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Finance

During question period on finance, Conservatives pressed the government on deficit spending and the cost of living, saying the federal debt has passed $1.4 trillion, that roughly $90 billion in new spending was added beyond previous levels, and that this is driving inflation in groceries and housing; some asked the Prime Minister to cap this year’s deficit and stop overspending. Liberal ministers responded that Canada has the strongest economy and fiscal position in the G7, pointing to tax cuts for 22 million Canadians, a groceries and essentials benefit, a pause on the federal gas tax, affordable housing, and major projects such as the Port of Montreal expansion, the Darlington nuclear plant, and LNG Canada that they say are creating jobs. Liberal members also accused the Conservatives of voting against dental care, school lunches, and child care. Several statements referenced members’ home ridings, including Oshawa, Essex, and Saskatchewan.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

18 statements

Rhonda Kirkland

Conservative
“People in Oshawa are struggling with the high cost of living. Government deficits cause inflation now and higher taxes later. I want the Prime Minister to stop overspending and cap this year's deficit at $31 billion.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, my neighbours in Oshawa are already struggling with the high cost of living, yet the Prime Minister is doubling down on the same old reckless Liberal spending. The deficit has ballooned, and the Parliamentary Budget Officer whom the government silenced has said that two-thirds of new spending is going to day-to-day operations and not real investment. Deficits mean inflation today and higher taxes tomorrow. Will the Prime Minister stop the costly credit card budgeting and commit to capping this year’s deficit at $31 billion?

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Adam van Koeverden

Liberal
“The Conservatives do not want to help Canadians. They voted against dental care for children and seniors. They voted against school lunches for kids. They also voted against child care to help parents work.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Conservatives not only do not want to take care of people but also do not understand what an investment is. We are talking about a party that voted against dental care for children and for seniors. The Conservatives are a group of people who voted against supporting kids’ just having a healthy lunch in school. We are talking about a party that voted against child care so parents could get back to work earlier and support their family. The Conservatives prove time and time again that they have no interest in supporting Canadians, and they still do not understand what an investment in Canadians actually means.

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Rhonda Kirkland

Conservative
“Government spending is driving up inflation and taxes. Families in Oshawa are struggling to afford food and gas. I want the Prime Minister to tell them when prices will go down.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we know what the state of the country is when Conservatives are asking the Liberal Prime Minister to do as good a job as Trudeau did and to keep the budget down to his level. Conservatives believe in responsible investment that delivers results for Canadians, not in reckless spending that drives up inflation and taxes. Families in Oshawa are struggling. They are working hard but making tough choices at the grocery store and at the pump. The Liberal government has not made life more affordable for them. If the Prime Minister truly believes this level of spending is justified, can he explain to families in Oshawa exactly when they will see lowered prices and relief?

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Evan Solomon

Liberal
“We cut taxes, build affordable homes, and help families buy food. The Conservatives vote against all these things. They need to stop talking down the economy and support our work.”

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  • A repeated line

    “We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians.”

    Said 17 times by 12 members since April 27.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives pretend to be champions of affordability, but they never get in the fight. Even worse, they vote against every measure to help families. We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. They are against it. We build affordable homes. They are against it. We introduce the groceries and food essentials that will put $1,900 into the pockets of a family of four. They are against it. We are fighting for jobs and affordability for Canadians. All the Conservatives do is run down the economy in the middle of a trade war. They should get on board and start building.

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Aaron Gunn

Conservative
“The government has borrowed more money in the past 10 years than all past governments combined. When will the Prime Minister stop spending so much and borrowing money that future generations will have to pay back?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, there used to be a political consensus in this country that government, like the rest of us, had to live within its means. This was a shared understanding that money does not grow on trees and that eventually all bills come due. Liberals shattered that consensus, borrowing more money over the past 10 years than every other government in the history of our country combined. The Prime Minister promised to do things differently. Instead he has somehow managed to spend and borrow even more. When will the Prime Minister end his costly credit card budgets and stop leaving future generations with the bill?

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Wayne Long

Liberal
“Our government is working to make our economy the strongest in the G7. We cut taxes, helped with grocery costs, and paused the federal gas tax. We are also making trade deals to bring in money and create jobs.”

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  • A repeated line

    “We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians.”

    Said 17 times by 12 members since April 27.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, one thing our Prime Minister was elected to do was to build an economy that is the strongest in the G7. We are going to build that at home and abroad. At home we have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians, we launched a groceries and essentials benefit and we just paused the excise federal tax on gas. Abroad our Prime Minister and our trade minister are signing deals worldwide for billions of dollars to create thousands of jobs. On this side of the House, we are focused on building the strongest, most resilient economy in the G7.

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Aaron Gunn

Conservative
“Government spending and debt have made life too expensive. They caused high grocery prices, high debt for families, and high housing costs. The Prime Minister needs to stop spending so much.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, more spending and more debt seems to be the Liberals’ solution to every problem they create, forever increasing the size of government and using Canada’s credit card to foot the bill. However, all this deficit spending comes with an inflationary cost: the worst grocery inflation in all of the G7, the worst household debt in all of the G7 and the worst housing costs. When will the Prime Minister realize that more spending, more debt and more government is not the solution to Canada’s economic problems? The Liberals are the problem.

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Maninder Sidhu

Liberal
“Our building projects are creating thousands of jobs across Canada. These include projects like expanding the port of Montreal, building the Darlington nuclear plant, and LNG Canada.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, speaking of building, we are building big. The port of Montreal expansion means over 8,000 construction jobs and over 1,000 permanent jobs. The Darlington nuclear plant means 18,000 good‑paying jobs and clean power for generations in Ontario. LNG Canada in B.C. means tens of thousands of jobs in Canadian energy and reaching a new global market. That means cranes on the ground, paycheques in pockets and Canada building big.

