Parliamentary Speeches

Mr. Speaker, we are always there for small businesses, making sure that they can be competitive. That is why many of them will be able to benefit from the new mega deduction that was announced by the Prime Minister last week, which will help many companies expense 100% of their investment in year one, particularly those in the manufacturing sector. Meanwhile, we know that many small businesses are affected by the trade war. We have a lot of support for them. I would love to work with my colleague if that is the case in his riding. We need to make sure that we help these businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I want to welcome my fantastic colleague to the House. In this rapidly changing world, investors are looking for new markets and stable partners, and last week made it clear that Canada is that place. The investment summit attracted investors from almost 30 countries, which manage more than $100 trillion in assets. We were able to showcase to them how much Canada has to offer. The investment summit also unleashed nearly $500 billion of new investments into Canadian businesses, workers and infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, we believe in the aluminum sector. We believe in the workers. That is why, over the course of the past few days, the colleague and I had the chance to work on specific businesses in his riding that needed support. We will continue to do that, because we need to protect jobs in his riding. We need to make sure that we protect jobs all across this country. That is why, at this point, anyone who is affected by the tariffs should please go on Canada.ca. We have support to keep their employees and operations going. We will build Canada strong while fighting this trade war.

Mr. Speaker, if my colleague has any example he can give regarding backdoor issues, we should work together. Let us make sure that there is true competition in this country and, meanwhile, that we protect our workers, particularly when it comes to American firms that are affecting our industrial base at a time of a trade war. Let us work together. Let us make sure at the same time that businesses across this country know about our supports. People should go on Canada.ca. We need to get the word out. Every single member of the House should be able to reach out to workers and businesses to make sure that we fight this trade war.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague well and I know where he comes from. There is indeed a very important auto sector that uses our Canadian steel. We also need to make sure that sector continues to be competitive, as well as the steel sector. These two sectors have been targeted by many of the American administration's tariffs. Meanwhile, we are fighting against these tariffs because we know that at the end of the day, when we put countertariffs on the table, it helps us at the negotiating table. Canadians know that these times are tough, but we can help and work together to make sure that we fight against these unjustified tariffs.

Mr. Speaker, if there is a city or a town in this country that is affected by the tariffs, it is clearly Windsor. If the colleague really understood what she was asking for, which would weaken the industrial base in Windsor, she would stop asking that question. The countertariffs are so important to make sure we fight back against the tariffs affecting the very auto workers in Windsor, the very steelworkers in the southwestern Ontario region and the aluminum workers in Quebec and B.C. We will make sure that we fight. We do not actually take that proposition as a good one because—

Mr. Speaker, on all of these issues, what my colleagues' questions clearly show is that they really think the government's strategy should be to drop the retaliatory tariffs, admit defeat, accept a bad deal or give up. Guess what? We are never going to give up, because these tariffs are illegal and unjustified, and they directly target the industrial base in my colleague's riding of Beauce. We are going show up for our workers and businesses. In the meantime, we are going to fight.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight good news on the part of GM. They were able to get to collective bargaining across this country. There is also good news for Ford, which was able to get to collective bargaining as well. Now, when it comes to Stellantis, the position of the government has always been clear: We need the Stellantis Brampton workers back on the job. We need a model back at Brampton. I have been in contact with Unifor, Stellantis, Doug Ford and Vic Fedeli from the Ontario government. We expect the parties to continue their collective bargaining and go back to the table. We will be there to defend our auto workers all the time.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is a serious man who knows business and understands the economy. Right now he is working with all the first ministers, basically all the premiers of our provinces and territories, to make sure that we are dealing with the impacts of the trade war, which is never alluded to by the Leader of the Opposition. Notwithstanding this trade war, last month we were able to create 88,000 jobs across the country, particularly for young people and for women. Not only that, but we are also going through a trade surplus, the highest since January 2025, which was before the trade war.

