“I want the House to pass this bill. It pauses the federal fuel tax until January 2027, then cuts it in half until March. This helps care workers who drive to work and small businesses facing high shipping costs.”

“Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time today with the member for Edmonton West. I am very pleased to take part in today’s debate on this bill, which affects all Canadians, including the people of my riding, University—Rosedale, in downtown Toronto, where the issue of affordability is of great concern to us. Like all members of the House, I spent my summer listening to my constituents. At the doorsteps, on the streets, and at festivals and fairs, I heard two things. First, Canadians understand very well that we are in an economic situation that is not entirely in our control. They know full well that the rapidly changing global landscape around us is creating uncertainty for our businesses, our workers and Canadian families, and that these are factors beyond our control. However, they also understand that there are factors we can control, and they expect our government to do everything in its power where it can. In this situation, our government is focusing on what it can control. That is why we are focusing on building a stronger economy over the medium term while reducing costs and increasing our support measures for the public during this very difficult period. More specifically, our government is well aware of the pressures associated with rising gas prices. Across the country, we have recently seen gas prices skyrocket, and this is causing financial hardship for many Canadians, including those in my riding. As this House knows well, in order to help Canadians and businesses manage these pressures, our government introduced a temporary suspension of the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels. We will all recall that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance and National Revenue initially announced this important measure this spring. We suspended the full amount of tax with an initial sunset date of September 7 of this year, but our approach to this excise tax has always been flexible. Over the course of the summer, it became increasingly apparent that gas prices would remain volatile due to ongoing geopolitical pressures and supply chain disruptions, so we have acted accordingly. Earlier this month, the government further extended the temporary suspension until January 31, 2027, with a 50% reduction in the regular excise tax from February 1 through March 31, 2027, which of course is what brings us to today’s debate. Much as the initial suspension provided real, tangible and immediate relief to Canadians at the pump, that measure was part of a broader suite of measures to address rising everyday costs for Canadians and businesses in the transport, food, agriculture, housing, construction and delivery sectors. There is a reason this measure has support across the political spectrum. It is precisely because we all know that in the current climate, we must do all we responsibly can to reduce operating costs across the economy and reduce pressures on the food, agriculture, housing, construction and delivery sectors in particular. When I think about the people in my riding who need this measure the most, I think about two groups in particular. The first are the individuals who work in the care economy in downtown Toronto, in hospitals, home care and long-term care homes, often commuting long distances to get to their jobs in the downtown core or traversing the city multiple times a day to serve different clients, clients who are our family members, to give them a shower, to bring them food and to attend to their health needs. For those people, a small break at the pump is significant in their weekly budgets, and we owe it to them to do what we can. The second group are the small businesses in my riding that fear seeing the cost of their inputs rise as the price of transporting them increases. Small and medium businesses, major targets of the current round of unjustified and illegal tariffs, need this protection in order to be able to plan and invest in their own success. This relief is as important to the people of University—Rosedale as it is for everyone across the country, but we all know that alone it is not enough. That is why it is just one of several measures that we have put forth and have been debating actively in this House as part of our vibrant democracy. We put these measures forth to alleviate the pressure from the high cost of fuels on Canadian household budgets. For far too many people in Canada, groceries and essentials have been too expensive for too long. We all know that the pandemic caused a global spike in inflation, which drove up the cost of groceries and essentials for all of us. Food prices have risen faster than overall inflation, because of shocks to global supply chains due to tariffs, weather events related to climate change and, of course, geopolitical disruptions. To support those most affected by rising food prices, in January 2026, our government announced the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit to help more than 12 million Canadians afford the essentials they need. Together, those measures will enable a family of four to get nearly $2,000 this year and around $1,400 per year for the next four years. Our government is also delivering significant reforms to our tax system and other areas of public policy during this affordability crisis. In my riding, where the dream of home ownership in the core of Canada’s largest city has been a dream for too many for too long, the movement we have made on housing has been very significant. Our government has eliminated the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes up to $1 million and reduced the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes between $1 million and $1.5 million. It is these kinds of actions that bring home ownership back into the realm of possibility for so many young people who live in my riding. We have also made the national school food program permanent, providing school meals for up to 400,000 children each year and saving participating families up to $800 on groceries annually, which is significant for a lot of people. We have also introduced automatic federal benefits starting with the 2026 tax year. I would like to spend just a moment to say a bit about why this step is so important to me personally. During my 20 years as a practising family physician, I regularly saw patients who I knew should be accessing income supports of various kinds but were not accessing them. Application processes for federal and provincial programs are complex. At times, we know they can feel invasive and even humiliating. At other times, they are just simply confusing. For some people, the requirement to file taxes on a very low income does not make it to the top of the priority list. Those patients are now my constituents, and our commitment to automatic tax filing is a major improvement for them. The Canada Revenue Agency will be able to help eligible Canadians who do not file their taxes by preparing and filing a return on their behalf. Before this happens, of course, they will have the opportunity to review the information and make necessary changes, but this means that people who may not have the time, resources or ability to navigate the tax system on their own will have another way to access the supports that are available to them and for which they are eligible, supports they deserve. Automatic filing and benefits will ensure that up to 5.5 million low-income Canadians automatically receive the benefits they qualify for. This builds on other efforts to make it easier for Canadians to receive the benefits for which they are eligible. I am so proud to be part of a government that is beginning to break down those barriers. Our plan is moving Canada’s economy from reliance to resilience. Some of the biggest long-term payoffs of the transformation that we are undertaking will take time to be felt. To ensure that Canadians have the support they need right now, the Government of Canada is acting quickly with measures that will serve as a springboard to the future. To support Canadians through this global energy market disruption, we are delivering timely, meaningful and tangible relief for Canadians. It is my pleasure to support this bill.”

