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Finance

Question period focused on the economy, the cost of living, and the government’s spring economic update. Conservative members said life is increasingly unaffordable, especially for young people who use food banks and cannot find housing, pointed to a national debt they put at $1 trillion, and quoted the parliamentary budget officer’s comment that the update was aWritten by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

10 statements

Joël Godin

Conservative
“Life costs more in my riding. Taxes and government debt are too high, and the deficit has reached $1 trillion under the Liberals. I want the Prime Minister to stop this reckless spending.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, our young people need hope for the future. The Liberals seem to think that everything is fine and there is nothing wrong with the cost of living, but what I hear in Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier is that everything costs more. Taxes are higher, debt is rising and we are maxing out the national credit card. The deficit is huge: $1 trillion since the Liberals took office. When will this costly Liberal Prime Minister stop spending recklessly and mortgaging our young people’s future?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“We are investing money in job training in Quebec. It will create 51,000 jobs, mainly for young people, to help build a high-speed train.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I will continue along the same lines. My colleague, the Minister of Jobs and Families, just spoke about the workforce training program. We will obviously invest the same amount of money on a pro rata basis in Quebec. That means 51,000 jobs, mainly for young people, people in the fields of engineering and construction, and all kinds of people who will help us achieve this great ambition of building a high-speed train in Canada. It is called Alto, and it will be built with our young people. It will truly give them hope.

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Joël Godin

Conservative
“Life costs too much, and young Canadians are struggling. The government has increased the deficit and its fuel tax relief is not enough. I want the Prime Minister to help taxpayers instead of protecting his tax money.”
Official Hansard

Wow, Mr. Speaker. Canada’s prosperity depends on the high-speed rail project and our young people will be the ones to benefit from it, but in the meantime, we have a problem. They are living in poverty and struggling to make ends meet. The fact of the matter is that Canadians are struggling because the cost of living is too high and the Liberals are continuing to impoverish law-abiding taxpayers. Let us not be fooled. The deficit has risen exponentially on this Liberal Prime Minister’s watch. Will he finally admit that these half measures on the fuel tax are not enough? Why is this Liberal Prime Minister more interested in protecting his tax revenue than in—

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Anna Gainey

Liberal

Linked statement

“We recently announced $6 billion to train and hire 100,000 skilled trades workers across Canada, including Quebec. We are building major projects and creating jobs for young people.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is true that just a week ago, in the spring economic update, we announced an investment of $6 billion to recruit, train and hire 100,000 skilled trades workers in Canada. That includes Quebec. We are building major projects. We are building Canada strong across the country. We will continue to provide career opportunities for young people for the future.

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Luc Berthold

Conservative
“Young people cannot afford food or housing. This is happening because the Prime Minister added a trillion dollars to the national debt. I want to know when he will stop spending so much money.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, when we say that it is all just an illusion, there is a glaring example of that. When we go and talk to young people in our ridings, we do not see that enthusiasm, because right now, young people are still lining up at food banks. Young people are still unable to find housing because they have no money; they cannot make ends meet. All of that is because this costly Prime Minister, who is just another Liberal, has chosen to increase the debt by another $1 trillion since he was elected. When will he stop spending money on the credit card?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“Young people want good jobs. Our government is creating jobs through big building projects, and we are training up to 100,000 workers to help young people succeed.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am not exactly young anymore, but with all due respect, I am closer to being young than my colleague. What young people are telling me is that they want good jobs and opportunities for the future. That is what we are doing with an economy that is the second strongest in the G7 and with job creation through major projects, such as the Port of Montreal’s Contrecoeur expansion, the high-speed rail project that my colleague mentioned earlier, the container terminal project at the Port of Québec and the Nouveau Monde Graphite project. We are supporting those major projects through a workforce training program. Between 80,000 and 100,000 training spots will be offered to ensure that young people have good opportunities to build Canada.

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Jacob Mantle

Conservative
“The budget watchdog says the government is spending now and paying later. How much will Canadians have to pay in the future for today's debt?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, last week, Parliament’s budget watchdog said the Liberals are engaging in a trade-off with the spring economic update. She called it potentially a spend now, pay later situation. We have all seen this scheme: just five easy payments, $19.95, and someone can have the newest thing. They just put it on their credit card, and they pay for it later. It sounds like spend less, invest more is really just spend now, pay more later. Can the Minister of Finance tell us how much Canadians will pay in the future for all the debt spending he is doing today?

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François-Philippe Champagne

Liberal
“The budget officer confirmed that we are on track to lower the deficit and our spending is sustainable. We are supporting youth and industry to build the country. The Conservatives should stop complaining and help us.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, in fact, my colleague has a selective memory because the PBO actually confirmed that the government is on track to reduce the deficit. The PBO addressed the current fiscal policy as “sustainable” under the IMF framework. We are building this country at a speed and scale not seen in a generation. We are supporting our young people. We are supporting our industry. The Conservatives should just stop complaining and build Canada strong with us.

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Jacob Mantle

Conservative
“The government's debt numbers look better than they really are because they leave out provincial debt and count public pensions as assets. I want the Minister of Finance to tell us if he will let foreign lenders take money from our pensions to pay our debts.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, these top-line numbers sound good, but just pull back the curtain and it is a bit of a different story. We can take the debt-to-GDP ratio. That does not include massive provincial debts, and on the asset side, it includes the CPP and the Quebec pension plan. Is the Minister of Finance telling Canadians today that he will allow foreign creditors to raid the pension plan and shortchange retirees?

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Wayne Long

Liberal
“The opposition is misleading people about the economy. Our recent economic update and the parliamentary budget officer both show that Canada's economy is doing better than expected.”

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  • Government answer in Question Period

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    This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “a leader who has never worked a day outside of this House”.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, despite that party’s best efforts to mislead Canadians about the economy, the spring economic update indicated that our economy is strong. He talked about the PBO. Let us listen to the PBO: “The Canadian economy continues to demonstrate resilience, with most indicators better than anticipated in Budget 2025.” Canadians have no time to listen to a leader who has never worked a day outside of this House. They have tuned him out. Let us build Canada strong.

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