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we are the party that wants to create wealth in Canada. In this tariff war, we must control what we can at home, given that we are in a world where we cannot control what lies beyond our borders. What we can control is how we build. High‑speed rail will allow us to create 51,000 jobs. We will be able to connect Quebec's biggest cities, including Montreal, Quebec City, Laval, Gatineau and Trois‑Rivières. We will also be able to connect to Ontario, to Toronto. In short, we will be able to do what the major countries and industrial powers of the world are doing. We are capable of building at home, and that is what we are doing.

Mr. Speaker, to hear the Leader of the Opposition talk, it seems like he takes pleasure in the prospect of bad news. The reality is that there is plenty of good news. I am going to give him some. There are 200 new jobs at Tenaris in Sault Ste. Marie. We have just secured more than 300 jobs at Kruger in Trois-Rivières. We have also just secured 240 jobs at Kap Paper in northern Ontario. We have ensured that 400 new jobs will be created at Siemens Canada. The agreement we just signed with Saab and Bombardier for the GlobalEye represents 3,000 new jobs. I could keep going.

Mr. Speaker, we have great news. In May, there were 88,000 new jobs, led by jobs for young people. Young people are getting new jobs, and so are women across the country. We have other projects I can cite, and I am convinced that the Leader of the Opposition will rejoice. There are 300 new jobs with Hitachi in Varennes, Quebec. With Alstom, there are new jobs in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville. There are also new jobs in Vancouver at Providence Health Care, 768 new jobs for that project. At Hanon Systems in Vaughan, there are 300 new jobs. I have dozens of examples like that.

Mr. Speaker, we are working with the Government of Quebec to help companies in Quebec and across the country that are affected by tariffs. That is why we recently announced $1.5 billion to support businesses in the steel and aluminum sectors that were affected by the White House's new tariffs. At the same time, my colleague responsible for natural resources has just announced more funding for the forest products industry. We are in the midst of a ruthless tariff war, and we will protect our workers and our businesses.

Mr. Speaker, we are taking care of our people. That is why Quebeckers and Canadians trust us. The Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade and I work every day to protect people in the steel sector. Among other things, we have protected the steel sector by preventing all forms of dumping. If my colleague wishes to raise a particular issue, we are ready to work with him and with all steel producers in Canada because we have to protect our factories and steel mills. At the same time, we are providing funding to help our workers and our businesses.

Madam Speaker, I have a lot of time and respect for my colleague, but the reality is that he did not read the news this morning. I think he took his notes from yesterday, and he is trying to keep the same narrative today. The reality is, indeed, we are in job-creation mode. Indeed, notwithstanding the trade war, which the Conservatives never acknowledge, that we are dealing with unjustified tariffs from the U.S., we were able to create 147,000 jobs in this country. Last month alone, it was 88,000. We are building the economy and building the country strong.

Madam Speaker, I know that my colleague is passionate about the economy. We have had several conversations about it. I also know that he is a numbers guy and that he respects facts. The truth is that the figures are clear this morning. We helped create 88,000 new jobs. My colleague said that youth unemployment is up, but it is actually down. It dropped by nearly 1% in the past month. I can, of course, provide him with the most recent figures from Statistics Canada. I am sure he will read them. There is also good news when it comes to affordability. This morning, the Prime Minister made an important announcement—

Mr. Speaker, clearly my colleague was not with us on Friday when we were in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, not far from his riding, to support the employees of Rio Tinto and the entire aluminum sector, who are the victims of a ruthless tariff war. Surely my colleague is aware that we, together with the Premier of Quebec, made an incredible announcement for the aluminum sector: the expansion of the AP60 plant. Furthermore, we have invested an additional $100 million in the new Elysis technology, which will ensure that Quebec's aluminum is the greenest in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Victoria for his important work. Indeed, a lot is happening in the forestry sector, which is a complete victim of the illegal and unjustifiable tariffs from the American administration. That is why the Minister of Natural Resources and I have been working on a plan to really support the sector. While the Minister of Natural Resources is in B.C. with his counterparts from the provinces and territories, we are working on liquidity support, more than $1 billion for the forestry sector. We will be there for the workers in the sector.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister answers questions rather than insulting the media. That is the first point. The second point is that I think it is important to understand that our plan is working. Our non-U.S. exports are on the rise; in fact, they are doubling. The other point is that wages have consistently outpaced inflation. Furthermore, we can see that Canada is the most attractive destination in the G7 for foreign investment. It is clear that our plan is working.