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“We are testing automatic tax filing and benefits with a small pilot program for low-income Canadians. Over time, we can learn from it and add more benefits if it makes sense. I want to work with the member to make as many programs automatic as we realistically can.”

“Madam Speaker, I think the member opposite’s question is an important one. There are, of course, all kinds of federal benefits that over time might be appropriate to consider as part of the automatic tax filing and automatic benefits suite of services. We are beginning this responsibly as a pilot to understand what it takes to undertake this work on behalf of low-income people in Canada. We are going to be learning and progressively improving the program as we go along. I look forward to joining the member in his advocacy for making as many programs automatic as we possibly can where it is realistic and possible.”

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“The Prime Minister supports public services. Ontario covers medicine for seniors, but people across Canada still struggle to afford their prescriptions. Our work on a national drug plan is not finished. No one should have to cut pills in half to save money.”

“Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister has spoken passionately about his commitment to ensuring that Canadians have access to the critical public services they need. In my home province of Ontario, luckily there are not seniors cutting pills in half, because all seniors are covered by the provincial public drug plan. However, it is true that there are people across the country who continue to struggle with the cost of their prescription medications. The work toward pharmacare is not complete, and I certainly continue to believe that no one in the country should be cutting pills in half because they cannot afford them.”

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“Our government created programs to help with child care, groceries, dental care, and school food. As a former doctor, does the member agree that these programs are making life better for people?”

“Madam Speaker, I was wondering what to ask my colleague, and she actually answered my question in her speech. I recalled that before she became such an exceptional member of Parliament, she was an equally exceptional family doctor. She talked about all the programs we have put in place, including the Canada child benefit, the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, the Canadian dental care plan and a program that is particularly important to me, the national school food program. I am sure that when she looked after people in her previous life, they were grateful to receive assistance from various levels of government and from various organizations. Can she tell us whether the people receiving these supports are actually seeing any improvement in their quality of life?”

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“Health is about more than doctors and hospitals. It also depends on good housing, food, money, and a clean environment. I came to Parliament because spending money on these things keeps our communities healthy.”

“What we know, Madam Speaker, is that what we call the determinants of health involve more than just the care that Canadians receive at the doctor’s office or at a hospital. Above all, the foundations of the determinants of health have to do with the underlying factors that shape health—whether it be economic well-being, nutrition, housing, or the environment. That is why I wanted to come here and contribute to the work of the House of Commons. In my opinion, investing in these programs is precisely what it means to invest in the health of my community.”

“We all agree we should keep pausing this fuel tax. But to lower fuel costs long term, we must either make more fuel or use less of it. I want to know if the member has ideas to increase fuel supply or lower demand.”

“Madam Speaker, it seems we are in violent agreement in this House about the need to extend this excise tax, so I would like to use the member’s speech as a launching-off point for a related conversation about affordability. He brought up the crack spread. Refining capacity globally is, of course, under severe stress. The Strait of Hormuz could open tomorrow, and I suspect because of refining challenges, that crack spread would grow, even, and so we must either increase refined supply or reduce demand to meaningfully address this in the long term. Obviously, more refined capacity will take time. I was wondering if the member opposite had views or proposals on policies that could either increase supply or reduce demand for refined products.”

“The Conservatives supported a carbon tax under their last leader, but they changed their minds when they got a new leader. Does the member agree that they changed their position?”

“Madam Speaker, I have an interesting point. The member no doubt remembers Erin O’Toole. During his time here, the Conservative Party changed and had a position of supporting a carbon tax. Fast-forward to the election of Canada’s new Prime Minister, who indicated before that election that he was going to get rid of the carbon tax. We can see the similarities there: Change in leader, change in policy, new direction. Does the member recognize that as a reality?”

