It is not exactly true, and he should apologize.
House of Commons Hansard #121 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was affordability.
House of Commons Hansard #121 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was affordability.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Criminal Code Second reading of Bill S-233. The bill proposes making assaults against health care workers and first responders an aggravating sentencing factor. Conservatives emphasize the urgent need for protection against rising violence, criticizing past legislative delays. A Liberal representative welcomes the goals but notes broader government sentencing reforms, while the Bloc Québécois supports the bill while also advocating for increased health transfers to address systemic issues. 8600 words, 1 hour.
Budget 2025 Implementation Act, No. 2 Jean-Denis Garon (Bloc) invokes Standing Order 69.1 to request a separate vote on division 17 of Bill C-31, arguing that its substantial amendments to the Canada Transportation Act are unrelated to the budget. 500 words.
Bill C-30—Time Allocation Motion Members debate a Liberal motion limiting discussion on Bill C-30. Conservative and Bloc MPs criticize the use of time allocation as a tactic to stifle debate and avoid scrutiny regarding national debt. The government defends the move, insisting that expedited passing is necessary to deliver critical affordability measures and economic support to Canadians before the parliamentary summer break. 5100 words, 30 minutes.
Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act Second reading of Bill C-30. The bill implements provisions from the spring economic update. Liberal members argue the measures provide essential affordability supports and infrastructure investment, framing them as fiscally responsible. Conversely, Conservatives characterize the legislation as a collection of short-term gimmicks that fail to address reckless government spending. Meanwhile, the Bloc Québécois and NDP highlight significant gaps, criticizing a lack of support for regional businesses and arguing the current government is taking progressives for granted. 31100 words, 4 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Premature Disclosure of a Bill and its Elements to a Third Party Xavier Barsalou-Duval raises a question of privilege, alleging the government leaked legislative details concerning Air Canada to an external party before informing the House, an accusation the Liberals and Conservatives reserve comment on. 700 words.
Ministerial Compliance with Order in Council—Speaker's Ruling The Speaker rules that the government’s failure to table reports from the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise does not constitute a breach of privilege, as no law or Standing Order mandates their tabling. 800 words.
Steven Bonk Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
I heard the member laughing when my colleague brought this up, so I think the member opposite should apologize and withdraw his comment.
The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec
I am just going to make a ruling here. Standing Order 18 is pretty darn clear about what members are allowed to say and are not allowed to say about each other. They are not supposed to impugn motives, but members do have reactions to what is being said in the House. That is part of being a member. We get to say things but also listen to things, and I think one of the greatest privileges we have is being listened to in the House and members seeing the reactions that we have in the moment when we are making them. We should also be judicious with our comments when we are making them, in case members interpret them in the wrong way.
With that being said, I will now invoke my favourite standing order, Standing Order 10, which is not debating with the Speaker. I will let the member finish his comment, and I will ask members to be judicious and careful in the commentary they make about actions that are taken in the chamber and outside the chamber when they have to do with members of the House.
The member for Regina—Lewvan.
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Mr. Speaker, I will go back to the question I had for the member from B.C. I am wondering, how many Canadians in your riding are actually better off than they were five or six years ago? Are there lots of people in your riding saying that things have gotten better, or can you say that they have collectively gotten worse?
The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec
I am going to remind the member to speak through the Speaker. That is another standing order. I welcome the member's reading the Standing Orders.
With that, I will let the member for Vancouver East reply.
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, there is no question that the affordability crisis is hitting everybody. In my riding of Vancouver East as well, people are struggling to get by. What the NDP cannot accept is an economy where wealth continues to concentrate at the top, where opportunity narrows for too many and where public policy moves in ways that risk reinforcing that divide. This is not inevitable. It is the result of the political decisions of the Prime Minister, and it is within our power to choose a different path. The NDP chooses a different path. We say, let us levy an excessive profit tax for those who are making billions of dollars at the expense of Canadians who are struggling to get by.
