Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians were under no illusion that this would be easy. What they wanted was a leader who would be truthful with them, who would stand up for them and who would make sure that the government they selected would have their back in difficult times. That is exactly what we are doing, whether it is investing in our steel industry, supporting skilled trades or building major projects, th…
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Mr. Speaker, talking about incompetence, for a member opposite not to understand why CUSMA gives us the best deal in the world is sheer incompetence in Canadian politics. I will say that this government is solely focused on the success of Canadians, whether it is investing in the kinds of projects that will create great jobs, making sure people have the skills to be able to take those jobs or supp…
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Mr. Speaker, out government knows that truck drivers move our economy forward and deserve all the protections provided by the Canada Labour Code. That is why we have created a specialized inspection team that has already conducted more than 100,000 inspections and awareness-raising activities in the sector. We will rigorously enforce the law by working with the Canada Revenue Agency and the provin…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Health announced that five million Canadians are now getting affordable dental care in this country. I just want to tell the story of one individual I met in my own riding just before the last election. He had just had his teeth fixed after 20 years of not having a plan. This fully employed worker did not have benefits that could provide for him to have oral …
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Mr. Speaker, every time the Conservative Party has had a chance to vote with workers, they voted against them. Whether it is for skills training, investment in unions and union training, or investments in major projects, they vote against these things time and time again. The member's question is a little hollow, I would say. Conservative Party members know it too. We are sitting on this side of t…
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Mr. Speaker, this government has supported organized labour in a number of ways, including, most recently, by standing with Canada’s Building Trades Unions as we announced five major projects with their full support. We have invested in union training. We have invested in union supports. We have reversed harmful Conservative union-busting legislation. Union members know we are there for them. As t…
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the member opposite, Canadians understand there are structural changes in the global economy. They are counting on a government that will put the investments into their lives, into their workforces, into their training and into their families to ensure they get through this tough time. That is what Canadians know. They know they need a government that believes in them and their…
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Mr. Speaker, one thing we agree on with members of the opposition is that it is time for all hands on deck. That is what this Prime Minister has been saying ever since the election and before. This is a time for Canadians to pull together. In fact, the provinces and territories recognize that. They are investing in Canadian workers, they are investing in training and they are investing in major pr…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite maybe has not done her own grocery shopping for a while, because there is no GST tax on food. I will say this—
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Mr. Speaker, I will rephrase it in a way that does not insult the member, since she feels so insulted. People who are grocery shoppers know that there is not GST on food in this country, so it is misleading for the member opposite to pose a question like that in a way that could confuse Canadians. What I can say is that we have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. I know that the bill is seeking th…
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Mr. Speaker, just a few weeks ago, I stood with the building trades unions and the Prime Minister as we announced the first five projects that will be managed by the Major Projects Office coalition. This is good news for Canadians, because we are laser-focused on creating jobs and supporting the training that Canadians need to seize those opportunities. What do Canadians get from Conservatives? Th…
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Mr. Speaker, we have a plan in place so that citizens can get their passports. Service Canada can quickly support people who have a situation with their passport stuck in the mail. We are available 24-7 to help Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are well aware of who has their backs, and that is why they chose this Liberal government in the last election. Over the last 10 years, they have watched Conservatives vote against all of their interests. Whether it is programs for kids, programs for seniors, training for tradespeople or investments in agriculture, the Conservatives vote against. I hope by the nature of that…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Argenteuil—La Petite‑Nation for his excellent question. National Seniors Day is an opportunity to thank our seniors for everything they have done for us and our country. Our government respects the seniors who want to age with dignity at home and in their community, where they feel comfortable. We have built more than 50,000 housing units for seniors and…
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Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite's mother a happy birthday, but I am also very sad to tell her that her son voted against the school nutrition program. I think she would be really disappointed, because when I spoke to teachers and volunteers and met with students, they talked about how this healthy nutrition break for their students helped those students reach the goal of having careers as …
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Mr. Speaker, if they will not believe us, maybe they will believe an actual kid. A grade-7 kid actually said this: “An investment in healthy school food is a good idea because the healthier the kids, the healthier the society. School food matters to me—”
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Mr. Speaker, let us start with the voice of a child advocating for other children in this country. This is what that grade-7 Canadian young person said: “An investment in healthy school food is a good idea because the healthier the kids, the healthier the society. School food matters to me because kids should be healthy.” I am so proud of that empathetic grade-7 student who knows that young people…
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Mr. Speaker, keeping with the theme of mothers, one thing I know about mothers is that every mother is certain that no child should go hungry. It was particularly disappointing to see the members opposite, many of whom I know are mothers, vote against the school nutrition program, which is making sure that no matter a kid's circumstances, they have the nutrition to learn and grow. We will always s…
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Mr. Speaker, the school nutrition program is saving Canadian families, on average, $800 a year in food costs. That is just one example of the work we have been doing to ensure that Canadians have an affordable quality of life. The dental care plan in my riding is changing the lives of small business owners and artists who have gone for many years without dental care and who, for the very first tim…
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Mr. Speaker, do members know what the best predictor of future behaviour is? It is past behaviour. That is right. Canadians have watched—
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Mr. Speaker, they might not applaud so loudly after I read through the list of things these folks have voted against year after year: the school food program, child care, tax cuts, support for training, support for union investments and Canada summer jobs. Canadians wanted a government that believes in them and invests in them, and they have that with this government.