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Greg McLean

Conservative
“The federal debt is over $1.4 trillion, and each Canadian pays about $2,000 a year just on the interest. This government debt causes higher inflation and leaves Canadians with less money. I want the Liberals to remember they work for Canadian taxpayers.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the federal debt is now over $1.4 trillion. That means that each Canadian is now paying an average of almost $2,000 per year in interest on government debt alone. Liberals call that affordability. I thank central bankers. These deficits are about wealth transfer, nothing less. The more the Liberal government increases the debt, the higher inflation will rise, and lower spending power will result. Canadians pay more and get less. When will Liberals understand whom they work for, international bankers or the Canadian taxpayer?

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Tim Hodgson

Liberal
“Canada has the strongest economy in the G7 and the best credit rating in the world. The Conservatives need to learn how to manage money.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, here is what the central bankers know: Canada has the strongest economy in the G7. We have the highest debt rating of any country in the world. The Conservatives should learn how to balance books.

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Greg McLean

Conservative
“Canada has the highest housing costs and food inflation in the G7 because of the Liberals. The government spends too much money and takes on too much debt. I want them to stop overspending.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues across the way love to talk about how Canada excels. Well, it excels in a few things: the highest housing cost in the G7, the highest food inflation in the G7 and affordability out the window with the Liberal government. Among G7 countries, we are among the worst as far as our results for Canadians go. A decade of failed Liberal policies has left Canadians falling behind in so many metrics. Fiscal anchors have become optional. Restraint has vanished. The government now is more interested in testing how much it can expand our debt than it is in delivering for Canadians. When will the Liberals stop overspending and deliver—

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Tim Hodgson

Liberal
“Our government is good at building major energy and mining projects. The Conservatives only know how to complain.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I will help the member opposite understand what we are good at. We are good at building. How about the Taylor to Gordondale pipeline? How about the NexGen uranium mine? How about the Foran copper mine? How about the Voisey’s Bay mine? How about the Darlington nuclear reactor? How about the new wind farm in Nova Scotia? We know how to build. The Conservatives know how to complain.

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Rosemarie Falk

Conservative
“The Prime Minister spent 90 billion dollars more than planned instead of cutting back. This high spending caused terrible grocery prices, high debt, expensive housing, and job losses. I want him to stop overspending so Canadians can afford to live.”

  • A repeated line

    “The highest housing costs and the second-highest unemployment in the G7.”

    Said 15 times by 12 members since April 27.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, well, despite promising to spend less, the Prime Minister has instead continued the Liberal practice of credit card budgeting. He has added $90 billion in new spending above the previous levels. This costly approach has left Canada with the worst grocery inflation, the worst household debt, the worst housing crisis and the second-highest unemployment in the G7. The Prime Minister runs up deficits and Canadians are the ones who pay the price. Will he end his credit card budgeting so Canadians can actually afford to live?

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Buckley Belanger

Liberal
“Our government is getting results for Saskatchewan after 10 years of nothing. We made a uranium deal with India, we are selling more canola to China, and we are building new mines.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that, again, from Saskatchewan’s perspective, it has been 10 long years with 14 members. It has been 10 long years, and there is nothing to show for it. We signed the uranium deal with India. Canola sales are improving and moving to China. We are building mines. We are building opportunity. Saskatchewan is finally here in Ottawa.

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Kelly DeRidder

Conservative
“The Prime Minister promised to lower the debt, but he has doubled it instead. His extra spending is hurting Canadian families. When will he stop spending so much money?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, he is right. From the Saskatchewan perspective, it has been a long 10 years. One year ago, this Prime Minister made big promises to Canadians, but the results tell a different story: more spending, more deficit and more pressure on Canadian families just trying to get by. He has more than doubled Trudeau’s debt while promising to reduce it at the exact same time. Why do this Prime Minister’s promises never match his results, and when will he rein in this spending?

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Stephanie McLean

Liberal
“We are spending money to help Canadians with the cost of food and fuel. The Conservatives are wrong to oppose this.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is very odd hearing the Conservatives talk as if somehow we are not talking about Canadians. We are talking about Canadians here. We are talking about their dollars, and we are talking about where they want them invested. We know, loud and clear, that time and time again we have heard from Canadians that they want us to invest in them, and that means things like the groceries and essentials benefit. That means cutting the fuel excise tax. It sounds like they are saying we are putting money into our personal pockets. We are putting money into the pockets of Canadians, and the Conservatives object to that. We really need to make sure they understand how finances work.

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Chris Lewis

Conservative
“Life is not more affordable for people in my area. The Prime Minister added $90 billion in spending, which raised debt and taxes. When will he stop spending so much money and lower the deficit?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I received an email from a resident of Essex who said, “...the Prime Minister stated that life is becoming more affordable.... For many [Essex] residents, it does not feel like affordability has improved.” Instead, this Prime Minister has added $90 billion in new spending, driving up debt, costs and taxes for Canadians. He is just another Liberal. When will the Prime Minister rein in reckless spending of our taxpayer dollars and take real action to reduce the deficit?

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Kody Blois

Liberal
“Canada has the strongest finances and the second fastest growing economy in the G7. We have a plan to save taxpayers 40 billion dollars over the next five years. Much of our spending goes to the military, and we support them.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, that member may not know that the International Monetary Fund has actually reaffirmed that Canada has the strongest fiscal position in the G7. We actually have the second fastest growing economy in the G7. As it relates to the tough decisions government has taken, we have a comprehensive expenditure review that is going to save taxpayers $40 billion over the next five years. As it relates to spending, part of the large portion of our spending has actually been on the Canadian Armed Forces. I thought the Conservatives used to stand for investing in the men and women of our Canadian Armed Forces. We will stand by them every single day.

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