Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, food prices have increased. That is why we are taking concrete action to lower costs for Canadians. We have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We have 3.6 million Canadians who now have dental coverage. We have also established a national school food program for over 400,000 kids across the country. I met with the Canadian Teachers' Federation, which said this program is so success…
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Mr. Speaker, when we talk to experts who know about food security, they talk about the things that are going to make a difference for families, things like supporting families through the Canada child benefit. They recommend we feed kids in school with a national food school program, and they recommend that we build affordable housing, because that is the number one driver of costs for Canadians. …
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Madam Speaker, I want to talk about the things that the government is doing to make life more affordable for Canadians. In doing that, I want to talk about Mya, a woman in my riding, who wrote me a letter this week. Mya said that she moved back to Toronto to be closer to family, which meant leaving a corporate job and its benefits behind. She was particularly concerned about how to manage the expe…
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Mr. Speaker, the data shows that providing kids with a healthy lunch or breakfast at school is key to learning. We absolutely need a program, and the fact that the Liberals are implementing a national school food program is something we are proud of and proud to support. Every other G7 country has a program. This is a program that has been a long time coming and that is going to benefit almost hal…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we have made concrete changes to things like the Competition Act where, for example, reducing the property controls that have previously existed in this sector is a way for us to actually have more grocers enter and provide a more fulsome marketplace for Canadian consumers. More choice equals better prices and more pressure to bring prices down. I think that is definitely one …
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Mr. Speaker, I take umbrage with the member opposite's saying that solutions like the school food program are band-aid solutions and that no one would argue against this, when, in fact, it was the member's party that actually voted against the school food program. The fact remains that we were the last of the countries in the G7 to actually adopt a national school food program and that families ac…
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to rise today on the Conservative motion to discuss the actions the government is taking to address food affordability. Affordability continues to be a critical issue, and many Canadians are struggling to get ahead. Food inflation for groceries has fallen from a peak of 11.4% in January 2023 to 3.5% in August 2025. Progress is being made. Our government has taken, and will …
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Mr. Speaker, this is a government that continues to support measures like child care, a school food program, dental care, a tax cut for 22 million Canadians and eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers. We have a plan to make life more affordable and to create the jobs that are going to create a secure future for families across the country. Conservatives, at every opportunity, vote against t…
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Mr. Speaker, this week I had the pleasure of meeting with the Canadian Teachers' Federation. One of its top priorities is the national school food program: healthy meals for over 400,000 kids, saving parents up to $800 a year in groceries. Every single province has signed on. Conservatives claim to care about food security, but at every opportunity, they vote against teachers, families and kids wh…
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Mr. Speaker, the main estimates also spend a great deal of time and put funding toward the Canada health transfer. Would the minister be able to elaborate on how this new investment in our health system is going to support Canadians' desire for a strong universal public health system?
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Mr. Speaker, the estimates raised an important issue to me and to my constituents in Toronto—St. Paul's around Ukraine. I was wondering if the minister would describe the measures under way to support Ukraine as it seeks to defend its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and its economy at this very challenging time facing the invasion by Russia.
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Mr. Speaker, to the members opposite, yes, that does constitute a plan to support better health care, including $46.2 billion in new funding for provinces and territories. This included additional funding through the Canada health transfer, tailored bilateral agreements to meet the needs of each province and territory, and the renewal of the territorial health investment fund. I want to be clear. …
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in this evening's committee of the whole debate on the main estimates. Before I get into the topic at hand, I would like to take a moment to highlight some of the measures that are so important to the people of my constituency of Toronto—St. Paul's and that our new government is taking to build the strongest economy in the G7 and bring …
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