Parliamentary Speeches
797 speeches by François-Philippe Champagne — Page 5 of 16
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Mr. Chair, we want to build a resilient economy, so by building a resilient economy, obviously we would expect that the unemployment number would remain steady, because we want to build a very sustainable—
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Mr. Chair, we would hope that by that time, there would be no tariffs imposed on Canada.
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Mr. Chair, what I said to this House and to all Canadians is that the unemployment rate in May was 7%, and the member is well aware of that. With respect to projection, I will let him guess what he thinks, but what I can say on this side of the House is that 7% was the number in May 2025.
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Mr. Chair, we have already answered that question. We said there will be a full budget, a great budget actually, a budget that looks forward, that is ambitious, that is going to make Canada resilient. It is going to be in the fall.
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Mr. Chair, as I said already, what we want is for there to be no tariffs imposed on Canadian industry or workers. This is not just the government but, I would say, all Canadians. That is what we are fighting for every step of the way.
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Mr. Chair, we have been very clear during the campaign that we will lay that out very simply. However, I can say that, when a person buys groceries, they spend, and when they buy a house, they invest.
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Mr. Chair, Canadians watching at home tonight, and I know there are many, want to understand the difference between expenses and investments. If a person buys groceries, they spend, and if they buy a house, they invest.
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Mr. Speaker, not only I was aware, there was a press release with my name on it. I was more than aware. I would say I am happy the members read the press releases from the Government of Canada, because it is important for them to be informed about the important issues that are being raised and that—
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Madam Chair, I would first like to congratulate my colleague from Mirabel on his election. He is a colleague whom I have always enjoyed working with. He is a colleague who is always there to advance the interests of Quebec and his constituents. We always enjoy working together. My colleague will know that we have made major investments in Quebec. We brought Quebec into the automotive industry when…
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Mr. Chair, it is public, but as of the projection for 2024-25, it was 41.9%.
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Madam Chair, my colleague raised a very important question. The Prime Minister has been clear from day one that we are going to fight. We are going to fight the unjustified and illegal tariffs that have been imposed on Canada, on our communities, on our workers and on our industries. At the same time, we are going to protect our workers and our industries, because we said we will have their back; …
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Mr. Chair, I know that the bond market cares a lot about the AAA credit rating, which is what Canada has to offer. I can tell the member that the markets are very appreciative of Canada.
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Madam Chair, this is a great question. My colleague is spot-on. What I said was that we introduced a ways and means motion that was voted for unanimously in the House, which contains three things. The first thing is cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians. This is probably one of the most important things we could do to help people with affordability because we are leaving more money in the pockets…
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Mr. Chair, the member will be pleased to know that the United Kingdom also divides between operating expenses and capital. She would know that other G7 countries are doing that.
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Mr. Chair, I will come back to an example that folks will be very familiar with. They know that, when they do their groceries, they spend, and when they buy a house, they invest—
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Mr. Chair, as I said, when we lay out the budget, it is going to be very clear what are expenses and what is capital, and I know the member—
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague will be happy. I can see it in his eyes. He will be happy to learn that there are already programs in place to help businesses with cash flow. I recently talked about it with people from the steel industry, including people from Quebec. Since programs are already in place to support them, I suppose that he is going to be pleased tonight.
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Madam Chair, very briefly, it would be great. What can I say? It would be great for Canadians, and even the Conservatives are smiling tonight. What more can we ask for?
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Madam Chair, I thank the member for Mirabel. I really appreciate his question, because this is one of the issues I have discussed with various industry representatives. Like me and my colleagues on the other side, we all want to promote national, local and regional media. Yes, this issue is very important to me. I sincerely thank him for this question, because it is an issue that concerns me perso…
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Madam Chair, we all remember the years when we had a government that was spending but at the same time did not necessarily have the back of Canadians. We understand that, in times like this, what we want to do is be there to support Canadians with programs. I can think, for example, of the dental care program. I can think of the programs we have put in place with respect to social security. I can …
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Mr. Chair, the member is a very experienced member, but the number is $1.27 trillion.
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Madam Chair, I am very proud of that. I am a proud Quebecker, and I am pleased to see that Quebeckers have chosen electric vehicles. That is why we will continue to invest in the battery industry.
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Madam Chair, what we are doing is fighting against the tariffs. The best thing for Canadian workers and industry is to have no tariffs. That is what we are fighting for.
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Madam Chair, it is common knowledge that the United Kingdom is a unitary state.
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Mr. Chair, the member is an experienced member of this House. He will know that we have countertariffs in place and that we have collected money. We have been very clear that these sums will be used to support workers and industry in Canada.
