Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we are deeply involved at every level with Canadian companies, with representatives of Canadian workers, and with our colleagues in the provinces and territories. We hold regular, weekly consultations and round tables with various sectors of the economy. We will be holding them next week. We held them this week. We held them last week. We are very involved and very ac…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague just said, we are facing a tariff situation that is unfair and unjustified in light of our free trade agreement with the United States. We have another opportunity this week to discuss this agreement with U.S. representatives. However, at the same time, we are not sitting idly by. We are protecting Canadian workers, we are protecting Canadian industries and we are work…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues clearly explained, our government is working to protect the industries and workers who are facing unjustified tariffs from the United States. We are, of course, doing this with our partners in the provinces and territories. In last year's election, Canadians gave us a mandate to build a more resilient economy and to pursue major projects for Canada's economic future. …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, every parliamentarian can help the government and Canadians support industries and workers and come together to counter the tariffs imposed by the U.S. government. We are always looking for positive contributions from members of Parliament across the House of Commons and at the other place. We are always happy to work with the member who asked this question, as well as with all of his…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague from the Bloc Québécois talks about respect for democracy. We in the government will start by waiting for Quebeckers to have their say in the upcoming provincial election this fall. We understand that the members of the Bloc Québécois are engaging in hypotheticals. They are eagerly awaiting the upcoming provincial election. We are not going to judge these issues. We will…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Beauport—Limoilou for his important work on this critical issue. As everyone knows, the government is committed to continuing to negotiate with our American and Mexican partners as we head into the CUSMA review. That is why we are meeting with industry leaders and provincial and territorial representatives, as my colleague did in his riding. We want t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, perhaps I can help the leader of the Bloc Québécois. I think I know what question he was going to ask. The answer is the same as it was earlier this week. I realize that the Bloc Québécois members are experts at picking fights, sowing division and creating controversy where none exists. As my colleagues just said, we are fundamentally focused on issues that matter to Quebeckers and al…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we understand that the Bloc Québécois is once again trying to create division and controversy where there is none. As the leader of the Bloc Québécois is well aware, we are working with our Bloc colleagues and with all MPs to find ways to address the U.S. tariff threat and support the businesses and workers across Canada that are dealing with completely unjustified tariff threats. We …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what the government understands very well is that, now more than ever, this is the time to work together to counter the U.S. tariff threat in an increasing complex world. That is precisely what the Prime Minister is doing with the Government of Alberta. We are working with Albertans. We are working with all the provinces of Canada to prove that our federation is working well and that …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I have been clear about what we are going to do. We will work with our friends in the federation, with the Government of Quebec, the Government of Alberta and the governments of all of the other provinces and territories to address the issues that matter to Canadians across the country. Our focus is squarely on economic issues. For example, I met with the provincial and territorial in…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, perhaps my colleague was not entirely focused on the answers I gave his colleague earlier. The federal government is absolutely focused on the issues that concern Quebeckers and all Canadians. We are ready to work with our provincial counterparts to counter the U.S. tariff threat and support the industries specifically affected by these tariffs. We are here and we are doing the work. …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague the Minister of Industry clearly indicated, today we announced additional measures to support these businesses that are facing unjustified tariffs from the Americans. I, too, have met with many of these businesses, as has my colleague, of course. Our ministers and our members of Parliament are very much aware of these challenges. That is precisely why we have supported…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we certainly appreciate our colleague's enthusiasm about the upcoming spring economic update. She paints a picture that is negative and inaccurate. The good news is that in less than an hour, she will be enlightened by the good economic news, the effective spending controls our government has brought in and the investments we are making to build a truly competitive national economy, d…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, again, we are very pleased that our colleague is able to use the same tired lines that they have been using for months and months. It is great to hear the eight-track, but good news is on the way. In less than an hour, my colleague, the finance minister, will share this good economic news. Perhaps our colleague will be disappointed that the tired talking points she has been using for …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague properly raises the issues of affordability and the cost of living. It is something that I know every member of the House is concerned about, because Canadians are concerned about it. Again, in less than an hour, my colleague, the finance minister, will be in the House, talking about the important measures that our government has taken, will take and will continue to tak…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I was very enthusiastic a few moments ago and I said that the Minister of Finance and National Revenue would be here in under an hour. I misspoke. It is in less than two hours that my colleague will have all the facts. He will not need to make up numbers. He will not need to repeat things that he knows very well are not solid. There will be good news for the Canadian economy, for work…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I have two things to point out to our colleague. He knows full well that in our discussions with the Americans, we are not going to discuss the cultural exemption and we are not going to negotiate on this matter. It will not be on the table and it is not on the