House of Commons Hansard #104 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was elections.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Strong and Free Elections Act Second reading of Bill C-25. The bill proposes amendments to the Canada Elections Act intended to strengthen the integrity of federal elections against threats like foreign interference and digital disinformation. Key measures include prohibiting AI-generated deepfakes, regulating third-party funding to prevent foreign money, and restricting excessive nomination filings linked to "longest ballot" tactics. Members of Parliament generally support referring the bill to committee for further study, while debating the appropriate balance between security, privacy, and political financing regulations. 47600 words, 6 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Criminal Code Second reading of Bill C-238. The bill, intended to allow community organizations to seek restitution from offenders for costs related to drug trafficking and human trafficking, faces division. Proponents argue it provides accountability, while Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois contend it is impractical, unlikely to work due to legal hurdles like causation and enforceability, and would burden the justice system. The House has deferred the vote. 5700 words, 40 minutes.
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we are not waiting for the Conservatives. We have already cut taxes by 28¢ a litre.
That is not it. We have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians, we have cut the GST, we have introduced the groceries and essentials benefit, and we have reduced the cost of a home in my riding and in all of Ontario by $200,000.
Melissa Lantsman Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, the minister could have cut the taxes by 25¢ two days ago and he chose not to, yet he is patting himself on the back for something that the government could not do properly and would not have done at all if it had not been dragged there kicking and screaming.
The Prime Minister's so-called tax cut left 15¢ a litre on Canadians' gas bills at a time when they are struggling and the government will get a windfall in its pocket. It is only for a couple of months, meaning that the tax returns at 100% in September.
Why will the government not just properly take off all of the taxes, all 25¢, for the rest of the year?
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives love to talk about the United States. We have reduced the tax on a litre of gasoline by 28¢; the United States, zero. We know how to do affordability.
Shuv Majumdar Conservative Calgary Heritage, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says that Canadians are keeping up with record costs. MNP reports that gas and grocery prices are straining three out of four Canadians. Two out of three Canadians are working harder but not getting ahead. One out of three Canadians cannot cover their bills and their debt payments.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister voted against our motion to cut all taxes on gas and diesel until the end of the year. Nobody is keeping up, except the rich whom the Prime Minister keeps making richer. Why punish the poor even more, when the Liberals can scrap the tax on gas today?
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, there are two competing visions for the Canadian economy being put forward in this House. On the Conservative side, members want the tired approach of cutting taxes for the wealthy and hoping everybody else works things out. On this side of the House, we want to build a strong economy that works for everybody.
We have the second-fastest growing economy in the G7, we are leading the world in foreign direct investment per capita and wages are outpacing inflation. We are using this economic growth to support families, with more than $1,800 coming through the groceries and essentials benefit, programs that have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians and continued support to make sure working people can get ahead. That is the Canada I believe in.
Shuv Majumdar Conservative Calgary Heritage, AB
Mr. Speaker, that is some economy those Liberals built. According to MNP, 40% of Canadians are $200 away from insolvency. StatsCan says that the wealthiest now control two-thirds of our net worth. RBC states a trillion dollars, gone. Imagine a third of our jobs, our economy, gone up in smoke.
The Liberals want Canadians demoralized, divided and disenfranchised because the Prime Minister knows if they stop believing in this country, he gets to remake it. Which Liberals will stand up to defend that?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, whether $190 a year, $1,800 a year or $12,000 a year, no matter the savings that we find for Canadians, the answer from the Conservative Party is, “No, not that, not those savings for families. That is not good enough.”
Families know that this government is here to support them in these times and in all times. This is the way to build Canada strong for all.
Christine Normandin Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister got himself elected on a promise to protect the economy from Donald Trump's tariffs, but yesterday he had no idea what the Bloc Québécois leader was talking about when he informed him that Washington had changed its steel and aluminum tariffs.
Americans are now charging a 25% tariff on the total value of all products containing steel or aluminum. They are taxing not only the metal, but the total value added. Donald Trump signed that order two weeks ago.
What has the Prime Minister done to help our businesses since then?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalPresident of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade
Mr. Speaker, we are just as concerned as every other member of the House.
Recently, two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce made changes to apply some completely unjustified tariffs on the total value of certain products rather than on the value of the steel or aluminum they contain.
We are aware of the impact of this on certain Canadian industries. My colleague, the Minister of Industry, is working hard on this issue. I, along with other colleagues, have raised the matter with the U.S. government. We are working as fast as possible to find a solution.
Christine Normandin Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump's new tariff calculations threaten the entire industrial landscape of aluminum and steel processing in Quebec. As a result, companies like BRP are collapsing on the stock market and others are set to reduce their production or shut down, like Venmar in Drummondville.
The Prime Minister must support Quebec's aluminum and steel, including its processing. He must also help our SMEs understand how to adapt to the new tariffs set out in the order from Washington's 58 pages of complex schedules.
Beyond simply understanding the file, will the government act before our businesses are forced to lay off workers?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalPresident of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade
Mr. Speaker, once again, we share the concerns my colleague raised. This is a concern in her province of Quebec, but also elsewhere in Canada. In my home province of New Brunswick, I have spoken to businesses that are also facing difficult times.
That is precisely why my colleague raised the importance of supporting SMEs and helping workers and businesses deal with these unjustified tariffs. That is exactly what our government is doing. At the same time, we are moving forward in our negotiations with the Americans to make them understand that this is not in their economic interest.
