Debates of May 25th, 2026

Bill C-30—Time Allocation Motion

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

moved:

That, in relation to Bill C-30, An Act to implement certain provisions of the spring economic update tabled in Parliament on April 28, 2026, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to the consideration at second reading stage of the bill; and

That, 15 minutes before the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on the day allotted to the consideration at second reading stage of the said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this order, and, in turn, every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill shall be put forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

The motion is in order.

Pursuant to Standing Order 67.1, there will now be a 30‑minute question period. Members will recall that the preference for questions during the 30 minutes is provided to the opposition, but not to the exclusion of some government members. Members should keep their interventions brief, and they may speak more than once.

I now invite hon. members who wish to ask questions to rise in the House or to use the “raise hand” function so the Chair has some idea of the number of members who wish to participate in this question period.

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Calgary Crowfoot.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we now see the character of this new majority government. Liberals are going to use their numbers to stifle debate and prevent scrutiny of their bills. Since they tabled Bill C-30, there have been maybe three hours of debate.

Does the minister think that is parliamentary accountability and a sufficient opportunity for members on all sides to question the minister on his horrific spring economic statement, with crippling debt service charges projected in the years ahead?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised by the words used by the member, for whom I have enormous respect. I think he should listen to Canadians.

In Bill C-30, we see important measures. Outside this chamber, the one thing Canadians talk to us about is affordability. Affordability is top of mind for Canadians when it comes to the price of homes, gas and food. Bill C-30 would implement the very important measure we said we would implement, which is to suspend the federal excise tax on gas and diesel. If the Conservatives are true to their word, I hope they will all stand up and say, yes, they will support the motion, because we need to act in favour of Canadians. That is what Canadians expect, and that is what we will deliver.

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, when the government forces Parliament to shut down debate, Canadians should ask themselves one very simple question: What exactly are the Liberals hoping that Canadians will not notice? The choice to use time allocation is the latest in the government's attempt to shortcut transparency. Debate is cut short, scrutiny is treated like obstruction and billions of taxpayer dollars are pushed through Parliament without good oversight. It is becoming a pattern. They change the rules halfway through the game, dim the lights and hope Canadians cannot see the scoreboard clearly enough to question the result.

However, a strong economy depends on trust, trust that the rules are fair, the books are honest and hard work still gets people ahead. Under the Liberal government, Canadians feel like they are in a nightmare game, expected to play blindfolded. Eventually, players stop taking risks, investors stop investing and builders stop building.

My question is simple. Why do the Liberals keep shutting off the cameras and using technicalities like time allocation when the trust of Canadians is at its lowest? Honesty and integrity—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the cameras are on and I am quite happy to speak to Canadians.

I will go to other measures that I think the Conservatives should support. Division 4 of part 3 would amend the Employment Insurance Act and extend, until October 7, 2028, the duration of the measure that increases the maximum number of weeks for which benefits may be paid in a benefit period to certain seasonal workers. I am sure the seasonal workers watching at home today would expect the opposition to stand up and say, yes, they support seasonal workers and they want to make sure they have the measures that will support them and their families.

On this side of the House, I can assure everyone that all my colleagues want to make sure that, on the one hand, we respond to all the questions, but, on the other hand, we also do what is right for Canadians. That is what we will do.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, regardless of the content of the bill, we know that today we are dealing with a government and a Minister of Finance for whom the democratic process is purely cosmetic. During the committee's study on Driver Inc. truckers, we saw them shut down debate. We have seen them curtail the work of committees and impose in camera proceedings. As soon as they had their majority, their first move was to order an in camera meeting.

The Minister of Finance tells us that this bill contains important measures. We agree. We are willing to debate them. We are willing to discuss them, even though the government is not giving us the chance to do so. The government will likely tell us that time is of the essence and that we will not have enough time to pass all these measures.

Given that the government is forcing bills down our throats and cutting off debate in Parliament, will the Minister of Finance commit to ensuring that his party and his government will not adjourn the proceedings of the House of Commons before the June 18 deadline, so that we have all the time we need to debate the bills, since he seems to be in such a hurry?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, who is someone I hold in very high regard. I think that the people watching at home understand the circumstances we find ourselves in. I just got back from meetings with my G7 colleagues. The world is changing. We have to take concrete measures.

The issue of affordability, for example, is very real for all Canadians across the country. Bill C‑30 would allow us to implement the measure we announced to suspend the federal excise tax on gas and diesel. This is an important measure for Canadians as the summer season starts and Canadians travel across the country.

