Debates of May 1st, 2026

Finance

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience]

Madam Speaker, do you know who had something positive to say about the spring economic statement? It was Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, the premier of the province of that member. When he was talking about the sovereign wealth fund, he said, “We would say this is a good initiative for our nation. I think it really speaks to what we need to do in this nation, and working together at all levels of government to ensure that we can aspire to achieve what the Prime Minister said... [about Canada] being the strongest economy in the G7 and Canada becoming an energy superpower.”

Canadians want to be part of building this country. Why do the Conservatives not?

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, the verdict on the costly budget is in, and it is unforgiving. The Globe and Mail reports that for every $100 in revenue, the Liberal government spends $97. The Globe and Mail said, “Even Justin Trudeau would have difficulties in matching that performance.” Federal net debt now exceeds 40% of GDP, and it is rising. Long-term growth is projected to be a measly 1.7%.

When will the Prime Minister stop borrowing against a future Canadians can no longer afford?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Madam Speaker, here are a few facts for my colleague across the way. The deficit is down. GDP growth is up. Non-U.S. exports are up by almost a whopping 40%. Investment is at a 20-year high. Wage growth is up and two times stronger in Canada than in the United States. Home prices are coming down. Rents are down. We have a plan to put 100,000 apprentices to work. Those are going to be the steamfitters, the electricians, the carpenters and the mechanics in my colleague's riding and mine. That is a plan to build Canada strong.

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, the deficit is now going to be $67 billion. That is up from $31 billion, not down, and the member can recite her talking points all afternoon from the Prime Minister's Office, but the truth is that for months the Prime Minister tried to convince Canadians that he was something different. He wanted them to believe that he was a break from the past. I guess the masks sure fell off this week. The deficit is doubled, spending is accelerated and growth is abandoned. This is not a new government making hard choices; it is the same irresponsible Liberal government making reckless decisions.

When will they—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Jennifer McKelvie, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Madam Speaker, when Conservatives talk about spending, they ignore the fact that these are investments that build communities and the infrastructure that we need. The member opposite is from Ontario. I would like to know what projects he would like to cancel. Is it our commitment to GO 2.0? Is it the Scarborough subway extension? Is it the Hamilton LRT? Is it the Darlington nuclear project? Is it the critical minerals strategy for northern Ontario?

If the Conservatives do not believe now is the time to build and invest, they can get out of the way. We are ready to invest in Ontario.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, Loaves & Fishes serves more than 15,000 in more than 44 communities on the island. They are vital, and they are growing, with a new 24,000-square-foot warehouse set to open this month. Some 80% of Canadians say food prices have increased more than any other expense. Groceries, without meat or cheese, regularly cost $100 a bag on the island, yet the Liberal government continues to tell Canadians they have never had it so good.

Every measure we propose, they oppose. How many food bank expansions do the Liberals need to see before they stop their costly credit card spending and actually bring food costs down for Canadians?

[Jill McKnight, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague opposite. Coming from British Columbia, we know that British Columbians want to see measures that are going to support them. That is why things like the groceries and essentials benefit are helping Canadians. It is going to be in their bank accounts on June 5. They want to see measures like the reduction in the fuel tax, which is saving 10¢ a litre, and that is keeping money in their pockets between now and Labour Day. They want to see the steps that we are taking. British Columbia can see that we are doing the work to support Canadians.

Sport

[Tim Watchorn, Liberal, Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC]

Madam Speaker, this week, the people of Les Pays-d'en-Haut received good news: $755 million to support our skiers, our cyclists, our soccer players and our female hockey players.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State for Sport tell the House how the economic update will support sports across the country?

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages and to the Secretary of State (Sport)]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague the member for Les Pays-d'en-Haut for that excellent question.

An investment of $755 million is great news for sport.

Why do we need to invest in sport? First, it is to support our athletes. Second, it is to keep our young people off the streets and help them benefit from and find joy in playing together. Third, it is to help our seniors break their isolation and be active for life. Fourth, it is to ensure that we are there to build Canada strong together.

Let us celebrate this investment in sport.

Health

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Madam Speaker, all week at the health committee, Liberals tried to block and silence Conservatives from getting answers on the $300-million PrescribeIT scandal. They have no problems shutting down debate, covering up and protecting Liberal insiders who got rich off the backs of Canadians. I guess this is the new normal that Liberals always wanted, but Conservatives will never stop asking these Liberals the tough questions they want to hide from.

Canadians deserve to know: Where did the $300 million go and who got rich?

[Maggie Chi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, PrescribeIT was launched by the previous government in 2017 following consultations with provinces and territories. The program was always intended to be self-funded over time. When it became clear that it did not have the expected uptake and there was no path toward financial sustainability, Canada's new government made the responsible decision to end federal funding for the program and refocus resources to where they will deliver the greatest benefits to patients and our health system.

