Debates of April 13th, 2026

Taxation

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is still more rhetoric and no results from the Liberals.

Canadians have been pinching their pennies for long enough. The Liberals have the ability to use $5 billion of their $9 billion windfall to suspend the excise tax, the GST on gas and diesel, and permanently eliminate the clean fuel taxes and the carbon taxes. That would deliver over $1,200 in savings this year for a family of four.

Will the Liberals stop lining their own pockets for once, do the right thing and cut the gas taxes for Canadians?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, we are delivering relief for Canadians, whether at the grocery store or on everyday essentials like gas. We have delivered the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. The member gave the perfect example of a family of four; there is $1,900 additional for that family. We have also cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. Premiers across the country, including Conservative premiers, agree with our plan.

We will keep delivering for Canadians. As Right to Food has said, this will “turn the tables on food insecurity and deliver” for all Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, in rural Canada, families and small businesses have no choice but to drive long distances for work, school and basic services, and they are being hit the hardest by soaring costs and soaring fuel prices. Meanwhile, the Liberals stand to collect up to $9 billion in extra taxes and revenue from these higher prices.

Will the Liberals adopt our plan to cut 25¢ per litre and make rural Canadians' lives more affordable?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great discussion today, and there are good questions. We are all concerned about Canadians, but one thing we have missed talking about is the geopolitical situation we find ourselves in. We are not in charge of everything that is happening in the east, but we are certainly looking at all applications.

When we talk about investments, we are talking about $1.5 billion towards initiatives to adopt clean technologies for our farming communities, $3.5 billion in sustainable agricultural partnership with the provinces, the superdeduction productivity fund and a $27-million investment into youth employment two weeks ago. We are doing everything we can to make life more affordable.

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

Mr. Speaker, rural Canadians, and Canadians across the country, for that matter, know that our biggest challenges are not coming from without. They are coming from within through overtaxation and over-regulation.

When will the government, knowing that it is going to be collecting billions more because of these high taxes, come up with a plan, adopt our plan to reduce the cost on fuels by 25¢ a litre and provide $1,200 more per year in immediate relief for Canadian families? Why will the government not stop the delays and finally give Canadians a break at the pump?

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

Mr. Speaker, when we went to the polls just about a year ago, I went door knocking in my riding of a Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, and I talked to this gentleman named Craig at the door. He said to me that what was really important to him was an income tax cut. Here is the thing, he wanted to know why it would be better to vote for me than for the Conservatives. I said that, if he voted for us, the tax cut was going to come in right away. He would get up to $800 a year. If he voted for those guys, he would have to wait four years. It is not even in their plan until they are theoretically re-elected.

Canadians chose. They chose right.

[Kelly DeRidder, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling with the rising gas prices while the government keeps piling on taxes, taxes and more taxes. Kitchener Centre families are paying more at the pump. Our seniors are worried about driving to see their grandchildren. Our workers have to pay more just to get to work, on top of the rising cost of everything else.

Why will the Prime Minister not adopt our Conservative plan and reduce the gas tax? It will save 25¢ per litre for Canadians to give them the relief they deserve.

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

Mr. Speaker, as the Secretary of State for Seniors, I talk to seniors across this country and I talk to seniors in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke on Vancouver Island. What they tell me is that they cannot trust these Conservatives. They cannot trust them because they have great memories. What they remember is that those Conservatives wanted to cut their old age security from them. They wanted to bring their CPP earning age up to 67. They wanted to make it more expensive to retire and more expensive to age.

Seniors know they can trust the Liberal Party of Canada. They know they can trust the government to have their backs.

Rail Transportation

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance and National Revenue introduced Bill C-15, the budget bill, which contains measures to help Alto expropriate land from the people of Terrebonne for the high-speed rail line. People might ask what the connection is between the Minister of Finance, a budget bill and expropriations. It is true that there is no connection, except that the Minister of Finance has close ties to Alto's senior management.

Why did he use his budget bill to help Alto, a company he has close ties to, evict the residents of Terrebonne from their homes?

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

Mr. Speaker, even though the Bloc Québécois has a new critic, that does not make it any less shameful to raise this question. Alto is a government-owned corporation that is overseeing the construction of the high-speed rail line, a project that Canadians, including residents of Laval, Montreal, Trois-Rivières and even Terrebonne, are eager to see completed.

We are going to build this high-speed rail line for Canadians and Quebeckers, even though the Bloc Québécois consistently opposes it.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister had recused himself from the Alto file, he would not have tabled a bill that deals directly with this file and benefits Alto.

The people of Terrebonne are not fooled. What they are seeing today is a Liberal member helping a company—one whose executives he is close to and that was created by the federal government—kick people out of Terrebonne by undermining their rights.

How can anyone expect the people of Terrebonne to have confidence in this Liberal government after this?

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

Mr. Speaker, the people of Terrebonne want this project as much as anyone, but they want to be listened to. They want their concerns to be taken into consideration and they want the government to meet with them and take their opinions into account. They also want to have a high-speed train, which will connect Quebec City and Toronto and change the way Quebeckers and Canadians travel.

