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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

Government Orders

Government Business No. 12—Proceedings on Bill C-30

2026-06-15 Sitting 136 Showing 1–12 of 12

A bill to implement various measures from the government's spring economic update, including tax changes, EI extensions, and infrastructure spending. During debate, Liberal members mostly praised the bill and Conservatives criticized the government's economic record and handling of issues like housing affordability and subsidies. Some discussion also occurred on BC ferry funding and oil sector subsidies.

Official Hansard ↗

Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal 4:05 p.m.

“I say good things about the budget and want you to talk about how it spends money in Quebec.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, within the legislation, there are many examples of how Canada is building stronger. Ultimately, a stronger, healthier Canada is there for all, no matter the region of the country. We have a Prime Minister and a government that are focused on building and being there to have the backs of workers and families. Within the budget, we will find that there are a number of initiatives that are there to support. In addition to that, in particular, I am thinking of the beautiful province of Quebec, where we have the expansion of the port of Montreal, and the aerospace industry is benefiting. I am wondering if my friend could talk about the DND component and how Quebec will benefit from it.

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Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault

Liberal 4:05 p.m.

“There are benefits for everyone. I'm thinking of spending on small ports. That will help many places. We're spending a lot. It's historic.”

Patrick Weiler

Liberal 4:10 p.m.

