Debates of Sept. 23rd, 2026

The Economy

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after 11 years of Liberal rule, even full-time workers are having a hard time making ends meet at the end of the month. According to the National Payroll Institute, half of all employed Canadians now report spending all, or sometimes more, of their net pay. That means that families are being forced to go into debt just to put food on the table. The Conservatives have identified over $150 billion in unnecessary Liberal spending. That works out to $10,000 per family.

Will the Liberals adopt our Conservative plan to save families money?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am going to help my colleague with his next letter to his constituents.

First off, he should remind them that we have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. I hope he will mention that to his constituents. Second, I hope he will remind them that we have extended the federal gas tax holiday, which will help people across the country. I hope he will also talk about the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will help 12 million Canadians. These are concrete, immediate and targeted measures that will help Canadians.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, they are completely disconnected from reality. I am sorry, but the minister's answer is not going to put food on Chantal's table.

Chantal is a single mother in Saint‑Georges. She works full-time but still needs to use food banks. After she pays her rent and bills, there is not enough money left over to feed her children. Chantal is not alone. This morning, I spoke with people at Moisson Beauce and they told me that over 6,300 residents of Beauce use food banks every month.

How many more families have to reach that point before the Liberals put our Conservative plan into action?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question.

Many Canadians are struggling to make ends meet; that is true. What really baffles me is why he voted against the Canada child benefit. How is he going to explain that to Chantal, who lives in his riding? For a single mother with two children, that could add up to $8,000 or $10,000.

Why did he vote against Canada's national school food program, which is helping 100,000 vulnerable children in Quebec City and saving their families about $800. Why, at every turn, does he consistently vote against every affordability measure, whether the Canadian dental care plan or the Canada groceries and essentials benefit?

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

Mr. Speaker, a survey released yesterday by the National Payroll Institute found that half of employed Canadians are now spending all or more of their take-home pay, leaving nothing for savings. Liberal taxes and wasteful government spending are only making things more expensive for Canadians. Our Conservative plan will save Canadians money. We have identified nearly $10,000 in savings for every Canadian family.

Will the Liberals adopt our Conservative economic action plan so Canadians can keep more of their money and afford to live again?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is a new government in Ottawa and a new approach: Show up, listen and deliver. I can say on behalf of the Government of Canada that through the child care benefit and the groceries and essentials benefit, we are listening to what the people of Saskatchewan are saying. We are helping them in their time of crisis, but every time we try to do something, the confusing Conservatives turn around and vote against that. Which is it? Do they want us to help Saskatchewan people?

On this side, I say we do not need advice on how we support Saskatchewan families. We have a lot of support—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake.

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

Mr. Speaker, let us listen to how out of touch the Liberals are. More than one in four Canadians say they “would struggle to meet their financial obligations if their [paycheque] was delayed by just one week.” Canadians need a government focused on lowering their costs and helping them get ahead. As I said, our Conservative economic action plan identifies nearly $10,000 in savings for every Canadian family. I hear the Liberals scoffing, because they think that is not a lot of money.

I am going to ask again, will the Liberals adopt our plan so Canadians can save money and afford to live again?

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

Mr. Speaker, I really, truly believe that the Conservatives do not have a plan. They tout this plan, but I do not think the plan exists. To make a long story short, as we look at all the benefits we are trying to support Saskatchewan families on, one thing is real: The folks across the way voted against it. In fact, the Premier of Saskatchewan, the hon. Scott Moe, has said Canada is doing a wonderful job. I am not sure whom they are talking to, but perhaps they can get back and talk to the Saskatchewan people to see what is really happening.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that affordability is the best it has been in over a decade. He could not be more out of touch. The latest National Payroll Institute survey shows that more than a quarter of Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque and more than half of Canadians are spending all of or more than their net pay every single month. Liberals are just not delivering results for everyday Canadians.

Will the Liberals adopt our Conservative economic action plan so Canadians can save money and afford to live again?

[Corey Hogan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we hear the same again and again, but what we will not hear when we talk to actual Albertans is this kind of doom and gloom, because there has never been a better time to be an Albertan in Canada. We are seeing investments at record levels. We are seeing oil production at record levels, and we are seeing satisfaction with the federal government and our leader at record levels.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are so out of touch.

Let me tell members about a Canadian named Mark. Mark has made promises to his employer that he just cannot keep. He has had to compromise all of his beliefs in order to keep his job. Mark has so little faith in the Canadian economy that he has put almost all of his investments in the United States. Mark is focused on his European retirement plans, which now seem in jeopardy.

How can Canadians like Mark actually deliver the changes they promised?

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

Mr. Speaker, maybe that member and Mark might want to speak to another Albertan named Danielle Smith, who said that it has never been such a good time to be an Albertan and that she has never been so optimistic about the future of Alberta and a strong Canada.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, for millions of families, payday is no longer a chance to get ahead. It is simply the day to hopefully pay the bills. The National Payroll Institute says that more than half of working Canadians are spending every dollar they take home, leaving absolutely nothing to save, and only 18% say that their pay is keeping up with the cost of living.

