House of Commons Hansard #103 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was enforcement.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Lawful Access Act, 2026 Second reading of Bill C-22. The bill seeks to modernize law enforcement investigative capabilities for digital crimes. Liberal MPs argue these authorities are vital to combat rising digital threats. Conservative members fear potential ministerial overreach and privacy infringements. While highlighting the need to tackle child exploitation, opposition MPs emphasize the necessity of rigorous committee review to balance public safety with civil liberties. 15400 words, 2 hours.
National Framework on Sports Betting Advertising Act Second reading of Bill S-211. The bill S-211 proposes a national framework to regulate sports betting advertisements. Supporters express concern that ubiquitous advertising harms youth and vulnerable populations. Conversely, the Bloc Québécois argues this area falls under provincial jurisdiction, contending that federal intervention constitutes an unnecessary, clumsy intrusion into established provincial gaming management responsibilities. 7300 words, 1 hour.
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, what the government is proposing is to cut the excise tax, 10¢ a litre for gasoline and four cents on diesel. We have already cut the consumer carbon tax, 18¢ per litre. We are recycling all the excess revenues from higher oil prices to Canadians.
What we are not doing is what the Leader of the Opposition is proposing, which is to substantially increase the deficit, something he is regularly against, by more than $3 billion, because the government can count.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, what he is not doing is increasing the deficit? It is only up by 100% since he took office. Does he even read his own budget, or does he want Canadians not to know what is inside? In fact, there is all the money printing that he does, because he is famous for causing inflation and has made a career out of it.
Statistics Canada has made it clear that the gap between rich and poor is now greater than it has ever been, in a report published just this week. One of the biggest taxes on the poor is the gas tax. Instead of just removing a third of the tax for a third of the year, why not get rid of the entire Liberal tax on gas for the whole year?
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, one thing I have learned in my economics education is that one has to study history and look at numbers. My record as a central bank governor is inflation less than 2% at the Bank of Canada and inflation less than 2% at the Bank of England.
Let us get back to where we are today, which is that wages in this country are growing at more than twice the rate of inflation. I will spell it out for the member opposite: That means Canadians are getting ahead.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Prime Minister has learned all the wrong lessons. Not only did he cause the housing crisis in London and not only did he cause the worst inflation in the G7 when he was the bank governor over there, he advised Justin Trudeau to print money here, causing inflation. Since arriving in Canada, he has given us the worst food price inflation in the G7, the worst investment in the G7, the worst housing costs in the G7 and the worst household debt in the G7.
Why does the Prime Minister not learn his lesson from all the failed economic experiments that only benefit insiders with tax havens like him, and get rid of all the taxes on gas for all of the year?
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, I feel like I am in the presence of students. On that account, I do not think the Leader of the Opposition would pass the exam with those answers.
As the IMF confirmed yesterday, Canada will have the second-fastest growth in the G7 this year. As the IMF confirmed yesterday, we have the best fiscal position in the G7, point final. As we have confirmed, we have the highest foreign direct investment per capita in the world.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, oh, the Liberal arrogance. We could cut through it with a knife. This is someone—
TaxationOral Questions
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, what we have over there is inflation of Liberal arrogance. Right now, the Prime Minister wants to tell Canadians that they have never had it so good, when food prices are rising faster in Canada than in any other country in the G7, when Canadian households are the most indebted in the G7, when Canadian housing costs are the most elevated in the G7 and when, just today, RBC reported that we have the worst investment in the G7.
The question again is this. Canadians cannot afford gas at the pump. Why not get rid of all the taxes for all the year?
Mark Carney Liberal Nepean, ON
Mr. Speaker, to learn a lesson, one has to have ears to hear. There are some on the benches opposite who have been listening, and they will notice that wages are growing at more than twice the rate of inflation in this country. They will notice that rents have gone down relative to incomes for 33 straight months. They will notice that I am out of time.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was elected because of his economic expertise and because he was going to protect Canada from tariffs.
However, the White House has just changed the way it is calculating its already illegal tariffs on steel and aluminum. From now on, derivative articles of steel and aluminum will be subject to a 25% tariff on their full customs value, rather than to the already illegal tariffs on the value of the metal inputs.
I assume that the government has raised this change with the United States. Is Canada going to get the Donald Trump and the White House to do away with this method of calculating tariffs?
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, yes, we are working on that and we are working with our corporations, businesses, workers and unions to build Quebec strong and build Canada strong.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, could the Prime Minister be any less specific?
