Debates of June 15th, 2026

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, from day one, we have been focused on delivering affordability measures for Canadians. Let us talk about the removal of the GST for first-time homebuyers. Let us talk about the pause on the federal excise tax. That is 10¢ a litre. Combine that with the removal of the carbon tax, and it is a 28¢-per-litre savings. We just launched the groceries and essentials benefit. We just announced the 50% payment a week and a half ago.

On this side of the House, we will continue to focus on affordability. The Conservatives will focus on rhetoric and bluster.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is no rhetoric or bluster here, as the minister does his fancy dance over there.

The price of used cars has more than doubled over the last several years as a result of the government's inflationary policies. Taxing a vehicle twice is wrong. We on this side believe that cars are not a luxury, and for many people, they are a lifeline. On this side of the House, we would zero-rate used vehicles under the Excise Tax Act.

Will the Liberals stop profiting off of inflation and remove GST from the sale of used cars in this country?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have actually had the privilege of running a private business in the economy, unlike the Conservative leader. When an economy or a business is faced with adversity, we have two choices. We can wave our hands around, blame everybody else and offer nothing constructive, or we can actually lead. We can rebuild. We can restructure. We can build new trade relationships. On this side of the House, that is what our Prime Minister and our international trade minister are doing.

We are going to build Canada strong. They are going to continue with the rhetoric.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, used car prices have doubled over the last seven years. The average price of a used car is now $36,000. That is a lot of money, especially for families in the regions who need a car to get to work and get around. We think only one tax should apply to used cars, but unfortunately, used cars are still also subject to GST. We want to take the GST off used cars.

The Liberals have already axed the carbon tax, as the Conservatives were calling for. Do they agree with us that there should be no GST on used cars?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, this gives me an opportunity to remind everyone that we have suspended the excise tax on gasoline for the summer, providing relief for consumers and boosting Canadians' purchasing power.

However, we are not stopping there. The Conservatives claim that affordability is an issue they care about. I urge them to support us on the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, the Canadian dental care plan, the tax cut for 22 million Canadians, and our other measures.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if we took the tax off all used goods, their talking points would be tax-free. We asked the question four times, and got zero answers.

We came with a solution: a Conservative bill to save Canadians thousands of dollars by taking the GST off used cars, which are taxed two, three and even four times, as many times as the Liberals avoided answering the question.

It is a very simple question: In my part of the country and for MPs across the House, driving is not a luxury but a necessity, so will the Liberals join us and take the GST off used cars?

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I will give the Conservatives credit. They are now talking about actual measures that could support affordability, but I would ask them where they have been for the last number of months and years.

I have been a member of Parliament for seven years in the House, and it does not matter if it is the Canada child benefit, national child care, the national school food program or the tax measures we have put in place, consistently, the Conservatives vote against these measures.

We appreciate that they are finally talking about affordability, but we would ask them to actually support the measures the government consistently puts at the front to help support Canadians across the board. It is good that they are now talking, but why do they not get on board with some of the initiatives that we have had for years now?

Health

[Matt Jeneroux, Liberal, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we are facing a men's mental health crisis. Too many men and boys face mental health challenges, and too many simply will not ask for help.

Last week, we once again hosted an annual Father's Day on the Hill event with Movember, where Montreal Canadiens great Guy Carbonneau shared his story and talked about the recent loss of his friend and teammate Claude Lemieux.

As we mark Men's Health Month in June, can the Minister of Health provide an update on the much anticipated men and boys' health strategy?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Edmonton Riverbend for his tireless leadership on this issue. I am pleased to report that, thanks to his help and the help of groups such as Movember, more than 5,000 people shared their thoughts and ideas during our consultations for Canada's first-ever men and boys' health strategy. We heard many great ideas about how to create more opportunities for boys and men. I look forward to releasing the strategy in the coming months.

Public Safety

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Foothills families are shaken. A local man was charged with more than 500,000 pieces of child exploitation material, and he was released. Ten-year-old Grace asked me why this man was not in jail. She does not feel safe playing outside with her friends, and that is not right. Okotoks families want to know why a man charged with such a heinous crime was released into the community.

Conservatives offered a solution, jail not bail for serious offences, but the Liberals rejected it. When will the Liberals fix the bail system they broke so Okotoks families can feel safe again?

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

Mr. Speaker, these kinds of heinous behaviours have no place in Canada, and the Government of Canada has an opportunity to do something about it.

I am pleased to share that we expect, this week, we will have changes to Canada's Criminal Code. These include changes that will make it impossible for conditional sentencing orders to be tied to charges impacting crimes such as sexual crimes against children. In addition, last week the House voted on the protecting victims act, which would put in place a number of measures designed specifically to combat child sexual exploitation and child sexual exploitation and abuse material. My hope is that these measures will become law expeditiously, so communities benefit from these protections.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the criminal charged in the Lambton College shooting, which left one person dead, is not surprisingly out on bail. Only under these weak-on-crime Liberals could a man charged with murder and attempted murder be back on the streets before justice is served. These Liberals have turned our justice system into a joke, a revolving door for violent offenders. Victims get fear; criminals get another chance.