“I want the House to pass this bill. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are pushing up fuel prices all over the world. This bill keeps the federal fuel tax pause in place until early 2027, then slowly brings it back. This gives families temporary relief at the gas pump while keeping our spending under control.”

“Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford. Like most members, I spent the summer talking with folks in my riding. One of the issues that keep coming back to us as parliamentarians is the cost of living, the fact that everything is more expensive and the fact that businesses and families are indeed having trouble meeting their needs. At the same time, Canadians, at least in my riding, expressed their confidence in the government’s action, in the government’s plan and in the government’s attempts to assist the Canadian economy. What those folks in my riding told me, and I think it is quite right, is that difficulties and the impact on the cost of living, on the overall price levels, have come from a series of shocks that have hit our economy, shocks that have come from abroad. In fact, affordability and the cost of living are issues in Canada, in the United States, in France, in the U.K., in Germany, in Japan, in Brazil and all over the world. They come from the same source, and that source is the supply shocks we have had since 2022, ever since the invasion of Ukraine, followed by the very uneven recovery from the pandemic, which was happening at the same time. Later on, more recently, there are the very significant price shocks we have had as a result of the war in the Middle East. These are global issues that have a real impact on pocketbooks and on Canadians’ ability to face difficulties. We as a government have put in place a number of measures that help their bottom line and at the same time will contribute significantly to diversifying our economy, diversifying our markets, finding new markets and continuing to grow. As an example, the World Bank, which I do not think can be confused with any sort of Liberal-friendly outfit, has stated: Attacks on energy infrastructure and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about 35% of global seaborne crude oil trade, have triggered the largest oil supply shock on record, with an initial reduction in global oil supply of about 10 million barrels per day. Even after moderating from their recent peak, Brent oil prices [remain very high, at around the $100 per barrel mark]. Energy prices will continue to remain high throughout the world, at least until the situation is addressed in the Middle East. The chief economist of the World Bank added, “Governments must resist the temptation of broad, untargeted fiscal support measures that could distort markets and erode fiscal buffers. Instead, they should focus on rapid, temporary support targeted to the most vulnerable households.” This is what we have been doing. This is what we are doing with Bill C-38, and this is what we will continue to do. We will be there to continue to support Canadian families with targeted and temporary support. When we announced the fuel excise tax break back in the spring, it was to come to an end on September 7. Of course, by September 7, the situation was far from resolved in the Middle East. In fact, it is getting worse. Therefore, it is entirely appropriate that we extend this program for a few more months, until the end of January 2027. I think there is broad support in the House for us to do that. On that, we have said that it will extend after January 31 for two extra months, so it will be a gradual withdrawal. The 10¢-a-litre excise tax relief would not be removed in one shot. It would be removed by 50% until March 31, and then the other 50% would be after March 31. There would be a gradual removal of this support, because as the World Bank and the IMF have pointed out, support for families has to be temporary and has to be targeted to the most vulnerable households. This, in essence, is what we did with the groceries and essentials benefit. It is very targeted. In this case, it is support for five years, but it is very targeted to those most in need. As members will recall, the groceries and essentials benefit is modelled on the old GST rebate, which by definition is targeted to families at the lowest end of the scale. Once again, it is important to resist the temptation to have broad, untargeted fiscal measures because we need to avoid distorting markets. We need to make sure that fiscal buffers remain. We do have the fiscal capacity now to do this, and that is why we are doing it, but it has to be temporary and it has to be targeted. This support would reduce the pressure on prices at the pump. It may seem insignificant, but it is not. At 10¢ a litre, it is significant. The other issue we need to continue to monitor is that the industry itself does not adjust its margins and that this 10¢-a-litre reduction is fully passed on to the final consumer. We will continue to monitor markets very closely to make sure that there is no attempt to sidestep this measure. Going back to the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, a family of four will receive $1,890 this year and about $1,400 a year for the next four years. Again, this is targeted to the families most in need. We are putting more money in the pockets of those who need it most, and we are also leaving more money in the pockets of the middle class with the middle-class tax cut that was implemented right off the bat when we came into power. There are other measures we put in place with the last budget, and there is nothing to say that we will not be doing that again if need be. As long as support is targeted and temporary, I think we should do that. For the time being, in Canada anyway, we are not noticing any shortages of products. It is really a question of affordability that is caused by events completely beyond our control. These are global events that are affecting the same issue in all developed and developing nations. The crucial point here is for the Canadian government to retain its fiscal buffers, its fiscal capacity to intervene, because we must continue to protect families. We will still have that fiscal capacity if we continue to be prudent.”

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“We will watch the markets to make sure they work properly, but that is all. Things work best when the government lets the market run on its own.”

“Madam Speaker, as I just alluded to at the end of my remarks, we will continue to monitor markets to make sure that markets continue to function properly, and that is the extent of it. We believe that when markets function, resources are allocated in the most efficient way.”