Debates of May 6th, 2026

Finance

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, families in Montmorency—Charlevoix are going into debt to put food on the table. Meanwhile, the Liberals, true to form, are setting up a fund that will start out $25 billion in the hole. A true sovereign wealth fund is created with wealth, using the proceeds from resources sold on the international market. Norway, Saudi Arabia and Singapore are good examples that we should emulate. They did not rely on debt to pay for their funds.

The Prime Minister is borrowing to spend, while Quebeckers are borrowing to eat. How can the Liberals look families in the eye and say that they are managing public funds correctly and efficiently?

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

Mr. Speaker, just as we are doing with other programs like the Canada growth fund, indigenous participation in our projects and the Canada Infrastructure Bank, we want the sovereign wealth fund to provide the tools needed to move forward, to build and develop a new economy here in Canada. We want it to be an economy that provides job opportunities as well as opportunities to create wealth here in Canada, for Canadians.

That is what we are doing with the sovereign wealth fund for Canada.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the national credit card is more maxed out than ever, leaving a $1-trillion bill behind for our kids and grandkids. That is $1 trillion more in 10 years being piled on the backs of future generations.

Today, families are paying the price for the Liberals' structural deficits through higher taxes, higher inflation, even higher interest costs and higher prices across the board.

When is this Liberal Prime Minister going to end credit card budgets so that Canadian families can make ends meet?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.

What he said is not true. We are continuing to build a strong economy in Canada with trade agreements around the world. For example, we signed an agreement with Indonesia last year, and we have agreements with Indo‑Pacific countries, including ASEAN in 2026. We are going to keep building the economy through agreements like these.

I would like to know why the Conservatives refuse to vote with us in support of Canadians.

Seniors

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the seniors in our country are the very people who built the communities we live in today, who raised families, strengthened our economy and shaped the Canada we are so proud of. They deserve to age with dignity, security and peace of mind.

In Pickering—Brooklin, our seniors are concerned about affordability and ensuring they receive the benefits they rely on.

Can the secretary of state update Canadians on how our government is supporting seniors and protecting them from financial vulnerability?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Pickering—Brooklin for the great work she does in her riding and for recognizing the contributions of seniors across this country.

Canada's new government is committed to ensuring—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Order. Once it quiets down, the member may continue.

The hon. Secretary of State for Financial Institutions may continue.

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

Mr. Speaker, we have so many members on this side that it is hard to keep track of where everyone is.

I want to thank the member for Pickering—Brooklin for the great work she does and for recognizing seniors across this country.

Canada's new government is committed to ensuring that seniors age with dignity. We are going to make it easier for seniors to access the benefits they are entitled to.

Aerospace Industry

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals refuse to come clean about 200 million tax dollars that they handed a six-person company of Liberal insiders to lease a so-called spaceport that is really nothing more than a gravel pit. That was 200 million tax dollars to a company that does not even own the land and that leases the land from the Province of Nova Scotia for less than $20,000 a year. If taxpayers are not being ripped off, then why will the Liberals not release all of the documents surrounding this shady lease?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, once again, establishing Canadian sovereign space launch capabilities would drive billions of dollars in investments. It would create well-paying jobs. It would increase Canada's sovereignty. It would reduce our reliance on the United States. It would support a commercial space launch and re-entry industry that could be worth up to $40 billion.

European countries are lining up to work with us. This is what we are investing in. I am not sure what the Conservatives are up to at all.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there is more. The company's 2025 financial statements recorded a comprehensive loss of $47 million, and revenue of under $15,000. In other words, the company was nearly bankrupt until the Liberals came to their rescue and handed them 200 million tax dollars to lease land that taxpayers already own.

Is the reason the Liberals will not release the documents not that it is just one big scam in which Liberal insiders are getting rich?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, it never ceases to amaze me how opposed the Conservatives are to jobs in Nova Scotia.

We have an opportunity to establish a new industry. The facility to which he points has had two test launches that have sent a rocket beyond the 100-kilometre threshold. We are bringing a new industry in rural Nova Scotia.

I ran for office to help create good opportunities in modern industries to deliver well-paying jobs for my friends, my neighbours and fellow residents of the province. If the Conservatives continue to oppose jobs in my home province, they are going to continue to have zero seats in Nova Scotia for quite some time.

