Don Davies
Vancouver Kingsway, British Columbia · NDP · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, New Democrats have raised the alarm on surveillance pricing, an invasive and unfair scheme that gouges Canadians. We called on the Liberals to follow the Manitoba NDP government, which moved swiftly to ban this insidious practice.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark Philippine Independence Day and to celebrate Filipino Heritage Month across Canada. I was honoured to join many friends in the Filipino Canadian community for the annual flag raising ceremony at Filipino Plaza in the heart of Vancouver Kingsway.”
“Mr. Speaker, New Democrats have been advocating for a Filipino cultural centre in metro Vancouver for many years. Our persistence resulted in the federal budget committing to fund this much-needed community resource. After the Lapu-Lapu tragedy, this centre is needed now more than ever.”
“Yes, Mr. Speaker, this is going to take a multi-jurisdictional approach. The member is quite right that the provinces have a role to play, but the federal government regulates banks and the banking sector. One of my children has a disability, and every January or February I make a contribution to her RDSP.”
“They replied that he signed off on the wire transfers that stated if he was being coached into cryptocurrency he shouldn't go through with it—none of the wire transfers use that type of language.”
“The amendments also sought to make decisions of the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments binding. These measures were recommended by advocacy organizations, including Option consommateurs and Democracy Watch, which argued that without mandatory audits, transparency, and accountability mechanisms, existing anti-fraud rules would…”
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“Mr. Speaker, New Democrats just returned from Rankin Inlet, where we witnessed the challenges facing Canadians in the north. We heard stories of 12, 15 or 17 people living in a two-bedroom home, of folks on housing waitlists for decades and of extreme food prices, from $15 onions to $28 orange juice. There is no hospital, not enough jobs and unreliable Internet. People are experiencing similar issues in communities across Canada. When is the government going to take real action to address them?”
“Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the New Democratic caucus and my colleagues, I would also like to extend our best wishes this holiday season to all of the members of the House and all of the staff on the Hill. I cannot do better than my colleague from the Bloc, who, I think, enumerated all of the very many people who, every day, not only make this place work but provide such a foundational support for Canadian democracy. On their behalf, I wish everybody a merry Christmas and the best of the holiday season. Have a safe and happy holiday.”
“Mr. Speaker, the former Liberal environment minister says this government approved a bitumen pipeline that abandons Canada's climate goals and risks B.C.'s coast. In the House, the Prime Minister said that British Columbia and impacted first nations must agree to this project. In B.C., the energy minister claimed that free, prior and informed consent would be required, but the MOU signed between Ottawa and Alberta says no such thing. The Liberals are telling one story here, another in B.C., and yet another in Alberta. Canadians deserve to know, is consent for this pipeline required or not?”
“Mr. Speaker, I was in the House when the Prime Minister said that this pipeline would require the consent of the Government of British Columbia, as well as first nations. I then, of course, read the MOU, and it says no such thing. I think the energy minister went to British Columbia and then said that it would require free, prior and informed consent of indigenous nations. What is the position of the Conservative Party? Do the Conservatives believe—”
“Mr. Chair, what I would just mention is this. One thing I have heard in this House for years is that the federal government is going to take the lead on building a nationwide system of EV charging stations. It is true that we have to build the infrastructure to support the transition to those vehicles. The Liberals have never done that, and that is a serious problem. We need a serious government that is going to take this issue seriously. The Liberal—”
“By the way, it is very different from what the Liberals said during the election campaign as well, which I think contributes to a sense of political cynicism in this country when voters think they are voting for one thing and they get another.”
“Mr. Chair, I very much respect my hon. colleague's perspective and experience, but I am afraid that I would have to respectfully disagree with him on a couple of points. One is that I do think the future of the auto sector is one that is going to pivot away from the internal combustion engine. I think that the most far-sighted, intelligent economies of the world will be making those investments now to build the cars of the future, not the cars of the past. Again, I have heard time and time again from businesses over my time as an elected MP that what businesses need is certainty. They can respond to different policies but they need certainty. This lurching change in EV policy has confused the industry. I think it is bad for the environment, bad for the climate and bad for investment in this country when the government alters its position.”
