash their cash in tax havens have never had it so good and so affordable. Tell that to the single mother who is walking down the grocery aisle.

Let us talk about jobs. The Prime Minister compares us to the United States. When we do an apples-to-apples comparison of unemployment, it is 1.3% higher in Canada than it is in the U.S. In fact, Canada has the second-highest unemployment in the G7, the worst grocery inflation in the G7, the most unaffordable housing in the G7 and the worst household debt in the G7. He promised we would be first, so why is he the worst?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have the lowest debt burden in the G7. We have the lowest deficit in the G7. We have the highest credit rating in the G7. What is this government doing? It is putting it into action with a defence industrial strategy that will bring half a trillion dollars of investment. With an auto strategy, with an electricity strategy, with a climate competitiveness strategy and with a housing strategy, we are moving forward. We are investing in this country, the second-best country in the world for foreign direct investment. We are moving forward. Come join us.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, strategies and imaginary promises will not pay the bills or fill the tank. We all know that global oil prices have gone up, but that does not explain why in Canadian dollars and in litres, Americans pay $1.46 a litre at the pump while Canadians are paying $1.70. That is 26¢ higher per litre at the pump because of the Prime Minister's anti-energy policies and his newly renamed carbon tax, the clean fuel standard.

Will he get rid of these policies and get rid of that tax so Canadians can have some relief at the pumps?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member opposite was not here in the spring. It is a source of great sadness. We got rid of the consumer carbon tax. That took off 18¢ per litre. What matters is the rate of growth of wages relative to overall inflation. Wages are growing at twice the rate. This country is moving forward.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

It is all an illusion, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister not only supported the carbon tax that he advised Justin Trudeau to put in, but thought it should be higher and broader. When he got into power, he did not get rid of it; he renamed it. He called it the Clean Fuel Standard, 7¢ a litre this year rising to 17¢ on top of an industrial carbon tax that is driving up the costs of all the industrial production of our energy. That is one of the reasons that, under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canadians pay the equivalent of 26¢ a litre more than the Americans pay.

Will he stop ripping off Canadians at the pump and get rid of these Liberal taxes so Canadians can get moving?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are getting this country moving with the biggest transformation of this economy in generations. We are building unprecedented amounts of affordable housing. We are building clean energy. We are lowering energy costs for Canadians. We are building a defence industrial strategy that this country has not seen since the Second World War. We are protecting Canadians. We are building this economy. We are empowering Canadians across the country.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to make one thing very clear: The Bloc Québécois fully respects freedom of conscience, freedom of belief and freedom of religion. That is true for all people, including the Prime Minister. Yesterday, the Prime Minister quoted the Bible in a speech. That is his prerogative, but I would like some clarification on what has become a critical issue in light of recent events.

Does the Prime Minister support the principle of state secularism and the separation of church and state?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, yes, yesterday, in the presence of the Leader of the Opposition, members of the NDP, the leader of the Green Party and even the Speaker of the House, I quoted the Bible and I also quoted Marcus Aurelius, like the Leader of the Opposition. That is because there are some principles that are universal. I am talking about virtues, values and examples. These are examples of virtue, examples of determination. Above all, it is the example of Canadians—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.

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

Mr. Speaker, the first word he said was “yes”. That is where the clarity ends. I assume that the Prime Minister believes, as I do and as all members do, that religion and the state are two separate things, one being personal and the other being public and collective, and that religion should not interfere in state decisions.

That being the case, can the Prime Minister explain why his government spent millions of taxpayer dollars, some of which came from Quebec, to task Crown attorneys to block and render ineffective a Quebec law that had been duly passed by the Quebec National Assembly ensuring the separation of church and state?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that is a fundamental question. The opposition member's question has to do with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is the federal government's responsibility to defend the charter. Proceedings are currently under way before the Supreme Court of Canada. We are awaiting the outcome.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is one or the other, and the Prime Minister is going to have to make up his mind. Either he acknowledges that religion plays a role and directly influences how his government and the Liberal Party manage government affairs, or he stops challenging Bill 21, which sets out rules for the secular nature of Quebec's state institutions. The Prime Minister cannot say and defend one thing and its opposite. He will have to take a stand and provide an answer.

Can he tell us, yes or no, whether he truly agrees with the principle of the separation of church and state?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that is a false dichotomy. The Bloc Québécois just made a choice about Bill C-9. It is Parliament's responsibility to protect the rights of religious communities, such as the Jewish community here in Canada, against hate. I am puzzled: Why did the opposition member support Bill C-9, which addresses this issue?

