Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, before I begin my speech, allow me to welcome everyone back to the House. It is a privilege for me to serve in this place and represent the people of my riding, Bourassa. As I said earlier, it is an honour for me to rise on behalf of the people of Bourassa to speak to Bill C-38, the Canadian fuel affordability act. I want to describe a scene that we see every morning. Before work, a mother stops at a gas station, looks up at the posted gas price, does a quick mental calculation and decides to spend $20. She does not spend a penny more because the rest of the money has to go toward feeding her children that week. No one sees it or hears about it, but this is something that happens thousands of times a day across the country. I see this scene playing out in my riding, whether it be with a personal support worker who leaves work at dawn after their night shift, a delivery person who crisscrosses the city from morning until night, a taxi driver who is calculating how many litres they will need that day or a small business owner whose pickup truck is their livelihood. For them, the price of gas is not an economic indicator, a statistic or a quantitative indicator. It is much more than that. It is a concern that they have from the time they get into their car every morning until the end of the day. We are living in a time of global instability. Supply disruptions in the Middle East are sending shockwaves to energy markets around the world, and it is our families who are paying the price at the pump. We cannot put an end to global conflicts, but we can choose not to let Canadians deal with the consequences of those conflicts alone. That is the choice that our government is making today. Bill C-38, introduced by the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, temporarily extends the federal fuel excise tax until January 31, 2027. Then from Februrary 1 to March 31, 2027, a half-rate will apply. This tax is 10¢ per litre of gasoline and 4¢ per litre of diesel. Suspending it will save up to about $5.75 on a 50-litre fill-up of regular gasoline and up to $2.30 on a fill-up of diesel. Some members across the way might say that is not much. However, we must consider what a few extra dollars each week mean to a mother, a delivery driver who fills up three times or more a week, or a small business that relies on several vehicles for its livelihood. For these people, it is not a small amount. It is a breath of fresh air. For someone who is out of breath, a bit of breathing room makes all the difference. The gradual return to the mid-range rate also offers something valuable: predictability. Families and businesses deserve to be able to plan ahead rather than face a sudden shock overnight. I am focusing on diesel because, when diesel is cheaper, it means the trucks that deliver food, fruits and vegetables cost less to operate. It means construction sites make progress faster. It means the agricultural sector can breathe a sigh of relief. Whether we are talking about trucking, food, agriculture, housing, construction, or delivery, this measure affects what we eat, where we live, and what we receive day after day. It is one of many steps we are taking. This is not the only step the government has taken to help Canadians. Bill C-38 does not stand alone, because affordability is not something can simply be declared; it must be built, one step at a time. Since July 1, 2025, nearly 22 million Canadians have been paying less tax thanks to the reduction of the first marginal rate from 15% to 14%. That means up to $420 per person, and up to $840 for a two-income family. We have eliminated the GST for first-time homebuyers purchasing a newly built home valued at up to $1 million and reduced it for new homes between $1 million and $1.5 million, because the dream of home ownership should not disappear within a single generation. We created the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. In the spring, a one-time top-up of $3.1 billion was paid to 12 million Canadians. Since July 2026, the benefit has been increased by 25% for five years and is paid quarterly so that the benefit arrives when the bills do. A family of four will receive up to $1,890 this year. It will receive $1,890 this year. I am repeating that because it is very important for the Canadians listening to us today. We want them to see this as some breathing room that can help them manage under the current circumstances. A single person, meanwhile, may receive up to $950. Upon taking office, the Prime Minister eliminated consumer carbon pricing in the provinces and territories where it applied, lowering the cost of gas by about 18¢ a litre in those regions and helping to curb inflation. We have made the national school food program permanent, feeding nearly 400,000 children every year and saving a family with two children about $800 a year. Children with full bellies in the morning are freed up to learn, stay in school and have the peace of mind they need to get the most out of their school day. There is no better investment for the country’s future than to invest in our young people and children, especially when it comes to helping them go to school with full bellies. With automatic benefit payments, up to 5.5 million low-income Canadians will finally receive what they are entitled to. In a neighbourhood like mine, Bourassa, so many families are losing out on their rights because of a lack of information or missing paperwork. This is not an administrative measure; it is a matter of dignity. Finally, we are strengthening competition in telecommunications and financial services so that Canadians can switch providers more easily. In conclusion, our vision is clear: We are building a stronger economy, diversifying our trade partnerships around the world, capitalizing on our strengths and creating better jobs and higher wages. However, building for tomorrow must never make us forget the challenges we face today. No one should be left behind. It is very important to include all Canadians in our strategy and to truly keep them in mind at all times when we develop measures like the one before us today. Let us come back to the mother gassing up at the pump. Thanks to Bill C-38, maybe she will no longer have to stop at $20. Maybe she can fill the tank. Maybe she can keep a few dollars for a pair of winter boots for her children or for a family outing she has been putting off for months. This bill will not fix everything. We know that. No one here is saying that. However, it is telling millions of Canadians something essential: We see them, we hear them and we are here for them. Relief only works if it is timely, so I invite all my colleagues from all parties to quickly support this bill.