“Mr. Chair, we are not the government. The real question should be reversed. How does the government plan to respond to U.S. tariffs? I will tell members one thing. What the Liberals should do is honour the promises they made Canadians during the election campaign, which was that they would stand up to Donald Trump, elbows up, that they would have a robust position where they would match American tariffs one for one and that they would retaliate. That is why Canadians put their faith in the Liberal Party and the Prime Minister . What have they seen in the last six months? They have seen unilateral concession after unilateral concession, getting nothing in return. That is not what Canadians expected from the government, and it is not the tariff policy that we need.”
“Let us become more self-sufficient, get more value from our raw resources, build more things here, diversify our trade relationships and make Canada a stronger, independent, sovereign economy like we should have done 40 years ago.”
“I think it was naive beyond belief in the 1980s and 1990s to think that the United States would always be benevolent and that they would always subordinate their interests to Canada's. I think we are learning that this is not the case. Donald Trump's “put America first” policy means that Canadians are second. What we have to do now is correct that. Why the government fails to recognize that is beyond me, but unfortunately, Canadian workers and Canadian communities are paying the price for that lack of foresight now. The question for Canadians is, what do we do now? Let us invest in our country now. Let us not make the same mistake.”
“Mr. Chair, that is an excellent question. There are probably a number of factors that go into that. I think the fundamental flaw was a decision made in the late 1980s, where it was decided that we would more closely integrate the Canadian economy into the United States' economy. At that time, again, as I said, New Democrats felt that this was the wrong course of action. Although, obviously, our long border, our geographic proximity and all of those various factors mean we are always going to be very close trading partners with our partners to the south, to the extent possible, we needed the government to be pivoting our economy away from the United States, just in case a moment like today ever occurred.”
“We have to stop doing what we have done for the last 40 years, which is simply to try to integrate our economy more deeply into the American one. We have to have faith in our own country. Let us invest here. Let us build our vehicles here. Let us export to other countries in the world, and let us reduce our dependency on the United States. There will be some economic pain and adjustment to that, absolutely, but what have we learned in the last several years? We have learned that the Americans are no longer a trustworthy partner. The Prime Minister says that himself. We would be foolhardy to continue to try to repair a damaged relationship. Let us bet on Canada. Let us get more self-sufficient, build the vehicles of the future here and export them all over the world.”
“Well, Mr. Chair, it is said that when one is in a hole, the first thing one should do is stop digging. We did not just wake up today with this kind of vulnerability in the auto sector. This is the result of policy failures by successive Liberal and Conservative governments over several decades. I was talking to a colleague earlier, from the Conservative Party, who told me that he remembers when there were tens of thousands of workers in Ontario running three shifts in a row, 24 hours a day, producing massive numbers of vehicles, and now there are hundreds of them who are walking into empty factories. That did not just happen. What we need is a reinvigorated, robust commitment to investing in Canada.”
“Donald Trump has been clear that he wants to hurt our economy by shifting production from Canada to the U.S. We cannot let that happen. Instead of capitulation to the Trump administration, we need decisive action to protect jobs, strengthen our auto industry and build an economy that works for all—”
“Businesses need certainty in order to invest, yet this reversal means that Canada will be eclipsed by competitors in the race to the future. While the rest of the world is building EV supply chains, securing battery production and creating sustainable jobs, Canada is betting regressively on 20th-century technology and production like pipelines, fossil fuels and internal combustion engines. Rather than appeasing the oil and gas sector, Canada must develop resilient supply chains for EV manufacturing, diversify its trade partners and reduce our dependence on the U.S. market once and for all. If we fail to act, we will lose not just community-sustaining jobs but an entire generation of industrial leadership. Canada cannot afford to be at the mercy of any foreign government or corporation.”
“did to achieve its economic strength. The Liberal government's present lack of leadership has only deepened the crisis. By its weak and ineffective response to Donald Trump, we have emboldened the U.S., and we are seeing the job losses and industrial challenges here as a result. This must be addressed and reversed immediately. We can start by saying that every vehicle sold in Canada must be matched by a vehicle produced here, as we did so successfully with the auto pact. There should be no more vehicles going across the border 12 times before being finished. Let us produce, fabricate and assemble the vehicles here as much as we can. We must also think forward and build the vehicles of the future. By recently reversing Canada's electric vehicle mandate, the Liberal government has left the Canadian auto industry in limbo and confusion.”
