Debates of April 20th, 2026

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, my esteemed colleague will surely acknowledge that, today, in his riding and in all 343 ridings in Canada, the price at the pump will be dropping by 10¢ a litre for gasoline, four cents a litre for diesel and four cents a litre for jet fuel. We are providing this temporary support because an international conflict is causing oil shortages. The Government of Canada is proud to add this measure to all of the other measures that it has already put in place to ease the burden on Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are pleased with themselves for putting 10 cents back in Canadians' pockets, but it could have been 25 cents if they had listened to the Conservatives. The government is once again using temporary programs to pull the wool over people's eyes. The reality is that Canadians are still paying too much for gas.

Will my colleague finally admit that these half measures on the fuel tax make little difference at the pump?

Can he explain why exactly he would rather protect his tax revenue by pocketing billions of dollars at the expense of Canadian families and workers?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, yes, we are pleased to have lowered gas prices by 10 cents today by eliminating the federal excise tax. Yes, we are pleased to have lowered taxes for 22 million Canadians. Yes, we are pleased to have introduced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which helps 12 million of the most vulnerable Canadians.

Will my colleague ever be pleased to see $72 million flowing into his riding through the Canada child benefit, which helps 13,000 families in his riding? Will he ever be pleased that 20,000 of his constituents have access to dental care thanks to the Canadian dental care plan?

Will he ever support these measures, which actually help his constituents?

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister spent the weekend repeating the same speech and the same promises. The problem is that Liberal taxes have raised the cost of gas to be 20% higher for Canadians than it is for Americans. Everyone knows that when gas is expensive, everything is expensive. Canada has the worst food inflation in the G7.

Why do the Liberals not listen to us and give families some room to breathe by removing all taxes on gas for the rest of the year?

[Anna Gainey, Liberal, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, it is true that Canadians need solutions. We are listening, and that is why we are helping to make life more affordable. We are suspending the federal tax on gas to help Canadians deal with challenges over the short term. That amounts to a savings of 10¢ a litre on gasoline and four cents a litre on diesel.

We are lowering costs for Canadians and building Canada strong.

Foreign Affairs

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the war in Sudan is still the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and 34 million people, nearly two-thirds of the country's population, are currently in need of humanitarian assistance.

The war has had a devastating impact on the civilian population in Sudan. Our government is leading on the international stage. We are helping with humanitarian and development assistance to help the people of Sudan.

Can the Secretary of State for International Development tell us how Canada is supporting the most vulnerable, the most affected by this devastating conflict?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Development)]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's support for the people of Sudan has been unwavering since the beginning of the conflict. Last week, our government announced more than $120 million in new assistance to support the people of Sudan and others across the region. This is about getting life-saving support to those who need it most. It underscores Canada's commitment to addressing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The people of Sudan deserve protection, dignity and a path back to stability. Canada will continue to press for the conditions that make that possible.

International Trade

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a year ago, the Liberal Prime Minister said he was the one to get a deal from Donald Trump. Fast-forward to this year, and we have seen tens of thousands of job losses in the auto sector, the softwood lumber sector, and the steel and aluminum sector. Now we have new tariffs on our manufacturers that are punishing our tool and die makers. What is the Liberal Prime Minister's response? It is that trade with America is a weakness.

Let me explain something to these Liberals. There are 2.6 million Canadian jobs tied to trade with America. Other than “I give up” and “Trade with America is a weakness”, what does the Liberal Prime Minister have to say to the Canadian families whose jobs rely on trade with America?

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we know that trade with America continues to be important, but Canadians recognize, definitely in my riding, that we need to diversify. That is why we are doing trade deals with other countries. That is why our auto strategy attempts to diversify to other countries and attract new investment.

While things are difficult, we know that there is good news, including new foreign direct investment statistics. In 2025, there was $96.8 billion in foreign direct investment to Canada, the largest amount in 18 years. That is good news while we are diversifying our trade.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, has anyone ever had the experience of listening to people talk who actually say nothing? It is the Liberal response to every single question that we get in question period. There is the illusion of progress, the illusion that things are getting better with the trade relationship with the United States, and yet everything continuously gets worse. The Liberals always say something is just over the horizon.

My question was this. If they think trade with the United States is such a weakness for Canada, what do they have to say to the 2.6 million Canadian families whose jobs rely on that trading relationship? I just ask for an answer to that.

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, it is a very simple answer, which is that we are fighting for them every day and we are not going to do any deal at the expense of a bad deal. That is the answer.

When it comes to the auto sector, our companies continue to innovate. Our companies' owners are saying they want to be part of the electric vehicle future. They want these investments in electric infrastructure.

I was pleased to join, on behalf of the Minister of Industry, in announcing a new investment in hydrogen electric vehicle heavy trucking. When I visited that company, Elemental Trucks, its team said that this was huge news for their sector. This allows them to use Canadian components and Canadian innovation not only to deliver to Canada but to export across the world.

[Harb Gill, Conservative, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it has been 273 days since the Prime Minister promised a deal with Washington. Instead, we are seeing more tariffs now being applied to the full value of Canadian exports. That means businesses and workers in Windsor are being tariffed on their labour, their investment and the products they build right here at home. When will the Prime Minister keep his word to the 2.6 million Canadian workers whose livelihoods depend on cross-border trade and deliver on the deal he promised a year ago?