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, I know that my colleague from Vancouver East has two issues she is passionate about: the living conditions and housing conditions of first nations.
In the budget statement, the government clearly fails to address two major concerns affecting many Canadians. In the current context, the government has missed an opportunity, particularly to implement initiatives such as the Yänonhchia' initiative, which provided powers by and for first nations and empowered them to make decisions regarding housing. It also included an investment fund that would have made it possible to reinvest funds.
Is my colleague disappointed by the government's lack of solutions regarding indigenous housing and the increasingly urgent needs in this area?
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, there is no question that I am deeply disappointed and deeply concerned that the Prime Minister has abandoned the indigenous community. He is riding roughshod over and sidelining their indigenous rights, as have been enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. On the housing side, the government, in the economic update, actually ensured that the private sector would be the biggest beneficiary of the spring economic update. Of the $140 billion for measures toward housing, two-thirds is actually targeted toward the private sector in the way of benefits, tax incentives and so on. Only a small fraction of the money would actually be invested in building housing. So much for building faster and more for the Canadians who need housing the most.
John-Paul Danko Liberal Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is fascinating to hear the anti-capitalist rhetoric from the NDP, the party that is supposed to be representing workers.
Will the member opposite acknowledge that there are thousands of workers who work in the private sector and in the oil and gas industry, who make the steel and the components that go into that industry and who are benefiting from the government's investments?
Bill C-30 Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation ActGovernment Orders
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, of course the NDP supports workers. We are not the party that will legislate them back to work. We are not the party that will run roughshod over workers. We are not the party that is pretending to engage in a consultative process about major changes to the Canada Labour Code without the meaningful participation from labour. This is what the Liberals are doing.
Bill C-30 Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation ActGovernment Orders
Trois-Rivières Québec
Liberal
Caroline Desrochers LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure
Mr. Speaker, it is with great humility and pride that I rise today, as the member for Trois-Rivières, to speak to the 2026 spring economic update and to share what I have heard in my riding, as well as the commitments and actions our government is taking to represent the people of our communities.
First, I want to talk about pride—pride in what I heard while going door to door, pride in our government's actions, pride in being part of this team at such a pivotal moment for our country and, above all, pride in representing a riding that wants to be part of the future and part of the solution. The number one thing I heard about while going door to door was the cost of living. That is really what people are most concerned about. However, contrary to what our Conservative colleagues like to claim about us living in a vacuum, my constituents understand that the global context is having an impact on the cost of living. The dependence on supply chains—
The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec
I have to interrupt the hon. member. There is a point of order from the hon. member for Leduc—Wetaskiwin.
Mike Lake Conservative Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have shortened debate on this really important amount of spending they are doing, and they cannot even be bothered to show up to have quorum. I would like to make sure we have quorum.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec
Order. It is easier to do a count if members are not shouting across the aisle at each other and interrupting the count.
And the count having been taken:
We have quorum now.
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and member for Trois-Rivières may continue.
Caroline Desrochers Liberal Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for bringing members into the House, and I thank my colleagues for being here today.
When I went out to meet with people, the number one issue I heard about was the cost of living, which folks are concerned about. However, contrary to what our Conservative colleagues like to claim about us living in a vacuum, my constituents understand that the global context is having an impact on the cost of living and the dependence on supply chains. The physical wars in Ukraine and Iran are also having an impact. The illegal and unfair tariff wars are affecting input costs.
What I am hearing from people is that it is absolutely critical that we maintain the programs that are helping the most vulnerable Canadians. It is often said in the House that our programs are handouts given to Canadians. These are not handouts. These programs help families make ends meet and have a better life every day.
For example, 26,000 people in my riding, Trois-Rivières, are benefiting from the dental plan. There is the Canada child benefit, which 8,700 households back home are receiving. More than 35,000 people in Trois-Rivières are receiving the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. Of course, we cannot overlook the school food program. Thousands of young people in the 22 most disadvantaged schools in my riding are receiving food assistance through the school food program. Canadians are proud that their government has succeeded in protecting its social programs, even in the current context.
