Debates of May 27th, 2026

Taxation

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in typical Liberal fashion, there was nothing about the fuel tax.

The Liberals' half measure on fuel tax is just three months away from expiring. Does the member know any Canadians who have felt real relief? I sure do not. In fact, the only people I see waving the “mission accomplished” flag are people like the minister who are Liberals. Everyone knows that it will take years to truly solve the Liberal inflation crisis. The least these tired, costly Liberals could do is give Canadians a real break on all their fuel taxes.

Is the Liberal plan really to tell Canadians that their affordability crisis will be solved by the end of summer? Seriously? Why do they not take all the tax off all the fuel for the rest of the year and give Canadians some real relief today?

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we focus on affordability. They are focused on bluster. We just paused the consumer excise tax on gas, which is 10¢ a litre. Combine that with the cut—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

We need to lower the decibels.

The hon. secretary of state may continue.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Kennebecasis, NB]

Mr. Speaker, we cut the excise tax on gas, which was 10¢ a litre. We cut the consumer carbon tax, which was 18¢ a litre. That is 28¢ a litre for Canadians when they fill up at the pump.

That side continues to vote against every affordability measure we have ever put forward. They do not have Canadians' interests at heart.

We are going to focus on delivering affordability for Canadians on this side of the House.

[Harb Gill, Conservative, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Windsor families are tired of being failed by this Liberal government. They are paying about 30¢ more per litre of gasoline than people across the river in Detroit.

This Liberal Prime Minister is the same as the previous one. He is very expensive and has nothing to show for his spending. All we get from him is more costs, more taxes, more debt and more on the national credit card.

We Conservatives have a real plan. Canadian families are looking for relief. Let us provide it by removing all federal gas taxes for one year, with no more half measures.

When will the Liberal government get it done?

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

Mr. Speaker, that member knows very well that we have taken a number of initiatives that have helped Windsor families. People in Windsor know that the member has voted against every one of those measures.

However, what we know is that it is time to invest and build. Canada is building again. Today, we announced Canada's first European LNG agreement, which will attract more than $30 billion in investment. We are building new nuclear in Ontario, critical mineral projects in Quebec, like the Nouveau Monde Graphite's Matawinie mine project, and in the Prairies, major infrastructure across the country from Newfoundland and Labrador—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, drawing on his deep understanding of Quebec, the Prime Minister, who said a few months ago that the Battle of the Plains of Abraham was just one big hug fest, very clearly told us yesterday that he thinks a majority of 50% plus one on sovereignty issues is unclear. In that case, I think we ought to start by overturning the 1995 referendum and starting all over.

Evidently, this time he should have minded his own business. The Quebec National Assembly reminded him of that with a unanimous motion. There are about 170 Liberal members here, about 40 of whom are from Quebec. I want to know if the members—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I can help the leader of the Bloc Québécois. I think I know what question he was going to ask. The answer is the same as it was earlier this week.

I realize that the Bloc Québécois members are experts at picking fights, sowing division and creating controversy where none exists. As my colleagues just said, we are fundamentally focused on issues that matter to Quebeckers and all Canadians. We are trying to work with the Quebec government, as well as with businesses and workers in Quebec and across Canada. That remains our priority, and things are going well.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly was unanimous in not sharing that view. Some people support sovereignty. Others are on the fence. Some people say they want it later, and some do not want it at all. However, Quebeckers all agree that they have the right to make their own decisions, 30 years on from the shenanigans surrounding the previous referendum.

Are the Prime Minister and the government telling Quebeckers that they should not count on Ottawa to defend democracy and their rights and that they can only count on their own will as Quebeckers?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the Bloc Québécois is once again trying to create division and controversy where there is none. As the leader of the Bloc Québécois is well aware, we are working with our Bloc colleagues and with all MPs to find ways to address the U.S. tariff threat and support the businesses and workers across Canada that are dealing with completely unjustified tariff threats.

We will continue to do this work and I would like the Bloc Québécois to work with us on these issues that are important to Quebec.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, food insecurity is a very real problem. In my region of Chaudière–Appalaches, demand is skyrocketing. One food aid organization has seen a 66% surge in visitors in just three years. The situation is so critical that some organizations will soon have to tighten up their eligibility criteria and, unfortunately, turn away families and requests for help. As we know, the increase in demand is caused by this government's costly policies.

When will the Liberal Prime Minister finally help Canadians pay their bills and feed their families properly?

