Debates of Sept. 22nd, 2026

The Economy

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep flagging affordability concerns with respect to housing. We have great news to share on that. Average rents have come down for 23 straight months across Canada. That is a sign of success. Talk to developers across Canada right now. The apartment construction loan program is financing tens of thousands of rental homes. This is the biggest rental housing boom we have had in generations, and that is delivering affordable rents. We are making progress. We expect support from the other side of the House to get this done.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie South—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing but talk and little action. Michelle from Barrie wrote to me and said that she is a single person, making barely $60,000 a year, having to put a roof over her head and needing a car to drive to work, but, more importantly, she needs to eat. She said she has just received her groceries benefit: $16.75. She asks how that is supposed to support paying for more groceries. According to the finance minister, Michelle has never had it so good, but the truth is that the only ones doing well are the well-connected club of Liberal insiders and business buddies of the Prime Minister.

Can the Prime Minister tell Michelle when she can expect to do as well as his corporate buddies or to at least pay for the necessities of life?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's highlighting the fact that the Canada groceries and essentials benefit is providing up to $1,900 to a family of four, which is very significant. Just as we are seeing rents come down, we are providing the opportunity for young Canadians to not pay GST on first-time home purchases. Whether it is housing, whether it is groceries or whether it is the price of gas, we are taking action. We hear nothing but complaining from the other side.

Government Priorities

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

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to taxation, labour rights and the labour code, and the environment, Bill C‑39 is a brutal step backward. Tucked into this bill are provisions saying that oil and nuclear projects will be automatically approved and, even worse, that this will be done in advance.

Does the government realize that the framework protecting the people of Quebec and Canada, which took so many years to build, will be destroyed in just 24 hours?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Bloc Québécois leader likes to exaggerate, but he is really outdoing himself today. He knows full well that the government was elected by Canadians, including many members from Quebec, specifically to build a more resilient economy, to diversify trade in response to an unreliable trading partner, and to build in a responsible way, which is exactly what we are doing. I think he should stick to the facts and not just repeat things that he knows are untrue.

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

Mr. Speaker, first they privatized airports, now they are privatizing ports. What is more, the government is entrusting the oil companies with a sham environmental assessment process, basically handing over control of Quebec's and Canada's resources to an international financial oligarchy. Things were already bad enough under Justin Trudeau. They are no better under the new Prime Minister.

How can anyone who was happy as a Liberal MP under Justin Trudeau be in complete agreement with the new Prime Minister?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will have the opportunity to debate this bill, which is designed to boost Quebec's development and create employment and investment opportunities all across Quebec. Let me give a few examples. There are our investments in the Port of Saguenay and the Port of Montreal, which the member seems keen to discuss. There is also Nouveau Monde Graphite. He needs to understand the scale on which we are developing major projects. We are providing opportunities and job prospects for all Quebeckers.

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

Mr. Speaker, we are making progress. He named one. The Prime Minister says he is building a stronger Canada to stand up to the United States. Suddenly, sovereignty has become a virtue. However, the Prime Minister is destroying any attempt to rein in climate change, and he is handing the keys to oil companies. The majority of shareholders in western Canadian oil companies are American, 90% of Canada's oil is sold to the United States, and there are no tariffs on Canadian oil entering the United States.

Are the trust and concern of Quebeckers and Canadians being blatantly abused?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We are working with Quebeckers. We are working with businesses and workers' representatives in Quebec to build a stronger economy, protect their jobs from the unjustified American tariffs and help Quebeckers and all Canadians diversify their trade. We are doing it at the Port of Montreal and at Contrecoeur, we are doing it on the west coast of Canada, we are doing it with renewable energy projects, and we will stay the course.

The Economy

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I had a call from a dad in Claresholm. He is a small business owner. He was hoping to spend time with his kids this summer, but instead he was working 90 hours a week just to keep food on the table. He is mentally and physically exhausted. He is exhausted because instead of camping with his family in the Foothills, he was at his shop working just to pay the bills.

How can the Prime Minister try to tell Canadians that affordability has never been better when a hard-working father is working 90 hours a week and still cannot afford the basics in Canada?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, everyone in this House understands that affordability is top of mind for Canadians. That is why we have acted on three levers.

The first thing is that we are there to make sure that we build more affordable homes, because we understand that the first pillar of affordability is for people to find a safe and affordable place to live. The second thing is that we understand the price of food. That is why, with the Prime Minister, we introduced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit to help families across the country. Today, I introduced legislation to prolong the fuel tax suspension. I hope the Conservatives will do the right thing and support it.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, if they understand the problems, why are they not doing anything to solve them? It is all talk and no results for real Canadians, including farmers.

Ian, a farmer in Newfoundland, told me that he is paying more than $2.40 a litre in diesel. He said that if it gets higher, we all starve. Kate said that her family farm in Saskatchewan will not be profitable if she has to spend another $91,000 just in fuel this harvest. Melanie, a farmer in Alberta, said that fuel prices this harvest are hurting.

Why is the Prime Minister not taking up our Conservative plan and eliminating all taxes on gas and diesel so that farmers can afford to feed Canadians?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of geopolitical issues causing most of the fuel increases around the world, particularly in Canada. There is a war in the Middle East and one in Europe, and broader supply chain disruptions.