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, along with the Minister for Canada-U.S. Relations, continues to have dialogue with the U.S. administration. We will continue to be there to support Canadian workers who are being impacted by unjustified and illegal tariffs and we are having a conversation about the best pathway forward. If that hon. member would suggest that we should have just thrown the cards on the table and gotten a bad deal, we do not agree. We are going to stand up for Canadian workers. We are going to stand up for workers in Windsor.

By the way, I hope the member is highlighting the fact of immediate expensing for greenhouse infrastructure. That is important in the Windsor and Leamington area. I hope that has made his householder because I can almost promise he is not sharing the good news that this government is actually fighting for workers every single day.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, manufacturers like mould-makers, steel fabricators and aluminum extruders are at risk because this Prime Minister failed them. He promised a U.S. trade deal last July, but a year later, the tariffs have more than doubled. With respect to machinery parts, manufacturing materials, steel and aluminum, tariffs are way up. These Canadian companies and jobs are at risk, while lower-cost countries with non-market economies are moving in to fill the gap.

When will the Prime Minister, who is avoiding his responsibility, finally secure the American trade deal that he promised last July?

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we know the importance of the U.S. market and the importance of that continued engagement. This member is from Leamington. I am wondering if he has told his constituents about what was in budget 2025, where the Minister of Finance provided immediate expensing for greenhouse infrastructure in this country. We see that Leamington area as an asset for greenhouses. I have not heard the member stand up and talk about how important that is.

However, as much as I respect that hon. member, the Conservatives had nothing for farmers in this country. They had nothing in their platform, especially nothing for farmers in southwestern Ontario.

[Kathy Borrelli, Conservative, Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last year, the Prime Minister promised to end tariffs and fix our trade with the U.S., but he failed. This year, on April 6, section 232 tariffs increased dramatically and are putting up to 2.6 million Canadian jobs at risk. The Prime Minister calls our trade relationship a “weakness”, but the real weakness is his failure to make a deal. With millions of Canadian families at risk, when will the Prime Minister deliver results instead of more speeches, illusions and excuses?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and to the Secretary of State (International Development)]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the government will continue to work hard to get the best deal with the United States for Canadians. Our criterion is simple: The deal has to be one of the best deals.

However, Canadians also realize that if our country relies on only one country for its trade, that could turn into a weakness. That is why it is imperative that we work hard to diversify our trade, to trade, and to create more markets around the world. That is why we are working with India, China, Southeast Asian countries and Latin America to ensure that Canadian businesses have more opportunities to create good jobs right here in Canada.

Housing

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are being asked to believe that short-term measures will fix a long-term housing crisis. Meanwhile, Statistics Canada is showing that residential permits are down nearly 5% year over year. In the GTA, new home sales are at a 35-year low. The Liberals are pointing to temporary measures like a one-year tax break and vague promises about costs being reduced by up to 50%.

If the Liberals' plan relies on temporary measures, how can Canadians believe that it will deliver the sustained increase in housing supply that Canada so desperately needs?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we have good news. Housing starts are up almost 10% across Canada year to date, so we are seeing progress in terms of housing starts. We are seeing rents decrease. We are seeing mortgages reduced. We are seeing home prices reduced. Affordability is improving for housing across Canada. It is not just a short-term change that we have to grapple with, with the uncertainty we face.

Build Canada Homes is a dedicated affordable housing agency here in Canada to build for generations to come. We expect members opposite to support the bill through Parliament.

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister talked about more of these short-term measures, but Canadians have really been waiting for years. In that time, affordability has worsened and supply has fallen. The Liberals promised to build 500,000 homes a year, but last year not nearly half of that number were built. As it turns out, Liberal promises do not build homes. Canadians cannot wait any longer.

At what point will we see the real results that match the scale of what is needed in this country, instead of the illusions the Prime Minister continues to offer?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the results speak for themselves. Affordability for housing has been improving over the last several years. The actions taken by the government are having an immediate effect. We are seeing rents come down. We are seeing home prices come down. We are seeing housing supply increase. We do have immediate-term measures to boost housing supply with provinces and territories. We are working with cities and with indigenous communities to build housing: supportive and transitional housing for people who are homeless, missing middle housing, and student housing. Across the board, we are investing.

We expect all members of the House to support affordable housing.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to double homebuilding, yet his own housing agency now expects construction to drop by 18%. At the same time, housing starts in Atlantic Canada are already down, including a 13% drop in Nova Scotia.

When will the Prime Minister stop scapegoating, stop speechifying, get bureaucracy out of the way and deliver real results and real homes for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member has my respect, but he would actually have more of my respect if he supported some of the housing initiatives we have put forward. What about Build Canada Homes that is going to build homes at a scale not seen in generations?

On this side of the House, we are focused on building homes, affordable homes, for Canada. The other side continues to vote against every housing initiative we have put forward.

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

Mr. Speaker, there are yet more grand pronouncements and grand announcements, saying, “It's coming just beyond the rainbow and just around the corner.” What Canadians want are real results and real homes.

When is the government going to deliver that?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of passion, fire and brimstone on that side of the House. I love it, but on this side of the House we are laser-focused on building homes. Build Canada Homes, announced in budget 2025, will build homes at a scale not seen in generations. The other side of the House has voted against every housing initiative we have put forward in the past 10 years

It is time for the other side of the House to stop the podcasts, stop the tours, stop the obstruction, stop the rhetoric, and get on board. Let us build homes.