Debates of Sept. 25th, 2025

Opposition Motion—Food Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about our objectives as the official opposition and as the future government.

Our goals are very clear: stronger take-home pay with affordable food and homes, safer streets by locking up the criminals Liberals turned loose, secure borders by fixing the broken Liberal immigration system, and a self-reliant Canada by unlocking the power of our resources, industry and entrepreneurs, but first among all these is that we must be able to feed our people.

Conservatives believe that everyone, including our families, seniors and workers, deserves nutritious, delicious, affordable food on their table: meat and potatoes night after night, not as a once-in-a-while treat. They should not feel stress and anxiety as they walk down grocery aisles. In fact, they should be looking at the items they cannot wait to bring home and transform into the next delicious family meal, rather than looking at the price tag and wondering whether it will empty their bank account. They should have a full fridge, a full stomach and a full bank account, all at the same time. That used to be what we took for granted in Canada.

After 10 years of Liberal inflation, the cost of food is up over 40%. In fact, since the current Prime Minister took office, promising that he could be judged by the price of food, food prices have been rising 50% faster in Canada than in the United States. The Daily Bread Food Bank says that this year, Toronto alone will have four million visits to the food bank. That is double what it was two years ago, meaning it is worse than it was under Justin Trudeau.

The average family of four is expected to spend almost $17,000 on food this year. That is up well over $800 over the previous year. This is at a time when wages are flat and joblessness is skyrocketing. One hundred thousand more people lost their job this summer under the Prime Minister's high tax, low-growth policy, which has given us the fastest-shrinking economy in the G7. Meanwhile, jobless people are walking down grocery aisles and seeing that beef is up 33%; canned soup, 26% grapes, 24%; roasted and ground coffee, 22%; and beef stewing cuts, 22%.

Food costs should be dropping in this country, because the amount of fertilizer, fuel, water and labour that goes into producing food has dropped dramatically. The average dairy cow can produce four times as much milk as 50 years ago, and the average acre can produce four times as much corn.

All the costs of producing food are dropping, but the price of buying food is going up. What explains the difference? For part of that, we will have to wait to hear from the member for Chatham-Kent—Leamington, a very esteemed colleague with whom I will be splitting my time. I can guarantee that he will tell us that part of it is the cost of government, which, again, is the biggest cost contributor, and it has been rising under the Liberal government.

The Prime Minister has three main grocery taxes, all of which he has been raising. First, there is the industrial carbon tax on fertilizer and on farm equipment. That tax increases costs right up through the food chain; it is a tax the Prime Minister intends to more than triple if, God forbid, he stays in power until 2030. Then there is the fuel standard tax, a 17-cent-a-litre tax that the government is imposing that would apply to diesel and gasoline, replacing the carbon tax fuel charge that was in place up until I forced the government to remove it just a few months ago.

I warned that the Liberal government would simply bring in a new carbon tax if given the chance, and that is exactly what it is doing. That will, of course, raise costs. This one is worse, though, because unlike the previous fuel charge, which exempted tractors, combines and other on-farm use, it will apply to the fuel that goes right into the combine, the seeder, the planter and the tractor at the farm gate. It will be even worse for food prices than the previous tax was.

Then there is the inflation tax itself: the most immoral, destructive tax there is and the sneakiest tax. The inflation tax happens when the government prints money to pay its bills, ultimately bidding up the cost of everything Canadians buy. If we have an economy with 10 loaves of bread and $10, it is a buck a loaf; if we double the number of dollars to 20, but we still have only 10 loaves of bread, each bread purchase goes up by 100%. It doubles in price, and that is what we call the inflation tax.

The Prime Minister is familiar with it. He caused the inflation and housing crisis in Great Britain, where he was a disastrous and now totally despised Bank of England governor. He will hopefully be apologizing to the British people for the economic hell he left behind in that role, but instead he is bringing that hell here to Canada.

Today we learned that the Prime Minister is even more expensive than Justin Trudeau. Who would have thought it possible? The deficit for this year, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, will be two-thirds higher than the one Trudeau left behind. Over the next five years, the deficits will add up to $314 billion, more than double the deficits that Trudeau was expected to add over that period of time. In other words, he is borrowing at twice the rate of Justin Trudeau, which will be more expensive. Of course, much of that money will be printed.

