Debates of June 2nd, 2026

The Economy

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister is the only G7 leader to have driven his economy into a recession. This recession is the result of a lack of leadership, unchecked spending and high taxes, which are causing record job losses. Over the past 360 days, GDP has fallen by 0.6%, yet Brookfield has surged by 19.56%. While the Prime Minister and his friends at Brookfield are getting richer, the people of Beauce are getting poorer.

Will the Liberal Prime Minister show some leadership and take this crisis seriously?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, we always take what is happening in Canada seriously. What is not serious is the Conservatives' rhetoric. For 10 years, they have been talking about productivity. Now, in the last quarter, productivity is rising, and they are saying absolutely nothing. That is hypocrisy, plain and simple.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, all G7 countries are facing the same challenges, yet the Liberals are the only ones who have led the Canadian economy into recession. The Liberals are squandering taxpayers' money without a second thought.

Let me give some examples. The budget for ArriveCAN was $80,000; the actual cost was $60 million. The budget for Cúram was $1.75 billion; the actual cost was $6.6 billion. Here is the icing on the cake: They spent $180,000 on food for just three flights for our Prime Minister. What is the big deal? It is free.

When will the Prime Minister start managing Canadians' money properly?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, let me give him a concrete example: ensuring the long-term future of the school meals program for children. Is he for or against it? I would like to hear his answer.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G7 country in a recession. Yesterday, my colleague on the other side responded by trying to convince us that their approach is working. She said, “It is working.” However, a tremendous number of people back home are telling me that they feel a lump in their throat when they get to the supermarket checkout, praying that the payment will go through, because they are not sure there is enough money in their account.

How can she say it is working when a rich country like Canada is forced to rely on food banks to feed its people?

[Nathalie Provost, Liberal, Secretary of State (Nature)]

Mr. Speaker, yes, it is working. It is working so well that, when I meet with people in my riding, they know that we are working hard to tackle the extremely difficult circumstances faced by my esteemed colleague's constituents. They know that the Canada groceries and essentials benefit is a decision we have made and that it is working for them. It is a decision that the Conservatives did not support.

When we support the economy through investment, the Conservatives are nowhere to be seen. They vote against it. Our constituents know that our approach is serious and that it will work.

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

Mr. Speaker, do members know what the difference is between this side of the House and that side of the House? Conservatives wake up hoping for bad economic news that they can use to repeat pithy slogans, fire off fundraising emails and talk down Canadian industries and Canadian workers. On this side of the House, we wake up knowing that Canadians are counting on us to build a stronger, more competitive and more affordable economy. That is exactly what we are doing.

Can the Secretary of State for Financial Institutions update this House on how Canadian innovators, entrepreneurs and workers are helping us navigate a rapidly changing world?

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

Mr. Speaker, the last thing Canadians need right now is political theatre, and that is all they get from the leader of the Conservative Party, political theatre and empty parking lot press conferences.

We have a plan. We are going to diversify trade relationships. We are supercharging major projects. We are investing in workers. The plan is working, the GDP is growing and we are attracting federal direct investment at a pace not seen in decades. That is good news for Canadians and bad news for Conservatives.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is now the only G7 country in a recession, and Canadians are facing the real consequences of that reality. Demand at food banks continues to surge across the country, and Food Banks Canada is now reporting that millions of Canadians are facing historic levels of food insecurity. The fact is, one in four Canadians is now food-insecure.

If the Prime Minister says this recession is being driven by global energy markets and tariffs, why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession?

[Buckley Belanger, Liberal, Secretary of State (Rural Development)]

Mr. Speaker, it is time that we celebrate Canada. We have more good news. Canadian canola sales continue moving to supply the world, Canadian potash is needed everywhere and Canada will deliver. Canadian uranium sales to India are steady, and Canadian agribusiness is booming. We will continue doing what Canada needs.

We will stand up for our industries impacted by tariffs. We will protect our workers. We will stand up for our sovereignty. We have a job to do, and we will get it done.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Mr. Speaker, unlike that secretary of state, Canadians do not get to ignore the reality of the recession caused by the Liberal government's terrible policies.

Food Banks Canada is reporting that lower-income households are spending more than 100% of their income on basic essentials. Every other G7 country is facing the same global pressures, yet Canada is the only one in a recession.

Why are Canadians paying the price for this government's economic failures, while every other G7 country has avoided recession?

[Buckley Belanger, Liberal, Secretary of State (Rural Development)]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important that we protect and defend our country. All we hear from the Conservatives is negative. They need to stop talking down our country and start backing up Canada. The rest of Canada is doing that. We have seen, in Saskatchewan, for 10 long years, that those Conservative MPs sat on their hands, doing nothing. That is why the people of Saskatchewan are angry.

At the end of the day, we come to Ottawa to work; the Conservatives have done nothing in 10 years. I have seen this Liberal government move more things in one year than in their 10 years.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is now the only G7 economy in a recession.

It might be big news to the bankers and bureaucrats in Ottawa, but in my community, the warning lights have been flashing for months. The Cambridge Food Bank reports that hundreds of people with full-time jobs are using their services every month.