[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 a great deal of respect for my colleague. We sit together on a committee and always have lively discussions.

What perplexes me about her speeches in the House is that I get the impression there is a disconnect between what she advocates for in committee and what she calls for in the House. She is always very keen to support community organizations, prioritizing support for families and women, yet that is not what I hear once we are in this chamber.

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

Mr. Speaker, this government's housing and inflation crisis is tearing families apart. Rents have jumped 3.6% in one year. Since 2021, there has been a 31% increase. Today, food insecurity is so severe that some Canadians have to spend 120% of their income just to put food on the table or pay for housing.

When is this Liberal government going to put an end to its costly, out-of-control budgets and finally take the cost-of-living crisis seriously? Now would be best.

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

Mr. Speaker, we take this very seriously, particularly the housing crisis. We have established a federal agency called Build Canada Homes. It is rare for federal agencies to be created. Under this agency, the government's priority is affordable housing. We understand that. A large portion of people's income goes toward housing. This is especially true in the riding I represent, Hochelaga—Rosemont-Est.

This is the government's top priority.

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

Mr. Speaker, I met with many constituents of Portneuf—Jacques‑Cartier over the past few weeks, and it is glaringly obvious that the cost of living has become unaffordable. Seniors and young people are paying dearly for the effects of this Liberal government. For 10 years, the Liberals have tried program after program. Nothing has worked. Alarm bells should be ringing now that people are being forced to dip into their savings just to put food on the table.

When is the Liberal Prime Minister going to stop recklessly wasting money on Canadians' credit card and start making life more affordable for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Hochelaga—Rosemont‑Est just asked a highly relevant question. What is inflationary spending? The Conservatives tell us that our spending is making life harder for Canadians. However, people rely on dental care. People rely on the Canada child benefit. People rely on the GST rebate for groceries. Conservative MPs seem to object to these measures, but we cannot understand why. Do they have a plan to help people, or is it all just empty opposition rhetoric?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are out of touch, which is unfortunate. The member should have listened to my question. I will ask another one.

There was a global energy crisis in 2014. The price of a barrel of oil was $100, but the price at the pump was only $1.34 a litre. That was during the Harper era. Today, the price of a barrel of oil is the same, but gas costs 40¢ more per litre. That is the result of Liberal policies.

Will the Liberal Prime Minister take the bull by the horns and implement measures to help Canadians make ends meet?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will not take any lessons from those Conservatives. Rather than standing up and asking the same question over and over every day this week, my colleague, whom I respect, should instead stand up and vote in favour of Bill C-30, a bill that will put more money in the pockets of 12 million Canadians. I know people in Portneuf who will be happy about that.

Will the member do the right thing for the people of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier? I know they are listening today, and they expect their member of Parliament to stand up for them when they need some support.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are throwing out all sorts of statistics to make us believe things are going well. However, it is always the same story: higher costs, higher taxes, more debt and more credit card spending. For me, the real statistics are what I see when I am out in my community. People constantly tell me they have to make choices just to put food on the table and pay the rent, something they never had to do before.

Will the government finally get the message and stop making Canadian families pay for its costly mismanagement?

[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)]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague explained, Build Canada Homes is there for affordable housing. We are welcoming athletes to Ottawa today and making sport affordable through a $755-million investment to make sport accessible to all. We are developing projects and programs for our society on so many issues, including tax cuts. On this side of the House, we are taking swift action to help the people in our ridings. In my riding of Thérèse‑De Blainville, I can say that organizations are thanking us for everything we are doing for our constituents.

Sport

[Peter Fonseca, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians watched with pride as over 250 Canadian athletes competed this year in the Milano Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Nothing makes us prouder than cheering on team Canada, so can the Secretary of Sport tell us how the Government of Canada is supporting these incredible athletes?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Secretary of State (Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, my friend and colleague from Mississauga East—Cooksville knows what it takes to be an Olympic medallist, an Olympian. He has raced the marathon at the Olympic Games for team Canada, so I thank him very much.

Today we welcome the 2026 team Canada Olympic and Paralympic athletes to Parliament Hill. Every time team Canada athletes compete, they represent our country and wear the maple leaf. It makes us proud.

Our world-class teams and athletes deserve a world-class sport system. That is why we are building Canada strong, from playground to podium, by investing over $755 million into the Canadian sport system over the next five years to improve access to higher sport participation, host more international sporting events and support our incredible national team athletes.