Already, the Bank of Canada is signalling that it is again doing away with its main mandate, which is to fight inflation. They have taken that mandate off the main web page, where they used to describe their mission as low and stable inflation, and they have replaced it with a grand pronouncement that they are not just any bank, they are “the Central Bank”. What they really mean is that they are going back to printing money to pay for a Prime Minister who cannot control himself.

Every dollar the Liberal Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians in direct taxes or inflation taxes.

[An hon. member]

I didn't even know they had a website.

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

Mr. Speaker, the member across the way, who is the whip, is saying he did not know the Bank of Canada had a website. That is another example of a Liberal who should do a little more research before opening his mouth. There are a lot of things they do not know over there or that they do not want Canadians to know.

We know that inflation is very good for Brookfield, because the CEO of that company said so. He said that his company profits from inflation, so the Prime Minister will get richer as he makes Canadians poorer and hungrier through his inflation tax.

Our goal on this side of the House is exactly the opposite.

That is why we are proposing to eliminate the grocery taxes. We believe it is possible to lower the cost of groceries by eliminating the industrial carbon tax, which is pushing up the cost of fertilizer and farm equipment. We want to eliminate the fuel standard tax on diesel and gas so that food can be produced and transported more efficiently. We want to eliminate the “inflation tax” by reducing inflationary deficits.

We need to reduce red tape, consulting contracts, private sector lobbyists, international aid, as well as funding for fake refugees. We need to reduce the deficit, because doing so will lower the cost of living. We do not want Canadians to have either a fiscal deficit or a nutritional deficit.

We want a country where every hard-working Canadian can put delicious, affordable food on the table for their family and enjoy an exceptional quality of life. There is no reason this should not be possible in a country with such incredible geographic, demographic and economic advantages. We have a wonderful future ahead of us, provided we make the right decisions. Let us start by eliminating the grocery taxes.

Today we call on the government to stop taxing food; allow Canadians to have nutritious, delicious food; and make this a country where anyone who has worked hard can enjoy meat and potatoes on their table in a beautiful house that they own, on a safe street, with a wonderful Canadian flag hanging off the front porch.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, does the Leader of the Opposition's senior political adviser, Jenni Byrne, still work for Loblaws?

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

Mr. Speaker, of course she does not. The answer to the question really is that we have the ultimate corporate lobbyist as the Prime Minister of Canada. He is lobbying for tax evasion. His investments are stashed away in offshore bank accounts in the Caribbean, where they do not pay the taxes that Canadians pay. He wants to force Canadians to subsidize the electric car production system that profits Brookfield. He wants Canadians to pay higher inflation, which the CEO of Brookfield said would profit his company. We have a corporate lobbyist as our Prime Minister, and that is why a small group of people are getting rich, making everyone else poor.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to hear the Leader of the Opposition talk more about how the Prime Minister has a stake in just about every decision he makes and how he benefits financially.

However, I want to circle back to today's topic, which is the cost of groceries. I see that the Conservatives are proposing to eliminate many taxes, including all carbon taxes and the packaging tax, meaning the plastic ban.

I would like the Leader of the Opposition to tell us about the Conservatives' plan to combat climate change. Whether we like it or not, it exists, it is here, and it also has consequences for the agricultural sector. We will have to deal with it, beyond all these tax cuts and all these cuts to carbon pricing.

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

Mr. Speaker, we are proposing that we export our clean energy, namely nuclear, hydroelectricity and natural gas, to replace much dirtier and more polluting modes of production. That is the Conservative approach.

I forgot to mention another tax: the plastic tax that the Liberals want to impose. It is a tax on food. If plastic is banned, food will spoil more quickly. This will rapidly increase the cost of groceries. We want to eliminate this tax in order to keep food fresh for longer and increase the number of jobs in the chemical sector in Canada. It is a major industry across the country.

We must eliminate all taxes on groceries so that there can be more jobs and Canadians can eat better for less.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer's fiscal update today is truly a horror story. It shows that in five years, we will be paying over $80 billion for interest on the Liberal debt. This is far more than we are actually paying for health care transfers in the country. I wonder if my colleague could opine on his beliefs about the government's spending more money on interest than helping out with health care.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is more money for bankers and less money for nurses.

