Debates of April 29th, 2026

Labour

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

First, it is important to know that we are investing in workforce training for skilled trades because there will be a need for it, especially in Quebec. The Commission de la construction du Québec is saying that there will be a need for 80,000 workers in the next five years.

Obviously, we will respect Quebec's jurisdictions. We have been doing so since 1997 with the agreement in principle on the workforce.

I am very pleased to be able to work with my counterpart, Minister Boulet, to ensure that we can quickly deliver results for Quebeckers.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us be honest, the last thing we need is a squabble caused by the federal government.

As I said earlier, workforce training has been under Quebec's jurisdiction for 30 years. Quebec is the one that determines labour market needs and how to meet them. Ottawa's role is strictly to fund those measures. Quebec has both jurisdiction and the expertise. We do not need a government with no jurisdiction to interfere, especially given that the federal government is the undisputed champion of the anglicization of the workplace.

When will Quebec receive its fair share of the funds, without any strings attached?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, April 29 is a historic day. This is the first time I have heard a Bloc member say that the last thing his party wants is a squabble between Quebec and Ottawa. For 10 years, I have seen them constantly trying to start fights between Quebec and Ottawa.

On this side, we want to deliver results for Quebeckers in terms of workforce training, and that is exactly what we are going to do.

Finance

[Éric Lefebvre, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wants us to believe that he is creating a sovereign wealth fund. That is incorrect. A sovereign wealth fund is built with years of surpluses, budget surpluses and natural resource development. It is not built by charging $25 billion to Canadians' collective credit card.

The Liberals just ran up a record deficit, the biggest deficit outside of COVID-19. They are running up a record deficit without proving that they can manage public funds well.

How can the Liberals use the credit card of future generations so shamelessly?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about future generations.

My colleague just mentioned the need for workforce training in Quebec and in the rest of the country. We also need to invest in ourselves and in major infrastructure projects. We are going to enable Canadians to benefit from construction and from building a better Canada. We are going to create job opportunities for our young people, job opportunities for the construction trades. We are going to benefit from our workforce and our investments.

That is what building Canada is about.

[Éric Lefebvre, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about workforce training, and yet Quebec was not even aware of this program before it was announced yesterday.

A $37-billion increase in spending is not a cut. That is more spending. The Globe and Mail reported this morning that, in the upside-down land of the Liberals, a spending spree is a spending cut and blowing a windfall of billions of dollars is prudent. I hope members are sitting down, because I have some disappointing news. By 2031, the Liberals will have saddled our children and grandchildren with $321 billion in debt.

How can the Liberals spend so recklessly when Canadians are struggling to make ends meet?

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

Mr. Speaker, the only ones who are disappointed are that member, his inner circle and his party.

Over here on this side of the House, we are helping young people launch their careers, helping them buy an affordable home and helping them look forward to a better economic future in Quebec and Canada.

Over here on this side of the House, we are creating things and managing carefully.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are carrying on with their decade of costly budgets, which, of course, are being charged to the credit card. This Prime Minister has doubled the deficit left by former Prime Minister Trudeau. Who would have thought? The Globe and Mail condemns this upside-down land where this government's spending spree is considered prudent. The Liberals are spending more, but Canadians have less.

When will the Prime Minister put an end to his costly budgets so that Canadians can make ends meet?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, we are building a strong economy and we have all the data to prove it. We have the second-largest economic growth in the G7. We also have the most enviable fiscal position in the G7.

That being the case, what are we doing? We are helping our businesses and workers who are affected by the trade war. We are establishing a sovereign wealth fund to demonstrate economic nationalism, just as Quebeckers did in the 1960s when we decided to take control of our own destiny. That is the vision that inspired us to stand up for ourselves and create prosperity here at home.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is the way they have chosen to do it that is not right. The Prime Minister is following the same borrowing policies as his predecessor. Economists are sounding the alarm. Without measures to boost productivity, the weight of the debt relative to the economy will rise to a breaking point. We already have the worst food inflation in the G7.

Why are the Liberals stubbornly following this path that is forcing Canadians to pay more for gas, groceries and housing?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, I think that my Conservative colleagues do not understand the sense of urgency in the Canadian economy. They would look at the trade war and twiddle their thumbs while standing back and doing absolutely nothing.

What we are doing, in essence, is reducing the government's operational spending. We are making sure that we are spending less while investing in capital projects. We are making sure that we create investments. It is all working, as the IMF has confirmed. We will continue creating prosperity here at home.

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

Mr. Speaker, the more things change, the more they stay the same. These same Liberals have doubled the deficit in a single year. Under the former prime minister, a drama teacher, the annual deficit stood at $31 billion. Today, with a Prime Minister who knows a thing or two about economics, the deficit has climbed to $65 billion. That means higher taxes, more credit card spending and more debt for Canadians. The annual interest payments alone are more than the total health transfers to all the provinces.

Why is it that, with the Liberals, there is always more spending, more taxes and more risks being taken with taxpayers' money?

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

Mr. Speaker, in yesterday's economic update, we proposed investing over $6 billion to recruit and train more than 100,000 young people in the trades. These new workers will help us build a strong Canada and deliver major projects across the country. We are investing in our young people and in our country, and I hope that the members opposite will support the plan that was presented yesterday.

Infrastructure

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government is making generational investments in major infrastructure projects that will support Canada's economic future. Within eight years, Canada will need more than 1.4 million additional workers—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, listen to that noise. It is so disrespectful to Canadians.

Canada needs more—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I know it is tempting—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Let us set a new tone.

The hon. member may continue.

[John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know why they are so afraid of good news.

Our government is making generational investments in major infrastructure projects that will support Canada's economic future. Within eight years, Canada will need more than 1.4 million additional workers in the trades to build these projects. Canada needs more than 20,000 trades—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I do not know if the minister heard the question, but I have a feeling she knows the answer.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, it was hard to tell if the question was over or not, but I want to thank that member of Parliament for his constant advocacy for investment in the skilled trades. Yesterday, in the spring economic update, we announced over $6 billion to mobilize skilled trades workers; up to 100,000 new opportunities for young workers across this country; a $16,000 income top-up for apprentices, which will help them get through that training pipeline; and support for employers to make sure they can hire those apprentices. This is good news for the skilled trades.

The only question we have is, are the Conservatives going to vote against these workers, will they vote against Canadian workers?

Finance

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I will share a quote: “In the upside-down land of Liberals, a spending spree is a spending cut, blowing a windfall of billions of dollars is prudent and failing to prepare for a fiscal storm is, well, just good [fiscal] management.” That is the scathing review from the Globe and Mail editorial board, because yesterday the Liberals promised Canadians that they would continue their decade of massive deficit spending, which means a rising cost of living for Canadians will also continue, with no end in sight.

When will the Liberal Prime Minister finally show some responsibility and some fiscal restraint so Canadians can afford to live?

[Rebecca Chartrand, Liberal, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency]

Mr. Speaker, what Manitobans want, especially young people, is a job. They want opportunity, and that is what the government is delivering. The spring budget delivers real momentum for Manitobans. We are seeing infrastructure investments that keep the province moving in the right direction, from transportation upgrades to community facilities. We are expanding Red Seal training. The member opposite continues to deny what we are delivering on. They need to get on the side that we are on, which is delivering on affordability.