Debates of May 5th, 2026

Justice

[Zoe Royer, Liberal, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Bill C-16, because safety in Canada is not a privilege, but a fundamental right.

Intimate partner violence isolates people in fear and in silence. It erodes dignity and weakens communities, and it calls on every single one of us to respond with clarity and resolve.

We are also seeing a rise in harassment, including online. Too many people are experiencing it, especially women.

Each of us deserves to feel safe at home, at work and in public life. Bill C-16 would move us forward. It would reinforce something fundamental, which is that in Canada, safety, dignity and respect must be upheld for everyone.

Gas Prices

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, despite the illusions from the Liberal Prime Minister, it is more cost, more carbon taxes and more of the same. He is just another Liberal.

The Liberals claim that the price of gas is skyrocketing because oil is $100 a barrel. However, the last time oil was $100 a barrel was under our Conservative government in 2014, and gas was only $1.38 a litre then. The same $100 barrel under the Conservatives was 45¢ cheaper. The difference is that Canadians were not being forced to pay high Liberal gas taxes. On top of the newly renamed carbon tax, the Liberals are charging GST on the cost of gas and on the cost of their gas taxes.

Is the Prime Minister putting government revenues from gas taxes ahead of struggling Canadians, or is making gas and diesel unaffordable just good business for a government that pushes an out-of-touch EV mandate?

The Liberals should take our common-sense plan to remove all of the taxes on gas all of the year, unblock our oil and gas production and make Canada affordable and strong—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester.

Justice

[Alana Hirtle, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, right now, in communities across this country, there are women living in fear inside their own homes. Intimate partner violence is not some theoretical problem to be discussed in the abstract. It is happening at the kitchen table, in the grocery store parking lot and in a text message sent at 2 a.m. It is fuelled by misogyny, and misogyny unchecked can kill.

Bill C-16 would take action in service of the victims of such intimidation, harassment and abuse. It would strengthen our Criminal Code to better protect victims, standing for women and with women all across Canada. Bill C-16 is an example of how we can work together to reject misogyny and insist on dignity and safety for all Canadians.

Prime Minister of Canada

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Ponoka—Didsbury, AB]

Mr. Speaker, despite his illusions and phony promises, the Prime Minister is no different from the last guy. He is just another costly Liberal.

The true diplomatic work on trade with Europe was done long ago by the Harper government. Canada signed trade deals with 48 European countries under the CETA. The Prime Minister has not signed a single new trade deal. His most recent EU tour was just another photo op.

The real barrier to selling to the European market is the Liberal government. The Prime Minister said a new pipeline was more probable than possible, but there is no start date, no route and no plan. He then promised to build at speeds never seen before. They have not been seen before because there is nothing to see.

In fairness, I will list the Liberal accomplishments over the last 11 years. They have the largest deficit outside of COVID, the largest national debt on record, the highest youth unemployment in generations and the only shrinking economy in the G7.

Our biggest accomplishment should be selling energy to our allies, not racking up half-a-million-dollar catering bills for the Prime Minister's plane. It needs to be Canadian energy. He should end the illusions and export Canadian energy now.

Celiac Awareness Month

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, May is Celiac Awareness Month. Today, we wear the ribbon in recognition of the more than 400,000 Canadians living with celiac disease.

As the chair of the all-party celiac caucus, I hosted Celiac Canada's annual gluten-free breakfast on the Hill. I thank Melissa Secord and her team, and colleagues from all parties who came together in support.

I have heard first-hand from the celiac community, including from families who spoke with me at the Davis Family Farm's sunflower festival, about how managing celiac disease requires a strict, lifelong, gluten-free diet. Let us continue to listen, raise awareness and stand with Canadians living with celiac disease, recognizing their strength and resilience.

Finance

[Aaron Gunn, Conservative, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, what a a colossal and grotesque waste of taxpayer money. How else could one describe the deliberate Liberal decision to double the size of Canada's deficit and add $1 trillion to Canada's debt? It will increase the amount of taxpayer money wasted on interest payments to $80 billion every single year. That is $5,000 per Canadian household not going toward health care, education or roads. That is money taken from the pockets of everyday, hard-working Canadians and squandered.

If we keep borrowing all this money with no plan to pay it all back, this story will end only one way. It will end with ever-increasing interest charges consuming a larger and larger share of Canada's budget, meaning less money to pay for the essential government services on which we all rely and a deeper hole that will become only more difficult to dig ourselves out of.

I implore the Liberal Prime Minister to put down the shovel, stop digging and restore fiscal discipline and fiscal sanity to this country.

Justice

[Giovanna Mingarelli, Liberal, Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Bill C-16, the protecting victims act, which would strengthen the Criminal Code to better protect victims of violence and abuse.

When I was elected as the member of Parliament for Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, I committed to protecting those experiencing violence and abuse. Today, I reaffirm that commitment. More must be done to address the rise in toxic and harassing behaviour, particularly online. Like many Canadians, I have received persistent, abusive communications. It is harassment and it is unacceptable.

All Canadians, including every elected official in this House of Commons, have the right to a harassment-free home and work environment. Together, we must empower a public culture of respect, safety and dignity for all.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, despite the illusions, this Prime Minister is bringing more costs, more debt, more taxes, and more chaos to immigration. He is just another Liberal. Yesterday, his Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship admitted that this Liberal government cannot even confirm that people who were here as temporary students left the country once their permits expired. She admits that the Liberal government has no plan to deport people who are here illegally.