I know the Prime Minister likes to help make profits for bankers and people who work for banks instead of taxpayers. That is why he has no problem doubling the deficit that Justin Trudeau left us for the next five years. It is unbelievable that we now have a Prime Minister who costs more than Justin Trudeau did. I would never have thought it possible.

I would add that the Parliamentary Budget Officer's projected deficit does not even include the increases for the armed forces that the Prime Minister has committed to or most of the election promises in the Liberals' platform.

The deficit is out of control. Every dollar this Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians, who have none. We need to eliminate the deficit and this Prime Minister's inflationary tax.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and privilege to bring the voices of Chatham-Kent—Leamington to this chamber.

On food and food security, governments around the world have the desire and, indeed, the responsibility to ensure that their citizens can afford food. What has an impact on the price of food? There are obviously many things: weather, the cost of inputs, trade wars, government policy and many other things. I am a Conservative, so I believe that the market mechanism is the most efficient way to transfer the value of goods and services between buyers and sellers, between parties, and to account for all the impactful factors that I previously mentioned. This applies to all sectors in our economy and, indeed, to agriculture and the agri-food industry.

However, markets only work sustainably when there is a balance of power between buyers and sellers. Over time, structures and regulations, if we want to call them that, have developed to bring about that balance of power. The less the better, obviously, but over time, four things, in my mind, particularly apply to agriculture and, to a varying extent, to different food products.

The first factor is the perishability of food. I will illustrate. If we were to negotiate the price of a glass of milk, a tomato or a bushel of wheat, but we do not agree today and want to come back two weeks later to pick up the discussion, the value of those three different items will have certainly depreciated differently. Therefore, there are different mechanisms that bring about a timely response to perishability and determining price.

The second factor is the ratio of buyers and sellers. We know about oligopolies and monopolies. We have discussed in this chamber and at the agriculture committee the food retail sector and the development of a grocery code of conduct to address concerns about how values transfer between our food processors and manufacturers to the retail sector. This obviously also applies to the areas of telecom, airlines and banking.

The third factor is the complexity of the biology, or the size of the investment. It is a little different when one builds a dairy herd, a vineyard or an orchard. There is an expression that one plants pears for one's heirs. It takes seven years to bring pears into a full harvest, versus the annual crops I am used to, which I have another shot at next year.

The last and most important factor is the international trading arena. At times, especially in today's environment, everything, from border measures to tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers, etc., has an impact on how food is marketed.

Why do I say this? What is my point? Government policies can have a positive impact on the cost of food for citizens by creating the climate that balances the power between buyers and sellers, through healthy competition, which drives innovation and drives lower costs to the final consumer. Every functioning government around the world is involved in agriculture and agriculture markets to different degrees to bring about food security.

I should quickly mention one other area, and that is the whole area of production insurance or crop insurance. No private sector insurance company takes on the massive risks that our farmers do without some form of government intervention to aid with those costs. The private sector simply will not do it on its own. Farmers need to survive to another season in the face of disastrous losses.

Government policies also have a negative impact on the cost of food, and that is why we are here today. The Prime Minister said at the swearing-in of his cabinet on May 13, “Canadians will hold account by their experience at the grocery store.” The grade is in. Food Banks Canada gave Canada a D on poverty and food insecurity, which rose almost 40% over the past two years. The poverty rate in Canada has risen for three straight years in a row, and one of the main factors in food insecurity and poverty being up 40% is the fact that food prices are up 40% since the Liberals took power.

We have heard the numbers today. In August alone, food inflation came in at 3.4%, well above the Bank of Canada's targets. According to the Food Banks Canada report, 25.5% of households are struggling to afford food; this is up from 18.4% in 2023. The Daily Bread Food Bank expects four million visits to its food banks in 2025, double the visits from two years ago. Food bank use is up 142% since 2015.

