“I am doing well and I am in good health. I am ready to keep answering questions.”

“Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his concern for my health. I would say that I am not doing too bad, health-wise. I ran three kilometres this morning. I am in fairly good shape for a man who will soon turn 56. I am quite willing to continue. I thank the member for starting slow. He is an honourable man and he said that I have been answering questions for three hours. I know that the Conservatives do not always like my answers, but I—”

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“Grocery shopping is a great chance for me to meet and talk with the people I represent.”

“Mr. Chair, I think it is a wonderful experience, because grocery shopping is an opportunity for me to meet my constituents and talk to people from one aisle to the next. It is a great opportunity to interact with constituents.”

“I do my own grocery shopping. A pound of butter costs $5.50.”

“Mr. Chair, my colleague is right to say that I do my own grocery shopping. I can tell him that a pound of butter weighing in at 454 grams currently costs exactly $5.50.”

“I look forward to our debate tonight. We can talk about where we shop and share good deals. I guess two litres of milk costs $5.50.”

“Mr. Chair, we are going to have fun tonight. I cannot wait. Members can imagine what fun we are going to have. We can tell each other what grocery store we shop at. My colleague can tell me where he gets good deals too. I would guess that two litres of milk costs $5.50.”

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“I know the problems people in rural areas face. High costs affect everyone in Canada, and our government took careful action to help people.”

“Mr. Chair, I want to thank my colleague. I think it is important to be very aware of realities. My colleague comes from a rural region too. As members who work in rural communities more specifically, we are keenly aware of our constituents’ reality. What I can say is that affordability is one of the issues that concerns all Canadians. That is why we acted with diligence and care to help Canadians in their time of need.”

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“Rents and home prices are dropping across the country, especially in big cities.”

“Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for raising the issue of housing costs. I should point out that rents have come down across the country. We saw the same trend with residential property prices. They are coming down. In Canada’s big cities at least, we are seeing—”

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“Our program helps build affordable housing. I will send the member data showing that average home prices across Canada have gone down.”

“Mr. Chair, my colleague is right that Build Canada Homes is making a difference in the construction of affordable housing. As far as the statistics are concerned, I would be happy to write to him and provide him with the data for Canada as a whole. He will see that I was right when I said that, across Canada, the average price of housing has come down. We are seeing the same trend with residential properties.”

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“Across Canada, rent is down compared to two years ago. Housing prices dropped by $160, and they dropped even more in big cities like Vancouver and Toronto.”

“Mr. Chair, I have a statistic to support my colleague’s point. Nationwide, housing prices have dropped by $160 compared to two years ago. In fact, in major cities like Vancouver and Toronto, the drop has been even more pronounced. Yes, rent has gone down across Canada compared to two years ago.”

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“Housing prices across Canada have gone down for 19 months in a row. Also, being able to launch spacecraft from Canada is good for our national security. Canso, Nova Scotia, is a great place to launch from, and the member should support our investments in space.”

“Mr. Chair, I would like to add a few points. I would like to give him a precise answer. For 19 consecutive months, we have seen a decline in housing prices nationwide. Regarding the issue of space launches, I think my colleague needs to take a step back and consider the benefits of being able to launch spacecraft from Canada. This is a matter of national security. I can tell him that I would be happy to introduce him to astronauts and arrange for him to speak with people on the American side. He will understand that Canso, Nova Scotia, is one of the few locations from which one can reach geostationary orbit. This is an issue of national security for the country. He should be pleased to see that we are investing in the space sector.”

“I want to connect the member with the Canadian Space Agency. Canada needs the ability to launch into space for our security.”

“Mr. Chair, I want to help my colleague. I think so highly of him that I want to introduce him to the people at the Canadian Space Agency so that he understands how important it is for Canada to have space launch capabilities. It is a matter of security. It is important for Canada—”

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“Our deficit is $11 billion lower than expected. The International Monetary Fund says Canada's finances are the strongest in the G7.”