table. He knows full well that there is no chance of this kind of discussion taking place at the negotiating table with the A…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well that we have been engaged with the Americans on a whole series of issues, including the unfair and unjustified section 232 tariffs, which are doing considerable damage to the economy of the United States and causing challenges for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses. The good news is, unlike the Conservatives, we are prepared to support Canadian work…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it will not surprise anyone that the premise of the question, that Canada is not actively engaged with the United States or at a negotiating table, is not accurate. I have had a number of conversations, on a weekly basis, with senior members of the American administration. The Prime Minister is also communicating directly with President Trump. Our chief negotiator Madam Charette and A…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the question gives me an opportunity to share the good news with all members of this House that this morning, the Prime Minister announced an important advisory council of women and men who represent businesses. There are elected union leaders and community leaders. In fact, there is the former leader of the Conservative Party, the former premier of Quebec, the former premier of Nunav…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, of course we are working with our Mexican counterparts as we do the work necessary to prepare for the CUSMA review. I am in regular contact with Secretary of Economy Ebrard. The Prime Minister, of course, talks to President Sheinbaum. The good news is Secretary Ebrard will be in Canada with an important delegation of Mexican business leaders, a return of the successful visit we did. W…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows full well that we currently have a better agreement with the U.S. than any other trading partner does. However, we also recognize that the unjustified tariffs being applied around the world, as the Prime Minister said in his initial responses, deserve a response from the Government of Canada together with our friends in the provinces and territories to support work…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I did not hear a question in my colleague's comments, so I will take this opportunity to remind the House of the good news that the Prime Minister announced this morning. We set up a new advisory committee with labour representatives like Ms. Picard from the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, the president of Agropur and the president of Domtar, a major forestry c…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what our government is doing. We are creating economic benefits for Canadians across the country. I thank my colleague for supporting Bill C-5 to once again build major projects in Canada. His province is home to some of the best examples of these projects in the country. Take, for example, Nouveau Monde Graphite, a major mine that is currently under development, or th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague is wondering what we are doing to improve the situation. That is precisely what the Prime Minister has been working on since we won the election. It is about diversifying our markets with other reliable trade partners, once again undertaking major projects that are in Canada's national interest, and supporting industries and workers who are dealing with the unjustified a…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to our colleague, the Prime Minister said that “nostalgia is not a strategy”. He is absolutely right. The good news is that we have seen changes in international relations with the Americans. As I said a few moments ago, we are diversifying our markets with other reliable economic partners and building projects of national interest. We also recognize the importanc…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise to anyone that I do not entirely agree with the premise of our colleague's question. He mentioned Jean Charest, a person of whom we are very fond. I spoke with him last week for about and hour and a half, and I intend to meet with him again later this week. My colleague mentioned the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec. It so happens that the fede…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we are just as concerned as every other member of the House. Recently, two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce made changes to apply some completely unjustified tariffs on the total value of certain products rather than on the value of the steel or aluminum they contain. We are aware of the impact of this on certain Canadian industries. My colleague, the Minister of Industry, i…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, once again, we share the concerns my colleague raised. This is a concern in her province of Quebec, but also elsewhere in Canada. In my home province of New Brunswick, I have spoken to businesses that are also facing difficult times. That is precisely why my colleague raised the importance of supporting SMEs and helping workers and businesses deal with these unjustified tariffs. That …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise that I do not share the pessimism of our colleague opposite. As for the Government of Canada's obligation to support all regions of Canada, all industries and all workers, that is precisely what we are doing. I understand the issues facing the member's province. As I said, the situation is the same in many other provinces. We make no distinction when it com…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we agree with our opposition colleague that it is important to build a strong economy in Canada. The good news is that the Conservative Party helped adopt Bill C-5, which, in fact, enabled the government to accelerate the construction of major projects, including major energy infrastructure projects like the ones our colleague just mentioned. I was in Contrecœur, near Montreal. Other …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, at the risk of echoing our colleague the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, I must say that we have good news for the hon. member. This week, the Prime Minister was in India, where we signed an agreement worth over $2.5 billion for energy exports. We worked with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to approve the Bay du Nord project off the coast of that province. We als…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our colleague for his consistent work in terms of removing barriers to interprovincial trade. As he knows very well, the federal government removed all our exemptions to free trade in Canada by legislation supported by the Conservatives in June. I know he has been, and he should be, as pleased as we are that the governments of Ontario and of Nova Scotia recently signed…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Again, Mr. Speaker, our colleague has highlighted consistently one of the important challenges in having free trade across Canada. As