From the field to the fork, costs and, hence, prices are rising. It is often said that farmers are the first link in the food chain, which is actually not quite accurate. Farmers have many input suppliers, but whether it is from skyrocketing input costs, higher interest rates or burdensome regulations, Canadian farmers are being squeezed harder every year. Another expression is that farmers buy retail, sell wholesale and pay the freight both ways. I will come back to that in a moment.

That is why Conservatives call on the Prime Minister to stop taxing food by eliminating the following four things.

First is the industrial carbon tax on fertilizer and farm equipment. Statistics Canada has reported that realized net farm income fell 26% in 2024, the largest single decline in a decade. Meanwhile, rising costs for fuel, fertilizer and feed continue to make farming less economically viable. While the consumer-facing carbon tax has been removed, the buried industrial carbon tax remains, and its costs are embedded in several inputs in food production, including farm equipment and the production of fertilizers. Canada also remains the only G7 country to maintain tariffs on Russian fertilizers, effectively raising the cost of fertilizers sourced from anywhere in Canada. The U.S. never applied the tariffs, and this past year its imports of Russian fertilizers have rebounded higher than they were the last two years.

Second is the inflation tax, the money-printing deficits. The previous Liberal government increased the money supply by 40% to address massive deficits while the GDP grew only 4%. The result, obviously, could be expected: inflation. Revenues now from the GST flow almost exclusively to cover the interest on the debt, and that is before we have this upcoming budget. With the budget delayed until, what is it now, October 35, we will only know about the budget two-thirds of the way into this fiscal year. Again, the PBO report this morning anticipates what those deficits will be. Canadians deserve a government that will cut wasteful spending so Canadians can afford to put food on their tables. There are human consequences to these policies: more empty stomachs. The Prime Minister promised affordable food, but now Toronto's food banks are expecting those previously mentioned four million visits. Also, 86,000 jobs were lost after he promised more jobs.

The third thing to be cut would be the clean fuel standard, better known as “carbon tax two”, again adding up to 16¢ or 17¢ per litre of diesel. Fuel is not an option for farmers. It drives the tractors. The consumer-facing carbon tax is gone; this cost is not, and it is buried. It is not transparent, and it gets passed on down to consumers. I mentioned before that farmers pay the costs of freight both ways. Transportation is involved in almost every step of the food value chain process, not only on the farms. That fuel cost is buried in every step of the way.

Lastly is the food packaging tax, the plastics tax. Alternatives to plastic come with their own environmental costs. According to the government's own analysis, banning single-use plastics would actually increase waste generation rather than reduce it. The ban would also dramatically increase food waste costs that are embedded back into the system. The answer here is not banning single-use plastics but increasing recycling.

We are the loyal opposition. We will oppose bad policy, but we will also propose solutions. Moving forward with positive actionables, here is what Canada must do. We must build a national agri-food brand and make Canada synonymous with safe, premium, innovative foods. We must treat food security as a national priority. We must modernize the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Approvals must take months, not years. We need to back entrepreneurs, cut costs in our transportation sector and other areas, and invest in processing.

We will oppose, and we will propose, but we will also expose. We call on the government to appoint Jason Jacques, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, for a full seven-year term; to be honest with Canadians about “how money-printing deficits will again cause rampant inflation of food, housing and other prices...when Canadians are [so] broke”; and to explain to Canadians “how big a financial mess [the Prime Minister has] made, with what is expected to be a 100 per cent increase in the deficit under [his] watch”.

Just from the PBO's report this morning, in the absence of final financial results for the past year, we expect there would be a budget deficit of $51.7 billion in 2024-25, $68.5 billion this coming year and rising from there.

To conclude, government policy can affect, positively or negatively, the price of food. The record over this past decade is self-evident. The new Prime Minister said he should be judged by the prices at the grocery store. Well?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a quick question for the member opposite. I would ask him if he agrees with his leader, who just said the Bank of Canada has removed from its website any reference to its goal of containing inflation.

I am looking at the Bank of Canada website, and it is still right there on page 1: “low, stable and predictable” inflation, which is at 1.9%, the lowest in the OECD. What gives?

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what gives is that food inflation this past August was 3.4%.

