The sitting was dominated by a Conservative opposition motion on food affordability, which argued that Liberal policies are driving the highest food inflation in the G7 and called for the removal of several federal taxes and regulations. The government countered with its own affordability measures, chiefly the newly introduced Canada groceries and essentials benefit. Oral Questions repeatedly returned to the same clash over the causes of rising grocery prices and the government’s record.
The main business was the Conservative opposition motion on food affordability, moved by Luc Berthold (CPC). The motion declared that Canada has the highest food inflation in the G7, that food bank use has more than doubled since the Liberals took office, and that the House should call on the government to introduce a plan that removes the industrial carbon tax, the fuel standards tax, and the food packaging tax, and boosts competition in the grocery sector. Conservatives argued these “hidden taxes” drive up production and transport costs that are passed to consumers. The Liberals opposed the motion, arguing that the industrial carbon tax has a negligible impact on food prices, that the claimed taxes are largely imaginary, and that global factors such as climate change, supply-chain disruptions, and U.S. tariffs are the real drivers. The Bloc Québécois and NDP both criticized the motion as a recycled attack on carbon pricing that would not address the root causes of food inflation, with the Bloc pointing to the lack of competition in the grocery sector and the NDP calling for an excess-profit tax on large grocers. The government highlighted its own Bill C-19, the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which would increase the GST credit by 25% for five years and provide a one-time top-up, as a more direct way to help low- and modest-income Canadians. A recorded division on the motion was requested. Earlier in the day, the House gave unanimous consent for a motion authorizing six members of the Standing Committee on International Trade to travel to Brasília and Buenos Aires during an adjournment period.
Oral Questions centred on two recurring themes: the government’s record on food inflation and the causes of rising grocery prices. The Leader of the Opposition (CPC) repeatedly pressed the Prime Minister to explain why Canada has the highest food inflation in the G7, arguing that Liberal taxes on farm equipment, fertilizer, fuel, and packaging are to blame. The Prime Minister and other ministers replied that the industrial carbon tax has virtually no impact on food prices, pointing instead to the drop in the Canadian dollar, U.S. tariffs, and global supply shocks. They defended the groceries and essentials benefit as tangible support for families. A second theme was the state of the auto industry, with Conservatives citing the loss of 1,200 jobs at GM in Oshawa and a halving of vehicle production since 2016, and demanding the government take action. Ministers responded that the job losses are a consequence of unjustified U.S. tariffs and that the government is working with Ontario on an auto strategy and attracting new investment, such as the Windsor battery plant. Other questions touched on pension delays caused by the Cúram software system, the forestry sector, immigration enforcement, and Arctic sovereignty.