Debates of Oct. 23rd, 2025

Public Safety

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the safety and security of Canadians is the first and most primary responsibility of the government. This is why we have taken very important measures in order to ensure the safety and security of Canadians, including having the highest level of removals in a decade. Over 20,000 people will be removed from Canada for being here improperly. This is why we have introduced bail reform and sentencing reform just this afternoon. This is why we have Bill C-12, which is going through the House.

I encourage the party opposite to support these measures in order to keep Canadians even more safe.

Justice

[Chi Nguyen, Liberal, Spadina—Harbourfront, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government was elected with a decisive mandate to keep violent repeat offenders off our streets. While the Leader of the Opposition was attacking the brave men and women of the RCMP, calling them “despicable”, the Minister of Justice was working with provinces, territories and law enforcement to develop solutions-focused bail and sentencing reforms. Today, the minister has tabled Bill C-14, the bail and sentencing reform act.

Can the minister explain how this bill will ensure the safety of our communities and keep dangerous offenders behind bars?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is not a less credible voice when it comes to criminal justice reform than the Leader of the Opposition. In the past few weeks, he has called the RCMP “despicable”. He has attacked Crown prosecutors, and he has suggested his political opponents should be jailed.

The legislation we tabled today will make it harder to get bail for violent repeat offenders and will strengthen sentencing for serious criminals. Criminal justice reform demands a conversation that would engage the adults in the room. The Conservatives have a leadership review coming up; I invite them to choose one.

The Economy

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Mr. Speaker, “Some N.L. residents finding it 'hard to survive' as grocery prices continue to rise” is a headline from the CBC today. They go on to say that the price of food in Newfoundland and Labrador is up 4% since last September. Beef leads the way, up 20%.

The Liberal Prime Minister said he would be judged by the prices Canadians pay at the grocery store, so will he get his inflationary deficits under control so that Canadians can afford to put food on the table?

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind my opposition colleague from Newfoundland and Labrador that Newfoundland and Labrador was the first province in Canada to sign on to the school food program. The Conservative Party was the first party in Canada to not vote for that program. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians value this program. Moms, parents and school educators know what this program means. This is affordability, just as the suite of other programs are affordability, and the member voted against every one of them.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Mr. Speaker, could we have a more heartless response than from the regional minister from Newfoundland and Labrador, where people are known to have good hearts? The minister knows full well that the school lunch program that they created is garbage. It has not fed one child in Canada. She also knows that there are hidden taxes—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Order.

Can the member continue, please?

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Mr. Speaker, could we have a more heartless response than from the regional minister from Newfoundland and Labrador, where folks are known to have good hearts? That minister knows full well that the school lunch program that they created has not fed one Canadian child and—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Time is up. I'm sorry.

The hon. Minister of Fisheries.

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, while my colleague from Newfoundland and Labrador and the opposition want to talk down programs and humiliate Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and all Canadians, I will reassure Canadians that the school food program is feeding children. It is saving families up to $800 a year. This is a policy that works. I will always stand for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and Canadians.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, parents are struggling to secure healthy food for their families because of the Liberal government's out-of-control spending. Skyrocketing food inflation is up again to 4%. Liberal food taxes and regulations do not show up on their receipts, but Canadians feel them every time they shop for groceries.

The Prime Minister said he would be judged by the prices Canadians pay at the grocery store. If he is truly the astute economist he claims he is, why is he not getting his inflationary deficits and hidden grocery taxes under control so Canadians can afford to feed their families?

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

Mr. Speaker, here we go again with the imaginary taxes. They do not show up on receipts because they are not actually there. Canadians know that. They know how to read a receipt, but picking up on the previous question, I just want to remind people about how much good this school nutrition program is doing all across Canada, including, as my colleague mentioned, by providing dignity to families all across this country so that kids can get good nutrition in school and by feeding healthy brains. It is saving families about $800 a year. As a former lunchroom monitor, there is nothing more painful than watching a child who does not have a lunch, whether they—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South.

Automotive Industry

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the retooling of the CAMI plant at Ingersoll was supposed to be a great success. Taxpayers kicked in hundreds of millions of dollars. The finance minister said this was “proof that Canada’s auto sector is here for the long term.”

