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The Economy

During question period on the economy, members focused on rising food bank use and the affordability of living costs. Conservative members cited figures from Food Banks Canada’s report showing large increases in food bank visits since 2019, including many children and working people among clients, and asked when the government would acknowledge an affordability crisis and support Conservative proposals such as cutting federal taxes on gas and diesel until Canada Day. Liberal ministers and members responded that Conservatives had voted against programs such as the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, the Canada child benefit, the dental care plan, and affordable and supportive housing, and pointed to the report’s recommendations on income security and housing as the measures they were acting on.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

10 statements

Jacques Gourde

Conservative
“Food bank visits are up by 117% since 2019, and almost a quarter of the people using them in Quebec have jobs. Have the Liberals broken their promise to Canadians?”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, Food Banks Canada’s new 2026 report slams the Liberal Party’s promise. Food banks saw an increase of 189,000 visits compared to the previous year, representing an 8.7% increase. Since 2019, the number of visits has risen by 117%. Working people account for 23% of those receiving food assistance in Quebec. It is scandalous. Have the Liberals broken their promise to Canadians?

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François-Philippe Champagne

Liberal
“The member for Lévis—Lotbinière voted against money to help people pay for groceries and essentials. The people in his riding want an MP who stands up for them.”

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Signal 35 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

Madam Speaker, I know the people of Lévis—Lotbinière would like their member of Parliament to vote with a voice that loud. Unfortunately, when it came time to vote for the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, we did not hear the loud voice of the member for Lévis—Lotbinière. He voted against it. I know people in Lévis—Lotbinière, and some of them are very dear to me. They would like their MP to stand up in the House and defend their interests.

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Jacques Gourde

Conservative
“Six hundred thousand people in Quebec use food banks each month. We need to stop hunger from getting worse. Will the government vote for our plan to cut grocery costs by dropping federal diesel taxes until Canada Day?”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, 600,000 Quebeckers use food banks every month. The Liberals voted against a Conservative motion to eliminate taxes on gas and diesel and to acknowledge the affordability crisis. They voted against the motion. Practical solutions are needed to stop hunger from worsening. Will the Liberal government vote in favour of our Conservative plan to reduce grocery bills by eliminating all federal taxes on diesel at least until Canada Day?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“The member says he wants practical solutions, but he has voted against them for 10 years. He voted against the child benefit and against the dental care plan, even though thousands of families in his riding use them. We also created 5,000 shipyard jobs, which he should support.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, my colleague wants practical solutions, yet he has voted against practical solutions for the past 10 years. One practical solution is the Canada child benefit, which provides 21,316 children with an average $3,237. That amount of assistance is considerable and substantial for families. He voted against it. Another practical solution is the Canadian dental care plan, which 19,770 constituents in his riding are using. Something else we strive for is to create good jobs. At the Davie shipyards, we created 5,000 jobs related to the icebreakers. He should be thrilled by this program.

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Todd Doherty

Conservative
“More people in my community and across Canada must use food banks every month, including many children and workers. I blame Liberal taxes and spending for making life too expensive.”

  • A repeated line

    “Canadians are struggling to put food on the table.”

    Said 14 times by 12 members since April 27.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, in Prince George, the Salvation Army served over 6,000 people in a single month. That is a 20% increase in just three years. One in five food bank clients has a full-time job, and over 32% of those clients are children. After 11 years of Liberal taxes and inflationary spending, Canadians are struggling to put food on the table. Relying on food banks is now the unfortunate reality for 2.5 million Canadians every month. How is that okay?

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Adam van Koeverden

Liberal
“We listen to recommendations from groups like Food Banks Canada. They recommend funding affordable, supportive, and co-op housing to fight poverty. Conservatives vote against this type of housing and insult it instead.”

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    This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “despite the fact that the Conservative leader actually lives in government housing”.

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, when we receive a report, such as the hunger report from Food Banks Canada, we do not just read the headlines; we read the recommendations. What do not feature among any of the recommendations are any of the things the Conservatives have put on the table to combat poverty. It is a complex challenge, and we are listening to what Food Banks Canada says. One of the policies it suggests is to expand funding for deeply affordable, supportive, non-market housing, co-operative housing, which is something the Conservatives not only vote against, despite the fact that the Conservative leader actually lives in government housing, but also stigmatize. They call it Soviet-style housing. It is a shame.

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Todd Doherty

Conservative
“Food bank use in Williams Lake went up by more than 39% in the last two years. Families, seniors, and workers cannot afford the cost of living. The Liberals need to take responsibility for this crisis.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, how unattached is this Liberal Member of Parliament? It is like using a dumpster fire for a wiener roast. Food bank usage in Williams Lake rose over 39% over the last two years. When are the Liberals going to wake up? These are families, seniors and working Canadians who are being forced to turn to the food bank because they can no longer keep up with the cost of living. Are the Liberals that arrogant and out of touch that it has become okay for children, seniors and full-time workers to have to rely on food banks? When will they finally take responsibility for the affordability crisis they have created?

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Adam van Koeverden

Liberal
“Canadians need real solutions to end poverty. Experts reject the Conservatives' ideas, and Food Banks Canada did not include any Conservative ideas in its hunger report. The Conservatives have also voted against affordable housing for seven years. They should look at their own record before talking about poverty.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, what Canadians would like are actual solutions from all sides of the House that would help reduce poverty in this country. Literally everything the Conservatives have put on the table has been rejected by poverty elimination experts. Not even one single policy recommendation from the Conservative Party appears in the list of policy recommendations in Food Banks Canada’s hunger report. One of the most important recommendations is affordable housing, which is true non-profit, non-market housing, and it is something the Conservative Party has voted against consistently over the last seven years since I have been here. They should look at their own record when talking about eliminating poverty.

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Kelly DeRidder

Conservative
“Too many Canadians cannot afford food, including hundreds of thousands of children. The government is making life more expensive. When will it take responsibility and admit there is an affordability crisis?”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, of course, the member used the opportunity to attack Conservatives instead of focusing on a solution. One in nine households in the Waterloo region struggles to afford food. Across Canada, food banks saw 2.36 million visits in March alone, and one-third of those were children. There are 800,000 children going hungry in Canada. Canadians cannot afford excuses, and they cannot afford the government. When will the government take responsibility for making life more expensive and finally admit that we are in an affordability crisis?

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Leslie Church

Liberal
“I want the Conservatives to support our programs that help Canadians with money. These include benefits for disabled people, workers, and groceries, as well as school food for kids. These are real solutions to the problems people face.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, with great respect to my colleague across the way, I would ask, when can Canadians expect the Conservatives to get on board with the income security policies that the very report they have been holding up this week speaks to? We are talking about the Canada disability benefit, the workers benefit, and the groceries benefit, as well as the national school food program, which is serving over nine million meals to kids in that colleague’s province. Those are real solutions to many of the challenges that Canadians are facing right now and that this government is squarely focused on.

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