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Monday, December 1, 2025 · sitting No. 64
Commons debates affordable living bill as Poilievre attacks on food costs
The House devoted 55 per cent of its sitting to government orders on the Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act. Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer said the bill plagiarizes Conservative ideas while failing to address debt and growth. Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux replied that the measure delivers tax relief to 22 million Canadians and accused the opposition of filibustering.
In Question Period, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre cited an Observatoire québécois des inégalités report showing an 82 per cent rise in food insecurity in Quebec and asked why the government adds taxes and inflation rather than cutting spending. Liberal MP Anna Gainey said investments in the Canada child benefit and school meals directly assist families and noted that Conservatives have voted against those measures.
Poilievre also pressed on housing starts falling 34 per cent in Ontario municipalities and on the industrial carbon tax raising costs for steel and construction materials. Liberal MP Gregor Robertson answered that average rents and home prices are declining and that the government has committed $13 billion to affordable housing.
From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard
Question Period – December 1, 2025. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube
Who held the floor · 2025-12-01
AI-rated The sitting score and the rating of each answer come from a language model reading Hansard. How the AI rates this
Other moments
Criminal Code
Conservative MP Rachael Thomas supported Bill C-225, describing intimate partner violence as an epidemic and praising the sponsor's work on specific Criminal Code offences for repeat offenders.
Read the exchangeCarbon Pricing
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Algoma Steel's layoff of 1,000 workers shows the industrial carbon tax is destroying jobs after the government broke its trade-deal promise.
Read the exchangeBorder Security
Conservative MP Jacob Mantle listed four consecutive days of CBSA system outages and said goods, food deliveries and just-in-time supply chains are disrupted.
Read the exchangeArtificial Intelligence
Liberal MP Evan Solomon announced $42.5 million in new AI compute capacity for researchers and said the funding keeps data sovereign while supporting institutes in Montreal, Edmonton and Toronto.
Read the exchangeMarine Transportation
NDP MP Gord Johns called for a coordinated response system for cargo spills after repeated incidents and proposed an ecosystem service fee on shipping containers.
Read the exchangeQuestion Period, exchange by exchange
AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this
- deflectedThe EconomyPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Anna Gainey (Liberal). loaded question.Answer promotes government programs and criticizes opposition votes without addressing the tax/inflation/bureaucracy claim.
Those of us on this side of the House are here for families. On the other side, they have voted against all of these measures every single time.
- deflectedThe EconomyPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). loaded question.Answer defends programs and questions opposition motives instead of addressing why spending increases food costs.
Why are this leader and his party so bent on voting against measures that help people experiencing food insecurity?
- deflectedCarbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Mélanie Joly (Liberal). loaded question.Answer focuses on US tariffs and worker support while ignoring carbon tax and broken promise on jobs.
We will make sure we support them as they are developing new products and accessing new markets.
- misdirectedCarbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Patty Hajdu (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservatives' EI voting record instead of addressing carbon tax and food bank increases.
How do the Conservatives, in any way, have the right to stand up and talk about the needs of Canadians when they stand in the way of the supports those very Canadians need?
- deflectedCarbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). loaded question.Answer highlights tax cuts and accuses opposition of blocking measures without addressing carbon tax on food or tax havens.
What is most disturbing for Canadians watching at home is that, at every step of the way, when we were there for families, for workers and for Canadians, Conservatives stood in the way.
- misdirectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Gregor Robertson (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservative housing votes instead of addressing housing starts decline or carbon tax on building materials.
The Conservatives have stalled the first-time homebuyers' GST break since June. They have no credibility on affordable housing.
- deflectedClimate ChangeChristine Normandin (Bloc) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). substantive question.Answer defends the Alberta deal as progress but does not address whether targets will be met or admit failure.
the agreement reached last week is a major step forward for climate change and the environment in Canada.
- misdirectedClimate ChangeChristine Normandin (Bloc) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). rhetorical question.Answer shifts to praising BC projects and implicitly criticizes Bloc instead of addressing the oil deal or resignations.
B.C. is the big winner when it comes to creating opportunities, jobs and major projects in Canada.