Now, 1,200 of the plant's hard-working employees, many of them in St. Thomas, Elgin and London, are out of work. This is all despite the Prime Minister pledging a deal with Trump by July to protect Canadian auto jobs. Today he says there will not be a deal at all.

Auto workers' lives and livelihoods were on the line. Why did the Prime Minister dupe them?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we all understand and we all know that the automotive industry in Canada, in Ontario, is one of the most important industries in the country. We want to keep it that way.

We are doing everything we can to help workers in those industries. In fact, I think it was yesterday that the president of Unifor said that the Minister of Industry was doing a fantastic job on this file. He said so himself.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if this is what the Liberals see as an exceptional job, I would hate to see what they view as poor work.

With 3,000 workers in Brampton, 1,200 in Ingersoll, 700 in Oshawa and 300 in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, that is the Liberal record of just a few weeks. The Prime Minister promised he would protect auto jobs. I wish he had been more honest and said that he meant in the United States. The Liberals have handed out billions of dollars in subsidies with no job guarantees for Canadian workers.

Last night, the Prime Minister told Canadians we would have to make sacrifices. We already are, and it is not clear for what. When will he do his job and stop selling out Canadian workers?

[John Zerucelli, Liberal, Secretary of State (Labour)]

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the U.S. has changed their trading relationship with the world, and that is having an impact on the auto sector.

The Minister of Industry is out fighting for workers. She has summoned Stellantis and GM here to hold them accountable.

We are going to do whatever it takes to protect workers, defend our auto sector and bring production back to Canada, because Canadian auto workers are the best in the world. We are going to fight for them every single day.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to negotiate a victory, manage Donald Trump and reach an agreement before July 21. He did exactly the opposite.

The Prime Minister has let down auto workers in Canada and Quebec. Paccar, in Sainte-Thérèse, recently laid off 300 of its employees. There have been 725 layoffs since the beginning of the year, while the Prime Minister was leading failed negotiations with Washington.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister said yesterday in a speech that he wants young Canadians to make more sacrifices. Is it normal for young Quebeckers to have to make more sacrifices to keep Washington happy?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague just gave the example of the Paccar company. I would just like to point out that the U.S. administration's decision to impose tariffs on trucks, especially those made by Paccar, is completely incomprehensible and abusive. This was done just a few days ago. It gives you an idea of how unpredictable this administration is.

Cooler heads will prevail, and that is what Canada needs to remember in order to negotiate a good deal.

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

Mr. Speaker, I clearly remember an election campaign in which the candidate for the job of prime minister said that we needed to go “elbows up” on Donald Trump. He said that he was going to fix things. He said he could take charge of the situation because he had been in charge of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England and he was good at it.

Now, we are seeing job losses in the auto industry. Some 3,000 Stellantis jobs went to the United States, including 725 from Quebec. Are members aware that 10,700 automotive sector employees in Quebec alone are at risk of losing their jobs because “elbows up” has not solved the problem?

When will there be a solution to the problem?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am not surprised that our colleague remembers the last federal election so clearly. Canadians chose a government that was prepared not only to defend and support Canadian industries, but also to negotiate with the U.S. government to reach a deal that is in the best interests of Canadian workers and industries.

Canadians had their say in the last election. They knew full well that the Conservative Party was utterly incapable of standing up to the U.S. government and defending the interests of Canadian workers and businesses.

We are up to that challenge.

Foreign Affairs

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, during the debate, the Prime Minister was asked to name the biggest threat to the security of Canada. He answered in one word: “China”. Now the foreign affairs minister is talking about a strategic partnership with Beijing, including security. These two things seem contradictory.

Can the minister reconcile these two things, or is this another example of the Prime Minister saying one thing during the election and doing another afterward?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, let me reiterate that the public safety and security of Canadians, regardless of the time and place, are always top of mind for our government, including in our diplomatic relationships. At the same time, Canada will continue to become the strongest economy in the G7, and the way we do that is to diversify our supply chains while making sure we protect our citizens at home.