John-Paul Danko

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Madawaska—Restigouche. First, I would like to wish the Westmount Wildcats senior football team a successful season opener. I thank Coach Tom Pain, all the teachers and the coaches for everything they do to provide the young men this wonderful opportunity to compete in the fall football season. It is an honour to rise on behalf of the residents of Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas in support of the building Canada strong act. Since the 2025 federal election, our government's top priority has been to strengthen the Canadian economy, diversify global trade, invest in Canada, reduce our reliance on the United States, defend our national sovereignty and stand up for Canadians. The building Canada strong act is a critical part of our government's plan to take action with urgency. President Trump has chosen to attack Canadian workers and businesses with illegal and unjustified tariffs, tariffs intended to destroy the livelihood of Canadians and, as stated, ultimately make Canada the 51st state. This is a real threat, and everything we do as a government has to be considered within this context. The Trump administration has targeted Canadian steel, aluminum, auto and other industries that support hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs and Canadian families. Nowhere is that more real than in my home of Hamilton, Ancaster and Dundas, because Hamilton is Canada's industrial centre and steel city. For generations, Hamilton's industrial economy has been deeply integrated with our friends and allies in the United States, a mutually beneficial agreement that has helped workers and businesses on both sides of the border. Those workers did not cause this trade war, but in large part it is the workers on both sides of the border who are suffering the consequences. Canada continues to work toward a fair deal with the United States, because we want a strong trading relationship and our two economies are deeply connected, but a fair deal has to be a good deal for Canada. We will not sacrifice Canadian workers, Canadian businesses or Canadian sovereignty just to sign a deal. We cannot pretend that things will go back to normal. As the Prime Minister has stated, “Nostalgia is not a strategy.” We have to be prepared to build our own future, and that means building a stronger Canadian economy, finding new customers for Canadian projects and attracting new investment. Most importantly, it means creating good jobs and greater security for Canadian workers and their families. Ultimately this is about people, families, workers, and opportunity for the next generation. Fortunately, Canada stands in a position of strength. As the Prime Minister has stated, Canada has what the world needs. We have energy, critical minerals, agriculture, steel, aluminum, lumber, technology, research, education, training, expertise and innovation, and we have some of the best workers and most skilled tradespeople anywhere in the world. We certainly have something increasingly valuable today in an increasingly divided and dangerous world: certainty. Canada is stable, and Canada is reliable. We have strong regulations and strong labour and environmental standards, and when Canada makes a commitment, our partners know we will honour it. That makes Canada a reliable place to do business. It is why we are building closer ties with Europe. We are expanding trade across Asia, including with China, India, Indonesia and other Indo-Pacific countries. We are working to get more Canadian energy to global markets, including the potential for a new pipeline to the Pacific and selling Canadian oil directly to Asian customers, including China. Our partnership with the Ukraine is also creating opportunities for Canadian workers and companies in defence and manufacturing, including with drones and advanced technologies. That is the purpose of the building Canada strong act. The bill is about three core pillars: building more important projects faster, moving Canadian products to markets and supporting the workers who are at the core of everything we do. The most important thing is getting more projects built faster, because Canada has no shortage of opportunity but does need better ways to turn that opportunity into actual projects, shovels in the ground, jobs and paycheques. Right now, major projects face overlapping reviews, different levels of governments and years of uncertainty. That uncertainty has consequences. It is certainly something I have observed in my career working as an engineer in the construction industry, because a delayed project means delayed construction, delayed investment and Canadian workers waiting longer for jobs. The building Canada strong act would create a clearer, more predictable review process with one decision within one year, working with provinces and municipalities to get shovels in the ground at speed. We will maintain environmental protections and respect indigenous rights, but we can do those things while we make decisions in a reasonable amount of time. Hamilton is a good example of what is possible. Right now, there are 800 acres of shovel-ready industrial land that is ready for development in advanced manufacturing, with the potential for billions of dollars in economic growth and tens of thousands of new local jobs. These are former industrial lands that the council worked proactively to zone. The infrastructure is there. The province has recently recognized this site as a provincial priority for economic investment. That is what “shovel-ready” should mean: do the planning early, get governments working together and resolve the issues before they become roadblocks. Then when there is the opportunity for investment, we need to start from a position of “yes” through the approvals process. The government should be working to get to “yes” instead of starting from “no”. At the recent Canada investment summit, investors from nearly 30 countries came to Canada with nearly $500 billion in investment commitments announced because the world wants to invest here. Our job is to turn that investment into projects, jobs and opportunities for Canadians. The second part is about moving Canadian products to market. If we want to sell more Canadian goods around the world, we need the infrastructure to get them there. That means ports, railways, highways and air corridors. The building Canada strong act would identify important national trade corridors and help move transportation projects through federal approvals faster. Again, Hamilton is a perfect example of how this can work. We have the busiest freshwater port on the Great Lakes. We have major rail connections, and the busiest overnight cargo airport in Canada. We sit at the centre of Canada's largest manufacturing region. Our new rail container terminal is already helping to get traffic off the highway by putting trade onto rail instead of trucks on the 401. There is huge potential on the Great Lakes. The St. Lawrence Seaway has significant underutilized capacity, and there is so much opportunity for Canadian steel, grain, minerals and manufactured goods to travel directly to markets throughout Canada and the United States and to global markets from the Great Lakes through the seaway and out to the Atlantic. This means less congestion on local highways for families in the Golden Horseshoe, more reliable supply chains for businesses and better access for new customers and Canadian companies. The third part of this bill is about the people who actually build this country: Canadian workers. Hamilton has a very proud tradition of organized labour. Our city was built by generations of steelworkers, tradespeople, skilled tradespeople and unionized workers. That is why this legislation is important for strengthening Canada's federal labour framework. It would help unions and employers deal with issues earlier and reach negotiated settlements and agreements before they get to a strike vote. It would add new health and safety officers, increasing capabilities, and would add staff to deal with the backlog of worker complaints. The main purpose of this legislation is to ensure safe workplaces, fair treatment, strong collective bargaining and more stability for workers and their families. To close, Canada is at an important turning point. The United States has started a trade war that we did not ask for. The global trading system is changing. We do not know what the Trump administration is going to do, but we know what Canada can do. We can build, because Canada has what the world needs. We need to get things built. We need to get our products to market. We need to make sure that the benefits come home to Canadian workers and Canadian families, because together we will build Canada strong.