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Madam Speaker, Canadians do not want Liberal spin. They want to know where and why their money was wasted.

Take Michael Green, the disgraced former CEO of Canada Health Infoway. He was paid over $800,000 a year for more than a decade to run that failed program. These Liberals are now shielding him from committee for the scandal.

Conservatives will not be silenced. We will not stop demanding answers on why $300 million in tax dollars was abused by this government.

Michael Green was the first to take the fall for these Liberals, so my question is, who is next?

[Maggie Chi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, Canada's new government was elected with a clear mandate to ensure programs and policies deliver smarter, faster and more effectively for all Canadians. We are refocusing our spending and Canada Health Infoway's mandate so we can support the development of national health data standards while allowing our health sector partners to develop solutions that work for all patients.

[Helena Konanz, Conservative, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Madam Speaker, at a recent health committee, Conservatives moved a motion calling for a full investigation into the Liberals' wasteful, $300-million PrescribeIT boondoggle. The Liberals immediately responded by moving that meeting behind closed doors. As a result, under House rules, I am forbidden from telling Canadians what happened in that meeting for the next 30 years.

Does silencing MPs on committee work for 30 years show transparency from this majority Liberal government?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, our standing committees of Parliament play a very important role. I think it is important that we encourage collaboration as much as we can. Many would argue that what happens in standing committees is very beneficial for the entire House.

Let us look forward to seeing more collaboration at standing committees.

Climate Change

[Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, climate change is the reason I first joined the world of politics. It is one of the defining challenges of our time and hits the world's most vulnerable the hardest. As the global economy transitions to low-carbon pathways to respond, developing countries are seeking partnerships to reduce emissions, build resilience and drive sustainable growth.

Could the parliamentary secretary for international development tell the House how Canada's international climate finance is finding solutions and delivering results for those most affected by climate change?

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

Madam Speaker, climate change is a global challenge that calls on all countries to act. It also presents opportunities for those willing to invest in the future. In our spring economic update, we renewed Canada's international climate finance to help scale up investments in sustainable solutions across the developing world. It means crowding in private capital, including through FinDev Canada, to maximize the impact of every dollar and it means creating opportunities for Canadian clean tech, expertise and innovation to scale solutions around the world.

Finance

[Kelly DeRidder, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister has made many promises, but the results of those promises are left to the imagination. One of those promises was to spend less than Trudeau. Well, no imagination is needed here. The result is a doubling of spending in less than a year. Families cannot pay for food with these failed imaginary promises. They need results.

Will the Prime Minister apologize for promising to cut spending while at the same time delivering the highest deficit in Canadian history? Just an apology please.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Madam Speaker, we will not apologize for building a stronger Canada. That is exactly what this government was elected to do, and that is exactly the plan we are implementing.

The spring economic update showed that there is $11 billion less of a deficit. We are sticking to the fiscal guardrails and ensuring that we manage the resources of the federal government and the Canadian taxpayer responsibly.

We have also cut the excise tax on fuel, which will help with groceries around the country and transportation costs. We have brought in an immediate expensing for greenhouses. The strategic response fund was given $500 million for agri-food businesses. We have offered a—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Winnipeg Centre.

Labour

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Madam Speaker, today is International Workers' Day. It is a day when we honour workers' struggles for economic justice and human rights. Yet, the Liberals repeatedly use section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to trample over the right to strike. They cave to CEOs and their corporate buddies and undermine fair and collective bargaining.

Will the government finally respect workers, defend their rights and pass Bill C-247 to repeal section 107 of the Canada Labour Code?

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Madam Speaker, we believe firmly that section 107 is used only in extreme cases when other options have been exhausted. Just last year, for example, a federal mediator supported over 200 collective bargaining negotiations, and 97% of labour disputes are resolved without a major work stoppage.

We have a consultation right now on the future of the federal Labour Code. I would invite the member, her colleagues and her constituents to please go online and participate in that as we look ahead down the road.

Climate Change

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, alarm bells are ringing of imminent global collapse of key climate systems, but the alarms are being drowned out by the cheering of Liberals and Conservatives for new and more climate-killing projects. Key experts say that there is a fifty-fifty chance of the collapse of the massive and complex Atlantic Ocean current system with devastating and catastrophic results.

When will the government stop shutting off the alarms and try to act before we pass the tipping points?

[Wade Grant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Madam Speaker, I want to say that Canada continues to be a global climate leader, and we are making our voice heard on the world stage. In fact, just last week, at the G7, the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change presented our ambitious new nature strategy.

In the spring economic statement, we renewed Canada's international climate finance to support sustainable solutions across the world, especially in vulnerable places. As the Prime Minister has said in the House of Commons, we will respect our Paris commitments for climate change, and we are determined to achieve them.

Our government will continue to take decisive climate action and engage in global conversations and action supporting a stronger, cleaner and safer world.