QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Jobs and Families
Cost of Living
December 9, 2025
Minister, welcome to the Senate.
Minister, families across Canada are experiencing the worst affordability crisis in a generation. Despite the rosy picture painted by your government’s photo ops and the government leader’s constant claims here in the Senate, an average family of four is projected to face a $1,000 increase in grocery costs next year. Food bank usage has reached a record high of 2.2 million visits per month, double what it was just six years ago. Affordable housing remains a distant dream for most Canadians, and household debt has climbed to a record 180%, the highest in the G7.
Minister, after a decade of Liberal government, why does life continue to become more expensive for Canadian families?
Thank you, senators. First, let me say what a pleasure it is to be with all of you. Your Honour, thank you for the invitation to come to Question Period.
I would like to start by saying that this government has been very focused on supporting people who are struggling, whether it is ensuring that benefits like the Canada Child Benefit, Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, or GIS, are indexed to inflation or through innovative programs like the Canada Dental Care Plan that’s providing dental care treatment for some of the lowest-income Canadians across this country. Historically, it is also through early learning and child care, through which, in Ontario, families are saving an average of $10,400 a year.
This government is focused on doing things for and with communities, families and provinces and territories that we know improve things for families.
I’m especially proud of the School Food Program, which supports provinces and territories to ensure that kids get a healthy meal at school. I was recently in a school called St. Edward in Nipigon, Ontario, in my riding, a very small community. It was obvious that teachers and volunteers there were very proud of the work they were doing to support their students, and the students themselves were so happy to gather around a meal and start their day with full bellies.
There are things we can control, Your Honour, and there are things we cannot. We are focused as a government —
Thank you, minister.
Minister, no amount of photo ops and no amount of the litany of programs that you have in place to make things better will change the fact that Canadians are facing food insecurity, job insecurity and rising costs. At this point, there is a complete disbelief that the government is actually solving the problem. We are looking at the number of people going into food banks or who cannot buy a house. It has been getting worse every year over the past 10 years, not better.
When will your government acknowledge the strain Canadians are facing and change its methodology so we can get a different result?
Thank you. Although Conservative colleagues in the House of Commons continually report food bank statistics, they also fail to report one of the main drivers of the increasing crisis of food affordability is climate change. In fact, report after report talks about climate change deeply impacting the cost of groceries — whether it is beef, vegetables or fruit — both imports and food grown here in Canada.
Although there are things we cannot control about the price of food, what we can control is supporting families who are struggling. That is why we continue to focus on things that help families, including early learning and child care, which Kendra in Saskatchewan said allowed their family to send both their young children to daycare, enabling parents to grow their small business —
Thank you, minister.