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC
Mr. Speaker, Quebec is already hit hardest by Donald Trump's tariffs. Our industrial sectors are struggling, and Quebec is losing the most jobs. It is only going to get worse with the new tariff calculations that are going to tax our aluminium- and steel-based products on their total value, in addition to the metal itself. This sends the message that there is no longer any advantage to processing our resources in Quebec, and it threatens thousands of businesses, both small and large.
Ottawa is always there for Ontario's automotive industry. When will there be support for Quebec?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalPresident of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade
Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise that I do not share the pessimism of our colleague opposite. As for the Government of Canada's obligation to support all regions of Canada, all industries and all workers, that is precisely what we are doing.
I understand the issues facing the member's province. As I said, the situation is the same in many other provinces. We make no distinction when it comes to the importance of defending Canadian industries across the country. That is what we are doing, and we will continue to do so.
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, after a decade of Liberal governments, Canadians are at a breaking point. Here are the sobering statistics. Nearly a third of Canadians say they do not earn enough to cover their bills. Nearly four out of 10 are worried about losing their job. Three out of five say they are working harder, but not getting ahead. Just yesterday, the Liberal government voted against affordability for Canadians yet again.
Why will the Liberals not provide Canadians with real relief by adopting our Conservative plan to cut all federal taxes on gas and food?
Wayne Long LiberalSecretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, that Conservative leader and House leader questioning our Prime Minister's economic education and experience is like a third-line beer league hockey player questioning Connor McGregor's hockey skills.
On this side of the House, we are focused on affordability for Canadians. We paused the excise tax. We cut the consumer carbon tax.
It is time for that party, that leader and that House leader to get off the bench and support our measures.
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives offer real relief, the Liberals are offering pennies at the pump. Their plan cuts only a third of the taxes they collect on fuel for a third of the year. These tiny tax cuts will be burned up immediately as gas stations are switching over to more expensive summer fuel blends. Liberal taxes are so out of control that one out of five young Canadians say they will need to go into debt just to pay their tax bill.
Why will the Liberals not provide Canadians with real relief instead of half measures and adopt our Conservative plan to cut all taxes on fuel for the rest of the year?
Wayne Long LiberalSecretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, I know that leader is focused on his podcast tour and trying to save his career. On this side, we are focused on affordability. We paused the excise tax and cut the consumer carbon tax, which is 28¢ a litre; cut the GST for first-time homebuyers; and the list goes on and on.
On that side of the House, as we can see, it is rhymes, rhetoric and bluster. On this side, we are focused on affordability for Canadians.
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Mr. Speaker, nearly three-quarters of Canadians say that the rising cost of essentials, like food and fuel, is putting serious strain on their finances. After years of Liberal policies driving up the cost of living, Canadians are being forced to make impossible choices just to get by. Yet, just yesterday, Liberals voted against a motion that would have removed taxes on gas and diesel, lowering prices for families.
The question is simple: Will the Prime Minister listen to hard-working families, remove gas taxes and make life more affordable for Canadians?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, the hypocrisy is dripping from the walls in this place. Conservatives, over the six and a half years that I have been in this House, have opposed every affordability measure that helps real Canadians and families. For six and a half years, we have seen them vote against child care, dental care and the Canada child benefit. They voted against feeding 400,000 more kids in school. They voted against the groceries and essentials benefit. Now they are saying we should do more at the pump, after we just cut the excise tax over the summer by 10¢ at the pump for Canadians, on top of all the other affordability measures we have put forward.
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that 73% of Canadians say they are cutting back on spending. There are already reports of food suppliers adding surcharges to offset the soaring cost of fuel, which will only increase the cost of food. Food banks are reporting they are spending more on fuel and less on food as demand continues to soar.
Families need relief today, yet the Prime Minister's solution is a temporary half-measure, leaving gas taxes largely in place. Every tax on fuel is a tax on families and a tax on food. Will they do the right thing and remove all taxes on gas, yes or no?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, it seems the Conservatives are fiercely determined to become even more unpopular. It is due to the Conservatives, I am sure, playing political games with Canadians and the struggles they are facing today while opposing affordability measures. It is just disingenuous.
The woes of Canadians are not to be trifled with. On this side of the House, we know that. That is why we are providing immediate federal support in the form of another 10¢ tax cut at the pump, an income tax cut for 22 million Canadians, and offering a groceries and essentials benefit that will put over $1,800 into the families—
TaxationOral Questions
Dave Epp Conservative Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON
Mr. Speaker, 74% of Canadians report that rising gas and food prices are killing their household budgets. While the Liberals claim they care about affordability, food banks are literally removing meat from their shelves, because it is too expensive to stock. Now, add the fuel surcharges being introduced by some food suppliers on deliveries to grocery stores.
Does the Prime Minister truly believe that his temporary 10¢ per litre reduction, which expires after Labour Day, will fix the supply chain crushed by his industrial carbon tax and now rising fuel prices?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalSecretary of State (Sport)
Mr. Speaker, it is what the Conservatives do not say in their prepared speeches, written by the Conservative leader, that Canadians really need to know, which is how they plan to pay for these outlandish and irresponsible proposals.
The Conservatives can question the economic acumen of one of the most world-renowned economists if they like, but what Canadians know is that Liberals are delivering on affordable child care and dental care, and our government is meeting the moment with—