“It was the NDP that said then that while the Canada-U.S. trading relationship was profoundly important, we should be doing everything we can to reduce our dependence on the American market, to diversify our trade and to produce more in Canada to make our economy stronger and more self-sufficient. As a wise merchant told me in Vancouver, it is a vulnerable business that relies too heavily on one customer. It is clear that those parties, whose poor economic planning got us into the serious economic precarity we are in today, will not be capable of getting us out of it. What we need is what the NDP called for in the late 1980s: a strong policy of economic nationalization, in which we use Canadian companies, using and adding value to Canadian resources and employing Canadian workers to build here and export to the world, just like the U.S.”
“In our view, any company that wants access to the Canadian market should be required to produce here, no matter where they are headquartered. Whether it is an American, European, Japanese, Korean or Chinese company, if it wants to sell in Canada, it must invest in Canada. The original auto pact created thousands of jobs and made Canada a global auto leader. A modern auto pact would protect Canadian jobs, innovation and sovereignty in a sector that is vital to our future. It is important to note that it was Conservative and then Liberal policies in the late 1980s and 1990s that put Canada in this vulnerable position with the U.S. today. Those parties decided to more deeply integrate the Canadian economy with the American economy and then with the Mexican one, when the New Democrats warned that this was the wrong course of action.”
“(2235) Workers should never be forced to physically occupy their workplace to protect equipment that Canadian taxpayers helped pay for. Canada should never have to bow down to aggressive American actions that are unfair and unjustified. Precious tax dollars should never be wasted on companies without a solid guarantee that this investment will create solid returns and jobs for Canadians and their families. Instead the federal government should do what New Democrats have long called for and stop these companies from taking our money and shipping the equipment we funded out the door. The reality is that Canada must now take bold action to reclaim control over our auto industry. That means revisiting the principles of the auto pact, which for decades required automakers to produce at least one vehicle in Canada for every one sold here.”
“It marketed its Prime Minister as one who was able to handle Donald Trump. His economist background was touted to be just what Canada needed to protect and advance our economy, yet what have we seen to date? We have seen the Prime Minister make a series of unilateral concessions to the U.S. without securing a single gain for Canada. We have seen the Liberals remove retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. after promising Canadians we would match American tariffs one for one. In the last few months alone, we have seen $500 million of taxpayer money thrown away to companies who turned around and cut thousands of Canadian jobs. Worse still, the Liberals advanced these funds knowing the companies were going to slash Canadians' employment just before Christmas.”
“Just this week, Algoma Steel issued layoff notices to 1,000 workers after the Liberals gave it $400 million. Shockingly, according to Algoma's CEO, the federal government knew about these layoff plans before delivering the public funds. General Motors has also delivered a series of blows. The company plans to lay off 2,000 workers at its Oshawa plant this January. This comes after GM announced that it was pausing production at its assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk. Unifor Local 88 has taken the courageous position of vowing to take over the Ingersoll plant if the company attempts to remove equipment from the building. The present Liberal government was elected largely on its promise to take an elbows-up approach to dealing with the United States.”
“This has negatively affected companies involved in direct automotive production, as well as those who indirectly support this critical industry. Here are some notable examples. Stellantis recently announced plans to end production at its Brampton assembly plant and shipped 3,000 Canadian jobs to Illinois. In Windsor, Stellantis idled its assembly plant in April, laying off 4,500 employees and threatening up to 12,000 jobs in the auto parts supply chain. It was shocking to hear news of this betrayal. The federal Liberal government paid Stellantis more than $220 million to upgrade its plants before this decision was announced, and another $15 billion in production subsidies were provided to Stellantis in exchange for an explicit commitment to manufacture in Canada. This has become a disturbing pattern under the Liberal government.”
“Let us be very clear that these actions are totally unjustified and wrong. They violate every principle of fair trade and good international relations. They are a cold, self-interested calculation by the American President, intended to move jobs and production from Canada to the United States. These measures have driven up production costs, disrupted supply chains and eroded our position in the U.S. market, where more than 90% of Canadian auto exports are sold. The consequences of our dependence on this single market have been devastating. In recent months, Canada has lost tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs, with Ontario seeing the greatest impact. Manufacturing employment as a share of Ontario's total workforce has now fallen below 10% for the first time since records began in 1976.”