I would like to talk a little about the housing crisis. We know that rent is one of the biggest expenses for families. That is why we need to build housing faster. Obviously, we have launched Build Canada Homes. In fact, soon we will be studying Bill C-20, which we hope our colleagues will support. Agreements have already been signed to build more than 10,000 units, and construction will begin in the coming weeks.
We have also proposed a GST rebate for first-time homebuyers. More recently, we announced $1.7 billion in transfers to the provinces to encourage cities and provinces to reduce barriers to construction, whether related to zoning, densification, or permitting. These are important measures.
It is also important to give our young people hope that one day, they will have good jobs and be able to buy a home. That is why, in this economic statement, we invested $750 million in sports infrastructure. We also increased the number of summer jobs, and this summer, 100,000 young people will get their first job experience. In my riding of Trois‑Rivières, these investments add up to nearly $1.2 million. This will give small businesses a break. It will help non-profit organizations expand their services. For example, the Trois-Rivières Native Friendship Centre will be able to accommodate 30 more children at its upcoming summer camp with the help it received from Canada summer jobs.
With the economic statement, we are moving ahead with the team Canada strong initiative, which involves a $10-billion investment in recruiting, training and hiring 80,000 to 100,000 new Red Seal trades workers. We want to build at speed and scale. That takes labour. We are rolling out the programs needed to equip ourselves to get there.
The people I spoke to also talked to me a lot about the economy. It was the second-most important issue when I met with people in recent weeks. They understand the global context and they understand the repercussions of what is happening south of the border. People told me that they are very satisfied with the government and with the actions that the government and our Prime Minister are taking.
I want to quickly tell members what people told me about the Prime Minister. They said that he was the right man for the job, that he governs with his head and that he is the adult in the room. They also told me to imagine what things would be like if the other guy were in power, referring to the Leader of the Opposition.
Above all, people talked to me about pride. They are proud that Canada is taking its rightful place in the world. They are proud of the investments that we are making in the Canadian Armed Forces. They are proud of the fact that Canada is not giving in to the will of the President of the United States just to secure an agreement at any cost. They also told me that it is time to build and time to do things differently, to turn things around and to take every opportunity that presents itself.
That is what we have been proposing since our government was elected in 2025. Through the Major Projects Office, for example, we will build and expand the port of Contrecoeur. There is the high-speed rail project, which I am sure my colleagues will want to discuss shortly. There is the defence industrial strategy, which will create up to 125,000 jobs. The build communities strong fund provides $51 billion to ensure our communities have the necessary infrastructure. Above all, there is the “buy Canadian” policy to favour Canadian companies in procurement processes.
We know that none of this will be built overnight. In the meantime, we know that our industries are suffering because of the global context and the unjust and illegal tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration. That is why we are here to support our businesses and our workers, notably through the regional tariff response initiative, which we enhanced in the latest economic statement: The funding was originally set at $1 billion, but we have added $500 million.
In my riding, companies such as FAB 3R, AGT Robotics and Captel are being hit hard by the tariffs. With these investments, they can diversify, protect jobs and modernize their production. This is in addition to other programs, such as the $5‑billion strategic response fund, which helps businesses adapt to the global context.
Just recently, Minister Joly joined me in my riding to announce—
The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec
I must interrupt the hon. parliamentary secretary and remind her that members and ministers cannot be named in the House. The member may continue.
Caroline Desrochers Liberal Trois-Rivières, QC
Just recently, the Minister of Industry and I were in my riding to annunce a $35‑million investment in Kruger to help this company diversify its production line and create market opportunities for Canada's forest products, which is another industry that is struggling right now.
In the economic statement, the government announced the Canada Strong fund, a sovereign wealth fund with $25 billion in initial capital that Canadians can contribute to in order to receive their share of the returns generated by the build Canada strong program. Canadians are proud of their country and want to participate in this major social project we are building.