Mr. Speaker, maybe this is a bit of a misalignment of ideologies. On this side of the floor, we believe in Canada, we believe in Canadians and we are proud of Canadian businesses. I am amazingly proud of and optimistic about the opportunities we have, especially in Hamilton, being that it is an industrial hub, and the opportunity to realign our economy the way we have to based on the threat we are facing. I know Canadian workers, Canadian businesses and Canadian industry are going to rise to that challenge and be much more economically stable in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to visit the port in Trois-Rivières last winter. There is so much opportunity within Canada to expand and also gain efficiencies in the port system. As I said, one of the things I am the most excited about is getting trade traffic, which right now is putting goods onto transport trucks and clogging up the 400 series highways between Windsor and Montreal, onto rail and onto shipping so that when we are out with our family, we are not hitting that congestion in traffic. It is also much more efficient, getting goods to market with consistency and reliability.

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is obviously a champion for the environment. We very much respect that. My understanding is that a lot of the Canadian oil and gas being shipped to Asia is being used to make the physical products we use. It is not being burned for energy. Carbon is not being released into the atmosphere. I do agree that we have so much opportunity beyond just the oil and gas industry. That is why we are focusing on renewables, on the transition to the electric economy and on doubling the transmission and generation of electricity, because those things are where the real opportunities are in the electric future. There is so much opportunity for those industries in Ontario and in Hamilton.

Mr. Speaker, Canada led the invention of modern artificial intelligence, and now AI is used by millions of Canadians every day. Canadians want AI to strengthen our economy, to enhance job opportunities, to deliver new research and innovation, to protect our communities and our national sovereignty and to always prioritize people. Can the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation update the House on Canada's new AI strategy?

