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Finance

Question period on this day was largely about the government’s borrowing and spending, with members citing the recent fall economic update and its projected deficit. Conservative members said the deficit is far larger than previously promised, that debt costs now exceed health care spending, and that high borrowing is making groceries and daily life unaffordable; several criticized the budget as excessive spending and quoted constituents and commentators. Liberal members replied that the deficit came in $11 billion lower than projected, that spending growth has slowed, that Canada has the strongest fiscal position in the G7 and a top credit rating, and pointed to investments in housing, community projects, trade diversification, and defence as worthwhile; one asked Conservative members which local projects they would cut, and another said they had voted against programs like the national school food program.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

14 statements

Andrew Scheer

Conservative
“The Prime Minister is borrowing too much money, and that is making life too expensive. Nearly 10 million Canadians do not have enough food, and one in three are borrowing money to buy groceries. The government needs to stop running huge deficits so people can afford to live.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister is racking up billions of dollars on the national credit card. Canadians thought they were getting a different approach with the new Prime Minister, but it turns out he is just another costly Liberal. The more he grows the deficit, the more expensive things get. New data out this week proves that. Statistics Canada confirms nearly 10 million Canadians, or almost one in four, are living in food-insecure households. One in three Canadians are now borrowing money just to afford groceries. Life did not used to be like this in Canada. Instead of delivering a deficit even bigger than Justin Trudeau’s, why does the Liberal Prime Minister not end the credit card budgeting so that Canadians can afford to live?

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal
“The Conservatives ignore the facts about our economy. Our deficit is down by 11 billion dollars. Canada has the strongest financial position in the G7. Manufacturing is growing, and our economy is doing better than expected.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, the Conservatives have never met a fact they could not deny. The spring economic update shows $11 billion less of a deficit and strong fiscal guardrails. The International Monetary Fund recently stated that Canada has the strongest fiscal position in the G7. There is not only that: Headlines last night said that we have recently seen the largest monthly growth in the manufacturing industry in three years. Statistics Canada is projecting that Canada’s annualized GDP growth for the first quarter in 2026 is 1.7%, which is beyond expectations. Even the Bank of Canada governor said he is encouraged by the direction the federal government is taking.

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Andrew Scheer

Conservative
“The deficit is 66 billion dollars, which is more than twice what the government promised. People cannot afford food because of this extra spending, and food bank use has doubled since 2019.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, the last Justin Trudeau budget projected the deficit this year to be $31 billion. The deficit is $66 billion. That is more than double what was projected, not lower. The Liberals are spending more and Canadians are getting less, and now hard-working Canadians cannot even afford groceries. Here are some facts for the government. Food bank use has exploded to 2.2 million visits every month, up 100% since 2019. A third of those relying on food banks are children. Everything the Liberals brag about doing, they have tried before over the last 11 years themselves. Instead of driving up prices—

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal
“The member opposite claims to care about hungry children, but he and his party voted against our school food program. That program would keep 400,000 kids from needing food banks. They also voted against our child benefit and our child care plans.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, it is very hard to take the member opposite seriously when he mentions children being hungry, as he voted time and time again in this House, with his entire party, against a national school food program that would take 400,000 children out of food bank lineups. That is shameful. That is absolutely shameful that they would stand here and lecture us on feeding children across Canada. We have offered a Canada child benefit that puts hundreds of tax-free dollars into Canadians’ pockets. We reduced the cost of child care and we have offered free lunches at school, and the members opposite opposed all of it.

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The Liberals are spending another 65 billion dollars and doubled the national debt. We now spend more money on debt interest than on health care. Are the Liberals proud of this?”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, all week, the Liberals have said they are going to spend less and invest more, except they define what spending is and what investing is. It is almost like they got their accounting advice from Bernie Madoff. What we know is that the Liberals are now spending another $65 billion on Canada’s credit card. They doubled the national debt, so we now spend more on interest servicing the debt than we do on health care. Are the Liberals proud of this record?

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal
“Our economy is doing well, even if the Conservatives will not admit it. The deficit is $11 billion lower than expected, and spending growth has slowed down. Inflation is in our target range, Canada has a top credit rating, and we are creating jobs faster than the United States.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, let us get acquainted with the facts. I know it is very hard for the Conservatives to accept. The deficit is $11 billion lower than projected. Operational spending has gone from an average annual increase of 8% to 2%. We are on a declining deficit-to-GDP ratio over the planning horizon. Inflation in Canada has been within the Bank of Canada’s target range for almost three years. We have a AAA credit rating, the highest credit rating of any country rating in the world. We have a higher per capita rate of job creation than the U.S., three times—

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The government's deficit is going up, not down. Canadians also have high personal debt just to buy food. The government is spending more money to pay interest on its debt than it spends on health care. I want to know why they keep adding to Canada's debt.”

