Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I know it is an inconvenient truth for the Leader of the Opposition that Canada, right now today, has the best deal of any trading partner of the United States, but do members know what? It is not good enough for Canadian workers and it is not good enough for Canadian businesses. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition, who would have signed any bad deal put in front of him, the Prime Min…
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Mr. Speaker, we want to thank our colleague in the Conservative Party for that manufactured indignation. We want to remind him and his colleagues in the Conservative Party that our government made a commitment to Canadians in the last election. It was an election campaign that perhaps they would prefer to forget. We made a commitment to build the Canadian economy the right way and to build major p…
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Mr. Speaker, as we said yesterday, just because our colleagues keeps repeating the same inaccurate phrase, that does not make it real. The Prime Minister has said that our government will always stand up for workers in the auto sector, in the steel sector, in the aluminum sector and in the forestry sector. Unlike the Conservatives, our government is not going to sign just any old deal. We are goin…
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Mr. Speaker, again, our colleagues keep repeating phrases that they know are not accurate. What is accurate is that our government has always supported the hard-working women and men who work in our steel sector in every corner of the country. We have put in place unprecedented support measures. We are prepared to continue to do more. The Prime Minister met with industry leaders in this sector las…
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Mr. Speaker, just because the Leader of the Opposition keeps repeating the same line over and over again, that does not make it real. The Leader of the Opposition knows very well that our government was elected to defend Canadian workers and the Canadian economy. That is exactly what we did in the budget that was tabled in the House of Commons. The opposition decided not to support Canadian worker…
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Mr. Speaker, the government is actively involved with the sectors of the economy that are facing the most pressure from the unjustified 232 tariffs. This includes, obviously, auto workers. It includes workers in the steel and aluminum industries and in the softwood lumber industry. We have already taken steps to support those workers and those businesses. My colleague should be excited that there …
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Mr. Speaker, it might be useful to remind our colleague from New Brunswick that the government had been engaged in constructive and extensive negotiations with the American administration and that we were pursuing a deal we believed would be in the interests of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy, and the Americans as well. President Trump decided to suspend those negotiations, and while he …
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Mr. Speaker, again, our colleague knows full well that the government is very interested in taking every measure step to protect the aluminum industry, the workers in that industry and the other industries that were just mentioned. He knows full well that President Trump is the one who decided to suspend the negotiations that, to us and to the American side, were on track to bringing Canada and th…
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Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well that the government was elected with a mandate to diversify our trade with other countries around the world. This is an ambitious agenda that Canadians supported in the last election. Perhaps my colleague was a bit confused. Generally, that starts with the head of government taking a trip, to the United Arab Emirates for example. The good news is that we …
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Mr. Speaker, like his colleague from Fundy Royal, the member would remember very well the time he served in Prime Minister Harper's office. They were overrun with credit card spending and government cutbacks. The Conservatives pretend to be interested in things now, like the fight against crime, but they were cutting CBSA officers and underfunding the RCMP. What did they do yesterday? They voted a…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleague from Bourassa for his question. We are living in a time of transformation. We are laying the groundwork for some of the most significant investments made in Canada since the Second World War. Canadians elected an ambitious government, a government that would take action to build a strong and resilient economy. In just a few moments, the House of Commons will be h…
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Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows full well that our government is always ready to sit down and work with the American government, with the secretaries in Mr. Trump's administration, to negotiate an agreement that serves the interests of Canadian industries and Canadian workers. We are always available. The Prime Minister has repeated this. In the meantime, we are not going to wait around for that …
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Mr. Speaker, what are we going to say to investors who see Canada's economy in a positive light? What are we going to say to Canadian workers who are obviously worried about the tariffs? We are going to tell them that the government is here to support them, that we have a series of measures for investing in major projects in Canada. We are going to tell them that we support the industries being im…
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Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois knows full well that our government always collaborates with our provincial and territorial counterparts, with business leaders and with workers' representatives. The good news is that I will be in Montreal on Thursday morning to meet with Minister Fréchette. We will talk specifically about what more we can do together to support Quebec industries and …
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows full well that the government will not accept just any deal. We have been clear that we will negotiate an agreement with the U.S. government that is in the interests of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy. Canadians know very well that the Leader of the Opposition would have accepted any old deal. That is not Canada's position. We are going to …
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Mr. Speaker, I will repeat the answer I just gave to the Leader of the Opposition in French because he asked the same question in English. Our government was elected to negotiate an agreement with the United States that is in the interests of Canadian workers and Canadian industries. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition, we are not going to sign whatever agreement the Americans might suggest. We ar…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said a moment ago, our government is committed to working with all partners in our federation, to working with premiers in every part of the country, to working with union leaders and business leaders to support the Canadian economy and Canadian workers, and to negotiating with the Americans for a deal that is in the interests of Canada. That has been the government's position fr…