- deflectedClimate ChangeMario Simard (Bloc) asked Mélanie Joly (Liberal). loaded question.Answer shifts to US geopolitics and sovereignty without addressing Quebec betrayal or oil deal criticism.
That is why we decided to sign such an important agreement with Alberta.
- misdirectedHousingMelissa Lantsman (Conservative) asked Gregor Robertson (Liberal). rhetorical question.Answer attacks Conservative hypocrisy instead of addressing housing affordability or the proposed slogan.
it is hypocrisy to hear this from the Conservatives.
- deflectedPublic SafetyMelissa Lantsman (Conservative) asked Patty Hajdu (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to social supports and criticizes individualism without addressing public safety or cost-of-living failures.
The kinds of recommendations coming out of these reports fly in the face of the individualism we hear from over on the other side.
- deflectedThe EconomyLuc Berthold (Conservative) asked Anna Gainey (Liberal). loaded question.Answer highlights child benefits and day care without addressing deficits, taxes, or food insecurity statistics.
They told me just how much our investments are doing for their families, whether it is because of lower day care costs or because they are receiving the Canada child benefit.
- partly answeredThe EconomyLuc Berthold (Conservative) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). loaded question.Answer mentions tax cuts and housing measures but ignores food insecurity doubling and Brookfield criticism.
Twenty-two million Canadians are now paying less tax.
- misdirectedCarbon PricingShelby Kramp-Neuman (Conservative) asked Stephanie McLean (Liberal). loaded question.Answer lists budget votes against instead of explaining the carbon tax increase amid cost-of-living pressures.
Canadians and seniors want to know who these Conservatives are fighting for, because it certainly is not them.
- misdirectedThe EconomyShelby Kramp-Neuman (Conservative) asked Stephanie McLean (Liberal). substantive question.Answer attacks Conservatives on seniors programs without addressing food bank usage or grocery costs.
They voted against old-age security.
- misdirectedThe EconomyAnna Roberts (Conservative) asked Adam van Koeverden (Liberal). loaded question.Answer criticizes Conservatives for not supporting recommendations instead of addressing carbon tax or food bank crisis.
How do the Conservatives sleep at night just exploiting the challenges that Canadians are facing for their own political gain without following one suggestion?
- deflectedClimate ChangePatrick Bonin (Bloc) asked Nathalie Provost (Liberal). loaded question.The answer disputes the premise of betrayal but pivots to general strategy without addressing the mandate question.
I am not sure we can call it betrayal. Our government is developing a new strategy to achieve important goals.
- misdirectedClimate ChangePatrick Bonin (Bloc) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the Bloc's claims and shifts to listing unrelated policies instead of addressing the pipeline or targets.
the Bloc Québécois is saying things that are not true. Nobody understands why those members are getting so worked up.
- deflectedTaxationEric Lefebvre (Conservative) asked Anna Gainey (Liberal). substantive question.The answer ignores the fuel tax and food insecurity question to discuss unrelated budget measures like automatic tax filing.
our budget is helping Canadians move forward. The report indicated that access to support measures needed to be improved.
- misdirectedTaxationEric Lefebvre (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). loaded question.The answer turns to attacking Conservatives' voting record rather than addressing the tax cut on luxury boats or food bank responsibility.
what the people at these events ask me is why the Conservatives always vote against school food programs, the Canada child benefit, tax cuts, dental care and pharmacare.
- deflectedCarbon PricingTamara Kronis (Conservative) asked Stephanie McLean (Liberal). loaded question.The answer lists government programs but avoids any mention of the industrial carbon tax or its grocery price impact.
we are supporting seniors and individuals across Vancouver Island to ensure that they have an affordable life.
- deflectedCarbon PricingTamara Kronis (Conservative) asked Stephanie McLean (Liberal). substantive question.The answer again lists benefits like OAS without addressing the request to eliminate the industrial carbon tax.
what Canadians and Vancouver Islanders need to ensure an affordable life is money in their jeans.
- misdirectedCarbon PricingBrad Vis (Conservative) asked Patty Hajdu (Liberal). loaded question.The answer dismisses the premise as imaginary taxes and attacks the opposition's information rather than addressing the carbon tax on food costs.
here we go again with the imaginary taxes. In fact, the food professor himself said that one of the hardest things to predict is the effect of climate change on the cost of food.