Mr. Speaker, I tremendously respect the member opposite's experience here, and she said something really interesting. She said that she has never seen anything like the current government for moving fast. A year ago, Canadians elected a serious and pragmatic government in a time of tremendous uncertainty, and I would say that what we were exactly elected to do is to move fast and with purpose. Would she not agree that is what Canadians expect out of this government?

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that there is a difference between good faith, constructive criticism and whatever it is the member does on a regular basis. Everything is a conspiracy and everything is division, fear, anger and hyperbolic nonsense. Frankly, it is sad and it is embarrassing. Would the member acknowledge that Canada is not broken and that, in fact, our government is doing exactly what it was elected to do?

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite. I think she did a great job of highlighting and reiterating a number of government announcements, so I want to thank her for reannouncing that good news here in the House. She mentioned new announcements and new commitments every few weeks, and I concur. That is exactly what we are doing. I think there is a fundamental difference, though, between our perceptions of what is spending versus what is an investment. When we hear the members opposite talk about spending, they are coming from a “Canada is broken” world view, whereas on this side of the House, we believe in Canada, we believe in Canadians, and that is why we are investing in Canada. Would the member not agree that is exactly what we were elected to do?

Mr. Speaker, it is good to hear from the member opposite and to see him back here in Ottawa. Our government is working collaboratively with the Province of Ontario to cut the HST on new homes and cut development charges. We are working with Premier Ford, municipalities and affordable housing providers. There has been a very favourable response from the homebuilding industry. Premier Ford said, “Our government will continue to deliver on our plan to protect Ontario in partnership with the federal government and municipalities by lowering the cost of building, getting shovels in the ground faster, cutting red tape and investing in workers.” Would the member opposite agree with Premier Ford?

Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the hon. secretary of state bringing forth closure on this very important legislation, it being a key campaign promise. I happen to represent the majority of the Hamilton Jewish community, who are extremely supportive of the bill and the protections it would offer for their places of worship, their synagogues, and the places where they gather and deserve to be safe. I was wondering if the hon. secretary of state could talk about the consultation that has gone into this legislation and the need for it to be passed as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely beside myself right now. I heard the member opposite defending the use of the noose as a symbol of hatred. It is absolutely disgusting. Withdraw those comments. That is beyond the pale, sir. There are white supremacist rallies in communities across this country, including in Hamilton, and for a member of this legislature to defend the use of a noose as a symbol of hatred is completely unacceptable. Withdraw those comments.

Mr. Speaker, there is wide support from communities for this bill to strengthen bail reform and sentencing across Canada. I wonder if the member could also talk about how the provinces and municipal police forces would also be involved and do their part.

Madam Speaker, we have heard the “Canada is broken” rhetoric over and over from Conservative members, in which they stand up and gleefully cheer for any downturn in the Canadian economy as an opportunity to score cheap political points. It is a sad reflection, and it is insulting to Canadians. It is insulting to businesses and to Canadian workers. Recently, the May job report showed 88,000 new jobs were created. Unemployment is dropping, wages are growing faster than inflation, and the International Monetary Fund has concluded that Canada has the strongest economy in the G7. Will the member opposite please acknowledge that Canada is not broken?

Madam Speaker, it is absolutely shocking and very disappointing to hear the member opposite disparage our government's $10-a-day child care program. This is such an important program for families and for women to be involved in the workforce. Hearing Conservatives talk about private options being preferable just shows how out of touch they are. The American president caused a global war against Iran, which is at risk of causing a global recession with the highest increase in oil prices ever. Will the member opposite criticize the American administration on the record?

Mr. Speaker, as a structural engineer, I spent a lot of time with the building code, so it was interesting to hear the member's speech, which focused quite a bit on the building code across Canada, the national code. One of the issues in Canada is that we have individual building codes for each province. There is no standardized code, which really impacts our ability to standardize housing design and to scale modular housing. I would also remind the member that, as he knows full well, building codes are a minimum standard, so it is kind of interesting to be talking about reducing minimum standards even further. I want to talk about the need for increased energy efficiency in building codes. Yes, that does increase the initial purchase price, but then it has a far better life cycle cost for that house. The member spoke about a cost lens. I wonder if he also thinks that should include the life cycle cost when we include energy efficiency.