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that we are there for our businesses, especially our SMEs. We are there for businesses in Quebec and across Canada. In fact, just one month ago, we announced some new funding: $1.5 billion for the steel, aluminum and copper sectors. I have been in contact with a number of stakeholders in Quebec and across Canada. They are very grateful for our help. In the meantime, while the Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade is in Washington, we will be there, not just for any agreement, but for a good agreement for Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, of course our thoughts are with the workers in Saint-Michel-des-Saints because we know that this is a very difficult time for the forest products sector across the country. That is also why we will be there for them. We currently have a plan for steel, aluminum and copper, which is very beneficial under the circumstances, knowing, of course, that unjustified and unjustifiable tariffs are being imposed on these sectors. However, the Minister of Natural Resources and I are working to ensure that these BDC products can also be made available to the forestry sector. I look forward to working with my colleague on this because we need to support communities across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Brome—Missisquoi for his important question. We know that Canada's economy is one of those most closely integrated with the U.S. economy, not to mention that we are also in the midst of a tariff war. Despite that, investments are being made in sectors affected by tariffs. In fact, last Friday, together with Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette, we inaugurated AP60, Rio Tinto's new plant in Saguenay that will produce the world's greenest aluminum. We have also invested $100 million in ELYSIS, the latest in carbon-neutral aluminum technology. Simply put, we are capable of creating jobs even in the current tariff environment.

Mr. Speaker, we are currently managing a tariff war, with an economy that is much more integrated with that of the United States, and my colleague across the way knows that very well. One thing is clear, though: We are creating jobs in the meantime. We have also been able to attract jobs in a number of sectors in our economy. I will give some examples: 3,000 jobs thanks to the agreement with Saab and Bombardier to develop a surveillance aircraft; 350 new jobs at the Kruger plant, in Trois‑Rivières; and 250 new jobs at MDS Coating Technologies, in Prince Edward Island.

Mr. Speaker, we are going to present a new vision for competition in Canada. Of course we believe in the importance of civil society for improving consumer protection. We are going to work with the organizations to ensure that they have access to funding, because their work is extremely important. At the same time, we are going to work with the provinces and territories because we know that they are largely responsible for everything to do with consumer protection. In short, we will find a solution to this problem. I look forward to working on this issue with my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, of course we want consumers to be well informed about their rights. We also believe that we need to do more to encourage competition in the grocery sector, particularly in grocery stores and among all the big chains, as well as in the telecommunications sector, where we know that monopolies or oligopolies sometimes exist, which is problematic. That is why we are going to take an extremely clear and aggressive approach to competition, while protecting organizations like Option consommateurs, which are also important to Quebeckers and Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share good news, which is important, in order to make the point that my colleague is missing right now. Yesterday, we were able to announce 3,000 new jobs across the country. Why? It is because Saab, a Swedish company, decided to work with Bombardier, a Canadian company, and deliver, for the first time, a surveillance plane, and that will bring Canada back into military aerospace. Our defence industrial strategy will create jobs across the country, in every single province represented here in the House of Commons chamber.

Mr. Speaker, Canada is currently the top destination for foreign investment in the G7. That is my first point. My second point, proving that we are currently a prime destination for business, is that 3,000 jobs were announced yesterday. Saab, a Swedish company, decided to partner with Bombardier, a Canadian company of which we are very proud, to enter the military aerospace industry by building a new surveillance aircraft for us as well as for several other countries around the world. That is how we are going to build a strong country.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our fantastic MP for Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma for his hard work. I know that the community and the town have been going through really tough times because of the unjustified and illegal American tariffs against our steelworkers, but there is good news. Notwithstanding U.S. protectionism, our plan is working, because in Sault Ste. Marie last Friday, we were able to announce 200 new jobs, a $76-million investment by the federal government, and Tenaris' own investment.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague just referred to some good news today for the over 3,000 people who are about to get jobs because of the new partnership between Saab and Bombardier. Finally, we are going to get a surveillance aircraft not only for Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces, but for the whole world. The United Arab Emirates, France and several other NATO countries want to buy this aircraft, which is finally going to be manufactured in Canada by Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, we can be proud to have a Prime Minister who not only is travelling across the world to bring back investment and jobs but also is working in a very difficult environment across the world as the international rules order is shifting. That is what Canadians expect. We were able to create jobs across this country. We have been able to create more than 70,000 jobs since last fall, and we will continue to do so.