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Mr. Speaker, if there is a silver lining, it is that I see some promise in perhaps the member's supporting the budget that will be tabled very shortly this fall, where we will propose ambitious investments in Canadians, in Canadian families, in Canadian workplaces, in Canadian unions, in major projects and in our national defence system. I can only hope that Conservatives have seen the light. They…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the privilege and honour, along with Secretary of State for Labour, to meet with the Canadian building trades unions that are standing strongly with our government as we plan to build the strongest economy in the G7. We talked about the major projects that are going to provide great jobs for unionized tradespeople across this country and the importance of having unioni…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the question is in all of that, but what I can say is this government was elected to focus on Canadians, to be pragmatic, to stand up for Canada, to make sure people have great jobs and to make sure that Canadians can count on their government when things are tough. That is exactly what we are doing day in and day out. We are focused on what Canadians need and what …
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Mr. Speaker, when Canadians are facing a hard time, they want a government that will invest in them. Today, the Canada's Building Trades Unions visit us in Ottawa, celebrating the investments in major projects that are going to create great Canadian jobs for tradespeople all across this country, with a government that is focused on making sure that we cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. We are mak…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are intelligent and knew better than to place their vote with the opposition, the Conservatives, who were threatening and indeed voting against everything that was making their lives more affordable. Whether it was the school food nutrition program, the Canada dental care plan, investments in seniors, increasing supports for seniors or investments in infrastructure, time and…
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Mr. Speaker, four months ago, Canadians chose to invest in themselves. They chose a government that sees the promise and potential in creating great jobs across this country, in investing in major projects and infrastructure and in ensuring that people have the skills they need as our economies change and technology changes jobs. They knew that, on this side, a Liberal government would protect the…
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Mr. Speaker, take it from a Conservative to try to torque the words that I clearly did not say. In fact, what I said was that Canadians chose a government that would invest in them and that would adjust EI measures to reflect a changing economy so that people could access EI where previously they could not, so that people could keep more of their earnings if they were separated from their job and …
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Mr. Speaker, I am congratulating Canadians because Canadians chose a government that knew that when things were tough, the government would protect them. What did we do even before the election and enhance after the election? We made sure that if a Canadian's job was threatened through unfair tariff action, they would be protected. They knew Conservatives would not take care of them in these econo…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian workers are ready to build. Over 100,000 workers have been trained through the union training and innovation program. We are facilitating national recognition of their credentials. This government is committed to building back better, and so are Canadian workers.
