Debates of April 28th, 2026

Labour

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. We are very aware of how important temporary foreign workers are in the regions of Quebec. That is why, on April 1, we gave Quebec the authority to extend work permits. As soon as an application for permanent selection is sent to a worker, Quebec can extend their permit by one year.

That is a solution that is unique to Quebec and that meets Quebec's needs. I would like to point out that the Conservatives on the other side of the House would completely scrap the temporary foreign worker program, which would be harmful to our businesses and Quebec's economy.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, extending the time frame for recruiting or renewing temporary foreign workers from four to eight weeks will cause businesses to miss their deadlines. The regulatory change that took effect on April 1 will prevent our businesses from fulfilling their contracts. There is an urgent need to revert to four weeks. Otherwise, the federal government’s new measure will have an impact on the Quebec economy as a whole, and even more so in the regions.

Why not go back to a four-week period instead of delaying worker recruitment in a detrimental way?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, as of April 1, we have been offering a solution that is unique to Quebec. Once a worker receives an application for permanent selection, their work permit is extended by 12 months.

That is precisely why Quebec businesses asked us for this bridge. As for the issue of labour market impact assessments, we look forward to working with our colleagues on that matter.

Seniors

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

Mr. Speaker, 600,000 Quebeckers are being forced to make ends meet on the guaranteed income supplement. That is one in three seniors, and 600,000 people is more than the entire population of Quebec City.

I am going to address Quebec's seniors directly and ask them whether, over the past year, their situation has improved when they go grocery shopping. Unfortunately, the answer is no. For the past year, Canada has had the worst food inflation of any G7 country. It has been the worst for the past year, ever since this Prime Minister was elected. That is the result of a Liberal government.

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

Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives voted against the budget, they voted against the OAS and the GIS. They also voted against the New Horizons for Seniors program, a tax credit for personal support workers and the dental care program.

What are the Conservatives voting for? It is certainly not for seniors.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot get over how the Liberals put their arrogance on full display every time they answer questions.

When we tell them about seniors who are struggling to pay for housing and food, they keep saying that everything is going well because of their grand announcements. The Liberal Prime Minister said he would be judged by the price of groceries, but what is the result? Apparently 35% of households are using their savings or credit to buy food.

When will the Liberal Prime Minister put an end to his credit card budgets so that seniors can make ends meet and have enough to eat?

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

Mr. Speaker, we lowered the retirement age to 65. We increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10% for seniors living alone, and we also increased old age security for seniors aged 75 and older. We also invested $54 million to improve quality of life for seniors in more than 400 communities across the country through the New Horizons for Seniors Program. We are here for seniors.

Finance

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister continues to use Canadians' credit cards by creating more debt and more government spending and taxing more to spend more, families and seniors are paying the price. They are paying more for groceries, gas and housing, to the point where one in three households has to go into debt or dip into their savings to put food on the table.

We know that the Prime Minister spent over half a million dollars on in-flight catering on his travels. Does he realize that Quebeckers and Canadians can no longer make ends meet?

When will the Liberals stop squeezing Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, what we are doing right now is taking care of Canadians while growing our economy. Taking care of Canadians means that seniors are getting a groceries benefit. That means seniors will get money directly in their pockets to help them with the rising cost of groceries.

Good oral health is important for overall health, and we are helping seniors with the Canadian dental care plan. We have implemented a number of measures and we are directly supporting seniors. None of these measures would have been possible otherwise. We are there for seniors.

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is living in a world of make-believe. One day, the Liberal government will have to wake up and realize that ordinary Canadians are getting crushed by the cost of living. What is more, the seniors who built this country are struggling in their retirement. Our seniors aged 65 and over deserve the utmost respect.

Will the Prime Minister stop strutting about on the international stage and running up the deficit and finally show seniors some respect by giving them hope?

[Marie-Gabrielle Ménard, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, I have the great privilege of serving with some very dedicated colleagues on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. We are currently studying the vulnerability of senior women. What we are being told is that we need to continue to focus on the living conditions of seniors.

