QUESTION PERIOD — Finance
Cost of Living
December 10, 2025
Government leader, for weeks, we have watched the explosion in food bank usage, which is now at the highest level in Canadian history. Your answer is that this is not the Canada you see. Your minister answered yesterday that Canadians going hungry is simply due to climate change.
Senator Moreau, a quarter of Canadians are turning to food banks for basic groceries. That should not be normal in a G7 country. How can you tell us that these Canadians are not living in a nightmare situation and insist they should recognize that good things are happening in this country? Maybe that goodwill is something you can pass out with food coupons in these food lines.
Well, I think that the minister was right. Food inflation is tied to the global supply chain and climate-driven shocks, as well as currency pressures. It’s not government-related.
Budget 2025, though, which is the responsibility of the government, invests directly in Canadian food resilience. Why is it, Senator Housakos, that your colleagues in the other place voted against Budget 2025, and why are you asking about food insecurity in this place when your colleagues are voting against measures that will remedy it? Budget 2025 builds on action while protecting vital programs. Why are the Conservatives voting against that budget?
You’re right about one thing: A weak dollar is driving the cost of food in this country through the roof. A weak dollar is being driven even weaker because of debts, deficit and lack of foreign investment in this country.
Canada’s HungerCount report indicates 2.2 million monthly food bank visits, many of which are made by full-time working families. Senator Moreau, isn’t runaway food bank reliance the clearest evidence that Canadians simply cannot afford your Carney Liberal government anymore?
I was right about another thing that you did not say, which is that the Conservatives vote against the budget, even though that budget would provide up to 400,000 kids with healthy, reliable meals, meaning that parents would have a real measure of relief. Why are you asking these questions when you’re voting against measures that would help kids, families and Canadians across the country?
Order, please.
