Official Hansard
Madam Speaker, with our plan, we would build a Canada that is not just strong but good, and not just prosperous but fair, a Canada that is not just for some people most of the time but for all people at all times. It is a plan to build Canada strong for all, and with Bill C-30, we are moving forward with that plan ambitiously. We know that workers are at the centre of that plan. They are the ones who will help us build the strongest economy in the G7. That is why the spring economic update is making historic investments in the Canadian workforce. In order to create new opportunities for young Canadians, we would launch the team Canada strong initiative to recruit, train and hire 80,000 to 100,000 new Red Seal skilled trades workers by 2030-31, aligned to Canada’s housing, infrastructure and defence needs. We are expanding training capacity to deliver results at scale, modernizing apprenticeship grants to meet the needs of the current labour force market while working with labourers, employers and provincial and territorial partners to shorten timelines and improve labour outcomes. We are also moving forward with something that is close to my heart: employee ownership trusts. Because Canadian workers are going to help build a strong and resilient Canadian economy, purpose-built for the 21st century, they should share in the success of the businesses they are helping to build. That is why we are making the employee ownership trust tax exemption permanent. Building and buying Canadian is a core mission of our government, and employee ownerships trusts empower Canadian workers to buy into the businesses they help create and build. With generational wealth transfers set to occur over the coming decades, EOTs, employee ownership trusts, would enable workers to participate directly and to benefit from the companies they make stronger. That is exciting news for workers all across this country. We have seen examples in the U.K. and the U.S. of true success with employee ownership trusts’ exhibiting a collective ownership model that truly shows how successful those businesses can be. Our government is also enhancing the labour mobility deduction, which recognizes that investing in transportation infrastructure is vital to the success of Canada’s economy. Among other things, it allows our workers to go where the work is, because we recognize that some workers in the construction trades incur high expenses to travel for temporary jobs. To recognize these costs, the labour mobility deduction for tradespeople currently provides tax recognition on up to $4,000 per year in eligible temporary relocation expenses for tradespeople and apprentices who relocate to temporary lodging that is at least 150 kilometres closer to a job site where they are performing construction activities. To recognize additional costs, the spring economic update proposes to increase the annual limit on expenses that can be deducted, from $4,000 to $10,000, indexed annually to inflation, and to modify the minimum distance threshold for relocations, from 150 kilometres to 120 kilometres. Those changes would be effective for 2026 and subsequent taxation years. I am pleased to say that Bill C-30 would make this increased support for Canadian workers a reality, making it more economical for them to bring their skills to where the work is and to build Canada strong. However, helping workers move to where the jobs are is just one way through which Bill C-30 would support Canadian workers. We know, for example, that many sectors in Canada, including agriculture, the fishing industry, forestry and tourism, rely heavily on seasonal workers due to weather, natural cycles and fluctuating demand. Employment insurance currently provides temporary income to support these workers during off-season periods, when their seasonal work is unavailable, helping them maintain financial stability and remain in their community. This support also benefits employers and regional economies by ensuring that experienced workers return each season, which helps industries operate efficiently and supports economic activity in many rural and coastal regions across Canada. To better address gaps in EI support between seasons in specific regions, temporary rules were introduced in 2018 to provide up to five additional weeks of EI regular benefits, for a maximum of 45 weeks, to eligible seasonal workers in 13 economic regions. While this support was set to expire in October 2026, the spring update announced our government’s intention to extend this support in the 13 targeted regions until October 2028. Bill C-30 would make this extension a reality, delivering an estimated additional $356 million in support for seasonal workers over the next five years. We also would be extending the RRSP homebuyers’ plan in Bill C-30. To further support workers and their families, the legislation before us would also deliver cash flow support to make it more manageable for Canadians to finance home ownership. The homebuyers’ plan would allow first-time homebuyers to withdraw up to $60,000 from their registered retirement savings plan to buy or build a qualifying home, or $120,000 per couple. Under the plan, withdrawals would not be included in income when withdrawn. Instead, they must be repaid to the RRSP over a period of no more than 15 years, starting in the second year following the year in which the withdrawal was made. I know that sounds complicated, but this is good news for anybody who is able to take money out of their RRSP to help purchase a first home. The spring economic update 2026 proposes to extend the grace period during which homeowners are not required to start repaying their withdrawals, from two years to five years for participants making a first withdrawal between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2028. This would build on the extended grace period that already applies to withdrawals made between 2022 and 2025, providing cash flow relief of up to $4,000 per individual per year for the three years over which they are not required to repay the amount into their RRSP. Once again, Bill C-30 would make this support a reality. Our government also recognizes that supporting Canadian workers means protecting them from the economic impacts of an uncertain world. Military conflicts are disrupting global energy supply, pushing up prices worldwide and leaving Canadians and consumers around the world facing higher prices at the gas pump, creating uncertainty and pressure on household