We have put various measures in place. My colleague mentioned the Canadian dental care plan. Senior women can receive direct support through this plan. There are other measures, but what we are saying right now is that we remain committed to providing the best possible support to Canadian seniors.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, more than half of Quebeckers aged 50 and older are worried about not having enough money for their retirement. One in two Quebeckers is worried about not being able to pay their bills. This is the direct result of a decade of Liberal mismanagement and Liberal deficits. The economic update is coming later today, and unfortunately, our seniors will once again pay the price.

Will the Prime Minister stop racking up debt on the national credit card, yes or no?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Beauce wants to talk about a decade of decisions that were bad for seniors, so let us talk about that.

A decade of bad decisions included raising the retirement age to 67, as the Conservatives had proposed, which would have left tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of seniors in financial hardship. A decade of bad decisions by the Conservatives included voting against the Canadian dental care plan, which is helping 28,837 people, including many seniors in my colleague's riding. A decade of bad decisions by the Conservatives included refusing to increase the GIS by 10% for the most vulnerable seniors aged 75 and older.

If I were them, I would take note of these votes and actions and reconsider them.

Housing

[Danielle Martin, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to be here on behalf of the people of University—Rosedale, who are feeling the effects of the changes in our housing market as supply expands and rents come down, but that progress matters—

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The member may start from the top.

[Danielle Martin, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second time is the charm. Housing is expanding, and rents are coming down, but there is more we need to do on social and supportive housing.

Will the Minister of Housing tell us more about what Build Canada Homes is going to do to expand access to social and supportive housing for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for University—Rosedale. Yes, we are very happy to see housing starts up 10% year to year and to see construction activity above the 10-year average, as well as seeing average rents come down for 18 consecutive months. We are seeing movement in the right direction. There is a lot more work to do.

Build Canada Homes is delivering on more social, supportive and community housing, working with non-profits, co-ops and builders across the country. We are seeing progress, and we are just getting started.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, from 1867 to 2015, over 148 years, Canadian governments accumulated a certain amount of debt. Over the last 11 years, the Liberal Prime Minister and Justin Trudeau doubled it. They doubled the entire national debt in 11 years. This now means we pay more interest on the debt than we do in health care transfers.

There will be an economic update today. Are these Liberals really going to celebrate another massive increase of the debt that our children and grandchildren will have to pay off?

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Secretary of State (Labour)]

Mr. Speaker, I know the hard-working men of the Toronto Police Service and other police associations are here in Ottawa today, and I want to thank them for their service.

We are spending less to invest more. We are investing in building, from LNG projects in British Columbia, to critical minerals in the Prairies, to nuclear and transit in Ontario, to ports and trade corridors in Quebec, to offshore energy in Atlantic Canada.

From Newfoundland to B.C., we are building across this country. Together, we are going to build a Canada strong for all.

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

Mr. Speaker, the member said, “We are spending less to invest more”. That is the kind of thing someone's crooked accountant tells someone when all their money has gone missing. This is exactly what the Liberals kind of do. They make up words and phrases to cover up for the fact that they have doubled the national debt.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

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

Mr. Speaker, they are shouting because they do not like it. It took 148 years to accumulate a certain amount of debt. Eleven years of these guys running things and they more than doubled it. The result is our children and grandchildren are mired in debt. With all of their investments, why is it the least affordable country we have had in the history of Canada? These investments clearly are not working.

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Secretary of State (Labour)]

Mr. Speaker, it sounds like the member is speaking from experience but, look, the Conservatives cannot stand up and say they support Canadians while voting against the supports Canadians rely on. They have opposed tax relief. They voted against it at every opportunity. They voted against child care. They voted against dental care. They voted against all measures to support the cost of living.

They cannot oppose it all and then claim to support it. They cannot have it both ways.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, took a moment to say, “There’s clearly a disconnect between statements and implementation. The longer this goes on, with no resolution on US tariffs, it will have real implications for investments in this country.” The only thing the Liberals have invested in is more costly bureaucracy. They are using Canadians' own taxpayer money to fuel deficits larger than Justin Trudeau's.

When will the Liberal Prime Minister take a moment to end his costly credit card budgeting, so that Canadians can afford to live?