What we are talking about today is the price of food and Canadians having access to safe and affordable food. What we are talking about is inflation. That is what Canadians are concerned about, not what is perhaps on or off a website. Canadians are not looking for that every day, but they are going to the grocery store and trying to fill their fridges.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier when I was asking our Conservative colleague a question, I think it is absurd to ask for the gas tax to be cut as a way to lower food prices.

I would like my colleague to tell me what the Liberal Party plans to do about the cost of food. Is it considering imposing a price cap through legislation, or increasing transfers to Quebec and the provinces to improve funding for soup kitchens? What tangible measures is it going to take, other than cutting the fuel tax?

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will state upfront that I do not know what the government is going to do. I can see what it has done so far, and it is obviously not working.

As I said in my comments, what we need to do, what the responsibility of government is, is to create the climate for the market to work, to drive innovation, to drive competition and to drive prices lower while maintaining profitability throughout the food value chain. There is nothing wrong with profit in there, but when there is unnecessary regulation, unnecessary duplication and bureaucracy that interferes with that, it adds unneeded costs and reduces profitability throughout the food chain.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I share the member's view that the best protection for the consumer is a free and unfettered market.

In the member's speech, he talked about how regulation puts the thumb on the scale in opposition to the consumer. I wonder if he could use more of the time we have to talk about any of the specific regulations or the role of regulation in the cost of food.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, regulation is not a bad word. Regulation is necessary. The point is that we need efficient regulation. We need an economic lens that is applied to regulatory structures so that we balance food safety with a proper response so that markets can function.

Specifically, within the agri-food committee right now, we are looking at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. We are looking at the Pest Management Regulatory Agency. When it takes 11 years to review a project, that is ridiculous. Situations like that impose costs and delay on the industry.

The burden of regulation is something that has come up over and over again. Regulation, properly done, is necessary. What the industry is experiencing now is unfathomable.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I think the member should reflect on the leader of the Conservative Party, who spoke just prior to him. When he spoke, he indicated that certain information on the Bank of Canada website is just not there. Then the member gets a question that questions the integrity of his leader, and he chooses not to defend his leader.

Does the member believe that the Bank of Canada is correct, or does he believe his leader is, and I would not say correct, but misleading?

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what I believe is that Canadians were paying 3.4% more for their food this past year. Inflation is rising, that is what we are talking about, and it is because of government policies. That is what our opposition day motion is about. That is what we are trying to hold the government to account on. Not only that, but we are proposing solutions for it, and we are asking for the waste and deficit spending to be exposed by the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

[Kent MacDonald, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Kingston and the Islands. I appreciate the opportunity to participate in today's debate.

Our government is committed to doing everything it can to help make life more affordable for people from B.C. to Nunavut to P.E.I. Today, I would like to highlight the measures we are taking to build the strongest economy in the G7 while bringing down the cost of living. The affordability challenges that have long impacted low-income Canadians are now having serious impacts on middle-class households. Islanders and Atlantic Canadians, in particular, know this all too well, whether it is paying for groceries; heating our homes through long, cold winters; or trying to secure affordable housing.

Since elected, the government has been focused on delivering a plan to address the cost of living challenges that have affected Canadians' quality of life. We are letting Canadians keep more of their hard-earned paycheques by delivering a middle-class tax cut and by removing the consumer carbon price. The middle-class tax cut provides relief for nearly 22 million Canadians, and over the next five years it is expected to deliver more than $27 billion in tax savings. Importantly, this relief is targeted to those who need it most, with nearly half of the benefit going to Canadians in the lowest tax bracket.

In addition to tax relief, we are protecting and expanding programs that are already saving families thousands of dollars each year. The Canadian dental care plan now covers about eight million Canadians, with average savings of more than $800 annually. For families in Prince Edward Island and across Atlantic Canada, this makes a real difference in household budgets.

Affordability challenges also extend to home heating costs with climate change considerations. By driving down both energy bills and harmful pollution, the benefits of switching to a heat pump are clear, and the Government of Canada has been bringing these benefits to Canadians through the oil to heat pump affordability program. This program is helping households across P.E.I. and Atlantic Canada make the switch from expensive oil heat to efficient, clean heat pumps. Families are saving hundreds of dollars each year on energy bills while reducing emissions and building a more sustainable future.