Mr. Speaker, we know how to give the next generation a chance and an opportunity: by making investments that create jobs. We can celebrate the new order for 150 new commercial aircraft from Airbus in Mirabel. This is the largest order in the history of commercial aviation in Canada. That is good news for people in the Lower Laurentians. There is more good news. I was also with the Quebec government when we announced new funding for Kruger in Trois-Rivières, which represents 350 new jobs. We recognize the company's impact in the region.

Mr. Speaker, at last, a good question, and it comes from my colleague from Mont-Saint-Bruno—L'Acadie. Indeed, two weeks ago we received some very good news for the aerospace sector, particularly for Airbus in Mirabel. There are now 150 new aircraft under construction in Mirabel. This is an order placed by AirAsia, a Malaysian—and therefore Asian—airline, with Airbus, a European company. All of this proves that our plan is working. We are capable of attracting foreign investment.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague in charge of natural resources will be able to answer that question. What I can add to that is that the Conservatives, in all their questions, always forget something that all Canadians know, which is that we are in a trade war. A lot of workers' jobs are at stake, and that is exactly why today we announced $1 billion through the BDC to help our steel, aluminum and copper workers, and it is also why we announced $500 million to support workers across the country. We have been there since the beginning of the trade war, and we will continue to be there.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague seems to have forgotten the extent to which we are in a tariff war and he refuses to recognize how much we have been there to support the auto sector, the copper sector, the aluminum sector and the steel sector. Quebec welcomed the announcement we made this morning regarding our $1-billion investment through the Business Development Bank of Canada and our $500-million investment in our regional economic development agencies. My colleague must recognize that we have reduced the government's operating expenses while still making investments. These investments are driving economic growth. In short, our plan is working, and we stand by it.

Mr. Speaker, I give my colleague 100% for following his leader's instructions. He just had to read the question he is asking us today. He is full of jokes this morning. We are going to give him a little lesson on the numbers. Right now, Canada's economic growth is the second highest among the G7 countries. We also have the strongest fiscal position in the G7. Those are the numbers. Those are the facts. We have a solid plan, and we are going to stand by it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her important question. The fact is that we announced some good news for our businesses this morning: $1.5 billion to help with cash flow. Extremely favourable loans are also on the table, with 0% interest in the first year and very low interest rates in the second and third years. Furthermore, there is no requirement to repay the loan before the end of the term, that is, in three years. We are doing that because we know that our businesses need help. We are there to help them. We received a positive response from the Conseil du patronat du Québec and from Manufacturiers et exportateurs du Québec. We are meeting their needs to the letter.

Mr. Speaker, I was just speaking with the CEO of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec. She told me how pleased she was with the government's work. Of course, there is always more to be done, and we will certainly be doing more. In the meantime, I think this is good news. It is good news for companies like BRP, which have been affected by the White House's new interpretation of tariffs. The same applies to companies like Manac that employ thousands of people in Quebec and across the country. That is why my colleague and I were in solution mode this morning.

Mr. Speaker, when I listen to the Conservatives, I am struck by how casually they treat the tariff war. We are managing the threat of U.S. tariffs. At the same time, we are here to build a strong economy. Given these circumstances, we are protecting our social safety net and reducing our deficit by $11 billion. We are here to support Canadians, and we will do so by maintaining the second-strongest economic growth in the G7. What is more, we will do so by having the strongest and most appropriate fiscal position of all G7 countries.