Mr. Speaker, when the member and several others opposite stand up, it is often the same string of hyperbole and cynicism that we hear over and over again. I often think about how sad it would be to live in a world that is that cynical all the time about everything. I grew up in Canada's steel city, Hamilton. My family worked in the steel industry. Steel is in our blood. I want to give the member opposite the opportunity to acknowledge the harm that Donald Trump and his illegal and unjustified tariff war against Canada have caused to Canada's economy.

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite spoke about her real concern for the affordability concerns that her residents are facing. She spoke a lot, in particular, about the increase in fuel prices and how that impacts farmers, as well as the increased costs of fertilizer. I just want to give the member an opportunity. This has been caused by a unilateral war by the Trump administration against Iran, which caused the single largest increase in oil prices in world history. Would she acknowledge that as being the root cause of the current increase in fuel prices?

Mr. Speaker, as the representative for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, I want to take this moment to congratulate the Ancaster Lions Volleyball Club. The 18U rep team won a gold medal at nationals this past weekend in Calgary. The adage in sports is that we want to win the last game we play, and for many of these players, this was their last game of competitive volleyball. It was just amazing to go out on such a tremendous victory. I want to thank the coaches: Ed Bosveld; Coach Smitty, Jeff Smith; Caleb Joosse; and Brenden Vanderkruk. As I reflect on this amazing achievement, I realize the importance of competitive sports, especially on the development of young men in their lives. It gives them a competitive outlet. There is the commitment, the training, the practice and the work on self-improvement. There is the personal responsibility that comes when the team relies on its players, and learning that their actions have consequences. Players learn that sometimes life is not fair and that, even when they do everything right, sometimes they do not win, and they have to learn how to deal with those losses. They have to train for success, learn the value of hard work, eat healthy and have healthy habits. Above all, there is leadership and what it is to be part of a team working together towards a common goal. We are so proud of all the years of hard work by the athletes, coaches and the parents who supported these athletes all the way along. I say, “Way to go, boys.” On that note, I will reflect on the spring economic statement. There is a $775-million investment in sports infrastructure and programming, from house leagues to the Olympics. Having been through competitive volleyball for a number of years, I can see first-hand the need for that investment on the ground in communities, in particular in the Golden Horseshoe area for court sports, such as basketball and volleyball, and for racquet sports. I am committed to advocating for those investments in our community. I also want to take a moment to say happy birthday to my wife. It was her 50th birthday this past week when we were in our ridings. Members might ask how we celebrated her birthday. Well, it was a riding week, so we went to the Legion for Catch the Ace. We had a great evening. Everyone was very welcoming, but I do owe her a little bit more of a special evening event. As we move on to the spring economic statement, I want to reflect that, just over a year ago, Canadians elected a serious, pragmatic government. Over the past year, our focus federally has really been on three major priorities: our economic and national security, responding to major global uncertainty and maintaining Canada's economy in constant in the face of that uncertainty. We are focused on affordability, lowering costs, supporting families, cutting taxes, and economic investments. In my personal role in advocating for federal investments in Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, my focus is on infrastructure spending, housing, and investments in the skilled trades and the next generation of workers. I am really optimistic about Hamilton, Ancaster and Dundas's future. We have seen positive momentum in Canada over the past year, and Hamilton, Ancaster and Dundas are very well positioned for future growth. Our industrial base continues to power Canada's economy. We have one of the most diverse economies in all of Canada, led by steel and manufacturing and by health care and life sciences, which are actually Hamilton's largest employers. We are also leaders in research and innovation, with three post-secondary institutions in my riding, McMaster, Mohawk and Redeemer, leading in research and innovation and the skilled trades. Hamilton is a place that is known for labour for the skilled trades, and it will continue to lead in those sectors. Of course, it goes without saying that there are challenges. The illegal American tariffs are an ongoing economic pressure for local industry. This is with an