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Finance

Question period focused on federal finances, ahead of an expected statement from the finance minister. Conservative members said the government is spending and borrowing too much, citing a doubled national debt and deficit, rising operating costs, high grocery, housing and debt burdens, youth unemployment, food bank use, unresolved US tariffs affecting manufacturers, and spending on connected firms; several asked the government to commit to keeping the deficit under $31 billion. Liberal members said the government is spending less in some areas to invest in major projects such as LNG, transit, critical minerals and the auto sector, pointing to G7-leading growth and fiscal standings, wages growing faster than inflation, tax cuts, and programs like dental care, and pledged continued support for workers affected by tariffs. Some answers also listed regional projects, including in Saskatchewan.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

18 statements

Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The Liberals doubled Canada's national debt in 11 years. We now spend more money on debt interest than on health care. I want to know if the government plans to add even more debt today.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, from 1867 to 2015, over 148 years, Canadian governments accumulated a certain amount of debt. Over the last 11 years, the Liberal Prime Minister and Justin Trudeau doubled it. They doubled the entire national debt in 11 years. This now means we pay more interest on the debt than we do in health care transfers. There will be an economic update today. Are these Liberals really going to celebrate another massive increase of the debt that our children and grandchildren will have to pay off?

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John Zerucelli

Liberal
“I thank the police officers visiting Ottawa today. Our government is spending less money on other things so we can invest more in building energy, transit, and trade projects across Canada.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 29 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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  • A repeated line

    “We are going to build Canada strong.”

    Said 33 times by 14 members since April 24.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I know the hard-working men of the Toronto Police Service and other police associations are here in Ottawa today, and I want to thank them for their service. We are spending less to invest more. We are investing in building, from LNG projects in British Columbia, to critical minerals in the Prairies, to nuclear and transit in Ontario, to ports and trade corridors in Quebec, to offshore energy in Atlantic Canada. From Newfoundland to B.C., we are building across this country. Together, we are going to build a Canada strong for all.

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The Liberals doubled the national debt in eleven years. Their spending has made Canada unaffordable, and it is not working.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the member said, “We are spending less to invest more”. That is the kind of thing someone’s crooked accountant tells someone when all their money has gone missing. This is exactly what the Liberals kind of do. They make up words and phrases to cover up for the fact that they have doubled the national debt. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Kyle Seeback: Mr. Speaker, they are shouting because they do not like it. It took 148 years to accumulate a certain amount of debt. Eleven years of these guys running things and they more than doubled it. The result is our children and grandchildren are mired in debt. With all of their investments, why is it the least affordable country we have had in the history of Canada? These investments clearly are not working.

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John Zerucelli

Liberal
“Conservatives say they support Canadians, but they vote against helping them. They voted against lower taxes, child care, dental care, and help with living costs.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Respect 58 of 100

    This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “it sounds like the member is speaking from experience”.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it sounds like the member is speaking from experience but, look, the Conservatives cannot stand up and say they support Canadians while voting against the supports Canadians rely on. They have opposed tax relief. They voted against it at every opportunity. They voted against child care. They voted against dental care. They voted against all measures to support the cost of living. They cannot oppose it all and then claim to support it. They cannot have it both ways.

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Billy Morin

Conservative
“The government is failing to solve US tariffs, which hurts business investments in Canada. The Liberals are spending too much money and growing the deficit. I want the Prime Minister to stop this overspending so Canadians can afford to live.”

  • A repeated line

    “When will the Liberal Prime Minister end his costly budgeting so Canadians can afford to live?”

    Said 13 times by 12 members since April 28.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, took a moment to say, “There’s clearly a disconnect between statements and implementation. The longer this goes on, with no resolution on US tariffs, it will have real implications for investments in this country.” The only thing the Liberals have invested in is more costly bureaucracy. They are using Canadians’ own taxpayer money to fuel deficits larger than Justin Trudeau’s. When will the Liberal Prime Minister take a moment to end his costly credit card budgeting, so that Canadians can afford to live?