“I'm here to cheer for my government's new bill. It will spend money on many programs. More money will go to housing and training workers. Gas taxes will be lower for a while. Brewers in my riding will be happy. We will keep investing in small harbours and protect whales. We will build greenhouses to grow food in Canada. There will be money for sports too. These are all good things my government is doing.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House on behalf of the people of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country to speak to Bill C-30, the spring economic update implementation act. At a time of global uncertainty, our government is focused on what we can control here at home: building a stronger, more resilient economy, making life more affordable and creating opportunities for the next generation. This is exactly what Bill C-30 would advance. Canada is already emerging as one of the world's most attractive destinations for investment. Foreign direct investment reached nearly $97 billion last year, which is the highest level in almost two decades. Surveys of global investors are showing that Canada is the most attractive place for infrastructure investment. We will need that investment, as our government understands that Canada cannot be overly dependent on one market. For decades, roughly 70% of our exports have gone to the United States. Bill C-30 is part of a broader effort to strengthen Canada's economic sovereignty by diversifying trade, supporting domestic industry and investing in Canadian productivity. Since last year alone, non-U.S. exports have increased by more than 40%, while exports to Europe continue to grow significantly. Importantly, this legislation recognizes that economic growth matters only if Canadians can actually feel it in their everyday lives. That begins with housing. Across my riding, housing affordability remains one of the defining issues that people raise with me. Young Canadians are wondering whether they will ever be able to buy a house in the communities they grew up in, while families are struggling with rising rents and housing shortages. The spring economic update responds by providing more than $7 billion in low-cost financing through the apartment construction loan program to accelerate the building of thousands of low-cost rental units across the country. Since 2019, this program has already financed over 300 below-market units in the Sea to Sky region alone. I have heard countless stories of how this has changed people's lives, from allowing people to live closer to work to allowing low-income workers to save money for their retirement for the first time. The homes and the infrastructure Canada needs do not build themselves. If Canada wants to build the housing, infrastructure, transportation and clean energy projects we talk about so often, we need skilled workers, and many more of them. This is why one of the most important components of the spring economic update is the investment in skilled trades and apprenticeships. The government is launching a nationwide effort to recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trades workers by 2031 through the team Canada strong program. This creates a direct pathway for young Canadians into rewarding, well-paying careers while helping address labour shortages that are delaying projects across the country. This will support Canadians through the entire process, from discovering the trades to apprenticeship opportunities, completing the technical training and ultimately achieving Red Seal certification. It is also about reducing barriers by simplifying and accelerating the certification pathway so more Canadians can enter this workforce faster. Bill C-30 would also improve labour mobility for tradespeople by increasing the labour mobility deduction from $4,000 to $10,000, lowering the threshold to access it and making it easier for workers to go where their skills are needed most. For workers who spend weeks away from home helping build critical infrastructure and housing, this matters. This legislation also contains targeted affordability measures that would make a meaningful difference for Canadians. Between mortgage payments, rising living costs and uncertainty about the future, many young Canadians are feeling stretched thin even after reaching the major milestone of buying a new home. Measures in Bill C-30 like extending the repayment grace period under the homebuyers' plan would provide relief to homeowners to ease pressure during those early critical years of home ownership. Bill C-30 would also reduce the CPP contribution rates beginning next year, helping workers and businesses keep more money in their pockets. While individually these changes may seem modest, in combination with recent measures like cutting Canadian income taxes, cutting the GST on new homes for first-time homebuyers and the groceries and essentials benefit, together they would help lower the pressure on Canadians who are already facing high costs. This legislation would also expand support for volunteer tax clinics that help vulnerable Canadians access the benefits they are entitled to. I want to give a special shout-out to Louis and the volunteers behind the local tax clinic on the Sunshine Coast, whose work helps over 3,000 residents each year access benefits and support they might otherwise miss. Their work is a powerful example of community service in action and demonstrates how local volunteers can make a difference in people's lives. At a time when global instability has contributed to rising fuel prices, Bill C-30 temporarily removes the federal excise tax on gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel until Labour Day. This is already saving Canadian drivers about 10¢ a litre and providing direct relief at the pump for the families and businesses already dealing with many pressures. In places like Sea to Sky and the Sunshine Coast, residents continue to face inexplicably high gas prices. At all times, but especially right now, the Competition Bureau should be keeping a very close eye on anti-competitive behaviour and potential price manipulation in regional fuel markets like this one, because Canadians deserve fairness, transparency and confidence that they are not paying artificially high fuel prices. Bill C-30 would support Canadian brewers by extending the 50% reduction on excise duty rates for the first 15,000 hectolitres of beer brewed in Canada. That is an amount that covers the full production for over 94% of breweries in our country. For small brewers in my riding, like Coast Mountain Brewing, the Persephone Brewing Company and Backcountry Brewing, this provides meaningful savings that can be reinvested into local jobs, equipment, expansion and community events. This legislation recognizes the importance of investing in coastal communities and marine infrastructure. Our government is investing nearly $1 billion in small craft harbours and critical infrastructure that supports fisheries, transportation, tourism and local economies. I have heard first-hand from many harbours, including the Gibsons Landing Harbour Authority, about the growing pressures facing them and the need for upgrades to support increased commercial fish harvesting and future transportation demands. At Gibsons Landing, this includes the planned electric passenger ferry service that could help provide much-needed relief for Sunshine Coast residents. At the same time, economic development must go hand in hand with environmental stewardship. Bill C-30 includes more than $160 million over five years to continue protecting Canada's whales and marine habitats on all three coasts. This would build on Canada's broader $3.8-billion nature strategy and the commitment to protect biodiversity and marine ecosystems for future generations. Last month's announcement of a new marine protected area in British Columbia the size of Prince Edward Island reinforces the importance of stewardship of our oceans while maintaining access to sustainable fish harvesting and tourism opportunities. My constituents understand that protecting marine ecosystems is not separate from economic prosperity, but essential to it, because healthy oceans support fisheries, tourism, recreation and coastal livelihoods. Food security is another key priority addressed in this legislation. As the Prime Minister said in Davos, food security is national security and, “A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself, or defend itself has few options.” In an increasingly unstable world, shaped by supply chain disruptions, climate pressures and geopolitical instability, Canada must strengthen its domestic food production capacity. Bill C-30 and measures in the spring economic update would support that goal through supporting food production and distribution networks and, importantly, by providing immediate expensing of new greenhouse infrastructure. I have already seen how this is making a difference in my riding. The Líl̓wat Nation broke ground on a greenhouse at one end of it. On the Sunshine Coast, projects like Swiya Farms in Sechelt are focused on building large-scale, sustainable local food systems and supporting community-driven agriculture and long-term food resilience, including a large-scale greenhouse that is being planned. These are measures we are building on with last week's announcement of Canada's national food security strategy, which will increase competition to lower grocery prices, boost domestic production year-round and help local products get onto grocery shelves. I also want to highlight the investment in sports and recreation in the spring economic update. In my riding, we know first-hand the lasting impact sport can have on communities. The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games left a legacy that extends far beyond infrastructure. They inspired participation, strengthened community pride, supported tourism and created opportunities for young athletes right across the region. We have seen world-class athletes emerge from our communities, including Marielle Thompson and Trinity Ellis, but the true legacy of sports goes beyond medals. It inspires young people to get active, build confidence, develop teamwork and resilience and connect with their communities. That is why the spring economic update has a historic $755-million investment in Canadian sport that would strengthen communities and new sports programs to support national sports organizations and athletes, improve safe sport initiatives and help Canada host major sporting events. I can see my time is running short, so I will say Bill C-30 is ultimately about building a more resilient, affordable and self-reliant Canada. It would invest in housing, workers, infrastructure, affordability, coastal communities, food security and environmental stewardship. Together, we can build confidently, deliberately and together.