ongoing, unprecedented uncertainty in the world as we are dealing with a now hostile neighbour to the south. There are issues in Ukraine, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Taiwan and China, and a U.S. administration that has caused the single largest increase ever in the price of oil. While the U.S. has caused this problem and is risking a global recession because of it, it is the rest of the world that is left mitigating the impacts. I also want to reflect on some of the successes of the past Trudeau government. There are three areas that come to mind as being particularly high points for the Trudeau government. The first is environment and climate change, making key commitments to take action on climate change, beginning Canada's transition to an electric future and taking action on mitigation of climate impacts. The second is the protection of minority rights, in particular the rights of women. We have seen, in the U.S., systematic and deliberate erosion of the rights of women. MAGA-style politics is the basis for a lot of the current conservative approach. When I was watching The Handmaid's Tale with my wife, some of the flashbacks they showed hit a little too close to home, where we could see that kind of Christian nationalism taking form in the United States at this very moment. I want to talk about my Bloc colleagues as well. They are leaders on the separation of church and state, and I would like to work with them more collaboratively on how to make sure we continue that fundamental differentiation in Canada. Last, the Trudeau government had an amazing response to the COVID pandemic. In hindsight, of course, our vision is 20/20. At the time, I was with the City of Hamilton, and we were dealing with the most profound public health crisis of the past century. From vaccines to taking concrete steps and leadership around the world in the face of a crisis, I think this will stand the test of time as being one of the shining moments for Canada. That brings me to the need for true leadership in a time of crisis. There has been economic momentum in Canada, with Canada having the strongest fiscal position in the G7, among the highest employment growth, the second-highest GDP, inflation within the Bank of Canada's target range and wage growth exceeding inflation. We are the most tax-competitive jurisdiction for new business in the G7, and we have the lowest marginal tax rate. We have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, and not just by a little bit. It is five times lower than Germany's and 10 times lower than the United States'. We have the best credit rating; record-high oil and gas production; record-high global investment, the highest in the G7, double that of the U.S.; and a 40% increase in non-U.S. trade in the last few months. We are making investments to maintain this momentum. Locally in Hamilton, we are supporting workers with a regional tariff response plan, buy Canadian procurement policies and protections against unfair foreign steel dumping, and we are making major investments in Canada's economy, not for the next year or the next election cycle but for the next century. We have invested $115 billion in infrastructure, including the $51-billion build Canada strong fund; $25 billion in housing, including $13 billion on build Canada homes, modernizing modular construction and supporting the housing industry; $30 billion toward defence and industrial strategy, currently at 2% of GDP, with a goal to be at 5% within five years; and $115 billion of investment in productivity, innovation and trade diversification. We are taking fiscal responsibility for Canada's finances. We are balancing the operating budget within three years, a $60-billion savings target, and we are already $11 billion lower than targets. On top of all of this is diversifying Canada's trade, making real investments to diversify our reliance on one single trading partner, the United States. That work is already showing dividends right now, because Canada is not broken. Our challenges exist, but we are defining our own path. With respect to federal affordability measures, we have also cut income tax. We have provided relief on gas prices by removing the consumer carbon tax, saving consumers 18¢ a litre, and by suspending the federal fuel excise tax, saving consumers 10¢ a litre. All of this is, as I said, in the context of ongoing global conflicts. Canada is facing real challenges, such as global instability, tariffs and economic uncertainty, but Canada also has enormous strengths, which our government is leveraging: strong institutions, skilled workers, natural resources, industrial capacity, and innovation and research. The spring economic update focuses on protecting Canadians while preparing for the future, because we are optimistic about Canada's future, we are optimistic about Hamilton's future and we believe in Canada and Canadians.

It is 1686 Main Street West, unit 3, where it has always been. Mr. Speaker, our government is making generational investments to make sure that residents have the opportunities they deserve in Hamilton and communities across Canada.