Debates of March 9th, 2026

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, the program that the member opposite is talking about, Cúram, is used in 20 countries around the world. This is a wild goose chase, and she knows it. Seven point seven million Canadians have been successfully transferred to this system. In fact, we are working through the backlog. These are complicated cases, often with paper applications. There is a hotline for urgent cases. Urgent cases are getting dealt with within 24 to 48 hours.

Canadians expect responsible, reliable delivery of benefits, and that is what this modernization provides.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals could have avoided the Cúram fiasco by looking at the problems it has caused all over the world, because this has been going on for 20 years. They also could have listened to the Auditor General who noticed that the costs were skyrocketing in 2023. Perhaps they could have also listened to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, which looked into this in 2023, and especially to Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, the former and future member for Terrebonne. The Liberals did not listen to anyone, and now they are embroiled in another IT fiasco.

When will they launch an independent public inquiry?

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

Mr. Speaker, if the member says that 7.7 million seniors' getting reliable, modern delivery of benefits is a disaster, I am not sure what the member opposite is talking about.

She would have us go back to a system that is 60 years old, paper-based and hackable. It would fail. In fact, the Auditor General said that the old system was so frail that Canadians could not count on it. Is that what she wants to keep delivering for Canadians?

We are about moving forward with the future, and Canadians expect benefit delivery that is reliable and safe.

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

Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals say that Cúram is a success story, they fail to mention that it is a global success.

La Presse reported that five other governments have installed Cúram and are facing the same problems and cost overruns. This has been going on for 20 years in Australia, since 2006. However, the Liberals did not learn anything from that. As a result, 85,000 seniors are suffering, and there are $5 billion in cost overruns.

The Liberals are systematically filibustering at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to prevent us from shedding light on this issue. When will there be an independent public inquiry?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. However, I see that there are some really far-fetched assumptions being made here. I invite him to attend a technical briefing to fully understand what this is about.

The Bloc Québécois has been talking about about the Auditor General. In 2014, the Auditor General sounded the alarm, saying that the 60-year-old system was a recipe for disaster and that the country needed to modernize the way benefits are distributed. That is exactly what we did, and 7.7 million seniors are now getting their benefits on time, in a reliable and secure manner.

That is our commitment to seniors. The status quo and the Bloc's inaction are completely unacceptable.

The Economy

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the worst food inflation and the only shrinking economy in the G7, and it is no wonder. The Liberals' increasing fuel standard is already costing Canadians seven cents per litre today, and it will rise to 17¢ per litre by 2030, hitting the farmers, fishermen and truckers who put food on our tables. These costs are entirely made in Ottawa by the Liberal government.

If the Prime Minister is so focused on what we can control, then why does he not stop pointing fingers and scrap the taxes that are making life so unaffordable for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, I know it is Monday, and on Monday we expect good news, but what I think we should tell Canadians is what this government has been doing in order to make life affordable and this economy competitive. This government has presented one of the most ambitious budgets in our history, with generational investment in infrastructure, generational investment in housing, generational investment in productivity and competitiveness, and generational investment in our defence.

Instead of talking the Canadian economy down, they should celebrate our workers, celebrate our Canadian industries and celebrate our country.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister should know better. Those huge generational deficits are what is driving inflation up in this country.

Going back to the cost of food, which was my initial question, they have also failed to drive competition. Instead of keeping these countless taxes on the building blocks of our food supply, they should address them. The reality is that Canada is falling behind, not because of global forces but because of their choices.

Will the Prime Minister finally take responsibility and remove these policies, which are driving up the cost of food for every Canadian?

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

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the aisle, we will take responsibility for building the strongest economy in the G7. That I can say we will do, and we will do that with Canadian workers. We will do that with Canadian industries. We will do that with our partners around the world. We just came back from a mission in India and Australia. I can say that the world wants what Canada has to offer. We have highly skilled workers, and we have strong industries. We build boats, we build cars, and we build ships. We have critical minerals; we have energy in abundance, and we are the only G7 country with free trade with all G7 nations.

We believe in Canada on this side of the aisle.

[Carol Anstey, Conservative, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, Liberals like to blame global pressures, but the policies driving up the cost of living in Canada are made right here in Ottawa. Canada now has the worst food price inflation in the G7 and the only shrinking economy in the G7. In Newfoundland and Labrador, nearly all groceries arrive by truck or ferry, yet the Prime Minister is pushing ahead with the newly renamed carbon tax, the clean fuel standard, which adds seven cents a litre, climbing to 17¢. That will drive up the cost of transporting food right to the grocery shelf.

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

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I am going to follow my colleague next to me and talk about good news on a Monday. The Bay du Nord project, for example, in Newfoundland and Labrador is getting workers on the job in our province, building our economy and building our infrastructure.