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Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to doing the serious work necessary to get a deal with the United States and to build a strong, resilient Canadian economy. This was the commitment we made to Canadians in the election. This was an election the Leader of the Opposition lost because people did not believe he would be serious in either supporting Canadian workers and Canadian businesses or st…
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Mr. Speaker, I can imagine the frustration the Leader of the Opposition feels when he sees a Prime Minister elected to take this serious economic and sovereignty challenge with all of the seriousness it deserves. This is why Canadians thought the Leader of the Opposition was not up to that task. This is why Canadians chose a Prime Minister who takes serious issues seriously, who will defend Canadi…
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Mr. Speaker, again, I can understand the Leader of the Opposition may be frustrated for a whole series of reasons. He has a caucus meeting coming up this week. He may be very concerned about that as well. What I can tell the Leader of the Opposition, and all colleagues in the House, is that the Prime Minister is committed to doing the difficult, serious work necessary to build the strongest econom…
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Mr. Speaker, just because the Leader of the Opposition keeps asserting the same fake premise, it does not make it real. What is real is that the Government of Canada can control certain things. We can control the investments we make in partnership with Canadian businesses and Canadian workers to build a strong economy here. We can work with provinces and territories, as we are proud to do, to defe…
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Mr. Speaker, of course, our government remains fully prepared to resume discussions with the U.S. government. However, our colleague alluded to certain potential tariff increases. We have to be careful and wait for the official executive order from the U.S. government before concluding that certain percentages will be applied. However, we fully share his concern about the future of forestry worker…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not surprised that our colleague remembers the last federal election so clearly. Canadians chose a government that was prepared not only to defend and support Canadian industries, but also to negotiate with the U.S. government to reach a deal that is in the best interests of Canadian workers and industries. Canadians had their say in the last election. They knew full well that th…
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Mr. Speaker, our government has no difficulty looking at the hard-working women and men who work in our auto industry and in industries across the country to say that we are fighting for their jobs, we are standing up to the Americans against unjustified tariffs and we are negotiating what we think will be agreements that will be in the best interests of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy. …
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Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well that we are working to support auto workers and the sector in Canada. There is over 100 years of proud history of making vehicles in Canada. It is a manufacturing sector that is important to every part of the country. That is why we are not only taking measures with the Government of Ontario, partners across the country and unions to support the industry …
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Mr. Speaker, our colleague has heard very well that the government will make these contracts available to the opposition. He can assert a series of fabricated conspiracy theories, but it does not make them true. What is true is that our government is supporting a proud tradition of building vehicles and cars in Canada. There is over 100 years of Canadian workers building these cars. We are going t…
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Mr. Speaker, our colleague referred to apologies. Perhaps he would like to lean forward a couple of rows and suggest to his boss, the Leader of the Opposition, that he should apologize to the men and women who serve in Canada's RCMP for attacking their integrity and attacking the work they do to protect all Canadians. He should be ashamed of himself. He pretends to stand up for the police. He atta…
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Mr. Speaker, just because our colleague, with great indignation, asserts a series of conspiracy theories does not mean they are true. What is true is that our government is standing up for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses. The Prime Minister met with President Trump in Washington two weeks ago. We have engaged in a series of conversations and negotiations precisely to get a deal that is in…
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Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well, as my colleague, the Minister of Industry has indicated, that of course, all the information will be put before the parliamentary committee appropriately. Just because our colleagues on the other side assert some falsehood with great indignation does not make it accurate. What is accurate is that our government is standing up with the province of Ontario…
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Mr. Speaker, we understand that our Conservative colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not like to work with Premier Ford and his government. On this side of the House, we will work with all premiers of every political stripe, and groups representing workers and businesses, precisely to defend those businesses from the unjustified tariffs imposed by the American administration. We will do t…
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition had 45 minutes to think about whether he will apologize to the brave men and women of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who work to defend Canadians every single day. His attack on the integrity of the national police is totally inexcusable. Why does the Leader of the Opposition, who claims to support the police, not take a minute to apologize to the women…
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is right. At the invitation of the U.S. President, the Prime Minister will be going to Washington tomorrow to continue the important discussion on the trade relationship, how to protect jobs and industries in Canada and how to build an economy in North America that is in the interests of both countries. Other international issues will also be discussed. I …