  • A repeated line

    “We have the highest household debt in the G7.”

    Said 5 times by 4 members since April 27.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, they really did learn how to manipulate numbers from Bernie Madoff. They say that the deficit is down. They projected a terrible deficit. They just made up a number. It is actually double what it was under Justin Trudeau. That is up, not down. I hate to break it to these guys. Canadians now have the highest household debt in the G7. Why? They are borrowing money to pay for their daily and weekly costs, including groceries. Everything has gotten worse under the Liberals, including debt. Why do they keep racking up the debt on Canada’s credit card so that we spend more on just the interest portion of servicing the debt than we do on health care?

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Maninder Sidhu

Liberal
“We are funding big projects across Canada to create jobs. We are spending $64 million to help build a large new community centre in Brampton.”

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  • A repeated line

    “They want us to build Canada strong.”

    Said 3 times by 2 members since May 1.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, we are building big projects across the country to create new opportunities and new jobs through the new build communities strong fund. We announced a $64-million federal investment to build the largest community centre in Brampton, the Embleton Community Centre, with 175,000 square feet of pool, gym and child care facilities. This is what citizens of Canada expect. They expect us to build Canada strong, with major projects to create jobs and opportunities across the country.

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Pat Kelly

Conservative
“The new budget doubles the deficit that made the last finance minister and prime minister quit. I want the Prime Minister to admit that the Liberals are still spending and borrowing too much.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, remember when Justin Trudeau’s projected deficit was so bad, Chrystia Freeland refused to table it and resigned, and then Trudeau resigned? They had to get another random Liberal to table it. The update is so bad. It is another credit card budget, with double the deficit that forced the then-finance minister and, eventually, the prime minister to resign. Will the Prime Minister admit that after 10 years of reckless Liberal taxing, borrowing and spending, nothing has changed?

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Claude Guay

Liberal
“We need to sell more goods to countries other than the United States to grow our economy. Our goal is to double these exports in 10 years. Canada's oil industry is helping, and more of our pipeline oil is now going to Asia.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, to grow our economy and make Canada more resilient, we must diversify our exports. That is why our trade diversification strategy aims to double exports to countries other than the U.S. within 10 years. Canada’s energy sector, including Alberta, has a significant role to play. The percentage of oil shipped via the Trans Mountain pipeline destined for Asia increased from 39% to 62%.

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Pat Kelly

Conservative
“The new budget is bad, and experts say the government is letting our economy decline. Will the Liberals stop their reckless spending?”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, the reviews on this costly budget are in and they are not good. Even Andrew Coyne, that pillar of Laurentian consensus, said that this new government has no interest in “arresting our economic decline.” Even Andrew Coyne says we are in economic decline, and the Liberals are not interested in doing anything about it. Will the Liberals finally end their credit card budgeting, yes or no?

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Jennifer McKelvie

Liberal
“We want to spend money to build up communities. I want the member from Alberta to say which local projects he wants to cut, like water systems, a community centre, or new affordable homes.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, on this side of the House, we believe that now is the time to invest in and build our communities. My colleague is from Alberta. Can he explain to Albertans which projects he would like to cut? Is it water infrastructure to support the community of St. Albert? Is it the new Japanese community centre in Calgary? Is it 355 affordable homes in Edmonton, made possible by Build Canada Homes? What is it he wants to cancel? We want to invest.

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Chris Lewis

Conservative

Linked statement

“The government's budget adds too much debt and raises taxes. I want to know when the government will stop this spending so life is affordable.”

  • A repeated line

    “The Prime Minister doubled Justin Trudeau's deficit.”

    Said 10 times by 10 members since April 27.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I rise again to share what a resident in Essex wrote to me: “Just want to express my deep concerns with...the direction that Canada is heading. I did not think it could get worse than Trudeau”. My response is this. This costly credit card budget means more debt. The Liberal Prime Minister doubled Trudeau’s deficit. There is more spending and there are more taxes. He is just another Liberal. When will the government end its costly spending so Canadians can afford to live?

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David Myles

Liberal
“The opposition claims our military spending causes inflation. I support this spending because it helps the people who protect our country.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I have to ask myself what the opposition considers inflationary spending. For instance, yesterday, I heard a member opposite refer to our defence investments as if they were not important, as if they were all inflationary spending. I will tell members that when I am in Oromocto, when I am in Fredericton, at Base Gagetown, they do not see these as inflationary spending. They see these as important investments in the people who serve our country and protect our sovereignty. I applaud it. They applaud it. Unfortunately, the opposition votes against—

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