Finance Committee on June 11th, 2026

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Do you see how much I want to get to votes on clause-by-clause eventually? It's been four days.

Each designated party will get seven minutes.

Mr. Kelly, please go ahead.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Thank you.

I'll begin with Mr. Beatty.

You talked about the need for a more productive economy and better productivity. We had the senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, Carolyn Rogers, speak of the “break the glass” emergency, and that speech was more than two years ago now. Do you think the glass has been broken?

[Stephen Beatty]

I think the glass is getting awfully close to being broken, one way or another. We should have been working on this before now, but in the absence of a true decision around some of the trade issues that are confronting us, it's very difficult to make a final decision about the direction of investment.

That said, we're coming up to July 1. We're going to know very rapidly whether or not Canada remains part of a North American automobile manufacturing structure. If not, then, yes, this is a “break the glass” emergency.

There will have to be enormous effort put into making the transition to ensure that strategic industries are allowed to continue into the future. In this case, it may mean that auto parts suppliers will have to be transitioned to supplying the energy sector, to national defence or to any number of other critical national projects, but it would be a shame and a failure on Canada's part to let those capabilities go.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

So you get a sense that we've just been stumbling our way to this point.

The alarms have been sounded. There is a well-known problem with productivity. We know that the growth in labour productivity in Canada is at the bottom of the OECD, and it's been there for a decade. Under this government, we've seen no improvement in this important area.

What else can you say to the urgency of the problem? We had testimony at this committee that the productivity crisis in Canada and the affordability crisis are the same thing. We don't have wages and employment income keeping pace with costs.

Is there anything you can add to the urgency on this?

[Stephen Beatty]

I would say two things.

One, you're absolutely right that the type of employment we're talking about in the manufacturing sector is high-wage. It has benefits that are often not available to people in other parts of the economy. It's a knowledge-based piece of the economy that is very important for us to leverage. If you don't have those jobs, then Canadians will not be able to afford the lifestyle we all want for each other.

Above and beyond that, the whole issue of productivity is something we need to really keep in mind. The most unproductive plants are the ones that sit idle waiting for a decision about where to head next.

In the auto sector, we've had plants closing. We've had plants put on hiatus for up to two years at a time. We're taking people out of the workforce at their most productive period and putting them on the shelf.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

That's very important testimony for us. Thank you.

In your opening statement, you talked about supports for industry in times of disruption becoming a crutch for industry. What are the dangers there?

[Stephen Beatty]

If we look back on tariff strategies in particular, there's often this desire on the part of industry to say, “Protect us. Give us a barrier, and we'll do the right thing.” Often what happens is that the barrier goes up, and it becomes a period of profit-taking as opposed to a time of reinvestment into the sector.

Even when it comes to the deployment of funds existing under federal programs, it's extraordinarily important that they're not only for retooling for this model, but in fact there's a requirement for reinvesting into new technologies or the further development of industrial processes. We've failed to do that in most of the programs we've established in Canada, either provincially or federally.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Thank you.

Madam Chair, I see that Mr. Mantle has joined us at finance. Since we only have one round, I'd like to cede the rest of my time to him.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Sure.

You have just over two minutes left.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair, for allowing me to join you here at finance.

I believe I'm subbed in for Mr. Hallan. Is that correct?

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Sure.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Given that I am, I'd like to move a motion that he put on notice in his name on Friday, June 5.

I'll read the motion. He put several on notice, so I'll just read the one.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Wait one second, Mr. Mantle.

Because it's not in your name, you need UC to move the motion. Are you going to ask for UC to do that?

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Madam Chair, respectfully, I don't believe that's correct. I am subbed in as the member and can move the motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Okay, please go ahead.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Just to confirm, as a member subbed in for another member, I am permitted to move the motion in his name.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

That's correct, because you are subbed in for him specifically.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Very good. Thank you.

I know Mr. Hallan put several motions on notice, including this one on Friday, June 5. I'll read the motion that I'm moving for the committee's benefit. It is as follows:

That, given that the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is a trusted and respected defender of the privacy rights of Canadians, and that Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security denied the commissioner an opportunity to protect those rights by appearing as a witness during clause-by-clause consideration of the Prime Minister's overreaching surveillance law, Bill C-22, an act respecting lawful access:

a. it be ordered that the Standing Committee on Finance stand in solidarity with Canadians who are concerned about threats to their privacy, and immediately suspend clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-30, an act to implement certain provisions—

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

I have a point of order, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Go ahead, Mr. Turnbull.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

This is clearly out of order with the committee's mandate. The motion doesn't even relate to the mandate of the finance committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Thank you, Mr. Turnbull.

Let me consult with the clerk.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

I'd like to speak to the same point of order, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Thank you, Mr. Turnbull. You're correct. This motion is inadmissible because it deals with the business—