Does the Prime Minister agree with keeping people who are here illegally, or is he going to fire his minister?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to announce that Louise Arbour will be the next Governor General of Canada. She has a deep understanding of and respect for Canadian institutions, the rule of law, democracy, freedom, and the rights of all Canadians and people around the world.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, according to her testimony, this is the same Liberal minister who meets with the Prime Minister to chat every week. Her department gave an entry permit to an Iranian terrorist. A brief Google search would have shown that he does not belong here in Canada. The Auditor General confirmed that the Liberals do not screen non-citizens, allowing widespread fraud in the student system.

Will the Prime Minister fire his incompetent minister, or is this incompetence on the Prime Minister himself?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, current and former senior IRGC officials and leaders are not allowed into Canada. There is no change in government policy, and we are taking steps to make sure that does not happen.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, despite the illusions, the Prime Minister brings more costs, more debt and more chaos to immigration. Recently, his Liberal immigration minister admitted that her department granted a permit to enter the country to an IRGC terrorist. The Auditor General also confirms that the Liberal government has no way of confirming that people who are here illegally ever actually leave. There is no exit tracking whatsoever.

The Prime Minister appointed the Liberal immigration minister, has kept her in place for a year and meets with her weekly. Is it because she is incompetent, or is her incompetence actually his incompetence, and when will he fire her?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, senior officials of the IRGC are not admissible in Canada, full stop. There are several layers of protection, and they work. That is the first point.

The second is this: What has the government done? We have taken back control of immigration. We have reduced the number of asylum seekers by one-third, temporary foreign workers by half and foreign students by two-thirds. We have gotten the flow of immigration back to a level of welcoming that the country can sustain.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that is factually wrong. There are roughly 700 IRGC members here in Canada, according to a report by Global News, and the government claims to have expelled only one, one out of 700.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister has no idea who has left the country, because the Liberals still do not track departures. This is despite the fact that the Liberal government allowed millions of international students to come in, many on a fraudulent basis and many not planning to leave at all. Now we know that the existing Liberal minister has no plan to get them out, despite meeting with the Prime Minister every week. Will he fire her for this immigration incompetence, or does he approve of it?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the CBSA has reviewed over 17,000 applications for inadmissibility. It has opened over 170 investigations. It has cancelled 330 visas related to the Iranian regime. Last year, Canada removed 22,000 inadmissible individuals. The government is taking control of immigration.

Indigenous Affairs

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to spread the illusion that he is protecting property rights, but the reality is quite the contrary. The Liberal government instructed its lawyers not to defend property rights in the Cowichan case, with litigation directive number 14, which said that in fact those titles did not take priority. Now the dispute is going to an appeal, and the Prime Minister has kept that litigation order in place. In other words, he is directing his lawyers not to defend the property rights of British Columbians.

Why is it that the Prime Minister refuses to defend homeowners?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, private property rights are fundamental in this country. The government will always defend them. That is why we immediately appealed the Cowichan decision on September 8, along with the City of Richmond, along with other first nations and along with the Province of British Columbia. All federal agreements with first nations, with indigenous peoples and with rights holders protect private property rights and protect indigenous peoples' rights.

On Red Dress Day, I think we should spend some time on the rights of indigenous peoples in this country.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's answer on property rights is all an illusion. The Liberal government directed its lawyers not to defend property rights. Litigation directive number 14 said that lawyers are not to make the case that fee simple property ownership takes precedence over all other claims.

That directive is still on the government website, meaning that in all the litigation that is coming up on property ownership, the Prime Minister is directing his lawyers not to do their jobs and not to defend British Columbia homeowners. Why is that?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the only illusion is that this makeover is going to work any better than other makeovers.

The government will always defend private property rights. We immediately appealed the Cowichan decision. We have always defended private property rights; we always will, and we will always defend the rights of indigenous peoples to build a Canada that is stronger, fairer and more independent.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, the government has announced business support measures that will certainly have an uplifting effect over the long term, but will not save jobs, maintain the employment relationship or retain expertise within companies, especially companies at greatest risk.

I want to understand why the Prime Minister did not adopt the proposal initially created by his party a few years ago: the wage subsidy program for at-risk businesses.

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite, and thank the Minister of Industry, who has provided new programs of $1 billion and $500 million to support workers and businesses in the steel, aluminum and copper industries across Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that, unfortunately, the Prime Minister did not answer the question. I will rephrase my question.

Given that the measures he is talking about will have no impact in the short term, but only in the medium, long or very long term, and that businesses are in immediate danger during the negotiation period with the United States, am I to understand that the Prime Minister, by refusing to implement a wage subsidy program, is saying that he does not have confidence in his ability to get an agreement with the United States?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the amounts I just described will be available immediately for large businesses and especially for small and medium-sized businesses. Mr. Simard, president of the Aluminum Association of Canada, welcomes this injection of funds, which provides a lifeline for small and medium-sized businesses, workers and companies.

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

Mr. Speaker, two things that the Prime Minister certainly knows—and he will explain it himself much better than someone who is not an economist, like me—is that, first, Jean Simard hardly represents SMEs, and second, businesses cannot take on more debt to save jobs. That is a last resort.

Can the Prime Minister reconsider—again on a non-partisan basis, since we are reaching out—and do what the unions, businesses and chambers of commerce want and create a wage subsidy program for the transition?