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Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. As the Conservatives laugh over there, it is clear that many of them have never met a labourer who actually has barriers to crossing the country to get to good jobs. In fact, we have worked diligently with the provinces and territories to make sure that, no matter where the work is, if there is a worker who wants to do it, they can get there and take that job…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives propose cuts, but we are building over on this side and they should get on board with that. Every time they have a chance to stand with Canadians, whether it is to vote for child care, whether it is to support food programs or whether it is to make sure that families get what they need to thrive and survive, including the investment in skilled trades, the investment …
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Mr. Speaker, in the last election, only six months ago, Canadians chose a Liberal government. They chose a Liberal government because they know they need investment. They need investment in the big projects that are going to drive great jobs all across the country. They need investment in the skills training that helps evolve the next generation of workers. They need investment in food for kids, i…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians chose in the last election a Prime Minister who could drive forward an agenda to grow the strongest economy in the G7, and that is exactly what we are doing, but let us take a look at the past. The Conservatives, every time they have the chance, vote against families. The national school food program, for example, puts food in the bellies of children so that they can learn a…
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Mr. Speaker, every time the Conservatives have a chance to help make it easier for families, they vote against these measures. For example, the national school food program, which is actually putting food in children's bellies and helping families with alleviating the cost of feeding their families. These Conservatives voted against that, too. Every time they have a chance to help bring down costs…
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Mr. Speaker, it is important that Canadians can rely on the services that the federal government has put into place to make life more affordable with things like a national dental care program. I have heard from so many people in my riding about how programs that the federal government has put into place to make life more affordable are changing their lives. These are the kinds of things Conservat…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians clearly understand the difference between investment and cuts. That is why they chose us in the last election. They know we are going to create the jobs that are going to ensure that they and their children have the bright futures that all Canadians deserve. The Canada child benefit delivers over $7,700 per child into Canadians' bank accounts every year. This is a game-chang…
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Mr. Speaker, just a short while ago, Canadians had a choice. They could choose Conservatives, who were promising to cut their way to growth, something that Canadians know is impossible, but instead, they chose a Prime Minister who would invest in them, invest in their families and invest in the growth that Canada and Canadians deserve. That was the result of the election. The Conservatives know th…
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Mr. Speaker, on that side, what Conservatives want to do is cut the things that Canadians rely on, but on this side, we are cutting taxes. We have cut taxes for the middle class. There are 22 million Canadians who are benefiting. We cut the carbon tax, reducing the cost of gasoline and other oils for Canadians. We are investing in the creation of jobs and skills training, and ensuring Canadians an…
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Mr. Speaker, we are trying to strike a balance in the relationship with labour unions. It is very important that the government work with both parties, unions and employers, to find a balance to make sure that we uphold the collective rights for labour action, but that we also maintain industrial peace. Canadians expect us to get this balance right, and that is exactly what we have done.
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Mr. Speaker, finally, a place where I can agree with the member opposite. In fact, Canadian families are relying on the government to ensure that their children get a nutritious school lunch. That is why, in partnership with provinces and territories, we have a brand new school food program. It is a program and an approach that the Conservatives voted against. These Conservatives, every time they …
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Mr. Speaker, temporary foreign worker use is down by 70% in this country. Less than 1% of our workforce is temporary foreign workers. In fact, in Canada, Canadians come first for any available jobs, which is why the department has rigid rules for employers who are looking to fill vacancies with workers from other countries. If employers abuse the program, they receive serious penalties, including …
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Mr. Speaker, temporary foreign workers make up less than 1% of our total workforce. In fact, this is a program where employers must demonstrate that they vigorously and actively looked for Canadian workers because Canadian workers come first. If an employer is found to have violated this program, there are severe penalties. There is also a tip line so that if any Canadian or any member of Parliame…
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Mr. Speaker, last week was a very proud moment for me to stand with the Prime Minister and Canada's Building Trades Unions, which is training young people all across the country for great-paying union jobs that are going to build the things that will make us the strongest economy in the G7. The government has a fantastic plan for youth. We are investing in skills training. We are investing in the …
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Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich for the opposition members to be talking about leaders who do not buy groceries while they have a leader who is in subsidized housing and not buying groceries. However, I will say that this government is laser-focused on making sure Canadians have what they need. As we know, poverty rates have been going down since 2015. That is because of our investments in Canadians…
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Mr. Speaker, this is an important question, and I have great news: Bill C-58 comes into force this Friday. Using replacement workers compromises the fundamental right to strike. It can tip the scales, derail good-faith bargaining and heighten tensions in the workplace. Bill C-58 bans replacement workers, something that the Canadian labour movement, for a long time, has been asking for. The governm…
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Mr. Speaker, in the last elections, Canadians chose to place their vote with a party that knows Canada is strong when we take care of each other. As of May 29, 2025, all eligible Canadians can now apply for the Canadian dental care plan, and to date, four million Canadians have been approved for coverage and over two million have received care, including people in my community of Thunder Bay—Super…
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Mr. Speaker, as the proud mother of an operating engineer who is working on projects of national interest as we speak, I want to ask the minister if he can tell us a bit about the reception of this bill by organized labour.
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Mr. Speaker, there is good news for Canadians: Over 22 million Canadians are going to receive a tax cut thanks to the work of this Parliament. Further good news is that, in the last election, Canadians coast to coast to coast said that the kinds of measures that are helping them are affordable child care; the Canada child benefit, which is indexed to inflation; the national food program; and the C…
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