finances. That is why our government recently announced that it is taking action to help Canadians through these challenges by suspending the full amount of the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline and diesel fuel and aviation fuels from April 20 until Labour Day, which is September 7. By legislating this change, Bill C-30 would reduce pressure on prices at the pump and lower Canadians’ bills at the gas station, with expected savings of up to $5.75 on a tank of gasoline and up to $2.30 on diesel when filling up a roughly 50‑litre tank of fuel. All told, it is estimated this would provide over $2.4 billion in total tax relief that would ease the pressure of higher fuel prices on Canadians in 2026, and once again, Bill C-30 would transform this relief into law. At the same time, this is not the only excise tax relief that Bill C-30 would deliver to bring down costs and support our economy through current challenges. It would also implement a two-year extension of the alcohol excise duty relief to protect brewers, distillers and winemakers during this period of global uncertainty. We know, for example, that Canada’s small craft brewers are not only among the finest in the world, which I truly appreciate, but are also important contributors to a growing economy, creating jobs in communities across the country. There is quite a number of craft brewers that I am quite proud of in my community of Whitby, and I want to see those craft brewers continue to thrive. The Canadian Craft Brewers Association estimates that there are currently nearly 1,200 small and independent craft breweries and brew pubs across Canada, and they are not just making world‑class products. They are the backbone of many communities, supporting thousands of jobs across the country and contributing significantly to local economies. What makes Canada’s craft brewers so great, and popular, is the care and pride they take in producing their fine products and their understanding of the ingredients needed to make a product truly exceptional. In past years, we saw the cost of those ingredients, like hops, barley and other grains, rise significantly due to global inflationary pressures stemming largely from COVID-19 supply chain disruptions, and this presented a real challenge for our brewers in Canada. That is why our government acted, back in March 2024, to extend budget 2023’s 2% cap on the inflation adjustment for beer, spirits and wine excise duties. At the same time, we announced that we were cutting in half the excise duty rate on the first 15,000 hectolitres of beer brewed in Canada for two years, providing a craft brewery with up to $86,952 in additional tax relief in that tax year. It was the right thing to do then, and there was tremendous support from the industry for this relief, which helped the sector weather a period of elevated inflation as economic conditions started to normalize. As we all know, the world is once again changing rapidly and unpredictably, bringing with it a new round of challenges for many industries, this industry included. Long-standing and fruitful trade relationships that countries have relied on for decades are being fundamentally reshaped by these global changes, leaving economies, businesses and workers under a cloud of uncertainty. Unfortunately, Canada is no exception in this regard, and that includes our craft brewing sector. We know, for example, that small brewers are particularly exposed to trade-related swings in commodity prices, as they do not enjoy the economies of scale that major industrial brewers enjoy. We know the industry is concerned about these developments, which is why we recently announced that Canada’s new government will continue to support Canadian breweries by maintaining for an additional two years the 2% cap on excise duties for beer, spirits and wine. We similarly announced that we will also maintain for an additional two years the halving of the excise duty rates on the first 15,000 hectolitres of beer brewed in Canada. For a craft brewery, this second measure means up to about $90,000 in tax relief for the coming year. That is not small potatoes. That is significant support. Combined, these two support measures are expected to provide over $30 million in relief to the sector through 2028. Bill C-30 would make this extended support a reality. By extending this relief, Bill C-30 would be providing stability at a critical moment, helping small and medium-sized businesses focus on what matters most: growing their operations, supporting local workers and keeping our economy strong and resilient. I would also note that the bill would take action on the tax front to lower the cost of food production at this time of global uncertainty by implementing our government’s commitment to introducing immediate expensing for greenhouse buildings. This means agricultural producers would be allowed to fully write off investments in greenhouses that were acquired on or after November 4, 2025, and that become available for use before 2030. Supporting Bill C-30 also means supporting increased domestic supply and investment in food production over the medium term, which is a major focus for our government in the spring economic update. In conclusion, I hope I have conveyed, in my allotted time, that Bill C-30 means more than just supporting affordable food and fuel. It means helping key sectors of the economy through an ongoing challenge, or set of challenges, so they can thrive and grow, supporting the communities that depend on them. It means supporting Canadian workers, making it more economical for them to go where the jobs are and making it easier for them to manage the financing of home ownership. It also means advancing our mission to build Canada strong for all. I encourage my hon. colleagues to look at our government’s plan in detail. I would similarly encourage them to carefully consider the measures in Bill C-30 and how they will advance our plan to build a stronger Canada. I encourage them, and I think this goes without saying, to join the government in advancing this plan. We will always welcome their support. It is never too late to have a change of heart. I know the opposition has to do its job and hold the government to account, but I think we can all agree that there are substantive, significant measures within this bill that would advance a plan for Canada that truly supports Canadians right across the country. I look forward to the support of my hon. colleagues and welcome any questions.
