Debates of Sept. 24th, 2026

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told the House on March 25 of this year that “Affordability is the best it has been in over a decade.” Markita might disagree. She wrote me a letter recently saying that she is on chemotherapy, but she is going to have to stop her cancer treatments so that she can go back to work because she cannot afford to pay her bills. She cannot afford her rent and her groceries.

Will the Prime Minister look into the camera now and tell Markita that affordability is the best it has been for her in over a decade?

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

Mr. Speaker, if Markita knew that for every single measure we have put forward for people just like her, the Leader of the Opposition has voted against them, I think she would be deeply disappointed.

Every step that we take, whether it is to feed kids, support building trades, make sure that people have access to dental care or provide lower costs for child care, we have been working diligently to ensure that Canadians have what they need to make it through these times. All we get from the opposition members is them voting down those very measures that Canadians tell us they need.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, when Conservatives hear stories of suffering Canadians, we stand up, and the Prime Minister sits down. He cannot answer to Markita, who cannot pay her bills a year and a half after he promised to make life affordable, but maybe he can answer to Robin. She measures affordability by whether she can afford the three-dollar snack that her children ask for, or whether she has to tell them that this week is rent week. All the spending and promises and programs in the world have not helped her.

Will the Prime Minister stand up now, look her in the eye and tell her that affordability is the best it has been in a decade?

[Anna Gainey, Liberal, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, I think this is a good opportunity to remind members of the House that those across from me voted against the national school food program, which represents a savings of $900 for families with two children in the program. We have reached 80% of public schools across Canada, in partnership with the provinces and with organizations that are there every day working with kids and working with schools to ensure kids have a healthy start in life. It would be great if they would get on board with the national school food program.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, another program that feeds bureaucracy rather than feeding kids. That is why the number of kids relying on food banks has doubled since that program came into place—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The Leader of the Opposition can start over.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister does not want to answer to Robin or Markita, maybe he will answer to Mike, who is working as a small businessman and a firefighter, on top of his wife's job. They had to pay $879,000 for a home. They wrote to say they are barely keeping their heads above water as homebuilding declines and housing costs become more out of reach for Canadians.

Will the Prime Minister look Mike in the eye and make his ridiculous claim that affordability has never been better in the last decade?

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

Mr. Speaker, let the record show that the Leader of the Opposition, the former member for Carleton, the member for Battle River—Crowfoot, just said that the more than 9.8 million meals served to over 130,000 kids in schools in Ontario is just bureaucracy. How about the 58,000 kids from Alberta who received school food? Is that just bureaucracy?

He claims that he was raised by teachers, yet he does not want to accept that a school food program is helping kids. After 22 years in this place, one would think he would know that he works for Canadians. Canadian kids are included in that.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if only the government did not inflate food costs and deprive kids of the ability to eat, if only a record number of kids were not lined up at food banks, maybe Liberal promises and bureaucracy would mean something.

I think of Jennifer. Jennifer says she has to make up recipes at the end of the month because she is living on her four final dollars to get through to her final paycheque. The Prime Minister is out of touch and Jennifer is out of money. Instead of sitting there and doing nothing, will he stand up and tell Jennifer how she is going to pay the bills?

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

Mr. Speaker, threes are wild in the House today. The Leader of the Opposition is in his third decade in the House, but he has produced nothing: three caucus revolts and three image reboots.

On this side of the House, our economy is growing at an annualized rate of 3.3%. We are three times more competitive than the United States for investment. By the way, we just added three new caucus members. We have a winning hand. It is time for them to reshuffle the deck.

The Environment

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just returned from the United Nations, where Secretary-General Guterres once again implored countries to phase out fossil fuels. Meanwhile, Canada introduced Bill C‑39, which gets rid of impact assessments for pipeline projects and makes it possible to permanently circumvent environmental laws. Greenpeace and Environmental Defence called it the “Bulldoze Nature” bill. Ecojustice called the bill catastrophic. No other bill in Canadian history has been worse for the environment.

How can the Liberals sleep at night after defending such a bill?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, we are not getting rid of anything. We are continuing to fight climate change. To do so, we need to build the largest clean energy project in the country. We need to double the capacity of our electricity grid. That is how we are going to speed up the electrification of the economy and get to net zero. We are doing the work, and I hope that the Bloc Québécois is ready to pitch in.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the House that, using Bill C-5, the Prime Minister gave himself the power to suspend environmental laws for his oil projects. Luckily, the Bloc Québécois managed to limit that abuse to five years. According to the Liberals, it was all in a bid to combat Donald Trump. Bill C-39 removes this five-year limit and allows the application of environmental laws to be suspended indefinitely.