he well knows, the regulation of the sale of alcohol is within the hands of provincial and territorial governments. However, his idea of changing section 19 of the Canada Post Corporation Act to incentivize provinces to allow it and to co-operate with the Government…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Again, Mr. Speaker, I indicated to our colleague that we have called an urgent meeting of interprovincial trade ministers following the Prime Minister's meeting with first ministers at the end of January. That is happening in a few weeks. We are going to seek to make progress in collaboration with provinces. I would ask our colleague to note that it was Ontario and Nova Scotia, two champions for t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague would remember very well the votes that happened at the end of June when we passed Bill C-5, which removed all federal barriers to interprovincial trade in Canada. He is highlighting something with which we agree: the important GDP boost of removing all these barriers. The vast majority of these barriers have always been in the hands of provinces and territories. We thou…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is focusing on what we can control: building here at home, working with allies and buying what is needed. Canada's new defence industrial strategy consists of a $500-billion investment in Canadian industry, security and prosperity. This is just as much an employment strategy as it is a defence strategy. It represents 125,000 new careers and strengthened supply…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as our colleague correctly pointed out, the government is committed to expanding its partnerships around the world, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. Canada and Taiwan enjoy strong economic ties and a close relationship. While remaining consistent with our long-standing one China policy, we will continue to advance Canada's interests by diversifying our trade and strengthening …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we are obviously very pleased with our colleague's offer to work with the government to improve Canada's economy, to ensure that we are a country that attracts historic investments from abroad and from within Canada in order to build a stronger, more resilient economy and to create jobs in all trades across Canada. I look forward to working with our hon. colleague and urge him to supp…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, perhaps I will be allowed to add my voice to other colleagues and say how happy I am to see former prime minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa today. I had the privilege of serving in the House when Mr. Harper was Prime Minister of Canada for nine years, and it is a privilege to see him in good health and smiling in Ottawa today. With respect to supporting the auto industry, I also rememb…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well that the government was elected to build a Canadian economy that is more resilient, and the government was elected to get major projects done. That is exactly what the Prime Minister and my colleagues have done. Maybe the member missed the announcement with the Premier of Ontario on important investments, for example, in nuclear energy in Darlington. Perh…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am glad our colleague referenced the important report from the International Monetary Fund, which confirms exactly what the Prime Minister and the government have been saying for many months: Working with provinces to remove interprovincial trade barriers is one of the most significant things we can do to grow the Canadian economy, so I want to thank the Conservatives for having sup…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by wishing colleagues a happy new year, particularly our friend from Manitoba who just asked the question. I want to thank the Conservative Party for its support last June in passing federal legislation in the House that did exactly that. It eliminated all federal barriers to interprovincial trade. Now the challenge is to work with our partners in the provinces. The go…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we want to thank our friend for his excellent conspiracy theory work. We think only the Conservatives would be shocked that quality women and men with experience in the private sector would step forward to work with a government that is going to build Canada strong and get major projects done. We are proud of the people who want to come forward and serve Cana…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, again, on this side of the House, I remember being an opposition member of Parliament. I was very impressed with some of the quality people from Bay Street whom then prime minister Harper recruited to serve as chief of staff in his office, for example. It was not a scandal then that people with business experience could serve in the government. We are proud that this government and th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague is lucky. After four tries, his question was deemed in order. However, he is having some difficulty with the facts. He talks about people who are not in government and public policies that are not government policies. He knows full well that our government supports supply management and that we will not negotiate this issue with the Americans under any circumstances. Des…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, allow me to echo my colleague in thanking Ms. Hillman for her service to Canada. I had the privilege of working very closely with Kristen over the past few months. I am very grateful for her friendship and for what she has done for Canada. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition is trying to extrapolate a series of things that are not true. He knows full well that the policies …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as fond as I am of my colleague from Quebec, I see that he is asking the same question his leader asked a few moments ago with a view to getting a sound bite played on Le Téléjournal this evening at 6 p.m. or later with Ms. Galipeau. He knows full well that the public policies he is referring to have never been public policies of the Liberal government and will never be public policie…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, once again, our colleague from Quebec is giving me an opportunity to brief him. Just yesterday evening, I participated in an activity put on by the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec. I had the opportunity to speak with the vice-president of the Producteurs de lait du Québec, and we obviously talked about supply management. Yesterday evening, in Montreal, I was able to reas…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows full well that Canadians did not trust his judgment when it came to standing up to President Trump and not signing an agreement that was in the interests of the United States. What did we do? We worked with the United States to find an agreement that will be in the interests of Canadian industries and workers. At the same time, we are taking more mea…
Read full speech →