Health

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals gave Canada Health Infoway $300 million for PrescribeIT, a program that they promised would replace fax machines for prescription drugs. Instead, less than 5% of the prescriptions went through the program, and PrescribeIT is now being quietly shut down with no results.

Canadians still do not know where their money went. Yesterday at the health committee, the chair of Canada Health Infoway revealed that the health minister never once raised concerns about PrescribeIT.

Why did the Liberal minister allow $300 million to be burned, without saying a word?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I will say it again. The PrescribeIT program was launched in 2017 by the previous government following consultations with the provinces and territories. When we took office last year, we assessed the program and saw that that uptake was low, so we decided to shut down the program. That is what happened, and we are saving Canadians money.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians need answers on how the Liberals burned $300 million on their failed PrescribeIT program, money that could have been spent on other health care needs. Just last week, the Liberals moved to shut off the cameras at the health committee, sealing the records of that meeting for 30 years. Yesterday, the Liberals shut down the health committee to prevent the minister from testifying.

Why is the Liberals' $300‑million PrescribeIT failure being hidden from Canadians?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I will say it again for my colleague: This program was put in place in 2017 with the participation of the provinces and territories. The program did not work the way we had hoped it would.

When I took office last year, we assessed the programs and saw that this program did not have much uptake, so we decided to end it to protect Canadians' money.

[Matt Strauss, Conservative, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals gave $300 million to Canada Health Infoway to build PrescribeIT, which the minister now acknowledges was a total failure. However, here is the problem. The board of Canada Health Infoway only fired its million‑dollar CEO after Conservatives raised these failures at the health committee.

How much more money does the health minister plan to give this very badly run organization this year? I would like just the number of dollars, please.

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the first thing I will say to my colleague is, yes, he is right, the CEO of Infoway's behaviour was unacceptable. I spoke to the board of directors, and they took the necessary steps. Now we are working on the organization's governance.

However, this year, Infoway will receive $50 million. As you know, that money is in the public accounts of the Department of Health, so you have access to those figures.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Again, I would ask members to direct their comments through the Chair, please.

The hon. member for Richmond Centre—Marpole.

Indigenous Affairs

[Chak Au, Conservative, Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians watched a poorly staged performance last week when the Prime Minister responded to a simple question on private property rights from another Liberal MP. They could not even pretend to care. The fact remains that the Liberal government issued a litigation directive instructing federal lawyers to avoid protecting arguments for private property rights. That directive remains posted on the Liberal government's website today.

Is this directive still government policy and if so, will the Prime Minister withdraw it, yes or no?

[Rebecca Alty, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, preserving the certainty and stability of private property is of the utmost importance. That is why we advance all viable legal arguments to protect private property.

We disagree with the B.C. Supreme Court's ruling and that is why we appealed it back in September. We are fully committed to ensuring stability, certainty and confidence for Canadians who own property while we advance reconciliation. We will continue to pursue this matter where it belongs: in the courts and not on the floor of the House of Commons.

[Ellis Ross, Conservative, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government directed its lawyers not to argue for property rights in the Cowichan case. The judge then ruled that private property was defective and invalid. Canada must pursue reconciliation with indigenous peoples, but these decisions are moving in the wrong direction. Canadians need the certainty that comes with knowing that their homes and property are theirs.

With appeals and other court cases coming, why is the Liberal Prime Minister telling his lawyers not to defend private property?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague well knows, this government believes in private property rights and does not view them to be mutually exclusive to the notion that we can reconcile our challenging history with indigenous peoples who call these lands home. We have been advocating for the court to notify private property owners in this case since 2017. We have more recently supported the application by Montrose to be able to advance arguments to protect private property interests.

In the meantime, we have made arguments to defend fee simple insofar as it impacts the federal government. We will defend private property rights. We will advance a path to reconciliation. We can do both at the same time.

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Cowichan land decision and the Liberal-Musqueam agreements signed secretly and outside the treaty process have resulted in economic uncertainty, falling property values and unsettling division among British Columbians, especially on Vancouver Island.

We need truth and reconciliation. The Prime Minister is failing to deliver either. He is clearly unaware that by handcuffing the government lawyers in the B.C. appeals court, he has now legally handcuffed them in the Supreme Court.

When will the Prime Minister explain his plan to protect private property rights now that the government lawyers cannot use the private property argument in court?