“Mr. Chair, I am so glad to hear such an excellent question from my colleague. He will be happy to hear that the deficit happens to be $11 billion lower than anticipated in budget 2025. We restored fiscal discipline in this country. I will even help the hon. member out, because he will need a clip for that. He can ask the IMF, which is independent. The IMF does not need a clip to explain that to his constituents. The IMF says that Canada’s fiscal position is the strongest in the G7. I think that is what my colleague should tell his constituents.”

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“The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that our government is on track to meet its financial goals. He said that Canada's spending plan is sustainable.”

“Mr. Chair, I am once again pleased that my colleague quoted the Parliamentary Budget Officer because he confirmed the following himself. I will quote him in English. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed “that the government is on track to [meet] its two fiscal anchors”, a declining deficit-to-GDP ratio and balanced operating spending by 2028-29. The PBO assesses current fiscal policy as sustainable. Those are the words of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who said that Canada’s fiscal position is clearly sustainable—”

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“We focused on lowering the deficit. In 2025, it was $11 billion lower than expected, and our debt will go down next year. We are managing public money responsibly.”

“Mr. Chair, our first instinct was to reduce the deficit. My colleague should celebrate the fact that our deficit is $11 billion lower than projected in 2025. He will realize that even the 2025-26 debt will be lower in 2026-27. What we are demonstrating to Canadians is that we are managing the public purse responsibly and soundly. I am sure that this is what his constituents want to see.”

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“Canada manages its money well. Compared to the size of our economy, we have the lowest debt among all G7 countries.”

“Mr. Chair, I will once again reassure my colleague this evening. Canada has the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, at 10.2%. By way of comparison, Germany’s ratio is 47.2%, the U.K.’s ratio is 93.8%, the United States’ ratio is 96.7%, and France’s ratio is 108%. This shows how well we are managing our public finances. Our debt-to-GDP ratio is the lowest among all G7 countries.”

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• Echo ×17

  A repeated line

  “We have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7.”

  Said 17 times by 13 members since April 29.

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“We told government workers to return to the office. We did this in a fair, caring way that matches how other workplaces do it.”

“Mr. Chair, we have taken measures to have civil servants return to the office. I think these measures are in line with the best practices seen in the industry. We have done that in a compassionate and reasonable way to make sure that people—”

“Suspending the federal gas tax is helping Canadians across the country. Most of what people pay for gas comes from the price of crude oil.”

“Mr. Chair, I am delighted that my colleague would refer to the suspension of the federal fuel excise tax. Indeed, this is a measure that is helping Canadians across the country. My colleague would well note that the biggest proportion of what we see at the pump is obviously the price of crude, and we have seen—”

“The world is facing its worst energy crisis ever. This is why gas prices are going up in Canada.”

“Mr. Chair, my colleague is right. If we take it in the words of the executive director of the International Energy Agency, we are going to “the most severe energy crisis” that we have ever seen, so obviously the price at the pump in Canada is affected by global events, but we are happy—”

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“We are collecting information from airport authorities to make the best choices for Canadians. We need to modernize how we build and run public infrastructure.”

“Mr. Chair, what we said in the spring economic update was that we would gather the relevant information from airport authorities so that we can do the proper due diligence and assess what is best for Canadians. I think Canadians understand that we need to modernize the way that we build, operate and maintain public infrastructure in this country.”

“We make decisions that help Canadians. We want to improve services and invest in more public projects across the country.”

“Mr. Chair, we are always making sure that every decision we make will be in the best interest of Canadians. We want to improve services to make sure that we, as a government and as Canadians, can invest in more infrastructure in this country. That is why we have made general—”

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“I respect my colleague and enjoy working with him. He will see what we are doing in the new economic plan.”

“Mr. Chair, as I said to my hon. colleague, for whom I have enormous respect, I work with him very well. By the way, I want to thank him for his contribution over the years. We have done many things together. What he is going to find in this spring economic update is in fact that we are—”

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