“Mr. Chair, Canada's auto industry has long been a proud cornerstone of our economy. It contributes over $16 billion to our GDP annually and supports more than 600,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide, but today, that foundation is cracking. For decades, Canada's auto sector has relied on a highly integrated North American supply chain dependent on just-in-time delivery and seamless cross-border co-operation, but what was once considered a strength has now been exposed as a dangerous vulnerability. Donald Trump's trade war is seriously damaging the Canadian auto industry, and our workers and communities are paying the price. Earlier this year, the Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles and parts, along with duties on steel and aluminum.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is telling Canadians to sacrifice during the jobs crisis. Liberals have no money to sign pharmacare agreements or meet their housing promises, but today we find out they gave $400 million to Algoma Steel when they knew it was cutting 1,000 jobs. They gave $100 million more than they admitted to Stellantis, which cut 3,000 jobs. Why did the Liberals give half a billion dollars to companies that just eliminated 4,000 Canadian jobs?”
“He has been re-elected 12 times, which is remarkable, so his constituents obviously appreciate those things as well. His ongoing presence in the House enriches us all and shows how hard he has been working for his constituents for over 40 years. On behalf of the NDP, I want to congratulate the member on his achievements.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in congratulating and honouring the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak . I was first elected in 2008, and even then, the hon. member was already the dean of the House, overseeing the election of the Speaker at the opening of Parliament. Surprisingly, he played the same role just a few months ago, when I myself became dean of the NDP caucus. He was first elected with Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives in 1984. He was re-elected four years later, when the election campaign focused on our trade relations with the United States, so what is happening these days should feel like familiar territory. During our years of working together, I have appreciated the humour and the passion with which he represents his constituents.”
“Mr. Speaker, before he was elected, the Prime Minister claimed to care about the climate crisis and protecting our lands and waters. B.C. Liberal MPs all said they supported the tanker ban in northern B.C. Now we see them stealing pages from the Conservative playbook. Without consulting the Premier of British Columbia or first nations, Liberals are reversing 50 years of protection for sensitive coastal waters, overriding the law and risking billions of dollars of economic activity. Why are Liberals sacrificing the B.C. coast and betraying the voters who sent them here?”
“The NDP believes we should be raising taxes progressively so we can have a robustly funded government, so Canadians can get the services they need and so we can have the ability to pay for them without going into a massive deficit.”
“Mr. Speaker, New Democrats have the best record for balancing budgets per year of government of any party in the House, from 1867 to today. We agree that crushing levels of debt and massive deficits are not healthy. That is why I call this budget a Conservative budget. The Liberals cut revenue and have responded by cutting taxes. They cut the capital gains inclusion measure. They cut the digital services tax. They refuse to make our income tax system more progressive. Then, when there is a revenue problem, they respond by cutting services that Canadians rely upon. That is a classic small-c conservative approach to government.”
“relations, now is the time to be investing in our country, building more here, becoming more self-sufficient, getting more value from our raw resources and diversifying our trade relationships. While the government is taking some steps in that regard, we lost a real opportunity in this budget to reset our Canadian economy in a way that puts us first and that would raise the living standard of every single Canadian. Instead—”
“Mr. Speaker, it is true that all budgets have things in them that are worthy of support and other things that we do not like. In a 600-page document, this is going to be the case. This gives me a chance to underscore a practice that has developed in Parliament: implementing omnibus bills, wherein all sorts of things that have nothing to do with a budget are tossed into the budget. Again, that is something the Liberals disliked in opposition, and they are doing it in government. There are things in this budget New Democrats will support. That is a fair comment to make, but we have to examine a budget as a whole. When one takes a broad look at this budget, there is such lost opportunity. With the Trump administration upending Canada-U.S.”
“Mr. Speaker, that question really asks whether this budget addresses the very serious issues facing seniors in this country. I would like to focus on pharmacare because we believe that every person in this country should be able to get the medication they need when they need it. Who are the heaviest users of pharmaceuticals in this country? It is seniors. I am shocked this budget does not allocate a single dollar for the government to honour its commitment in law from the last Parliament to sign agreements with every province and territory so that every senior in this country can get the pharmaceutical medication they need with their health card, not their credit card. The Liberals have failed to keep that promise.”
“It is a future where families can access quality child care; where seniors can retire with dignity; where everyone who wants a job can find one, with fair pay and decent conditions; where communities have reliable public transit, clean water and healthy food; where indigenous peoples have justice, respect and real reconciliation; and where universal pharmacare, dental care and mental health services are there for Canadians when they need them. This is how we build a country where everyone can thrive, not just the privileged few. Canadians sent us here to tackle the pressing challenges they face and improve their lives. Instead, this budget locks in choices that burden families and further enrich the wealthy. New Democrats will oppose the measures in this legislation, because this budget is about the country we want to build.”
