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The Budget

Question period focused on the federal budget, which members described as including major new spending and $765 billion in added debt over five years. Conservatives pressed the government to cut spending and adopt their plan to remove federal fuel taxes, saying it would save families 20 cents a litre, and argued families are struggling with groceries and housing. Liberals defended the budget as needed investment in the economy in the face of a threat from the United States, citing spending on housing, ending homelessness, mental health and addiction care, and culture. The Bloc Québécois criticized the budget’s health funding path starting in 2028, sought repayment of about $700 million owed to Quebec for asylum seeker costs, and questioned spending on federal promotion of Canada; Liberals replied with figures on health, culture and French-language investments benefiting Quebec.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

5 statements

Carlos Leitão

Liberal
“We chose to spend a lot of money in this budget because our economy faces a huge threat from the United States. We need to invest now to change our economy, and we are also spending money to help end homelessness.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we chose to make major investments in our economy. We made that choice because the time to invest is now. We are facing an existential threat to our economy now. Our neighbour is determined to completely disrupt our industrial sector. We need to change our economy. To do that, the government must invest. We chose to invest. We also did not forget Canadians by proposing an important initiative to address homelessness.

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Caroline Desrochers

Liberal
“Housing is one of the biggest costs for families. That is why our new budget invests heavily in housing, aiming to build more homes and end homelessness in ten years.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 44 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we, on this side of the House, are aware of the situation. We know that housing is one of the biggest expenses for families. That is why, yesterday, we made historic investments in housing to continue the work that we began last year. We are recapitalizing Build Canada Homes to triple the construction of affordable housing. We are continuing to support programs under which tens of thousands of housing units are currently being built across Canada, including through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC. The cornerstone of the budget is our investments to put an end to homelessness over the next 10 years.

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Rachel Bendayan

Liberal
“Our budget invests heavily in mental health and addiction. Cities, provinces, and the federal government all agree that ending homelessness is a priority. We just announced $45 billion for this. We must work together.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 46 of 100

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, our budget includes historic investments to support mental health and fight addiction. In addition, at the municipal level, addressing homelessness is a priority for mayors. The new provincial government also sees addressing homelessness as a priority. At the federal level, we agree. We just announced a historic investment of $45 billion. We can and must work together.

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Caroline Desrochers

Liberal
“We made big investments in health care in the last budget, and we are doing it again in this one. That includes $2 billion for mental health and addiction care, and $5 million for health, housing, and social services. We will work with the provinces and cities to end homelessness.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 36 of 100

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, we made historic investments in health care in the 2025 budget. We are continuing to do so in the 2026 budget, for example with a $2-billion program that will invest in mental health infrastructure and in tackling addiction, and with a new $5-million fund that will support projects that integrate social services, health and housing. We are committed to this. We are going to end homelessness, and we will do so in partnership with the provinces and municipalities.

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Rachel Bendayan

Liberal
“This budget is good for Quebec. It spends a lot of money on culture, artists, and journalists. It also funds the Francophonie summit and helps grow the French language across Canada.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 100 of 100

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, this budget makes massive investments in culture. That is good for Quebeckers. It provides support for our artists on an unprecedented scale. It also provides support for our journalists. There is funding for the Francophonie summit and for expanding the presence of the French language across Canada It is a good budget for Quebec.

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