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Mélanie Joly

Liberal
“Our economy is growing well, but American tariffs are hurting Canadian manufacturing workers. We are giving money to help these workers and their businesses, and we will keep doing it.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we are building Canada strong. That is exactly why we have the second-highest growth of the G7 and also the best fiscal position of the G7, all that while dealing with unjustified and illegal tariffs on the part of the American administration; all that while our workers in the auto, steel, aluminum and forestry sectors are affected. We know the manufacturing sector is impacted by the tariffs. We are making sure to put money on the table to help these workers and help these businesses. We will continue to do that because this is exactly what this government needs to do right now.

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Billy Morin

Conservative
“Canadians are struggling with high youth unemployment, food bank visits, and record debt. I want the Prime Minister to promise that the deficit will not go over 31 billion dollars.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, everyday Canadians do not have time to worry about what the G7 or IMF says. At this moment in time, we have record high unemployment for youth. At this moment in time, we have record lineups at food banks. At this moment in time, Liberals want to waste $1 billion on a gun grab that nobody wants. At this moment in time, Canadians have the highest household debt at over $3 trillion. At this moment, we are at year 11 of record Liberal deficits. When will the Liberal Prime Minister commit to capping the deficit at the reckless $31 billion left by Justin Trudeau?

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal
“Our government is building a strong economy. The International Monetary Fund says Canada has the strongest financial position in the G7. The finance minister will share our progress today.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

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    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Signal 40 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, one thing Canadians can count on is that the pessimism of the Conservative Party will never infect the members on this side of the House. Do members know why? It is because we will never apologize about being optimistic about Canada’s future. That is why we are here. We are here in government to build Canada strong. Just shortly, in under an hour, the Minister of Finance will give a progress report on our plan to build a stronger economy. There are signs of progress. The International Monetary Fund says we have the strongest fiscal position in the G7. That does not happen by accident.

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Roman Baber

Conservative
“The Prime Minister is doubling the deficit and borrowing too much money. This causes inflation, and many Canadians cannot afford food. I want him to stop this spending.”

  • A repeated line

    “Will the Liberal Prime Minister stop swiping the nation's credit card so Canadians can afford to live?”

    Said 3 times by 2 members since April 28.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, nobody thought it was possible to outspend Justin Trudeau, but the Liberal Prime Minister has doubled Justin’s deficit. He is putting the nation’s bills on a credit card. Canadians will be paying off his debts for generations. I thought he was an economist. Deficit spending leads to inflation. A quarter of Canadians are skipping meals. Will the Liberal Prime Minister stop swiping the nation’s credit card so Canadians can afford to live?

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Evan Solomon

Liberal
“Our government is helping Canadians. Wages are beating inflation, we have a top credit rating, and we cut taxes for 22 million people. We also put $6 billion into the auto industry. The Conservatives do not support these investments, but we do.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 32 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, in about an hour the finance minister will give very good news for that member. Instead of just this negativity, let me give some facts. It is a fact that wages are growing twice as fast as inflation. It is a fact that Canada has the highest credit rating in the world. It is a fact that we lowered taxes for 22 million Canadians. It is a fact that we invested $6 billion in the auto sector. It is a fact that the Conservatives do not support investing in Canadians. It is a fact that this government does, and we are just getting started.

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Roman Baber

Conservative

Linked statement

“The Prime Minister is spending too much money and borrowing too much. This causes high taxes and inflation, and leaves our children with debt. I want him to stop.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the only people doing well are people connected to Brookfield. Imagine that, instead of leaving kids with an inheritance, people leave them enough to pay their debts. That is what this Liberal Prime Minister is doing to generations of Canadians. In his first year, operating spending is up 9%. It is enough already. We cannot handle the taxes, we cannot handle the inflation and we cannot continue to borrow like this. Will the Prime Minister stop maxing out our nation’s credit card?

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Adam van Koeverden

Liberal
“Our programs help thousands of people in York Centre pay for dental care and support their kids. The Conservatives want to cut these programs.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

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    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, what the good people of York Centre do not have to put on their credit card are their dental bills. In fact, 11,147 people do not need to pay out of pocket for their dental care because they signed up for the Canadian dental care plan. I will say it again. There are 11,147 people who were helped, just in York Centre alone. In addition to that, 27,665 kids benefit from the Canada child benefit. All these are programs that the Conservatives are willing to cut to achieve their reckless agenda.

