House of Commons Hansard #123 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was ceta.
Amarjeet Sohi LiberalMinister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, as a result of our close collaboration with the Government of Alberta and local municipalities, we announced public transit investments last Saturday for communities like Airdrie, Banff, Fort Saskatchewan, Fort McMurray, Red Deer, Strathcona County, Medicine Hat, St. Albert, Lethbridge, and others. Some of these communities are receiving transit funding for the first time in the last decade.
These projects will help grow the economy, create jobs, and build more sustainable—
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. It has been very quiet, generally speaking, during the questions, but not so quiet during the answers. I ask members, like the member for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie, who was talking throughout that last answer, and others, to listen to both the questions and the answers.
The hon. member for Carleton.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, this week, the finance minister released a helpful PowerPoint presentation on the economy. It showed that in the last Conservative term in office, we were creating, as an economy, 15,000 net new full-time jobs on average every month. This year we have been losing on average 2,000 full-time jobs per month.
The finance minister promised that a big deficit spending splurge would create lots of new jobs. He got the big deficits. Where are the jobs?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to remind the member what we did to consult Canadians. On budget 2016, more than 500,000 Canadians engaged with us. We received more than 5,000 submissions.
François-Philippe Champagne Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
I will come to the jobs if members can be patient.
We put in the budget measures that will help Canadians and the middle class. The member knows well that our historic investment in infrastructure is helping to grow the economy in our country and create jobs for Canadians.
That is what we promised. That is what we are delivering to Canadians.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, the member said that he will come to the jobs in a moment if we are just patient. Well, Canadians are going to have to be very patient, because it has been a year, and the government has not created a single net new full-time job. In fact, in 2015, we added, as a country, about 12,300 net new full-time jobs per month. This year, we have lost a grand total of 30,000 full-time jobs. All of this data can be found in the finance minister's own PowerPoint presentation.
Will the finance minister turn to page 6 of that presentation and see the destructiveness of his policies and reverse them?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, talking about data, according to Statistics Canada, since November 2015, there have been 183,200 jobs created. We have seen 1,000 jobs at Bell Helicopter. We have seen 1,000 new jobs created by GM Canada. We have seen Thomson Reuters commit up to 1,500 new jobs in Canada.
Do members know why? According to Jim Smith, the president and CEO of Thomson Reuters, “We applaud the Canadian federal, provincial and municipal governments for making jobs, innovation and the knowledge economy a top priority”.
That is why we're investing—
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, the job situation in Canada is worrisome, but the future looks even worse.
According to CBC/Radio-Canada, the Minister of Finance presented very troubling information to the elite. The finance department's forecasts indicate that job creation will decline by 1.9% next year. We know that the government finds it difficult to provide exact figures. The government is refusing to acknowledge that no full-time jobs have been created since it came to power.
Will the government give us the facts? According to its own data, is Canada headed towards a 1.9% reduction in employment next year?
MaryAnn Mihychuk LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, let us get the record straight, which indicates that employment increased by 10,700 jobs in November. The unemployment rate has fallen by 0.2% to a low of 6.8%. Compared to November 2015, employment in Canada over the year since then is higher by 1.0%.
Clearly, we have a plan, and it is working.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, obviously the government does not have a plan because, whatever it is doing, no full-time jobs have been created. What is more, according to the government's own forecasts, there will be a 1.9% drop in job creation. That is completely unacceptable. We know that the government is good at keeping secrets.
I have asked the government 13 times when it plans to balance the budget. I want to take this opportunity to ask the Prime Minister to reassure Canadians.
When will Canada balance the budget?
I know it is not a $1,500 question. It is a $30-billion question.
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question.
It is no secret that the former Conservative government left the country over $100 billion in debt. Canadians remember that.
We presented Canadians with a plan for economic growth.
Canadians asked us to help families and to grow the economy. That is what we did in budget 2016. That is what we did in the fall economic update. Our government is committed to helping Canadian families and creating jobs and economic growth here in Canada. That is something that the members opposite were unable to do for 10 years.
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, a recent study echoed what indigenous educators and leaders have been voicing for years, that improving the level of education and employment of young indigenous people will boost the economy in Saskatchewan by $90 billion. Yet following federal cuts, the Province of Saskatchewan redirected funding from NORTEP-NORPAC. This has students and staff uncertain about their future.
Will the government help NORTEP-NORPAC to ensure that it remains autonomous and thriving, or will it continue to leave the future of our young people at risk?
Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
Mr. Speaker, it is not a situation I am well aware of right now, and I would entertain the question and a conversation with the member afterwards to see what we can do.
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government cannot be bothered to work out a better deal for Canadians in the Canada-Europe trade agreement. It is going ahead despite the fact that a number of problems remain outstanding. Like Canada's dairy producers, Canadian vintners will lose a lot of money because of this government's concessions.
When will the minister come up with a plan to help Canadian vintners cope with the negative repercussions of this trade agreement?
David Lametti LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, CETA is a very progressive agreement. We will monitor its impact here. We have already promised to help dairy farmers. We will monitor the impact of the agreement on Canada as we go forward.
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the minister defended ripping 280 jobs out of Vegreville. Here are some comparisons. It is like removing 290,000 jobs from Toronto, 187,000 from Montreal, 113,000 from Vancouver, 60,000 from Ottawa, and 55,000 from Edmonton.
This unnecessary and unfounded edict will hurt families, businesses, and communities in the region. When will the Prime Minister do the right thing and stop this cold-hearted, mean-spirited attack?
Arif Virani LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, we understand the impact of the Vegreville relocation on the community. We also understand the important work being undertaken by the member opposite in defence of her constituents. The testimony we heard at committee yesterday was very, very moving.
We understand that this decision will have an impact on community members, and we are taking every measure possible to minimize those impacts. That includes guaranteeing a job for all of the workers who currently work in Vegreville, should they wish to work in Edmonton.
We will continue to work with the member opposite in this regard and defend the workers of Alberta.
Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions
Sturgeon River—Parkland Alberta
Conservative
Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but get up because the member for Alberta asked the Prime Minister an important question about jobs and I bet if it was 290,000 jobs in Toronto, he would get up and answer it. Job losses are at an all-time high in Alberta.
Considering we probably will not see him again, the least the Prime Minister could do is respect Albertans, respect the member of Parliament, and get up and answer her question.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. I would remind members that they are not to bring attention to the presence or absence of a member in the chamber.
The Right Hon. Prime Minister.
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, my colleague answered that question with full detail and a tremendous amount of compassion.
The fact is the party opposite talked for 10 years about standing up for Alberta and yet when we approved a pipeline that is going to make a difference in the lives of millions of Albertans, what did those members do? They started talking about how it will never get built, so do not bother investing, do not bother hiring people for it. They are talking down the economy of Alberta and real decisions we took for political gain. That is why people are disgusted with the approach that members opposite are taking.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. Where is Santa Claus when I need him?
The hon. Leader of the Opposition.
Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions
Sturgeon River—Parkland Alberta
Conservative
Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, there is the Liberal arrogance that Albertans have come to expect from the Prime Minister.
The Alberta MP asked a very good question about jobs. If it was 290,00 jobs in Toronto, the Prime Minister would have been paying attention and he would have answered the question. She deserves respect. Albertans deserve respect.
Why does the Prime Minister not get up, do the right thing, and give the people of Vegreville their jobs back?