This is a good news project, and I invite my colleague in the opposition from Newfoundland and Labrador to get on board.

[Carol Anstey, Conservative, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, that is a complete deflection, but if that minister wants to talk about Bay du Nord, she knows it was the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador who fought to see that project move ahead. The government spent years creating barriers and now that minister is trying to take credit, but that does not answer the question about the costs the Liberals are imposing today. Someone recently called my office and said that he has been heating his room with his oven because he cannot afford to put oil in his tank.

When will the Liberals take responsibility for the policies they are imposing that are making life more expensive for Canadians?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that member to speak with the CEO of Equinor to know who made that project possible, and then I am going to say to her that I will never politicize the challenges that people have in our province and in this country in food security. That is why the programs that we have in place are so important: actual supports for families and seniors. I am happy to bring this member up to speed on the programs that exist, but do not politicize what is so important to people's lives.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we cannot control what happens abroad, but the Liberals do control the policies that they are imposing that make life more expensive for Canadians. Today we have the worst price inflation and the only shrinking economy in the G7. Policies like the fuel standard that adds seven cents a litre, rising to 17¢, will apply to those who bring us our food, while the industrial carbon tax raises the price on steel, aluminum, plastic and farm equipment.

When will the Liberals accept responsibility for what they can control and remove their policies that make life more expensive for Canadians?

[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 opposition talks the economy down, we are building it up. We have a plan to make life more affordable. We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We eliminated the consumer carbon tax. We cut the GST for first-time homebuyers. We also have the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will provide about $1,890 to an average family of four this year.

Instead of talking the economy down, which is all they do, why do opposition members not join us and build this country up?

Taxation

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2016 in Laval, former mayor Vaillancourt was found guilty of stealing $7 million from the people of Laval. All that money was returned and is back in Laval. Guess what? This Liberal government is now asking the City of Laval to write a cheque for $1 million. Who is it for? It is for Mr. Vaillancourt. That is appalling. Not only were the people of Laval robbed once, but they are being robbed a second time by this government.

Today is Monday. Can the Minister of Finance, who also happens to be the revenue minister, tell the people of Laval that the government made a mistake and that they do not have to pay?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Give me a minute. It was a bit loud. I did not see the person who did that, but I suspect certain members. Members should not yell like that during question period. Question period belongs to those asking the question and those answering the question.

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague. That is a serious and complex question.

I can inform him and the people of Laval that I contacted the mayor of Laval this morning, that I have summoned the Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency and that we are working together on finding a solution that will be in the best interests of the people of Laval.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Thomas Gerbet, the Radio-Canada journalist who made the situation public because the mayor of Laval had already spoken to the revenue minister who did nothing.

The Minister of National Revenue should have followed the Government of Quebec's example. In 2016, a Quebec finance minister said, “For our government, this is a matter of fairness to the people of Laval who were the primary victims in this case”.

Has the Minister of Finance consulted the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, who made the decision in 2016 without being prompted by a Radio-Canada news story?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said, I thank my colleague for the question. It is a serious question about a complex issue. I would advise him to be a bit more careful because the situation is much more complex than how he is presenting it today.

However, what I can say is that I contacted the mayor of Laval myself this morning. I summoned the Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency. As I said, we are in problem-solving mode. We will find a solution that will be in the best interests of the people of Laval.

Rail Transportation

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, expropriations will not make the high-speed rail project a success. What is needed is social licence.

However, let us look at how the CEO of Alto responded to concerned farmers. He confirmed that there will be expropriations but said that he hopes that they will not be the primary tool. He hopes that expropriation will not be the primary tool. He confirmed that Alto has the means to expropriate land and that it will do so, if necessary. At this point, that almost sounds like a threat.

When will the government show some respect for the people of the north shore and hold meaningful discussions with them?

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

Mr. Speaker, the government is very sensitive to what is happening in Mirabel. Of course, we will work with the mayor, the reeves, the farmers and the UPA. Our Quebec lieutenant is working on this issue, as is my colleague, the Minister of Transport.

Having said that, we know that high-speed rail is a good project. However, as my colleague said, social licence is important, and we can do both.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us put ourselves in the shoes of the people of Terrebonne, Mascouche and Mirabel. Alto's CEO is confirming that there will be expropriations, but he is hopeful that it will not be the primary tool that is used. So he is confirming that it could happen.

Our people want respect. The towns of Terrebonne, Mascouche and Mirabel want real consultation on the route. They want real local economic spinoffs. The north shore is not going to lie down and be bullied into accepting the high-speed rail.

Will the Liberals finally demand that Alto seek social licence?