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals do not control what happens abroad, they do control their policies here at home. Instead of working to bring costs down, the Liberal Prime Minister is not only going ahead with his industrial carbon tax, but has introduced a fuel standard tax, which adds 7¢ a litre to the already high cost of gas and will eventually rise to 17¢ per litre. It is more of the same Liberal taxes from the same Liberal government.

When will the Liberal government give Canadians a break and get rid of these Liberal gas taxes that are making life more expensive for Canadian families?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be able to stand up here once again to reiterate and remind the members opposite that the industrial carbon price does not increase the cost of food. Studies show that, but if they want to talk about what we can do to help Canadians, I hope that they will celebrate alongside me that our government cut taxes for Canadians. That is a win.

They can talk about imaginary taxes. Over here, we are taking real action on affordability.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are paying more because of Liberal policies here at home. All G7 countries are dealing with similar external factors, but it is only the Liberal government that has caused us to have the worst food inflation and the only shrinking economy in the G7. The price of gas is 20% higher here than it is in the U.S., and Liberal fuel and carbon taxes are making it even worse.

When will the Liberal government stop passing the buck, take responsibility for its policies and finally cut Liberal taxes to make life more affordable for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where that member has been, but on this side of the House, we are going to continue to focus on affordability for Canadians. We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We cut the GST for first-time homebuyers. We cut the consumer carbon tax. On this side, we are going to continue to focus on and build the strongest economy in the G7. It is time for that party, that leader and that member to stop the obstruction and stop the rhetoric.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot afford the cost of living, and the Liberals think the best way to get Canadians back on their feet is to miss three car payments. That is the problem. Their decisions keep making life more expensive. As gas prices skyrocket, the government is making things worse with its industrial carbon tax and the fuel standard tax. The Liberals point to global instability, but it is the Prime Minister who is choosing to make Canadians pay even more at the pump.

Why will the Liberals not remove the tax on gas and give Canadians a break?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, we acknowledge that oil price shocks due to the war in the Middle East are rippling across the world and increasing the cost of living pressures on Canadians here at home. That is why we recently worked with our international partners to release hundreds of millions of barrels of Canadian oil as part of an effort to provide stability for businesses and consumers. We cannot unblock the Strait of Hormuz, but we can control what we do here at home. We have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians, offered a groceries and essentials benefit and offered a national school food program. That saves families hundreds and thousands of dollars per month.

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

Mr. Speaker, gas prices are 26¢ higher in Canada than in the U.S., and Liberal policies are forcing Canadians to skip meals, defer dreams and fall behind on bills. That is because we are the only country with a shrinking economy in the G7 as well as having the worst food inflation. While Canadians are being forced into hard choices, the Liberal government has a simple choice: It can scrap the taxes that are driving up fuel costs so Canadians pay less at the pump.

Will the Liberals finally take responsibility for what they can control and axe these taxes?

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

Mr. Speaker, maybe the member remembers voting against all of the measures that actually make life more affordable. For example, there is early learning and child care here in Ontario, which is saving a family with one child $16,000 a year. For example, there was the announcement we just made yesterday to ensure students can access up to 40% more in student grants, which is going to make sure that student accessibility to education remains affordable.

The list goes on and on, but no matter what it is, the Conservatives vote against it. Why do they not support Canadians?

The Economy

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every G7 country faces global headwinds, yet only one is choosing to make inflation worse through domestic policy. Canada now leads the G7 in food price inflation, carries the only shrinking G7 economy and faces fuel costs nearly 20% higher than the United States, because the Liberal government is adding an industrial carbon tax and a fuel standard tax that will reach 17¢ per litre.

If the Prime Minister cannot name a single G7 country that is following this declining trend, what justification does this one have for doubling down on this failed path?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives continue to talk down this economy and talk down our workers, we are building it up. Why? It is because we have a plan to make life more affordable. We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We have taken the GST off first-time homebuyers, and we are investing in our auto sector, our steel sector and our aluminum sector. Why? There is a trade war on, and we are backing real families, real companies and real jobs.

Why do they not get on board and support real workers?

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we are not talking down the economy. The Liberals are bringing down the economy.

A recent survey shows that 84% of farmers think the Prime Minister is an epic failure. I am wondering if the Prime Minister could tell me which one of his policies have made farmers so angry. Is it the fact that the Liberals are closing seven research centres and firing hundreds of scientists? Is it because we are the only G7 country with a 35% tariff on fertilizer imports? Is it the fuel standard or the industrial carbon tax, which goes up again on April 1?

Which one of these policies is the reason the Prime Minister is an epic failure?