How many more accused killers do these Liberals intend to release before they finally admit that their weak-on-crime laws are a complete and catastrophic failure?

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

Mr. Speaker, the political motivation behind the member's question is obvious, based on the way he phrased it, but if he would like some validation, the bail and sentencing reform act we have put forward in the House is supported by those who work on the front lines.

I would invite him to talk to the head of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. I would invite him to talk to the head of the Ontario Provincial Police or of the Police Association of Ontario. The legislation we put forward has been informed by leaders in the police movement. It has been informed by provinces and premiers demanding the expeditious adoption of the bail and sentencing reform act. It has been informed by engagement with cities. We will do everything we can to listen to those expert voices to keep Canadians safe.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that minister and the government have had 11 years to get this right.

Last week, Canada suffered a tragic loss when officer Marc Pinizzotto was shot and killed in the line of duty. It has now been revealed that the man responsible for the horrific crime was already out on probation. Then we learned that the U.S. consulate shooter was on bail. Thugs, who are already before the courts, known to police and prohibited from possessing firearms, are now back on the streets. This should have never happened.

How many more tragedies will it take before these Liberals stop treating bail conditions like a joke and start keeping repeat violent offenders behind bars?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated before, we are deeply heartbroken that Constable Marc Pinizzotto of the Toronto Police Service and Constable Tarun Bali of the Ontario police service were killed in the line of duty last week. We as a government have been taking decisive action, including strengthening bail and sentencing, with bills that we expect to go through Parliament this week.

We need to work in collaboration to ensure the safety and security of all those who serve on the front lines. We are taking those actions. We invite the party opposite to join us in order to strengthen these systems.

Youth

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

Mr. Speaker, across New Brunswick and Canada, young people are ready to work, learn new skills and contribute to their communities. What many of them need is an opportunity to prove themselves. Every year, the Canada summer jobs program enables thousands of young people to secure their first job with local businesses and organizations.

I would like to ask the minister to explain what our government is doing to strengthen this program so that more young people can have a rewarding work experience this summer.

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for standing up for young people across New Brunswick and Canada. We know that when young people succeed, our communities succeed. That is why we are investing in the Canada summer jobs program by creating 100,000 jobs this year, including more than 12,300 in the Atlantic provinces. We are ensuring that young people can work, build their future and continue to contribute to their communities.

Public Safety

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, $38 million spent, 1,000 deliberately set fires in just four years and businesses closing and leaving town are the true devastating costs of Liberal catch-and-release and mental health policies in the city of Prince George. Prolific offenders are arrested and released the very same day. Homelessness, addiction and crime have turned our communities into war zones. That is the reality, and that is the Liberal government's legacy.

Members of the Prince George city council are here in Ottawa today. Will the Prime Minister accept their invite to come to Prince George to tell our business owners directly to their faces why he believes they should give his catch-and-release policies another chance?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, I think the members of the business council should also be informed that the Conservative Party of Canada did nothing to assist in our bail and sentencing reform bill. If anything, it has impeded our ability to progress in making changes to the Criminal Code of Canada to make sentences harder and to make sure we give police the tools they need through Bill C-22. They have been blocking it for months now, and they need to help law enforcement so its members can arrest and charge criminals.

Indigenous Affairs

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it has been one year since the Liberals fast-tracked Bill C-5, gutting environmental protections and indigenous rights, but now with Bill S-2, which would eliminate sexism and racism from the Indian Act, they suddenly hide behind the need to consult.

First Nations everywhere have told the government that there is no need to consult on ending sexism and racism, so will the minister end the spin cycle, stop the excuses and pass Bill S-2 before the summer adjournment?

[Mandy Gull-Masty, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, the process of enfranchisement unjustly stripped thousands of first nations individuals of their status. While the practice was ended 35 years ago, the harmful legacy still remains.

That member knows that this bill is before study at the committee. That member knows that there are witnesses, and we want to respect those first nations witnesses' rights to come to defend and speak for themselves and their communities. I am willing to work with that member to respect those first nations rights, because this is what we are committed to doing.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Drummond is rising on a point of order.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that, during oral question period earlier today, the Minister of Government Transformation and member for Louis-Hébert misled the House. This is not the first time this has happened, which is why it is important for me to set the record straight. He stated, in his response to my question earlier, that the Bloc Québécois had not submitted any requests as part of the pre-budget consultations.

In order to enable the member for Louis-Hébert to provide answers that meet the standards of rigour and honesty required by his office, I would like to table—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I have to interrupt the member because I am having a hard time hearing him. Could he summarize his request a little more concisely?

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I simply wanted to present my colleague, the member for Louis-Hébert and Minister of Government Transformation, with the document we submitted as part of our pre-budget requests regarding culture. These requests were made—