We are going to take people's opinions into account as we build it, but we will build it.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, the inflation affecting gas prices is hitting all Canadians, including those who fill up their cars and those who buy goods and products that are transported. This means that it is affecting everyone.

We cannot control what happens in Iran. However, we can control what happens here, specifically taxation and Liberal taxes on carbon and gas. We are proposing that they be eliminated this year. That would mean an extra $5 billion in taxpayers' pockets rather than government coffers. When will the government deliver on this great proposal?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, he is right to say that a number of factors influence oil prices. He mentioned the conflict in Iran, and yes, that is part of the equation. He is also right to say that there are things that we can control.

What he can control is how he votes in the House. He voted against the Canada child benefit, which has reduced child poverty in this country by 40% and has provided thousands of dollars more to families in his riding. He voted against the Canadian dental care plan, which is giving many people in his Quebec City riding access to a dentist for the first time, and he voted against a range of other affordability measures.

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

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about this minister's voting record. Let us not forget that, like many others here, he was elected in 2015 on a promise that the Liberals would implement the Liberal carbon tax, which they presented as the best way to help the environment. After insulting us for nine years, they scrapped the Liberal carbon tax.

We applaud them for doing the right thing. They already scrapped one carbon tax so why not scrap the other Liberal fuel taxes?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, he is right, and we did not stop there. We lowered taxes for 22 million Canadians. We brought in the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which can provide up to $1,800 for a family and which helps 12 million Canadians, the most vulnerable families in particular.

I am very proud of our record when it comes to helping Canadians across the country, including Quebeckers, deal with the cost of living.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage my colleague to live in the present, not the past.

Canadians are struggling in the current economic situation. I went to help distribute food assistance at the Centre Femmes de Portneuf. The volunteers are caring and generous, but they are at the end of their rope. Demand is up, but there is less food available to distribute to people from all walks of life with basic needs.

Here is a quick and easy solution: suspend the excise tax on fuel and the GST on gasoline and diesel. Will the Liberal Prime Minister take the necessary steps now, regardless of past measures, to provide immediate relief to Canadian families?

[Nathalie Provost, Liberal, Secretary of State (Nature)]

Mr. Speaker, we are providing assistance to Canadians right now.

In my hon. colleague's riding, the Canada child benefit can provide up to $8,000 per year per child. The Canada groceries and essentials benefit can provide up to $1,890 per year. The Canadian dental care plan benefits 19,755 people, resulting in an average savings of $800.

We are taking measures to help Canadians during this particularly difficult time, but he is voting against them.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with prices at the pump skyrocketing and the Liberal government raking in billions of extra dollars thanks to rising oil prices, how much more time does the Prime Minister need to think before he acts, while Canadians bear the costs? Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. Why will he not act now and suspend the federal taxes on gas and diesel?

Will the Liberal Prime Minister finally adopt our Conservative plan to axe these taxes and save Canadian families hundreds of dollars at the pump between now and—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. secretary of state.

[Nathalie Provost, Liberal, Secretary of State (Nature)]

Mr. Speaker, we did not wait to help Canadians. Since we have been here, the government has been taking action. A family of four in my colleague's riding will save up to $21,924 thanks to all the cuts and benefits that have been introduced in the past year. That is what taking action for Canadians means. That is why we chose this solution.

However, every time these solutions were proposed, my esteemed colleague voted against them. I think he needs to look at things from a broader perspective, with a systematic solution for Canadians—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Côte‑du‑Sud—Rivière‑du‑Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata.

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

Mr. Speaker, in our regions, travel is not an option; it is a necessity. Our young people rely on transportation to get to school and to their activities, but the skyrocketing price of gas is hurting our transport companies, and our young people are paying the price.

In the meantime, the federal government is raking in billions of extra dollars from higher oil prices. Yesterday, the Liberal Prime Minister said he was looking at solutions. Unfortunately, Canadians do not have time to wait for his solutions.

Why is the government refusing to suspend the federal tax on gas and diesel, which would bring some real relief to young people and the regions?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, our colleague is right. Since February 28, the price of gas—at least in my neck of the woods—has climbed from $1.45 a litre to about $2 a litre. This is because the price of oil has increased from $60 a barrel to almost $120 a barrel. The problem is the war in the Middle East.

In the meantime, we have rolled out a suite of measures to help Canadians, including the Canada child benefit. As my colleague said earlier, the Canada child benefit provides $8,000 per family.

Infrastructure

[Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, at this historical moment for our country, we have a choice. Will we look back on nostalgia as a strategy, or will we invest in ourselves to build better cities and communities? Last week, Canada's new government launched the build communities strong fund, a historic $51-billion investment to build the roads, bridges, transit and community infrastructure our future depends on.

On behalf of the people of Brampton, I ask if the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure could tell the House what this critical new investment will mean for people in our community?