We are doing everything we can. We are reducing the excise tax. We are doing more with the groceries and essentials benefit. We will continue to advance Canadian agriculture and agri-food and make investments. I met with the Canadian Cattle Association this morning, and things are moving in the right direction for agriculture.

Forestry Industry

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart. The announced idling of the AV Nackawic mill is putting hundreds of hard-working Canadians out of a job heading into Christmas. This is not the first time my hometown has experienced this. My father worked at the same mill for over 50 years and experienced a closure in 2005. I am receiving calls from families wondering how they will make their house payments, keep their kids in sports or put food on the table.

Will the government commit to working with me to do everything necessary to secure the livelihoods of my home community?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his leadership on this file. Our thoughts are with the workers and their families at this difficult time.

As the member knows, we had a productive meeting last week. We are working with the province and with industry on the matter. He and I will continue to meet, and we will try to find a solution. We will meet with all relevant people. We are going to keep fighting for the workers affected by this closure.

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, a young lady who contacted me was wondering how her family was going to make ends meet, let alone provide a Christmas for her children with her husband now facing unemployment. We know that forestry mills are facing huge competitive disadvantages here in Canada, namely because of tariffs, over-regulation and the industrial carbon tax, which costs the mill in Nackawic over $2 million a year.

Will the government commit to removing the barriers for our businesses so that this young lady and many others like her can have some hope for a brighter future?

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

Mr. Speaker, again, I applaud the member's leadership on this issue.

Our thoughts are certainly with the workers and their families who are affected by the closure of AV Nackawic. We are going to work with the province. We are working with leadership in the community to find a solution. We are going to keep fighting for the workers affected by this terrible closure.

Housing

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Liane, a grandmother from Pefferlaw, wrote me and said, “our grandkids can't imagine ever owning a home.” That is the story of a generation: no hope.

The Prime Minister promised to build 500,000 new homes a year, but his own housing agency says he will be hundreds of thousands short, and fewer homes will be built this year than last year. Our Conservative plan will save Canadians money on housing by tying federal funding to permits and cutting taxes.

How can the minister claim housing affordability is improving with fewer houses and the next generation shut out?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that we have challenges with housing across Canada. That has been the case for about 40 years.

We have to build more affordable housing. That is what Build Canada Homes is focused on. It crossed the threshold of 19,000 homes under way in less than a year.

We have seen really good success on the ground, with agreements right across the provinces and territories, agreements that are going to deliver affordable housing. In particular, they are going to deliver for young Canadians, with student housing, affordable rental housing for young people and attainable housing to get people into the market for the first time.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 19,000 homes out of a promised 500,000 is a failure, and affordability has not improved. In fact, Statistics Canada reported yesterday that one in four Canadians lives in unaffordable housing. That is an increase of 22%. Things are getting worse; they are not getting better.

What is worse is that StatsCan says rising housing costs squeeze family budgets. More rent payments and more mortgage payments mean more difficult decisions at the grocery store. We have offered a positive solution: save Canadians money on housing by speeding up permits, tying that to federal dollars. Why will the minister not do that?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what the housing accelerator fund has been doing. It has been accelerating permitting and licensing, working in partnership with 241 cities and towns across Canada. We are seeing success with that accelerator program. Housing is getting built.

Canada has averaged 250,000 homes a year, and that is not enough housing. We know it needs to grow. We need to do that in partnership with local governments and provinces. That is the work we are doing right now. We have an affordable housing agency in Build Canada Homes that is focused on making homes more affordable.

The Economy

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after nearly 18 months of the Liberal government, Canadians have witnessed a lot of talk and no results when it comes to affordability. Kayleigh from Westman wrote to me and said she spends $160 a week just driving to work and over $2,000 a month on groceries to feed her kids. Despite working full-time, Kayleigh writes, “it feels like we are falling further behind every month.” Her friends and neighbours, like all young parents in my community, are questioning why they work so hard and never get ahead.

Will the Liberals adopt our economic action plan to save families like Kayleigh's nearly $10,000 this year and provide real relief?

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

Mr. Speaker, in the middle of this very difficult trade war, we are supporting Canadians and we are fighting for affordability. That is why we cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. That is why we have the groceries and essentials benefit: to make sure that families in my riding and in the member's riding have an affordable way to feed their families. That is why we are building affordable homes.

What we are doing is making sure that Canadians have an affordable way to live in a difficult time. We will always support Canadians.

Canadian Identity and Culture

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims he broke off negotiations with Washington to protect our culture. However, yesterday, when he was asked to reconsider his policies on American streaming platforms' contributions, he categorically refused. We will say it again and again, as many times as it takes: The future of francophone culture in Quebec and Canada depends on contributions from the web giants. Without them, there is no solution. The government will need to decide whether it truly wants to protect francophone culture.

Will it ask the CRTC to impose these levies?

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

Mr. Speaker, francophone culture and the French language are our identity, and we will never back down.

When it comes to discoverability, the same applies to the web giants. They have a responsibility to help promote our local artists, without exception.