The Liberals seem to insist that their plan is working, but they are so clearly out of touch, and Canadians are out of money. Families are working harder and harder and falling further and further behind.

When will the Liberals stop the pain and embrace our Conservative economic plan so that Canadians can afford to live again?

[Rebecca Chartrand, Liberal, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I do not get the fake outrage, because when we think about the voting on the Conservative side, we know they have voted against every measure to support Manitobans. For example, there was the groceries and essentials benefit.

We are putting money back in the pockets of Canadians with the child tax benefits, dental care and pharmacare. We are helping Canadians where it matters most, and the member opposite continues to vote against every single measure.

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the latest survey from the National Payroll Institute demonstrates how the Liberals are out of touch and Canadians are out of money. More than one in four employed Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque and would struggle to cover their bills if their pay was delayed by just one week. This is at the highest level in five years.

Things continue to go in the wrong direction, and the Liberals continue to double down on the same failed approaches. Our Conservative plan is to save Canadians money by taking all federal taxes on gas, about 25¢ a litre, off until Canada Day next year. Will they finally adopt our plan?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and to the Secretary of State (International Development)]

Mr. Speaker, it is good to be back in the House. I hope all members had a good summer.

Our government is focused on making sure that we are not only building Canada from coast to coast to coast, but also building partnerships around the world. We are diversifying trade like we have never seen in the history of our country.

Our businesses have access to 1.5 billion consumers through tariff-free partnerships at this moment, and we plan to double that. That is our plan. The Minister of International Trade, the Prime Minister and the entire government is focused on building those partnerships so we can help grow our businesses around the world.

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is all talk and no results, because the data from the survey gets worse. It further confirms just how bad the cost of living crisis is for Canadian workers. Only 18% believe their income increases are keeping pace with the rising cost of living, and groceries are now the largest source of financial stress, which was cited by 55%, while nearly half of employed Canadians say they are worried about personal debt.

How many more surveys and reports that show the struggle of everyday Canadians do we need to see before the Liberals reverse course and adopt our Conservative economic action plan to put more money in Canadians' pockets and help them afford to live?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and to the Secretary of State (International Development)]

Mr. Speaker, I completely disagree with the premise of the member's question. I think we are seeing results. If we look at the first-ever Canada investment summit, in just one year, we a saw a $500-billion commitment, that is half a trillion dollars, to invest right here in our country. What does that mean? It means good-paying jobs for Canadians coast to coast to coast.

Similarly, we are seeing the results of the trade agreements we have been signing. With United Arab Emirates alone, we were able to sign a trade agreement within 45 days. We have never seen those kinds of action before. This is how we are going to build Canada strong.

[Dominique O'Rourke, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our recent investment summit attracted investors from around the world who wanted to be part of Canada's future.

As our country attracts new investment across the entire economy, can the Minister of Transport tell the House about the measures our government is taking to create the right conditions to encourage investment and strengthen the Canadian economy, including in the transportation sector?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her work to help build Canada strong.

The first-ever Canada investment summit is a testament to the extraordinary potential and opportunities we have to offer right here in Canada. We saw that confidence transmuted into concrete action, with nearly $500 billion in new investment commitments.

We are going to build bigger, faster and more efficiently with the help of that member and the entire government.

Air Transportation

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on TV this weekend, the transport minister gave a master class in dodging simple questions. When asked if airport privatization will hike prices, he said he could not say no. He actually promised partially regulated fees. If a pilot announced that the landing gear was partially working, nobody would fly, and under this government, soon no one will be able to afford to. The Liberals are out of touch and costing Canadians more.

Is the minister so out of touch that he thinks a partially regulated price hike is a bargain for families, or is he selling our airports just to enrich Liberal insiders and friends?

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

Mr. Speaker, we intend to regulate those fees that show up on airfare tickets that cause prices to spike. In fact, those fees are going up as we speak. As airport facilities get improved, capital investments get made and those costs get passed on to travellers in the form of airport improvement charges. They are unregulated today. We intend to regulate them.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it has been 11 years, and it is getting worse all the time. In fact, the minister's dodge ball routine in the House might win him points with the Prime Minister, but every time he ducks, the Canadian taxpayer behind him takes the hit. Canadians asked for lower airfares, not a new Liberal surcharge on visiting grandma. The Liberals are all talk and no results. Our Conservative plan is to save Canadians money.

Which is it? Is the minister going to admit he has completely given up on keeping air travel affordable for families, or does he just want to turn our airports into a country club for the wealthy and elite?

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

Mr. Speaker, I know the member's leader writes the questions, but he really should listen to the answer and kind of make an adjustment after he hears the first answer. I just told him those fees are currently unregulated. We intend to regulate them.