International Trade Committee on April 16th, 2026

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

It shouldn't be promoted just in Quebec.

You mentioned trade commissioners. When we hear from witnesses, we often hear that we do need to focus on promoting products outside the country.

If you're saying that it can be done internally, through Canada Economic Development, I strongly encourage you to do so. More products from my part of the country will be sold across Canada.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

That's true across Canada, Ms. Lapointe.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Minister—

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

As I said, if you're interested, I will gladly request either a written submission or a meeting where those in charge can come and explain to you what we're building.

Thank you.

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much.

Monsieur Savard-Tremblay, you have two and a half minutes.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

Minister, could you comment on the motion that was adopted unanimously in the National Assembly last year, which condemned the desire to create one Canadian economy instead of 13?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Remind me what it's about. There are often unanimous motions in the National Assembly; we agree on that.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

You say they happen often. Is that correct?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Yes. Remind me what it's about, then.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

It was about a year ago. I believe it was in March or April. The National Assembly had condemned the desire expressed at the time—it was during the election, I believe—to create one economy, not 13.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

No, I don't have much to say about that.

Since then, as I said, I was present, along with ministers from the Government of Quebec, at the meeting between Mr. Legault and Mr. Carney. There's a tremendous amount of will.

As I said, for a variety of reasons, I was encouraged to see that Quebec was one of the leaders when it came to the idea of diversifying trade across Canada.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

It's because Quebec has always been a trading and free-trading nation. The province was at the forefront when the matter was debated in the 1980s. We can't be against that, of course. Any opposition would be in the event that Quebec's specific identity would disappear. That's where the problem lies.

I'll move on. There have been surveys of businesses, including HEC Montréal, which doesn't oppose trade, in life.

Ultimately, it was said that the main obstacle wasn't the issue of regulations; it wasn't really that, but the issue of distance.

Have you looked into this matter?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

You're absolutely right, that's still a problem.

I took part in conversations where the Premier of British Columbia said he wanted to buy Canadian steel or aluminum for some major projects. However, he found that the cost of transporting those products from Ontario or Quebec to the west was often higher than the cost of importing from another country.

That's why Mr. Carney, my colleague Mélanie Joly and, I think, François‑Philippe Champagne announced programs specifically to try to recognize that transportation costs, within reason, shouldn't prevent a province or large corporation from buying a Canadian product or good.

Geography and the cost of transportation are important aspects to consider. I'm not an expert on railways, but I can understand that the cost of transporting steel by train to Prince George, British Columbia, can be very high.

It's important to work on that. It's important to be responsible. I would have no problem accepting that the Government of Canada is helping these companies trade. I think we're doing so.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Groleau, you have five minutes.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good afternoon, Minister. It's a pleasure to have you here today.

I'm going to ask you to don your other hat. My riding is close to the American border, in Beauce. As you know, we do a lot of business there, in a number of sectors. In particular, we're leaders in the steel industry in North America.

You seem to be having a lot of fun today, but businesses are really not having any fun right now. It was said that they were going to hit a wall, but they have reached that point.

My question is quite simple. There have been many issues to address over the past year, and the priority issue hasn't been resolved yet.

You're responsible for negotiations with the Americans. Where are you on that?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

I'd like to thank the member for his question.

This picks up a bit on the questions his colleague asked.

We have always said that the Government of Canada was ready to very quickly reach an agreement that would be in the best interests of the Canadian economy. We have done a great deal of work, and we're continuing to work on it. We're consulting with businesses and union representatives. That work is ongoing.

There were times last fall when we were close to reaching an agreement that would have improved the situation of our steel and aluminum producers. That would have opened the door to energy exports from Canada to the United States. The Americans decided to suspend those negotiations. Talks resumed a month and a half ago. We continue to work with them in a fairly collaborative way on a number of fronts.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Where have you gotten, Mr. LeBlanc?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

We have gotten to doing the work that needs to be done. At the end of October, last fall, I thought we were going to resolve or improve part of the situation. We're now back to the drawing board.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

My question is simple. Is progress being made?

I understand what you have done in the past, but have things progressed?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Yes, they have.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

When are we going to resolve this? We're up against the wall. You know that.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

I can assure you that progress is being made. We're in contact not only with the Americans, but also with our friends in Mexico. The country's Secretary of Economy, Mr. Ebrard, is in Montreal, Quebec. He speaks French very well. We will be meeting in early May.

That said, if you're asking me when the American government will agree to such an agreement, you will understand that I'm not going to venture into that territory. I would very much have liked to give you an answer.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Is that your priority?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

That's a huge priority for us. I can't speak for the Americans, but I think we have a lot of things that the U.S. government needs to strengthen its economy. That's why I remain optimistic. We'll get there.