While going door to door, I also had people raise the issue of the environment. We discussed the auto strategy and the nature strategy. We discussed our leadership on the international stage, which we are not abandoning. Canada is upholding its commitments. Canadians and Quebeckers know very well that no party has done as much to protect the environment and combat climate change as our party.
That brings me back to the topic of pride. Protecting our territory and fighting climate change are matters of national pride, both in Quebec and in Alberta. We have been witnessing a surge in national pride since last year. The economic statement tabled by my colleague, the hon. Minister of Finance, meets the moment we are experiencing together.
On this side of the House, we are taking action. We are adapting to a changing world. We are capable of envisioning the future. We are not afraid to make the necessary decisions. We are governing responsibly and ambitiously, and above all, we are continuing to be there for Canadians who need help. The economic statement feeds into the grand endeavour we launched in 2025 to build Canada strong for all Canadians, a proud Canada.
Mike Lake Conservative Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, The New York Times reported that Canada had the richest middle class in the world. In 2015, we had a balanced budget and the richest middle class in the world.
Fast-forward to today. We have more than doubled our national debt. The Liberals brag about the fact that we are subsidizing groceries for a third of the population. That is the situation we are in. We are spending more on interest than we are on the Canada health transfer, and the Liberals' own financial statements indicate that by 2030‑31, the entire deficit would be used to pay interest on the debt. How did we get here?
Caroline Desrochers Liberal Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, according to another statistic I would like to remind my colleague of, the child poverty rate was 16%. Today, it has fallen below 10%. That is exactly what we are doing: We are lifting people out of poverty.
Although I know it is my colleague's turn to ask a question, I would like him to tell me where he would make budget cuts. Every day, we are told that we are doing nothing right. Could my colleague tell me where he would make cuts?
Bill C-30 Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation ActGovernment Orders
LaSalle—Émard—Verdun Québec
Liberal
Claude Guay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleague, the parliamentary secretary, if, when she speaks to her constituents in her riding, they fully understand the argument we constantly hear from the Conservatives about the so-called Liberal Party credit card.
I get the feeling that Canadians understand that we need to invest during this difficult time. We are going through a tariff war. Now is the time to take advantage of the fact that we are in the best economic position to be able to invest in our country.
What is she hearing from her constituents?
Caroline Desrochers Liberal Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question.
When I talk to my constituents, they tell me not to take them for fools, because they know full well that the Conservatives do not care about affordability or the social programs we are putting forward. That is what my constituents are telling me.
They know that we are here to support Canadians by eliminating the gas tax, by providing the grocery benefit, by providing the school food program, by accelerating the construction of affordable housing and by protecting jobs in the industries most affected by tariffs.
The Conservatives voted against all those measures. No one believes that the Conservatives are actually there for the most vulnerable.
Kurt Holman Conservative London—Fanshawe, ON
Mr. Speaker, the member mentioned to a Conservative colleague what we should cut to help Canadians. Repeatedly, with the Trudeau government, we heard about scandal upon scandal and about the waste of taxpayers' dollars. I am concerned, even with the current Liberal government, of potentially more scandals with regard to wasting taxpayers' dollars.
Is the Liberal government going to come to terms and stop wasting taxpayers' dollars on behalf of all Canadians?
Caroline Desrochers Liberal Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, I understand that it is hard for them to come up with a plan that makes sense. That is exactly what we are proposing: a plan that makes sense.
I repeat, we have announced $1.5 billion to help the industries most affected by the trade war. We are investing in our infrastructure to build the Canada of tomorrow.
We are going to train 100,000 youths in specialized trades to put them at the centre of the major projects that we are going to build.
We are doing all this while reducing the deficit, which according to the economic statement is down from $78 million to $67 million.
I will say this in English, because I do not have the right words in French.
I am so tired of hearing about the social programs as if they are handouts, and of hearing about people who need to rent apartments as if “Why are you guys building apartments? People want to own their home.”
Through the Chair, please stop putting Canadians down.