- deflectedNatural ResourcesJasraj Hallan (Conservative) asked Tim Hodgson (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to the premier's reaction and attacks Conservative policy positions instead of giving a timeline for shovels in the ground.
I guess the member opposite did not listen to his premier because his premier said it was a great day for Alberta.
- deflectedNatural ResourcesJasraj Hallan (Conservative) asked Tim Hodgson (Liberal). loaded question.The answer dismisses the query as conspiracy theories without addressing the specific financial question about Brookfield or handouts.
Mr. Speaker, here the Conservatives go again with conspiracy theories.
- partly answeredNatural ResourcesBilly Morin (Conservative) asked Tim Hodgson (Liberal). loaded question.The answer references the prior apology and describes the MOU but does not address whether the announcement was merely a photo op.
This MOU lays out clearly how we will work with indigenous peoples to get things built in Canada.
- partly answeredNatural ResourcesEllis Ross (Conservative) asked Rebecca Alty (Liberal). substantive question.The answer states the duty to consult requirement but does not address the timing of pre-consultations or the shift of responsibility to Alberta.
The projects, as they move forward, require that consultation, and that is what we will do.
- misdirectedNatural ResourcesAaron Gunn (Conservative) asked David McGuinty (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots entirely to a European defence agreement instead of addressing the pipeline approval question.
this summer, we signed a historic agreement to forge a new, ambitious and comprehensive partnership with European countries.
- deflectedNatural ResourcesDavid Bexte (Conservative) asked Tim Hodgson (Liberal). loaded question.The answer reframes the question around a trade war and team Canada plan without addressing the tax hike or project timeline.
Our agreement with Alberta is a wartime-like team Canada plan to strengthen our hand and put Canada in a winning position—
- partly answeredAutomotive IndustryArpan Khanna (Conservative) asked Mélanie Joly (Liberal). substantive question.The answer discusses meetings and union support but does not provide the promised update or plan from GM.
I have had several meetings. I even went to Ingersoll. I met with Unifor.
- deflectedAutomotive IndustryAndrew Lawton (Conservative) asked Mélanie Joly (Liberal). loaded question.The answer shifts focus to American tariffs and ongoing fights without addressing the 39-day delay or lack of plan.
That is why we have been supporting all of them, working with Unifor and working with Lana Payne, who is on speed dial and to whom I speak pretty much every day.
- deflectedAutomotive IndustryKelly McCauley (Conservative) asked Mélanie Joly (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the Harper record and tells Conservatives to stop whining instead of confirming whether the finance minister read the contracts.
The Conservatives should stop whining. They should just get on board and make sure—
- deflectedHousingSandra Cobena (Conservative) asked Gregor Robertson (Liberal). loaded question.The answer highlights falling housing prices and PBO data but ignores the carbon tax question entirely.
the price of housing is actually coming down.
- deflectedHousingSandra Cobena (Conservative) asked Gregor Robertson (Liberal). loaded question.The response promotes Liberal housing investments and attacks Conservatives without addressing the industrial carbon tax.
this side of the House has proposed a budget that has unprecedented investment in affordable housing.
- misdirectedHousingRoman Baber (Conservative) asked Patty Hajdu (Liberal). loaded question.The answer shifts to northern Ontario mayors and unrelated projects instead of responding to the carbon tax or GTA housing question.
I want to recognize the northern Ontario mayors who were here this week, talking about their incredible work to attract people to northern Ontario.
- deflectedThe EconomyBernard Généreux (Conservative) asked Mélanie Joly (Liberal). loaded question.The answer discusses jobs and tariffs but avoids any mention of the fuel tax or food costs raised in the question.
ordinary Quebeckers want to be able to get good jobs.
- partly answeredMarine TransportationGord Johns (NDP) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). substantive question.The response acknowledges the issue and commits to ongoing work but provides no timeline or specific action on the recommendations.
I can assure him that we will continue to work on it as we work on the security of our supply chains and the sustainability of our marine transportation system.