“Our government is working with Manitoba on its major projects. Life is more expensive right now because of global conflicts and American trade tariffs. We are helping Canadians by cutting taxes on fuel, income, and first-time home purchases, and by giving low-income families extra money for groceries.”

“Mr. Speaker, I know I have colleagues on this side from Manitoba who are really fantastic. They work hard and represent some of the ridings in Manitoba quite well. I will also say that this summer, in the pre-budget consultations, I had the opportunity to meet with Manitoba’s finance minister and talk about many of the major projects in Manitoba. Our government is supportive and is serious about working with Manitoba to advance its interests, help grow its economy and take advantage of the significant opportunities that it sees for itself and for Canada as a whole. Countries around the world are grappling with an affordability crisis, and Canada is no exception. Political unrest and ongoing conflicts on two continents are taking their toll. Here at home, our closest neighbour and largest trading partner has placed tariffs on many Canadian goods entering the U.S. market, placing jobs and prosperity at risk. The cumulative effect of this disruption is higher prices for many essential goods. This is having an impact on Canadians and the businesses that support them. While the situation originated beyond our borders, our government is standing up for Canadians. We are taking strong, decisive action to address affordability concerns by introducing measures that lower costs and keep more hard-earned dollars in the pockets of Canadians. One of the most recent of these involves the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline, aviation fuel, diesel fuel and others. In April of this year, we introduced a temporary suspension, lowering the tax per litre for gasoline by 10¢, while the tax on leaded gasoline fell by 11¢ per litre, and the tax on diesel and aviation fuel fell by four cents per litre. This temporary suspension was going to expire on September 7, Labour Day. Before it could end, however, we announced our intention to extend the temporary pause until January 31, 2027, and after that date, regular rates would be reduced by 50% until March 31, fiscal year end. We have also taken action on grocery prices with the Canada groceries and essentials benefit announced at the beginning of the year. This benefit replaces the GST credit and provides tax-free quarterly payments to individuals and families with low and modest incomes to help manage the rising cost of living. In July 2026, there was a 25% increase to the benefit amount, which will remain for five years. Canadians can expect the amount of this benefit to be recalculated every July based on their adjusted family net income from the previous year. We have also waived taxes on first-time home purchases at the federal level. That is significant. It is about $50,000 on a $1-million home. These measures are on top of an income tax cut we announced last year where we lowered the tax rate for the first marginal personal income tax bracket from 15% to 14%, saving over 22 million Canadians money on their taxes. That is $840 for the average dual income family or $420 per individual. We have cut taxes on income, housing and fuel, and offered a groceries and essentials benefit to help ease the pressures that families are under based on the cost of living. I would say that is progress. In response to the member opposite’s question about Manitoba, we are serious about building all across Canada and working with Manitoba every step of the way.”

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“Manitoba is a priority for our government. We set up an office to move big national projects forward, and we are working with First Nations and provincial premiers. I want the member to bring us more projects so we can speed them up.”

“Mr. Speaker, Manitoba is without exception a priority for this government, and I am sure it is a priority to the Premier of Manitoba. There are projects and opportunities that we recognize. The Major Projects Office has been set up to advance projects in the national interest that meet the criteria. Transformative strategies are nothing to be ashamed of. Those are excellent projects as well, and there are quite a number of them. In fact, the projects across Canada that we are advancing, in partnership with first nations and the premiers of each province, are good news for this country’s prosperity in the future. We look forward to expediting those projects as soon as the member and his colleagues bring forward more projects that we can advance.”

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