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06-18 Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act 57 statements 06-18 Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act 19 statements 06-18 Arab Heritage Month Act 5 statements 06-18 The Economy 15 statements 06-18 Government Priorities 2 statements 06-18 Government Priorities 2 statements 06-18 Housing 12 statements 06-18 The Environment 2 statements

Adjournment Proceedings

2026-05-04 Sitting 116 Showing 1–4 of 4

An adjournment debate where the Conservative MP asked the government to end corporate welfare spending and balance the budget. The Liberal MP mostly dodged the question, giving vague responses about uncertain times and strong economic plans. The Conservative then accused the Liberals of being a 'broken record of vapid slogans' who are incapable of fiscal responsibility. The Liberal defended by saying they are moving from a 'position of strength' that allows them to support Canadians without cuts. Overall, not much substance - the MPs mostly talked past each other without really engaging on the issue of government spending and deficits.

Official Hansard ↗

Cheryl Gallant

Conservative 6:35 p.m.

“The government should spend less. Government should not choose who wins or loses. Let everyone compete on equal terms. Liberal men attack women who question them.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on behalf of the answer-seeking Canadians in the riding of Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke. Last week, I asked the government if it would end the corporate welfare spending spree and balance the budget. The response from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance was a misogynistic personal attack. This has become a recurring talking point from the Liberal bro caucus. The Liberals cannot defend their terrible policy, so they resort to invoking the “hysterical woman” trope. This sexist pattern comes straight from the top. The Prime Minister does not like to be questioned by women. He gets chippy and condescending when pressed. He even deployed a classic gaslighting technique when he told Rosemary Barton to look inside herself when she asked about his conflicts of interest. Let us be clear. I am not raising a question of privilege. This is no place for a thin skin. I am happy to throw partisan haymakers, and I can appreciate a sharp, devastating rejoinder. The secretary's ad hominem attack was just blunt and boring. It was less Cicero in the forum and more Archie Bunker in the La-Z-Boy chair. After 11 years of failure, all the Liberals have left are tired, worn-out personal attacks. This should not be a surprise, considering their policies are just as tired and worn out. The Liberal sovereign debt fund is just repeating the failure of the clean growth fund. The clean growth fund is just repeating the failure of the Canadian Infrastructure Bank. The Infrastructure Bank is just repeating the failure of the supercluster strategy. The supercluster strategy was just the Liberals' doubling down on the failure of the cluster strategy. The Liberals continue to fail over and over again yet never learn a fundamental lesson: One cannot beat the market. It does not matter if one has a Ph.D. in economics from Oxford. No one is smarter than the collective decision-making of 40 million Canadians. Unfortunately, while no one person can outsmart the market, someone can outsmart a government. Call this the Enron-Brookfield business model. Rather than compete in the market, they lobby the government to regulate a market into existence and to then regulate out the competition. They do not need a secret cabal to execute this strategy. They just need to put the word “sovereign” before our business pitch and watch the CBC lobby for them. They can rebrand their concrete slab into a sovereign spaceport and wait for the government to give them a 10-year exclusive, sole-source contract. Unlike the arrogant Liberal approach, our Conservative economic plan is based in humility. We cannot know the future, so we let a thousand flowers bloom. We create the conditions where anyone with a sound business plan has a chance to build a successful venture. We do not pick and choose who gets special political exemptions from Liberal red tape. We will cut the Liberal red tape and lower taxes for everyone equally. This is the same approach millions of Canadians take to investing. They do not try to pick individual stocks. They purchase exchange-traded funds to buy the market. This agnostic approach to economic growth has proven to be superior to the Liberals' faith-based approach. Unfortunately, Canadians are stuck living in the church of climate socialism for the next three years. This is a choice Canadians will face next time: our Conservative approach, rooted in reality and humility, or the Liberal approach, based on economic arrogance defensible only through personal insults.

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal 6:40 p.m.