“Budget 2025 reveals that the Liberals value yachts over youth employment, private jets over public pharmacare, tax breaks for tech giants over relief for families, and military expansion over health care for Canadians. New Democrats believe in a better path. We seek a future where every family has an affordable place to call home; where our men and women in uniform have the tools they need, but so do our doctors, nurses and teachers; where climate action meets the urgency of the moment; and where fair taxation ensures that those at the top contribute their fair share and that we have the revenue to properly fund the government and the services it provides.”
“New Democrats do not want a budget that delivers for Donald Trump. We want a budget that delivers for Canadians. This bill eliminates the underused housing tax, which helped fight speculation from foreign investors and freed up homes for Canadian families. It is a blatant gift to the property development industry, and it weakens environmental protections in the Competition Act. There is so much more that could have been and should be done, in our view. Now is the time to invest heavily in our country, our companies, our people and our infrastructure. Now is the time to help the millions of working and marginalized Canadians, from improving their health care and creating good, family-sustaining jobs to building creative supports like disability benefits that folks can actually live on. Budgets are about choices, and choices reveal values.”
“For example, this legislation removes the luxury tax on yachts and private jets, a blatant gift to the wealthy at a time when working families are struggling just to make ends meet. It repeals the digital services tax before it even got into play, a measure that would have ensured the biggest U.S. tech giants and billionaires on the planet, like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, pay their fair share. Instead, the Liberals are scrapping it at the behest of Donald Trump, which is just the latest in a long line of one-sided concessions to the U.S. that have delivered precisely nothing for Canada. Let us remember that, during the last election, the Liberals promised to keep their elbows up, stand firm and fight for Canadians. Now, when it matters most, they have dropped their elbows and caved to pressure from Washington.”
“These broken promises and hidden details matter because they reveal the true priorities behind this legislation. While Canadians face true, real hardship, the government is making choices that deepen inequality and weaken the services people rely on. There are provisions in this act that New Democrats support because, in the main, they reflect priorities we have long fought for and have been instrumental in advancing. These include a tax credit for personal support workers, high-speed rail between Quebec and Ontario, a permanent national school food program, a waste biomass tax credit to help our ailing forestry sector and improved information sharing to address worker misclassification and fraud. Unfortunately, these are overshadowed by Liberal choices that take our country backwards.”
“When we slash tens of thousands of positions, frontline services suffer. Do Canadians want to wait months to renew their passports? Do they want to speak to someone about their taxes or be put on hold with a computerized menu? Do they want delays in receiving their old-age security cheques? (1110) According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the Liberals are withholding information on $60 billion in cuts announced in budget 2025. Instead of specifics, Canadians are being given empty buzzwords like “streamlining”, “modernizing” and “recalibrating”, along with vague assurances that artificial intelligence will somehow fill this gap. After the Conservatives' Phoenix pay system disaster, Canadians have every reason to be skeptical of grandiose promises based on unproven technology.”
“During the last election, the Liberals promised to cap, not cut, public service employment, yet budget 2025 takes a hatchet to the public services by eliminating 40,000 jobs. The Prime Minister led Canadians to believe, and in fact did so in writing, that he understood both the urgency and opportunities of dealing with the climate crisis, yet he cancelled EV metrics, abandoned emissions targets and is poised to approve fossil fuel pipelines and reverse half a century of tanker bans, jeopardizing sensitive B.C. coastal waters. He led Canadians to believe he would protect health care, yet his budget has no money to honour Liberal pharmacare commitments or ensure that health transfers keep up with health care inflation. Let us be clear about what this means for people's lives.”
“It is neglecting to build our public health care system, a cornerstone of Canadian identity and a key economic advantage for Canadian employers. It is failing to tackle the housing crisis or ease the crushing cost of living with the immediacy and depth these crises call for. It is massively ramping up military spending to 5% of GDP over time, a greater portion than even the United States spends to maintain its global military empire. In the midst of a jobs crisis, it is slashing services and eliminating tens of thousands of family-sustaining jobs. Many of these represent a profound betrayal of the promises Liberals made to the Canadian people just months ago, an about-face to the progressive folks who placed their faith in the government at election time and a surprising embracing of Conservative policies. Let us examine a few examples.”