Why are the Liberals using the tariff war as a pretext to exacerbate the climate crisis and line the pockets of the oil companies?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I want to repeat this, because I believe it is very important.

We are not rolling back anything when it comes to how effective our environmental regulations are. We are carrying out the work required to continue doubling our clean electricity grid. That, in fact, is what Hydro-Québec is asking of us. We need clean electricity across the country to achieve a carbon-neutral economy.

That is what we want to do, and I hope the Bloc Québécois will support it.

Public Safety

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the violent robbery committed on September 21, 2026, at the Ricci jewellery store in Place Rosemère shows just how unchecked crime has become in Quebec as a result of Liberal policies. In just 80 seconds, a group armed with axes and pepper spray terrorized the helpless employees before fleeing. Our business owners live in constant fear of this senseless violence, while the government refuses to act. When it comes to crime, the Liberals are out of touch with reality. The Conservative action plan will keep Canadians safe by strengthening the Criminal Code.

Will they finally listen to us and follow our plan?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, since Canada's new government came into place last year, it has put in an unprecedented level of criminal justice reform across the system. It starts with ensuring we have stronger sentencing as well as bail reform with Bill C-14. We are protecting the rights of victims with Bill C-16. We are also ensuring that those who are combatting hate are supported with the tools they need. We will continue to invest in law enforcement and ensure the safety and security of all Canadians.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the previous Liberal government undid everything that had been done to advance the fight against crime. Over the past year and a half, the new government has not fixed anything. It would be easy to restore what was in place before. I myself introduced a bill last year that could have easily been passed to repeal the laws enacted by Justin Trudeau and the same team that is still in power. On Monday, a street gang member once again opened fire on people in Montreal. Such criminals could not care less about the law because laws to prevent this type of crime no longer exist.

Will the minister stop talking nonsense and act fast? Will he take up the Conservative bills to fight crime in this country?

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken action. Since taking office, we have passed three very important laws to fight crime. We have passed laws despite Conservative obstruction. In fact, the latest statistics show that crime is down across Canada, which is a testament to the efforts of law enforcement officers from coast to coast to coast who work hard every day to keep our communities safe.

We will continue to work with police services to keep Canadians across the country safe.

[Jonathan Rowe, Conservative, Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, NL]

Mr. Speaker, repeat offenders are causing chaos in Newfoundland and Labrador and rural Canada. Residents in communities such as Carmanville are holding emergency meetings and signing petitions to have their voices heard. I know that they know this crime increase is not just because it is a sign of the times, but rather a direct result of the Liberals' soft-on-crime policies, like the principle of restraint, which has been encouraging courts to let criminals out on bail.

Will the Liberals finally listen to our communities and repeal the loose Liberal bail?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I recognize that it is hard to oppose the comprehensive set of criminal justice reforms our government has brought forward and then pretend we need to make more laws. What the member opposite is suggesting is that we have done nothing on this. We have moved forward with the most comprehensive set of legislation, including the reform of bail and sentencing, ensuring the rights of victims are protected and protecting our vulnerable communities. We will continue to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians.

[Jonathan Rowe, Conservative, Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, NL]

Mr. Speaker, it is all talk, but no results. It is not just Liberal laws that are leaving our communities vulnerable. The RCMP has identified it needs to train close to 3,000 officers a year to maintain operations. The Liberals promised to train over 1,000. They broke their promise and never delivered. It is all talk, with no results.

Are these Liberals going to blame the hard-working members of the RCMP, or are they going to stand up and finally give the police forces the tools they need?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome everyone back to the House after the summer.

I want to reply to the hon. member from Newfoundland and Labrador. We are moving forward with legislation across the entire sector, but it is very difficult to stand and push back when the Conservatives vote against every single measure the government brings forward. I am sorry, but there is a level of hypocrisy here that is very difficult to listen to.

[Sukhman Gill, Conservative, Abbotsford—South Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, just this past weekend, Amanda, from Abbotsford, experienced what she describes as a reoccurring incident. A homeless man broke into her building and stole nearly a thousand dollars' worth of her personal belongings. After reporting the incident to authorities, she was told that the offender would likely be back out later that day. Amanda says that they have subsequently seen the same individual return and commit further offences.

When will the Liberals stand up for law-abiding Canadians and repeal their reckless, soft-on-crime policies?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have strengthened our Criminal Code of Canada over the last year. We made over 80 different changes with the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act and over 90 different changes with the Protecting Victims Act.

We are seeing results across the country. Crime stats are coming down, and there has been the biggest drop in homicides since 1986. We are result-focused, and we are seeing the results.