I know that my colleagues in the House understand the importance of taking action. Canadians expect us to take action here, in the House, with all haste they are entitled to expect of measures that will help them over the summer.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the very first thing these Liberals did when they got their backroom deal majority was to stack the deck on committees, and now they are ramming through legislation and cutting off debate. This bill needs proper scrutiny, because it is a budget implementation bill that would add billions of dollars to the national debt. The last projection for this current fiscal year by the Trudeau government was that the deficit would be in the low thirties of billions of dollars. Now the deficit is more than twice that, with $30 billion of extra debt racked up on the national credit card. All this adds to more inflation. This is the same playbook the Liberals were running for 11 years: more dollars chasing fewer goods.

Can the minister explain to the House why he thinks things will happen differently this time? We see the very same scenario. The Bank of Canada is buying government bonds. The creation of money, the money supply, the amount of money in circulation has been increasing at a rate of about twice that of the GDP. When we have more dollars chasing fewer goods, we get inflation, which is the worst kind of tax because Canadians have no say over it.

Can the minister explain why he thinks things will be different this time?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am quite happy to talk about the deficit. In fact, the projected deficit for 2025-26 is actually $11 billion lower than what was projected, and this is because of the resiliency of the Canadian economy and the resiliency of Canadian workers. Even international agencies have said that Canada has the strongest fiscal position in the G7. I know the Conservatives do not want to hear that, but those are the facts. They want clips and they want video. They should rely on international agencies, which do not need clips or videos. They just say the facts as they are, and they say that Canada has the strongest fiscal position in the G7. Those are the facts.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to make two quick points. First, when the current leader of the Conservative Party was part of the Conservative government, which was a majority government, using time allocation was very commonplace. In fact, the record number of time allocations used was when the leader of the Conservative Party was in government.

The second is more of a question for the Minister of Finance. The government has put a great deal of focus on the issue of affordability. With this legislation, the minister has brought forward a series of tools that would assist Canadians on the issue of affordability. I am wondering if he could provide his thoughts on the gas tax break and on how important it was to provide the groceries and essentials benefit program. Again, both are dealing with the very important issue of affordability for Canadians.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, this bill, Bill C-30, would be helping Canadians with affordability. We all know this is top of mind for Canadians, wherever we go in the country. Let me point out other good things that are in Bill C-30. It would modify the labour mobility deduction for eligible tradespeople by increasing the annual limit on expenses that can be deducted. It would make permanent the capital gains tax exemption for the sale of a business to an employee ownership trust or a worker co-operative. Those are the types of measures that have been asked for by labour, industry and workers, and they would make a difference. I know that everyone who was elected and sits in the House wants to make a difference for their constituents. There are 18 measures in Bill C-30 that would make a difference in the lives of Canadians. Therefore, I would hope and expect that every member of the House would stand up, support the motion and get down to work.

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

Mr. Speaker, there are parts of every omnibus bill that need to be studied, but when there are omnibus bills, they rarely are. I was the only member of Parliament to vote against part 1 of Bill C-5 last June. Why? It was because the Canadian Cancer Society reached me and asked me to please oppose reducing measures that would make it easier for toxic chemicals that are carcinogens to cross provincial borders.

I am very similarly concerned that this bill, in division 8, would increase carcinogens in our foods and in our environment because of changes being proposed to the Pest Control Products Act on the scanty evidence, or I would say the assumption without evidence, that somehow food would be cheaper if we made it easier for corporate profits to accrue in the chemical industry.

I ask the hon. Minister of Finance to please reconsider the amendments to the Pest Control Products Act. There are parts of this bill I would vote for, but please, to the Minister of Finance, do not reduce our health protections pretending it would bring down food prices.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have enormous respect for my colleague, and I always listen to her comments.

In fact, what we are doing this morning would allow the committee to study the measures in the bill. The member will find that there are a number of measures there, for example with respect to seasonal workers and affordability. I know she would support them, because she is a member who has always supported the rights of workers.

There are measures, for example, of immediate expensing for greenhouses so that we can grow more food in Canada, reduce our dependency and be more resilient. Those are the types of measures that I know every member of this House, regardless of their political affiliation, would support, because being able to grow more food in Canada, to be more resilient and to provide communities the power to grow food in their own communities is something we should all be supportive of.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the Minister of Finance, cannot stand up and say how much he respects his colleagues and then not answer any of their questions. He cannot stand up and say that he respects the House of Commons and then avoid the questions. I asked a simple question, and I know that the minister is a smart man who is capable of understanding it.