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Mr. Speaker, I remember the Leader of the Opposition and some of his colleagues criticizing the government for not having enough direct, face-to-face engagement with the President of the United States. Good news is that the president has invited the Prime Minister to a working meeting tomorrow in Washington, followed by a working lunch. Obviously the conversation will centre on trade issues and wh…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is currently in the best position of any major trading ally of the United States, but we have said consistently that we have work to do with our American partners on sectoral tariffs. We have work to do in building an economy in North America that is in the interests of Canadian businesses and Canadian workers. That is exactly the conversation the Prime Minister will have with …
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Mr. Speaker, as I said in an answer a few moments ago, the Prime Minister will be travelling to Washington later today for a working session in the Oval Office at the invitation of the U.S. President. Obviously, we intend to discuss the issues just raised by our Bloc Québécois colleague. We are deeply concerned about the tariffs on the softwood lumber industry. We discussed other sectors, like ste…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, we remember the Conservatives standing up in the House with manufactured indignation that the Prime Minister should be talking to the president every day and the Prime Minister should be in Washington, asking why has he not been in Washington. The good news is that the Prime Minister and the president speak frequently. They are in touch on a whole series of internat…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to rise today on behalf of the government and my Liberal caucus colleagues to pay tribute to the life of one of our former colleagues, someone you also knew well, Mr. Speaker, and one of my best friends, the late Hon. John McCallum, whose kindness, generosity and incredible sense of humour touched everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. I will provide a brief o…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the Bloc Québécois for his question. I am not the least bit embarrassed to remind members of the House and all Canadians that we are in the midst of important discussions with the United States on two fronts. First, we are talking about how to improve trade relations in the short term in strategic sectors, such as the steel, aluminum, auto and softwood lumber ind…
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Mr. Speaker, in our discussions with our American counterparts, we constantly talk about the importance of having agreements that benefit both economies. I agree with my friend, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, that the United States will always remain our only neighbour and a critical economic partner. The Prime Minister has said that the trade relationship is changing. That is what we need to w…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with the first part of the question from my friend, the leader of the Bloc Québécois. Obviously, we have to show respect in our conversations and relations with our American counterparts, and the same goes for the American people. The United States has the largest economy in the world. We currently have the most advantageous agreement of all its trading partners. At the same t…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the U.S. President had a constructive meeting in Kananaskis during the G7. They discussed a number of issues. Obviously, the priority for us was to speak directly to the U.S. President about the issue of tariffs and, as my colleague just indicated, the impact that tariffs are having not only on Canada's economy and Canadian workers, but also on the U.S. economy.…
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the bill on one Canadian economy seeks specifically to respond to the threat of U.S. tariffs and economic instability. During the election campaign, the Prime MInister was very clear. We are going to build major projects in Canada and we are going to build them the right way by respecting the environmental standards and working in partnership with indigenous peoples, …
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moved: That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act, be disposed of as follows: (a) the bill be ordered for consideration at the second reading stage immediately after the adoption of this order, provided that, (i) two members from each recognized party,…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, of course, did not mislead Canadians. Our colleague will know that it is only within the jurisdiction of this Parliament or the Government of Canada to remove barriers that are properly federal barriers to free trade within Canada. The provinces also have a series of measures that they are working on removing. In fact, I have been very encouraged by provinces signi…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with the member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue that we need to fulfill our obligations with regard to consultation and partnership. I know how committed my colleague is to indigenous peoples, and I really appreciate that. That is something we have in common. The five-day consultation he referred to is a consultation process in a bill that is before Parliament and that would enable …
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Mr. Speaker, I know that colleagues in the House will be disappointed. I arrived at the last minute to give this speech. I am told that the first speech has unlimited time. If I had not arrived in time, colleagues could have heard the member for Winnipeg North for possibly a few weeks on this bill. My colleague from Winnipeg North is absolutely right. This commitment to one Canadian economy, to ge…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question, and I absolute appreciate the challenge he has just identified. One of my friends for the last couple of decades is also a physician, Andrew Furey, and he was the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador until recently. He worked with Atlantic premiers because, as my colleague has correctly identified, the actual certification of physicians and other…
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Mr. Speaker, I obviously understand the political aspect of my colleague's question. I think we need to be careful before defining the responsibility that the bill can assign to a minister. We have to be careful not to exaggerate those circumstances. As I have said, environmental standards and regulations will obviously be at the forefront, as will consultation with indigenous peoples. I would hav…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague often speaks about her son, who is an example of exactly the kind of worker and skilled professional the country and, frankly, this government want to support. I was encouraged by conversations with labour leaders representing not only the skilled trades but a series of other professions that would benefit from exactly this kind of nation-building exercise. Provincial pre…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk for his question. He just put his finger on exactly what we want to do with this bill. We have been very clear. The Prime Minister was very clear during the election campaign. Within six months at the most, we would like to have exactly the kind of agreement that my colleague just described to avoid duplication and to minimize co…
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