“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later. Times are uncertain. The economy is doing some things we like and some things we don't. We want to make smart choices without compromising fiscal discipline. We want to preserve fiscal sustainability for future generations. We're the envy of many other countries. We generated savings to focus funds on high-impact priorities. We're investing in homes, nation-building projects, strengthening our defence industry, and unlocking private investment. We want to catalyze $1 trillion in investment. Some investors have committed. Productivity needs to continue to rise for standard of living to rise.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am really glad to be here this evening to answer the member for Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke's question. While she is very entertaining in her remarks, Canadians know that these are uncertain times and that global volatility is something our government takes seriously. Responsible leadership is really what matters more than ever. Around the world, inflation, conflict and economic volatility are putting pressure on families and governments alike. In response, our government is focused on what we can control, which is managing public finances responsibly while investing where it matters most. That is exactly what the spring economic update delivers or at least shows progress on. Canada enters this moment from a position of strength. Our economy has proven more resilient than anticipated in the face of global disruption. Inflation remains within the Bank of Canada's target range. Investment and business confidence are recovering after two massive shocks: the oil price shock and the tariff war before it. The strong fundamentals that we reported on in the spring economic update allow us to make smart, targeted choices without compromising fiscal discipline. Fiscal responsibility means making sure every dollar works harder for Canadians. That is why our government is preserving fiscal sustainability for future generations, keeping debt manageable and maintaining Canada's long-standing fiscal advantage among G7 countries. The member opposite will note that the IMF has recently said that Canada has the strongest fiscal position in the G7. We had that confirmed by the bank governor today at the finance committee who said the same, that we are the envy of many other countries. Our government is committed to reducing spending on government operations. We have generated $60 billion in savings over five years to ensure public funds are focused on high-impact priorities rather than administrative costs. We also have moved forward with a capital budgeting framework so that a greater portion of the investments the government is making can be seen to be revenue-generating and separated out with respect to reporting, in order to understand their impact. We are focused on high-impact priorities, including building more homes, advancing major nation-building projects, strengthening our defence industry and unlocking private investment across the country. We are really seeking to catalyze $1 trillion in investment. We are well on our way. We have seen a lot of commitments to invest in Canada. The UAE has committed $70 billion. Australian investors have committed $10 billion. We have $125 billion for 15 major projects that we will see creating about 60,000 or more jobs across Canada. These are results Canadians can bank on. We are also seeing some of the results of productivity-boosting deductions that we have offered businesses that are investing in R and D, IP protection, new information technology within their businesses and the like. There are a number of different tax deductions that we have offered, which are allowing businesses to invest in themselves, in turn boosting productivity and the economy. We are seeing wages double at the pace of inflation. That is a trend that has been continuing to increase year over year for three years now. That is good news for Canadians. I know we all can agree that productivity needs to continue to rise in order to see that standard of living rise as well, which is what Canadians all want to see.

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Cheryl Gallant

Conservative 6:45 p.m.

“I want to say the Liberals are bad. We Conservatives are different. I'm patriotic. Conservatives are better for Canada.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is clear from this old Liberal response that the Liberals are incapable of rising to the occasion. They have become a broken record of vapid slogans. The Liberals are spending more, leaving Canadians to invest less. They are growing the economy from the heart out, the elbows up, the eyes down, but always against the fight for freedom. If one dares to question them, they suggest that person is mentally ill or, like the national “spend more” minister, will accuse them of hating their country. This illustrates the choice Canadians have: They can choose the nationalism of the Liberal Party, which treats criticism as treason, or choose the patriotism of the Conservatives, who seek to repair what is being broken in the country we love. That is the choice. We choose patriotism over nationalism. We choose humility over arrogance. We choose Canada strong and free.

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal 6:45 p.m.

“I'm saying my government's spending is going well. I think high government spending is good for the economy. I'm glad you agree with my plan to spend more.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member has adopted the “Canada Strong” message on behalf of the government. I appreciate her finally contributing to a plan that will make our economy stronger. As I have said, we are moving forward from a position of strength. That gives us the fiscal capacity to do the things that we have proposed to do and that we are actually implementing, including major investments in defence infrastructure and housing, which will be boosting innovation and productivity across the country. The spring economic update shows very clearly that progress is being made. We have $11 billion less of a deficit and the average yearly increase of government spending has come down from 8% to 2%. Over the next three years, it will come to a 0% increase. We are also seeing lots of change within the economy and the highest foreign direct investment in almost two decades. The member opposite should understand that those things are really good news for this country and for all Canadians as we build a prosperous Canada.

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