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Patrick Weiler

Liberal 4:10 p.m.

“You say our spending is making things worse. I say our spending is making things better. Look at our housing program. It's making things more affordable. The real problem is trade, not us.”

Patrick Weiler

Liberal 4:10 p.m.

“I said nice things about nature in my speech. My riding is pretty. The government is spending money on whales and nature. I won't answer your specific points about oil subsidies and pesticides. Maybe someone will look at that later in committee.”

Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal 4:10 p.m.

“I want the member to cheer for our party's program. We want people to think we are helping with the cost of living.”

Patrick Weiler

Liberal 4:10 p.m.

“I want people to cheer for our program. It spends a lot of money for families. I want Canadians to think we are doing something about high prices. We will spend more money in the future.”

Patrick Weiler

Liberal 4:25 p.m.

“I want voters to see me calling for more ferry funding for my riding too! But BC ferries are a provincial responsibility, not federal like Atlantic Canada's. I'm counting the money we gave BC differently to make it sound larger than the money we gave to Atlantic Canada.”

Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal 4:35 p.m.

“I want to accuse the Conservatives of creating a false impression about the government. They use words like "corrupt" and "Liberal friends" when it's not true. The Prime Minister and the government are trying to build a strong economy by getting Canadians involved. There are contracts for everyone. Canada is doing great compared to other countries.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I find unfortunate the general way in which the Conservatives want to approach the government. They seem to want to be focused on the issue of trying to give a false impression, and they love using words such as “corrupt”, “Liberal friends” and so forth, when nothing could be farther from the truth. The Prime Minister and the government recognize, at the end of the day, that building a stronger and healthier economy means getting Canadians engaged and involved. There are contracts that go out to all political entities inside the chamber, I am sure. There are business opportunities, growth in investments and record amounts of growth coming to Canada. Canada is doing an excellent job in comparison to the rest of the G7. Would the member provide his thoughts on that?

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Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal 4:35 p.m.

“The Liberals won an election last year. Since then, we have signed trade and defense deals. We announced many expensive projects. More foreign money is coming in. The economy looks good. Our opponents should stop saying bad things about us.”

Ryan Turnbull

Liberal 4:50 p.m.

“You're a hypocrite. The Conservatives stalled this bill for 30 hours in committee. My party wants to pass it quickly to help Canadians with affordability. The Conservatives make filibusters but then complain about rushing bills through debate. I want this bill to pass so our government can help working Canadians pay less tax when they travel for work.”

Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal 4:55 p.m.

“I want to interrupt and talk about something else now.”

What they said. What they meant.

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