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Business of Supply

A Conservative opposition day motion asking the House to recognize that the Liberals have been in power for 11 years and that Canada is in an affordability crisis, with the Prime Minister urged to take responsibility. Conservatives said housing, food, and fuel costs are out of reach, taxes and fuel costs are driving up prices for farmers and families, and young people cannot afford homes or find work. Liberals pointed to government affordability measures such as child care, dental care for seniors, home energy retrofits, and housing projects, and said global factors like wars and U.S. tariffs are also driving prices, with no need for austerity. The Bloc Québécois criticized government deficits and spending on an oil pipeline and promoted a bill to extend a 10% Old Age Security pension increase to seniors aged 65 to 74, while the NDP supported the motion but pressed the Conservatives to bring forward concrete proposals to vote on. Some time went to exchanges over whether members would say directly whether an affordability crisis exists, and to questions about temporary foreign workers and Canadian steel procurement.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

105 statements

Heather McPherson

NDP
“I have a heat pump and solar panels, but I can afford them because of my job. We must help people who cannot afford to upgrade their homes. I have not read the Prime Minister's new announcement yet, but he should make announcements here in the House.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we installed a heat pump in my home in Edmonton just this summer, and I am absolutely delighted with it. We also have solar panels. However, let us be realistic. I have a very good job where I can actually afford to pay for these things and to install them. We need to do everything we can to provide supports to those folks who cannot afford to retrofit their homes. Any part we can take in making sure that Canadians can retrofit their homes, and the buildings in our communities, helps. It is insufficient, though, if it is not done in a way that Canadians can access. I have not had an opportunity to look at the Prime Minister’s announcement that he made an hour ago. Of course, as always, I would prefer that the Prime Minister share his thoughts with parliamentarians in the House. That does not seem to be his priority, but certainly, I will pay attention and will read it after I am done in the House today.

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Scot Davidson

Conservative
“I have a simple question for the member. Does she believe Canada has an affordability crisis today?”

  • A repeated line

    “Does he believe there is an affordability crisis in Canada?”

    Said 5 times by 2 members since October 8.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I have a simple question for the member for Edmonton Strathcona. Does she believe there is an affordability crisis in Canada today?

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Heather McPherson

NDP

Linked statement

“Yes, life is too expensive right now. Wages are not keeping up with rising prices, and seniors and people with disabilities are struggling. Regular people cannot afford to live while the richest people get richer off everyday workers.”

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    Relevance 100 of 100

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Official Hansard

Yes, Mr. Speaker, there is an affordability crisis. There is a crisis with wages not keeping up to the rate of inflation. There is a crisis with seniors and people living with disabilities. There is a crisis of people being unable to afford their lives while the ultrawealthy are getting wealthier on the backs of everyday Canadian workers.

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Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal
“Over the last 18 months, our government has helped people with the high cost of living. We gave seniors dental care, fed 400,000 children at school, gave money for groceries, and cut taxes. I want to know if the NDP supports these things.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, on the issue of affordability, over the last 18 months the government has taken a number of initiatives, many of them to address some of the concerns the member has raised. We have heard a great deal about our seniors, for example, and the dental care program. Every so often we hear about the national school nutrition program, which helps 400,000 children. There are other initiatives that we may not have heard much about, such as the groceries and essentials benefit program or the tax cut, all of which were designed to help with affordability. Does the NDP support the initiatives the government has taken to date on the issue of affordability?

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Heather McPherson

NDP
“The NDP fought hard to get pharmacare and dental care, but the government is failing to deliver these programs to everyone. In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith is breaking the rules of our public health care system, and the federal government is doing nothing to stop her.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I do not even know which of those things to address, so I am going to stick with the health care components that the member spoke about. First of all, I am extraordinarily proud to be in the same caucus as the member for Vancouver Kingsway, who worked so incredibly hard to get the pharmacare program that was brought forward. This was something the NDP pushed for and has pushed for for decades. The problem is, the government is now failing to live up to its obligations to provide pharmacare to people across this country. On the dental care program, again, the government is failing to ensure that people across this country can access that program. It is not working for every Canadian. If New Democrats had developed that program, it would work for all Canadians instead of what we are seeing from the government. Let us talk a bit about our public health care system. Right now, in my province of Alberta, Danielle Smith is using legislation to break the Canada Health Act, and yet the government refuses to stand up and hold Danielle Smith and the UCP government responsible for breaking one of the most cherished institutions of our country.

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