Literally hundreds and hundreds of Quebec businesses that depend on the American market will have to cut shifts, cut production and, in some cases, perhaps even shut down. This morning, Le Journal de Montréal reported that BRP has lost a third of its stock market value.
I want to know what the Prime Minister is going to do right now to help the businesses and workers who are victims of President Trump's latest whim.
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we are currently negotiating with the Americans to renew CUSMA. The most important sectors are the aluminum, steel, softwood lumber and automotive sectors. Negotiations will continue, but our starting point is the world's best trade agreement with the United States.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is okay for people to admit that there are things they do not know.
Since early 2025, we have heard a lot of talk but seen very little action. Tariffs are making every one of the White House's moves worse. The Prime Minister cannot just wave his resumé around, give speeches and recruit floor crossers.
What does the Prime Minister have to say to Quebec and Canadian businesses that are suddenly facing a sharp increase in tariffs on their products and that could be forced to shut down if there is no meaningful government intervention?
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the U.S. tariff rate for Canada has gone down since last April, since the election. The rate was over 10%, but it went down to 5.5% and is now sitting at 4.4%. We have made progress, but we want more. We are working hard on all this.
I believe the message from Terrebonne was clear. We must work to build Quebec strong and Canada strong.
Carol Anstey Conservative Long Range Mountains, NL
Mr. Speaker, 35% is how much more Canadians are paying because of rising global oil prices.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, fuel is not a choice; it is a necessity. Truckers need it to deliver goods, and families need it just to get through the week, yet Liberal taxes are driving prices even higher, while the Liberals pretend that a partial tax cut is real relief. Their plan applies to only a fraction of the taxes they collect, while they take billions from struggling Canadians.
When will the Liberals stop punishing Canadians and finally remove all federal taxes on gas so that Canadians can save 25¢ a litre for the rest of the year?
Joanne Thompson LiberalMinister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand today and talk about what this government is doing for Canada and for Newfoundland and Labrador. Eight billion dollars are going to 5 Wing Goose Bay, and $12 million to Newfoundland and Labrador for companies that are invested in long-term defence capacity building and Bay du Nord.
While the member reads her prepared notes, on this side of the House, we are doing the hard work.
Carol Anstey Conservative Long Range Mountains, NL
Mr. Speaker, the Single Parent Association of Newfoundland and Labrador in that member's riding reported that the high gas prices are driving single parents to make impossible decisions, such as whether to heat their home or put food on the table, yet $10 billion is how much this Liberal government will still collect in fuel taxes this year, while people in Newfoundland and Labrador pay some of the highest gas prices at the pump in Canada. The Liberals' plan saves just pennies, while costs hit rural and remote communities the hardest. Conservatives have a plan to cut 25¢ a litre for the rest of the year.
Will they stop these half measures and deliver real relief for hard-working Canadians?
Joanne Thompson LiberalMinister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, while this member from Newfoundland and Labrador continues to read the same tired notes, on this side of the House we are working to support rural communities with infrastructure available for roads, schools and hospitals. We are working to support families with the Canada child benefit, school nutrition programs, $10-a-day child care, and on and on the list goes. By the way, the Conservatives voted against all of it.
Andrew Lawton Conservative Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON
Mr. Speaker, as always, the Liberals are claiming collaboration but delivering obfuscation. They are accepting the Conservative argument that the gas prices in this country are too high, but, as always, they give a half measure, not even half, delivering a third of the proposed tax cut the Conservatives have offered, and for a third of the year.
If the Liberal government is serious about affordability, why not do what the Conservatives have been proposing to save Canadians 25¢ a litre on gas, $1,200 a year, cut the GST on fuel, cut the fuel excise tax and cut the Liberal fuel standard?
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, let me help the member opposite. We have already cut taxes on gasoline by 28¢ a litre since becoming the new government. We have reduced taxes for the middle class. We have cut the GST. We have eliminated development charges, which would reduce the price of a home by $200,000 in my riding. This is what affordability looks like.
Andrew Lawton Conservative Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON
Mr. Speaker, if my car ran on hot air, I would not care about the tax cut after that answer. However, most Canadians do not have the ability to do what these Liberal insiders are doing and weather all of this. The Liberals blame Iran, neglecting the fact that 25¢ a litre goes directly into government coffers. This is a very real suggestion. People in Elgin, St. Thomas and London do not view driving as a luxury. They know it is a necessity to get around, to get to work, to drive the kids to school.
Why will the Liberal government not take these concerns seriously and drop 25¢ a litre right now?