These Liberals lecture hungry people about so-called global factors, but France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.K. all face tariff pressures from the U.S. and none of them are in a recession, just Canada. If our recession was about tariffs, war and oil prices, then why is it that Canada is the only G7 economy in a recession right now?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are facing challenging times. That is why our government is providing real relief for Canadians. Through the national school food program, we are feeding 400,000 kids healthy meals at school.

I have good news. On Friday, Canadians are going to get the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. An average family of four will receive $1,900. This is real relief being provided to Canadians right now.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that minister's cherry-picking skills would put even the best fruit farmer to shame.

Over 100,000 jobs have been lost since the beginning of the year, and business investment has declined for five straight quarters, but the Liberal government pretends that everything is fine. Families in my community have real questions about how they are going to make ends meet, put food on the table or just keep their jobs. The Liberal Prime Minister's response is to go into hiding. He has been dodging the cameras and our questions for five days.

Now that we have a real economic crisis, why is the Liberal Prime Minister missing in action, and why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, I will point out that the member is from the province of Ontario and continues to vote against supports and affordability to help Canadians.

Let us talk about Ontario. More than four million people have received the GST rebate, delivering $2.2 billion to Ontarians. We are also helping first-time homebuyers. In the province of Ontario, there is an average of savings of up to $200,000 for first-time homebuyers. We are going to help them with affordability. We are going to help them during these challenging times. That is how we are going to grow Canada strong.

[Ned Kuruc, Conservative, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if I am in the House of Commons or the twilight zone. Last Thursday, the Liberal Prime Minister went around telling everyone that we have the second-fastest growing economy in the G7, but on Friday, Statistics Canada reported that our economy shrank in two consecutive quarters. We are in a recession. Canada is the only G7 country in a recession.

Today, Liberals are blaming tariffs and global conflicts, but if that is the case, why is no other G7 country facing the same headwinds in a recession?

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

Mr. Speaker, only the Conservatives think that global factors such as wars, climate change and tariffs are a conspiracy theory. They are not a conspiracy theory. They do have an impact on our local economy.

What is our government doing? We are responding in ways that help Canadians, like the groceries and essentials benefit, which that member from Hamilton East—Stoney Creek voted against. How about the 20,000 people in his riding who rely on the Canada child benefit? He voted against that, too.

I suppose I will congratulate the leader of the Conservatives on one thing. He has managed to whip all those Conservatives up to ask only four questions this entire question period. At least they are consistent.

[Ned Kuruc, Conservative, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let me repeat to that out-of-touch Liberal, Canada is the only G7 country in a recession. That member has failed Canada. The Liberals have failed Canada. Parents in Hamilton want job security, a tariff deal and paycheques that can afford groceries. The Stoney Creek Community Food Bank is serving over 120 families per week. The Food Banks Canada report card came out yesterday, and the Liberals got a D+.

When will the Liberals stop gaslighting Canadians and start working for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are busy making jobs happen in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek while that member votes against policies that support families in his riding, like the Canada child benefit, dental and the groceries and essentials benefit.

That member is cherry-picking things out of the groceries and essentials benefit and from Food Banks Canada. He should be ashamed of himself. We are following the instructions from Food Banks Canada. We are putting on the record that we are here to help families with jobs and with the groceries and essentials benefit. All the Conservatives can do is read the same tired speeches from their leader into the record over and over again, while we are busy, on this side, helping Canadians.

[Doug Shipley, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G7 country currently in a recession. This made-in-Canada recession has caused food bank usage to surge. In my community, the Barrie Food Bank is now supporting 8,000 clients per month, up from just 1,000 at the beginning of 2020. According to the executive director of the Barrie Food Bank, the organization recorded more than 8,000 visits in March alone. This represents a 12% year-over-year increase, including 377 first-time visits, which is up 30% from 2025. If Canada's recession were truly driven by global energy and tariff pressures, why is no other G7—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Leslie Church, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour]

Mr. Speaker, all Canadians, including this government, are hoping for an end to the volatility that we have seen across the world that affects us in our local communities. I hope that member takes a moment to consider why he voted against the groceries and essentials benefit, which is being delivered to Canadians this Friday. Over 40,000 constituents in his riding are going to receive that benefit. These are important supports, and the Conservatives continuously vote against the very measures that are there to deliver a more affordable life for Canadians.

Public Safety

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister delivered a speech on anti-Semitism so neutered that an anti-Semite would have given it a standing ovation. His solution was a council that includes a lawyer who went to court defending illegal encampments and a former minister whose organization lost federal funding for supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and who then lobbied the former government to keep them off the terror list. The council is led now by a minister who wants to ban passages from the Bible and funded these same anti-Semites in his own department.

Jewish Canadians are being attacked on the streets, and the Liberals are giving the keys to the very people that fuelled the crisis. I have one question for the Prime Minister: Is he serious?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, there is a dangerous and serious crisis of anti-Semitism, and all the opposition can do is drive more division in the country when we do not need it most. The very synagogue where I was bar-mitzvahed was shot with 20 bullets. We do not need lessons from the opposition as to the seriousness.

That is why it is a shame that the opposition opposed our anti-hate bill to protect campuses, places of worship and community centres from this scourge of anti-Semitism. They should stop the divisive rhetoric, join us and protect all Canadians.