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Madam Chair, the member for Mirabel is very experienced. He knows very well how the carbon pricing system worked. I do not think that I can add anything to what he knows already. He knows the facts quite well.
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Mr. Chair, it is public, and I would be happy to, but there will be more questions. I am sure the member can look at the estimates, and she would know.
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Madam Chair, since 1994, five budgets have been tabled after the fiscal year began, and a number of times it has been under a Conservative government.
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Mr. Chair, the number is in the document.
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Mr. Chair, I know the member knows that a lot of the expenses incurred are to support transfers made to provinces to—
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Mr. Chair, I am impressed that the member has been listening to the Liberal campaign, and she can draw her own conclusions.
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Mr. Chair, the member would know that a good part of the federal budget is transferred to provinces to support great programs that help people in her riding—
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Mr. Speaker, the contrast could not be stronger. On this side of the House, we think a vibrant democracy needs a vibrant media. I am happy my colleague, the member, asked this very important question. On this side of the House, we said we would support CBC/Radio-Canada. This is because we believe in democracy. We believe in Canadian values. We believe in a strong Canada. We believe in being proud …
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Madam Chair, I do not need to confirm what is being done in the United Kingdom. It is public information.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to see you. What a great speech that was. In such an eloquent way, the member went over every aspect of what we have offered to Canadians. I even saw Conservative members listening with a lot of intent and attention. They appreciate our colleague. He always has very important questions. What is in Bill C-4 for Canadians? Everything in Bill C-4 is about Canadians. The …
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Mr. Chair, the hon. member is an experienced member, and I know he likes to read. I would refer him to “The Fiscal Monitor”. It is a great document for him to read.
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Mr. Chair, I know he is anxious. It is going to come in the fall, and it is going to be great. We just have to be a bit patient, but it is going to be great. He is going to like it. I see it in his face.
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Mr. Chair, the unemployment number always comes back, looking retrospectively. The number, as of May 2025, is 7%.
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Mr. Speaker, like the member, I served in the army cadets. Those were some of the best years of my life. I learned about discipline. I learned about respect. I learned about service, in a way. I was very young, and it taught me a lot. I want to thank all members of the armed forces for their commitment and dedication. They always put the country first. The member is right. Yesterday was a great da…
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Mr. Speaker, what really matters is that we will always be there to defend Canadian industry and Canadian workers. Not only will we look at what our American colleagues may put on the table, but Canada is always going to be there to support our industry and support our workers. This is sometimes the best—
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Mr. Speaker, there are programs to support the industry and workers. We have talked about this before. These are important programs. My colleague may not be aware, but people in the industry are very familiar with the programs and are very aware of them.
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Madam Chair, it is true. We have a major affordability program. I would like to point out one thing, since I have the Minister of International Trade nearby. I chaired the G7 finance ministers' meeting recently held in Banff. Canada is the envy of the world as the only G7 nation to have a free trade agreement with every other G7 nation. That is quite remarkable. We talked with businesses in New Br…
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Mr. Chair, the member will be very happy tonight, because she will learn that Canada has the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. It is a great position to be in, and we will—
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Madam Chair, I am fighting every single day for forestry workers, for steel workers and for auto workers, and they know I have their back. We will keep fighting for them.
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Madam Chair, the dealers know me well and they appreciate the work that we have done because they know that Quebec is now part of the automotive industry. We are always ready to look at what more we can do together.
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Mr. Chair, it is a great pleasure to be with you this evening and with my colleagues, whom I truly appreciate. We will be spending a wonderful evening together. I want to begin by thanking all the deputy ministers who are with us this evening. This is an important evening during which I will have an opportunity to address this important committee of the whole. I would also like to thank all the se…
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Madam Chair, I am pleased to see that my Bloc Québécois colleague has spent enough time reading the Liberal platform for it to inspire him. I encourage him to continue his reading. Clearly, what we said was that we were going to fight these tariffs, protect our industry workers and build a strong Canada.
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Madam Chair, let us look at the numbers. I know he is eager to get to that. Ninety-nine percent of the content in the Department of Finance estimates is statutory spending. Only 1% is operating expenditures for the Department of Finance. That accounts for over $200 million. That is a direct transfer to Newfoundland and Labrador for the Hibernia project. I am sure my colleague is happy about gettin…
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Mr. Chair, the answer is that Canada has an AAA credit rating. It is a great position to be in.
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Madam Chair, I would first like to salute my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk. He has a lot of experience and he knows that I have a great deal of respect for him. I am pleased to see that he is keeping track of the number of days I have been Minister of Finance. I always learn something from my colleague. I just learned that it has been 88 days. I can tell him that I plan to keep o…
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