Debates of Sept. 22nd, 2026

Canadian Identity and Culture

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to see how people dodge the issue. Discoverability is one thing. Contributing financially is another.

The Prime Minister wants to build closer ties with Europe and distance himself from the Americans. When it comes to culture, the European Union requires American streaming platforms to pay a levy. It imposed a levy without any significant price hikes for users. In contrast to the 27 European countries, Canada is going it alone and bowing to American pressure in the fight for cultural diversity.

Since it wants to draw closer to Europe, will the government reinstate the levies that it should never have scrapped?

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

Mr. Speaker, only the Bloc Québécois could stand up in the House and exhibit such intellectual laziness by claiming that we are not investing in culture.

Over the past two budget cycles, we have invested more than $2 billion in culture.

Housing

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Romeo, a man in Aurora, has worked at a window manufacturer for over 30 years. He used to work overtime, in fact. Now he is down to two days a week. Homes are just not being built. He called me worried about his mortgage, his groceries and how he is going to provide for his family. He has heard all the announcements, but he cannot pay his mortgage with the announcements. He is tired of talk with no results. He needs work.

When will the Liberal government finally keep its promise and get homes built so parents like him can get back to a full week's work?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is exactly Canadians like Romeo and Romeo's family who are top of mind for us in our agenda and in the work that we are doing to support Canadians at this time. I hope Romeo has access to some of the initiatives we have brought forward, like the groceries and essentials benefit. Perhaps his family has access to affordable child care or to a Canada dental plan, or perhaps Romeo's kids have access to the national school food program, which helps bring down the cost of groceries for families to the tune of about $800 a year. These are supports we have put in place that we ae going to continue to support, and I would ask the member opposite to help us in that.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is how out of touch the Liberals are. Romeo is looking for a full-time job, not to line up for programs.

In May 2025, the government announced a GST rebate, but for nearly 10 months, it failed to pass the legislation. In the meantime, builders and buyers were left in limbo. The Canadian Home Builders' Association says construction suffered. This has become a pattern. The Liberals make a grand announcement and maybe deliver later, and in the meantime, families are left without work.

Canadians are tired of all the talk with no results. When will the Liberals stop governing by announcements and start delivering—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

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

Mr. Speaker, as I would hope my colleague across the way would know, we have actually done some work to try to build houses in Ontario. We have reduced development fees to encourage homebuilding in Ontario, saving families up to $200,000 on the cost of a home. We are doing that while investing unprecedented amounts in building Canadian homes, because we know we need to increase the supply of homes, and that is exactly what we are doing.

For my colleague and for Romeo, I hope he knows that we are a government that has his back, and whether it is his home, his family or the job that he is looking for—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for York—South Simcoe.

The Economy

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Margaret Haddon from Bradford wrote me to say she raised her children believing that if they worked hard, stayed focused and pursued an education, they would be able to build stable and independent lives, but today she is watching that promise slip further out of reach for them. An entire generation is in this position because of the Liberals' failure to get housing built and rein in the cost of living.

How can the Prime Minister still think affordability is the best it has been in a decade when Canadians like Margaret are watching their children do everything right and still fall behind?

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

Mr. Speaker, our message to Margaret and to individuals across this country would be that we have a concrete plan to build housing in this country. The Minister of Housing, through this government, has been working to build affordable units from the east coast of Canada all the way through to British Columbia.

What I hope the member has the time to explain to Margaret is why, at every single turn, he and his party have voted against the affordability measures that matter for Margaret and the people she cares about in this country. He has voted against national child care. He has voted against the food and essentials rebate that we put out to 12 million Canadians. The member has voted against those measures at every single turn.

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

Mr. Speaker, at a charity event in L'Ancienne‑Lorette this past weekend, I met a senior couple named Pierre and Nicole, who told me about the day-to-day reality they and their adult children are facing. Food prices are going up; rent is going up; transportation costs are going up. That is the reality facing seniors and their adult children as they try to build a prosperous life for their families in Canada. Clearly, the Liberal policies are failing.

Will this government face the fact that it should adopt the Conservative economic plan?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we introduced a number of programs to support Canadians. For some unknown reason, the Conservatives decided to vote against these measures.

Now my colleague is talking about the Liberal government's policies, the very policies that have led to the strongest economic growth in the G7 over the last quarter. Canada has also attracted the most foreign investment.

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

Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals' policies were as good as they claim, we would know it, but they are not working. There is a lot of talk, but no real results.

Just ask Marie-Pierre, a young woman in her thirties who lives in Lebourgneuf, in my riding. She has a good education, has worked very hard and earns a good living, but she is unable to save enough money to buy a house. The Canadian dream of home ownership has evaporated under this Liberal government.

We have a concrete plan to help families and help people buy homes: axe the tax on construction, incentivize municipalities to speed up permits and free up land.