“The Liberals promised Canadians, both during the last election campaign and over the last several months, that they would respond to these serious and entrenched problems. In fact, they promised transformational, generational change, yet in the face of these challenges, this budget has been roundly determined from all quarters to be anything but that. Instead, the Liberals have missed the opportunity to positively adjust the Canadian economy, deeply invest in long-ignored Canadian infrastructure and strengthen the institutions that Canadians rely on and that define us as a nation. At its core, the government is not offering creative solutions. Instead, it is demanding sacrifices from workers while handing out billions to the wealthiest individuals and the most profitable corporations.”
“Budget implementation legislation should be about accountability. It should give Parliament the opportunity to examine the government's economic commitments in detail. Instead, this bill forces us to vote on a grab bag of measures, some positive and some deeply concerning, all bundled into a single package. This is not transparency. It does not display respect for Parliament or for the Canadians who sent us here. Canadians are struggling. Unemployment has climbed to its highest level in a decade, leaving young people desperate for work. Half of Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque. The cost of essentials, from groceries to rent, continues to rise. Our economy is teetering on the edge of recession, while U.S. President Donald Trump threatens further damage.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-15 , the budget 2025 implementation act, no. 1. Bill C-15 is a massive omnibus bill. It is over 600 pages long and packed with legislative changes that touch nearly every corner of government, from departments and agencies to Crown corporations. Ironically, when they were in opposition, the Liberals strenuously condemned Stephen Harper for using omnibus bills to “prevent Parliament from properly reviewing and debating his proposals.” They called it an “undemocratic practice” and pledged to end it. However, here we are, ironically faced with a bill that does exactly what the Liberals once condemned. Now Parliament is expected to rush a bill through that would make fundamental changes to law and policy without the scrutiny Canadians expect and deserve.”
“Mr. Speaker, I agree very much with my colleague that treatment is the answer for people suffering from substance abuse disorder. I think that, for a long time, the population has realized this is a health issue and not a criminal issue. If it is a health issue, we need to create the health care architecture so that everybody can get access to just-in-time treatment, because we all know that when someone needs treatment, they need it right now. Does the hon. member agree with me that we should be making available, through our public health care system, treatment for substance use disorders so that everybody can get access to the treatment they need without having to pay out of pocket, as is now the case?”
“New Democrats are ready to offer a different approach, with positive, constructive policies to build a stronger country and a fairer society.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians sent us here to tackle the pressing issues they are facing and improve their lives. They want us to strengthen Canada and create a brighter future for our children. New Democrats are inspired by Jack Layton, who urged us to make Parliament work and to deliver results for people. That is because we believe Canadians deserve a future where everyone can thrive, not just the privileged few. We are ready to roll up our sleeves and work to make that vision a reality. It is clear that millions of Canadians are struggling right now. Instead of offering solutions, the Liberals are demanding sacrifices from workers while handing out billions to the wealthiest individuals and the most profitable corporations. They are slashing services and cutting thousands of family-sustaining jobs amid a jobs crisis.”
“Mr. Speaker, it has been said, “Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value." The Liberal budget chose to slash public services and cut frontline jobs, but it eliminated a tax on luxury yachts and private jets. To cover this blatant gift to the rich, the finance minister claimed that the tax cost more to administer than it raised, but that is not true; the luxury tax brought in 20 times what it cost, raising hundreds of millions of dollars a year. What value should Canadians take from the Liberals' choice?”
“Mr. Speaker, last year Parliament passed legislation to deliver diabetes medication and contraception medication to every Canadian through our public health care system. This is vital to millions of people's health and the foundation of universal pharmacare. In budget 2025, Liberals promised Canadians they would protect pharmacare, but they did not allocate any money to it. Will the Prime Minister clearly confirm he will keep his word and make funding available to every province and territory that wants to sign a pharmacare agreement with the federal government?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is increasingly clear that the government's budget fails to deliver the transformational change promised and fails to meet the moment. It fails to provide any relief right now to the millions of Canadians suffering through an affordability crisis. Sixty per cent are having trouble meeting their monthly expenses. Half are using credit cards or borrowing money for daily needs, paying interest rates of 19% or more. Why did the Liberals fail to provide concrete measures to help the millions of Canadians who need help now?”