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Cheryl Gallant

Conservative
“The government is spending too much money, which causes high prices and more taxes. This money goes to rich companies instead of people who need it. Canada has high grocery costs, high debt, high housing costs, and high unemployment. I want the Prime Minister to stop this spending so people 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, Liberal spending is out of control. Liberal overspending means higher inflation today and more taxes tomorrow. The money is not getting to Canadians who need it. It is going to well-connected Liberal companies and corporate welfare queens, like Brookfield. Canada has the highest grocery inflation in the G7, the worst household debt, the highest housing costs and the second-highest unemployment in the G7. Will this Liberal Prime Minister end this costly credit card budget so Canadians can afford to live?

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal
“Our economic plan is working. We are investing in new industries and jobs. Wages are growing twice as fast as inflation, foreign investment is up, and Canada's economy is expected to grow faster than almost every other G7 country.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is more concerned with conspiracy theories than with the truth. This is the problem with the pessimistic politics of the Conservative Party; they do not correspond with the truth. The truth is that there are signs of progress. There are very clear signs that our plan to build a stronger economy is working. We see generational investments coming to fruition throughout our country, building industries and creating opportunities for workers. We see wages outpacing double the pace of inflation. We see Canada projected to have the second-strongest growth in the G7. We see foreign direct investment at levels that we have not seen in—

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Costas Menegakis

Conservative
“Canada has high costs for food and housing, and too much debt. Will the Prime Minister promise to keep the deficit under $31 billion?”

  • 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, the Prime Minister is just another tax-and-spend Liberal specializing in costly credit card budgeting. Canada now faces the worst grocery inflation, the worst household debt, the highest housing costs and the second-highest unemployment in the G7. Canadians know they cannot borrow their way to prosperity. There is more debt, more costs, more spending, more taxes and more of the same. Will this Liberal Prime Minister commit to capping the deficit at no more than the already reckless $31 billion left by his predecessor and mentor, Justin Trudeau?

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Maninder Sidhu

Liberal
“We are supporting big projects across the country to create jobs and sell more Canadian goods to new markets.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 46 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, to get more Canadian exports to new markets and create jobs, we are championing major projects like the Darlington nuclear project with 18,000 jobs in Ontario; the port of Montreal project, 8,000 jobs; the copper mine project in Saskatchewan, 500 jobs; the Grays Bay road and port project, nearly 3,000 jobs in the north; and the LNG Canada phase 2 project with 7,000 jobs in British Columbia. This is how to build Canada strong.

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Fraser Tolmie

Conservative
“The Prime Minister is spending too much money and driving up the deficit. Most of this new money goes to everyday operating costs instead of investments. This government spending has made grocery prices go up and forced more people to use food banks. When will the Prime Minister stop spending so much money so people can afford to live?”

  • A repeated line

    “When will the Liberal Prime Minister end his costly budgeting so Canadians can afford to live?”

    Said 13 times by 12 members since April 28.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, no one thought it possible to outspend Justin Trudeau. This Liberal Prime Minister has somehow managed to. He has added $90 billion above the Trudeau-era levels in new spending and nearly doubled the deficit. Operating costs are up 9% in under a year. Two-thirds of that new spending goes to day-to-day operations, not investment. The result is the worst grocery inflation in the G7 and Canadians putting their own bills on credit cards are going to food banks. When will this Liberal Prime Minister end his costly credit card budgeting so Canadians can afford to live?

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Buckley Belanger

Liberal
“Our government has funded many projects for Saskatchewan, including housing, energy, and farming. Saskatchewan would be further ahead if it had not elected Conservative MPs for the past 10 years.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 0 of 100

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, there is more good news for Saskatchewan. Funding for the RCMP Heritage Centre is done. SMR research at the University of Regina is done. Defence procurement for Yorkton is done. Nuclear power opportunities and procurement services for Estevan are done. Housing opportunities in Saskatoon are done. Canola crushing in rural Saskatchewan is done. Let us imagine for a moment, if we had not wasted 10 years of sending Conservative MPs to Ottawa, how much further ahead Saskatchewan could be. That ends now.

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