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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

10 statements

Dominique Vien

Conservative
“This budget adds $765 billion in new debt over five years. That is $44,000 for each household, while families struggle to buy groceries and young people cannot afford homes. I want the government to accept our plan to save Canadians money.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, here is what Gérald Fillion said on Téléjournal yesterday: “We are back to the time-honoured tradition of big-spending Liberal budgets.” The budget adds a record $765 billion in new debt over five years. That is $44,000 per household. Meanwhile, families are struggling to afford groceries and young people cannot afford a home. Will the Liberals finally listen to us and agree to our plan to save Canadians money?

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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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Dominique Vien

Conservative
“The government should cut federal fuel taxes instead of spending more money. Our plan to remove fuel taxes would save families 20 cents a litre, or $1,200 each. Instead, the Liberals added $151 billion in spending. Why will they not cut spending and use our plan to save Canadians money?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, what would have actually been helpful would have been to cut taxes at the pump, because that affects everyone. That is a well-known fact. The Conservatives proposed to eliminate all federal fuel taxes to save Canadians 20¢ a litre, or $1,200 per family. However, the Liberals chose instead to add $151 billion in additional spending. My question is very simple: Why are the Liberals refusing to cut their spending and refusing to agree to our plan to save Canadians money?

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Caroline Desrochers

Liberal

Linked statement

“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

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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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Yves Perron

Bloc Québécois
“Quebec does not like this budget. Quebec asked the government not to cut health care. But this budget will slow down health funding growth starting in 2028. That means people will miss out on care and hospitals will not be fixed. The government should not cut health care.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, this budget got a very poor reception in Quebec. The president of Quebec’s Treasury Board gave it a failing grade, and for good reason. Quebec simply asked that Ottawa not make cuts to health care. However, the budget confirms the federal government’s intent to lower the health transfer escalator from 5% to 3% as of 2028. That means care that will not be provided and hospitals that will not be renovated. Health care is a priority for Quebeckers. How can this government dare to table a budget with health care cuts?

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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

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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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Yves Perron

Bloc Québécois
“This budget does not give Quebec more health care money. It also does not repay Quebec the nearly $700 million it spent to welcome asylum seekers. The government has delayed paying this debt for too long, and I want them to pay Quebeckers back.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Quebec had two demands with respect to this budget: health care and the reimbursement of nearly $700 million owed to Quebec for welcoming asylum seekers, because we are the ones looking after them. The federal government has been dragging its feet on this debt to Quebec since 2024, when Quebec was taking in a disproportionate share of asylum seekers, without the federal government providing any assistance or ensuring fair distribution. As the saying goes, a debt paid is a friend kept. On this issue, however, the federal government has not been treating Quebec like a friend. Why do the Liberals have money for everything except repaying their debts to Quebeckers?

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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

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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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Xavier Barsalou-Duval

Bloc Québécois
“The government says it has no money for Quebec's health care, but it put $300 million in the budget to promote Canada. Quebeckers are waiting 12 hours in emergency rooms. The government does not understand our priorities.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the federal government does not have any money for Quebec’s requests, including for health care, but it has plenty of money for Canadian propaganda. There is $300 million in the Liberal budget to plaster the maple leaf everywhere, $300 million to bring back Heritage Minutes and celebrate Canada’s 160th anniversary. How nice is that? We will be able to watch the new Heritage Minutes on TV while we wait 12 hours in the emergency room. It is absurd. How can anyone be so out of touch with the priorities of Quebeckers?

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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

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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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