The government is shutting down debate, saying that they are in a hurry and that things need to move forward. According to the official schedule, the House of Commons is scheduled to sit until June 18. Since we are in a hurry, can the Minister of Finance guarantee that he will be here, sitting in his chair, debating bills until June 18? Can he guarantee that, a week or so before the House rises for the summer, he will not be travelling all over Europe and that he will be sitting here debating bills until the last day? That is the question.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my colleague, for whom I have a great deal of respect. The primary responsibility of each and every one of us is, of course, to be a parliamentarian. It is to be a member of Parliament, to sit in this chamber and debate bills. That is what I have always done. Tomorrow, I will even be appearing before a House committee for four hours to answer questions from my colleagues. I will also be in committee next week.

I am happy to answer questions in order to be transparent and to explain to Canadians the importance of the measures proposed in the economic statement that was just presented and the budget we tabled. The primary role of each and every one of us is to be a member of Parliament.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie South—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the transactional majority strikes again. It was not too long ago when the Liberals seized control of committees, and now they are seizing control of this Parliament. I will remind members that, over a year ago, a minority government was elected in order to hold government to account, to make sure that there was transparency, and to make sure that there was oversight as well. Here we are, with the government seizing control through this closure motion.

Actually, what the Liberals are doing is silencing the voices of nearly 50% of members in the House, including mine, who have something to say about this budget, particularly on the $30‑billion increase in deficits and the upward trend of $2.4 trillion in additional debt that could be added by this fall economic statement going into the future. They are silencing not just my voice, but the voices of many other MPs in this place representing Canadians who are fearful that they will be left picking up the scattered pieces of what is left of this government when they are done with it.

Does three hours of debate actually reflect the importance of this issue? That is my question for the finance minister.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, we are listening to Canadians.

I know the member quite well. I am sure he would be happy to report to his constituents that, when he is going to vote, there will be an additional two-year extension of the 2% cap on the annual alcohol excise duty inflation. He will go around and talk about the fact that he has been supporting the government, because this is something that constituents in his riding, the distilleries and those who are in the sector have been asking this government for.

I know the member. He is a good man, and he understands that we need to meet the moment. There are a lot of things that happen in the world, but one thing we can do is focus on what we can control. What we can control in this House is passing these measures, supporting affordability and supporting Canadians.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Finance how he can boast about his support for workers. He mentioned seasonal workers. There are some in my riding. The Liberals have been promising EI reform for over 10 years now, but they have not proposed anything. We offered them a ready-made bill, but they did not take it up. They could have introduced it themselves if they had wanted to. This is a persistent problem in my riding.

There is still no assistance to maintain the employment relationship with businesses that are forced to close. There are people back home who have lost their jobs and who are wondering about their future. The government denied them that support. We are talking about working conditions.

I would add that this is happening just as the government is threatening gains related to the Canada Labour Code, so I wonder how the government can claim to be working for workers when it is doing exactly the opposite.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think that seasonal workers will be pleased. They will be surprised to hear what my colleague said. I have a great deal of respect for her, I know her well and she does extraordinary work. However, what I can say is that when we talk about seasonal workers, I think that all of my colleagues here are in favour of the measures we are offering in Bill C-30. Those workers need these measures because if they are not extended, they will expire.

I think my colleague will go back to her riding and explain to seasonal workers how important it is to support Bill C-30, which will provide the boost that seasonal workers need in her part of the country, in my part of the country, whether they are in the Gaspé Peninsula or elsewhere in Quebec. I expect that the Bloc Québécois will support Bill C-30. It is an important bill for our seasonal workers.

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, since coming to power, we have invested heavily in infrastructure and housing, and we have launched our defence industrial strategy. In order to complete these major projects, we need people to build our country. We need people in skilled trades.

I would like the Minister of Finance to talk about the measures we have put in place to substantially increase the number of workers in the skilled trades in Canada and to tell us why now is the time to take these steps.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. It is an important one because what we are saying is that we are making generational investments in infrastructure, housing, competitiveness, innovation and defence.

It is true that we are going to need these young workers to build the country together. That is why we included exceptional, even generational, measures in the spring economic statement to provide opportunities for approximately 80,000 to 100,000 young people who will help us build this great country.

This is a generational opportunity, and we are responding to the demand for workers who will help us build this great country.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Mr. Speaker, time and time again, Liberal members stand across the way and try to convince Canadians that they are a new government. Canadians need to look no further than the government's actions today to confirm that they are the same old government, spending more and limiting debate with time allocation.

When will this minister and the Liberal government realize they are here to serve Canadians, not themselves?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, serving Canadians is in fact acting on behalf of Canadians. The thing that Canadians care about is affordability. The member should be standing in this House and saying, “Yes, I will support the government.” Why? There are measures that support Canadians on affordability, important measures around the gas tax and the suspension we announced. The member should be standing here and saying that this government understands the needs of Canadians and that Conservatives will leave partisanship aside, leave these quotes and these clips, and do what is right for Canadians. What is right for Canadians is to act for affordability right now.