When will the Liberal government implement the Conservatives' policies?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is once again asking me about the concrete measures we have put in place.

We have a plan to double housing construction here in Canada, and we are starting to see concrete results. We are creating jobs nearly three times faster than the United States. Just last week, investors from around the world came to Toronto, and that is $500 billion of investment that we are going to bring back into this country.

[Matt Jeneroux, Liberal, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have heard a clear message from investors. They are ready to invest in Canada. Last week's investment summit generated nearly $500 billion in investment commitments. Now we need to turn those commitments into projects, jobs and economic growth.

Could the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources tell the House how the government is working to reduce regulatory duplication, cut red tape and get shovels in the ground?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I was speaking with my sister Sharon and my brother-in-law Jim, and I explained to them that when we passed Bill C-5, we would apply everything we learned from major projects to all projects in Canada. We would learn from the shovels in the ground at the Darlington nuclear project, from the shovels in the ground at the Montreal port and from the shovels in the ground at the north coast transmission line, and we would apply that to all projects in Canada. That is what Bill C-39 does.

We really hope the members opposite will join with us and help us build Canada strong.

Public Safety

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Lisa, a victim from Oxford, told me that she feels like she is the one on house arrest while the criminal, the attacker, is walking free on the street. Thanks to Liberal catch-and-release laws, it is jail by day and bail by night. The same repeat offenders keep terrorizing our communities over and over again. It is victims like Lisa who are suffering. It is victims like her who are paying the price for failed Liberal policies.

Will the Liberals finally stand up for victims and protect Canadians?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, since taking office last year, we have undertaken unprecedented amounts of legislative change to ensure the safety and security of Canadians. Let me just enumerate some of them: Bill C-14 strengthens bail as well as sentencing. Bill C-16 ensures that victims' rights are protected. Bill C-9 ensures the safety and security of communities. In addition, we are investing in law enforcement as well as the Canada Border Services Agency. We will do everything we can to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians.

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what planet does the minister live on? It is all talk, no results. Last year, we had one violent crime every 50 seconds in our country. This summer, multiple police officers were shot and killed. The U.S. consulate was shot at again. Synagogues are being shot at. Festivals are being shot at. A senior, Lillian, 73 years old, standing in her driveway in London, was stabbed to death randomly and unprovoked.

That is what is happening in this country, thanks to failed Liberal policies, and this out-of-touch minister expects and wants Canadians to believe that everything is fine.

When will the Liberals get serious, lock up the criminals and bring back—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. minister.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I have outlined some of the changes that we made to the criminal justice system, but let me also take this opportunity to share some statistics for the member opposite's information: Extortion is down 10%. Firearm offences are down 14%. Homicides are down 15%. Child sexual abuse and exploitation is down 21%. Auto theft is down 19%.

We have more work to do, but I can assure members that the changes we have put in place will ensure the continued safety and security of all Canadians.

Justice

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal catch-and-release laws are resulting in a surge in auto thefts. In Peel region, auto theft is up 52% in the first seven months of this year over last year. Why? It is because these Liberals are all talk and no results on crime. At my community barbecue this summer, I had residents tell me they go to sleep at night hoping their car will be there the next morning. Why? It is because the Liberals' talk of law reform is all talk, no results.

When will the Liberals pass laws that keep repeat car thieves denied bail and in mandatory jail?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague asked a direct question: When are we going to adopt laws to get tough on car thefts? The answer is June of this past year.

We developed these laws not in isolation behind closed doors but by meeting with police. They have garnered the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Association of Ontario. Even the cops in his own community are supporting the bail measures that we put in place. After we put these laws in place, we are starting to see statistics of crime coming down, specifically including auto thefts and home invasions in his province.

He tries to block progress every step of the way. With or without his help, we will build a stronger and safer Canada.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is like when someone hires a roofer to fix the leak in their roof, and the roof still leaks. They go back to the roofer and he says, “Yeah, but I did some stuff over there.” It actually did not fix the problem.

That is why car thefts are up in the region of Peel by 52% over the first seven months of this year. It is because what the Liberals do is all talk. There are actually no results. If there were results, car theft would be down.

Why do the Liberals not adopt Conservative laws that would keep those repeat car thieves denied bail and in mandatory jail?

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

Mr. Speaker, one of the interesting experiences I had when we were putting together the measures that were included in the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act was meeting with police leadership in Peel. They set out a list of items that we could implement that would have the predictable result of bringing the crime rate down.

We listened to the police in Peel. We listened to the police in Ontario. We listened to the police in every part of this country. We adopted the most comprehensive suite of reforms that this country has seen in criminal justice over the course of a generation. If the member wants to take a look at the numbers nationally, he will see that since 2023, the numbers came down 16% with respect to car thefts in 2024 and another 16% in 2025. He should at least know—