Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank the witnesses, the Conservative members and others who have put a lot of effort into drawing attention to this matter.
Mr. Chair, I am concerned that we haven't heard a robust response from the Liberal government on what it plans to do about this. I think this is quite significant. These aren't the early tariffs that were uncomfortable and bit but weren't existential. Now we are hearing from witness after witness that if this does not change, this area of our economy is going to be completely wiped out, along with over 58,000 jobs, potentially impacting up to 200,000 indirect jobs and multiple billions of our economy's GDP.
I am concerned, Mr. Chair, that we haven't heard what the Prime Minister is planning to do about this. In fact, all we've really heard is our American counterparts saying that the Canadian government isn't at the negotiating table. It's been over a year. Many promises have been made that deals were going to be delivered. However, not only has there been no tariff relief deal, but the situation is getting worse. In recent weeks, we've been hearing that it is far worse, in fact, than it has been in the past, and it was already dire for many industries.
Mr. Chair, I do feel strongly, since this is the last meeting, that we're going to hold the government to account, so I'm going to move the following motion:
That, given:
The Liberal government has failed to secure a deal with the United States, resulting in thousands of Canadian jobs lost across key industrial sectors, with thousands more at risk;
Recent U.S. tariff changes under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 have significantly increased costs for Canadian exporters, turning an already serious situation into an existential threat for industries such as moldmaking, steel and aluminum, and the auto sector;
Moldmaking and related upstream industries are foundational to Canada’s broader manufacturing base and are essential to Canada’s economic sovereignty and industrial self-reliance; and
Despite repeated promises, the Prime Minister has failed to deliver meaningful relief or improve trade conditions, as disputes with the United States continue to escalate;
The committee call on the Prime Minister to finally deliver an agreement with the United States that ends these tariffs, restores stability, and protects Canadian jobs and the long-term competitiveness of Canada’s industrial base; and that the committee report this recommendation to the House.
Mr. Chair, we'll be circulating the fully bilingual version of this momentarily.
Thank you.