Mr. Speaker, our concrete solutions are clear. In the past six months, we have created 96,000 jobs. That is far more than would have been created by the Conservatives. In addition, we have succeeded in maintaining the second-strongest growth in the G7 and the strongest fiscal position. Of course we know that Canadians need help. We know that gas prices have gone up. We know that grocery prices are still too high. That is why we have a strong social safety net. That is why we are here to help Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleague is kidding. I do not think he even believes his own words when he reads them. This morning, I spoke with my new colleague, my new counterpart, Quebec's minister of economy, innovation and energy, Bernard Drainville. We have agreed on several projects that are fundamental to Quebec's economy. Furthermore, we will very soon be announcing assistance for our small and medium-sized businesses in the steel and aluminum sectors. We know that the White House's interpretation of tariffs has changed. We know that businesses across the country, including in Quebec, are being affected. That is why we will be there to help them.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague's question is very relevant, because he mentioned the tariff war, which is real and is affecting regions across the country, including his own. What we are doing though the spring economic statement is building a strong economy. We are also protecting the social safety net that is so important to millions of Canadians. At the same time, we are reducing the deficit by $11 billion. We are doing all that while achieving the second-strongest growth of the G7 despite the tariff war, and we are using our fiscal position to give back to Canadians. That is what building Canada strong means.

Mr. Speaker, we are building a strong economy and we have all the data to prove it. We have the second-largest economic growth in the G7. We also have the most enviable fiscal position in the G7. That being the case, what are we doing? We are helping our businesses and workers who are affected by the trade war. We are establishing a sovereign wealth fund to demonstrate economic nationalism, just as Quebeckers did in the 1960s when we decided to take control of our own destiny. That is the vision that inspired us to stand up for ourselves and create prosperity here at home.

Mr. Speaker, I think that my Conservative colleagues do not understand the sense of urgency in the Canadian economy. They would look at the trade war and twiddle their thumbs while standing back and doing absolutely nothing. What we are doing, in essence, is reducing the government's operational spending. We are making sure that we are spending less while investing in capital projects. We are making sure that we create investments. It is all working, as the IMF has confirmed. We will continue creating prosperity here at home.

Mr. Speaker, what is a bit rich is the fact that the Conservatives are not defending our auto workers. This spring economic update is all about our auto strategy and supporting our 5,000 auto workers, including those working in the parts sector of the auto sector. I have good news today. GM just announced, in St. Catharines, more than $690 million of investments in the next generation of engines. This is our plan working.

Mr. Speaker, indeed, in an interview with La Presse, the Prime Minister said that he was a nationalist and that he advocates economic nationalism. What does that mean? Essentially, it means being in control of our own destiny, being able to use the levers of our economy to help our own people while managing a trade war. It is under those circumstances that we announced a sovereign wealth fund. It is also under these circumstances that we are investing in our natural resources, as well as in renewable energy. That is why our investments will have an impact across Quebec and across the country.

Mr. Speaker, we are building Canada strong. That is exactly why we have the second-highest growth of the G7 and also the best fiscal position of the G7, all that while dealing with unjustified and illegal tariffs on the part of the American administration; all that while our workers in the auto, steel, aluminum and forestry sectors are affected. We know the manufacturing sector is impacted by the tariffs. We are making sure to put money on the table to help these workers and help these businesses. We will continue to do that because this is exactly what this government needs to do right now.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to welcome my colleague, the member for Terrebonne, back to the House. We are working tirelessly on behalf of our workers and businesses affected by the White House's tariffs. That is why we have announced $63 million for 99 businesses affected by the steel and aluminum tariffs to protect jobs and help these businesses pivot. This helps employees and workers, whether in Terrebonne, Repentigny, Sherbrooke, Quebec City, Montreal or elsewhere across Quebec. I would like to thank my colleague for her excellent work.

Mr. Speaker, of course, we believe in competition, because we believe that competition brings down prices. That is why we have said clearly that we would be hawkish on competition. That being said, we are very concerned with the allegations linked to algorithmic competition. We want to make sure that, ultimately, consumers are well protected. This is work that we will be doing as well with the provinces and territories, and of course we will be there for consumers and Canadians across the country.