We are also acting to make food more affordable through the grocery code of conduct. We are standing up for fairness in the food supply chain. This measure will bring greater accountability to Canada's largest grocers, help curb unfair retail price increases and protect small suppliers. This gives families across the country a fairer deal at the checkout counter. We know the code of conduct has been fought by the grocery chains for years now. I participated in many committees over the years, representing agriculture, to fight for a code of conduct, and I am pleased that we are bringing it in.

Affordability is also about housing. Rents and home prices are out of reach for many Canadians, not only in large urban centres but in small towns and rural communities just like Cardigan, the riding I represent. That is why the Minister of Finance and National Revenue has tabled proposals to eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes under $1 million and to reduce the GST for homes between $1 million and $1.5 million. This will save first-time homebuyers up to $50,000, putting home ownership within reach and spurring construction across the country.

We have also launched “build Canada homes”, a new special operating agency designed to double the pace of housing construction over the next decade. This agency will build affordable housing at scale, fight homelessness and partner with the provinces, territories, municipalities, indigenous communities and private sector. By focusing on non-market housing and innovative building technologies, “build Canada homes” will create supply faster, support Canadian workers and materials and help restore affordability.

Islanders and Atlantic Canadians want to see real solutions. They want fairness at the grocery store, lower heating bills and a realistic path to home ownership. That is exactly what we are delivering.

Our government remains focused on what matters most, which is creating good, well-paying jobs, growing the economy and building stronger trade ties with trusted partners to strengthen our resilience and security. We are acting with urgency and determination to make life more affordable and to confront the housing crisis head on.

Canadians can count on the government to continue presenting serious solutions that make a real difference in their lives and ensure families are better off. We will build the strongest economy in the G7.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we had a federal election a few months ago. During that election, the Prime Minister made a series of commitments to build a strong, one Canada economy. In a relatively short period of time, there have been a number of initiatives the Prime Minister, cabinet and the Liberal caucus have taken action on. For example, we have the tax break for 22 million Canadians, the middle class. Another example would be getting rid of the carbon tax.

Would the member agree that those types of policy initiatives, which the Prime Minister has not only taken into consideration but has put in place, are making a real difference on affordability for Canadians?

[Kent MacDonald, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Speaker, there are many programs we have announced so far that have had a big impact on Canadians, particularly in P.E.I and in my riding of Cardigan. For example, we reduced the cost of the ferry by 50%, and we put the bridge toll at $20. This is adding to economic activity in P.E.I. Trucking has come down. Food affordability will come down as a result of that. Many islanders are realizing the benefits of the government's interventions to make life more affordable.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his wonderful reading of PMO speech number three.

The issue we have in Canada right now is the cost of food. The member's leader said he was going to fix that cost. The Liberals talk about all these programs they are bringing in, but a decade ago, people did not need all these programs because they could go to the grocery store and afford food. In fact, many people on social media have reordered the same basket items they did at Walmart or somewhere else. They compared the prices from 10 years to the prices now, and the change is astounding.

Does the member think the Prime Minister should be held accountable for his words? He said he was going to bring down the price of groceries and he has failed miserably.

[Kent MacDonald, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I will let the hon. member know that I produced food for over 40 years before I took time to come up here and give back to my community. I will take no lessons from the hon. member.

Would the hon. member not agree that food security is very important to Canadians, and it is more important that we invest in greenhouses, hydroponics and the growing of vegetables in controlled environments, so we are not dependent on importing? It is also more important to support supply management to guarantee food security for Canadians in various sectors across the country.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today we are studying a motion that seeks to eliminate the fuel tax. However, the government already decided to eliminate the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act in Bill C-4.

Apart from these measures, which seek to produce more oil, does our colleague's Liberal government have any tangible measures to propose for combatting rising consumer prices? I am thinking of a price cap on groceries or transfers to the provinces so that they can better fund food banks.

What does my colleague think his government could do?

[Kent MacDonald, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Speaker, there are many things going on. I just spoke about investing in hydroponics and greenhouses, so we can grow food and gain more food security. There is also a clean energy corridor that is part of our build Canada program. We are looking forward to that in Atlantic Canada as we look for clean energy solutions, such as wind and hydro.