House of Commons Hansard #2 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was need.

Topics

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

10:40 a.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House today to respond to the speech from the Leader of the Opposition.

One of the things we have listened to and heard from Canadians over the past number of months of the election campaign and subsequently is the need for us to collaborate in the House, a need for us to work together. One element of that will involve actually listening to each other in the House.

My team gave me an excellent speech to read in response to the Leader of the Opposition's speech, but this morning, I am choosing not to read it because it was written yesterday. I want to take the time to really listen to the Leader of the Opposition, who shared his thoughts on the work this Parliament will be doing and his vision for the best way to help Canadians across the country.

This is indicative of the new approach we need to take. Instead of merely reading a speech that itemizes everything we have done and everything we want to do, a speech that brings together all the elements in the excellent throne speech delivered yesterday, I would rather respond to the Leader of the Opposition's speech by addressing each of his points individually.

Unfortunately, as I go through the elements that the hon. Leader of the Opposition laid out in his speech, I will have to stray a bit from them. There are some really important issues that matter to this country and to Canadians that he did not develop, dwell on or share his perspective on. First and foremost is on issue of indigenous reconciliation.

We are gathered here today, and every day, on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. As we move forward as a country, we have to include every Canadian and ensure they have a real and fair chance to succeed. For far too long in these houses of Parliament, we have not properly walked the road of reconciliation, which is a difficult road to be sure. It is one that will have setbacks and challenges as we walk it, but one on which we can make real progress, not just for indigenous Canadians but for all Canadians, as all Canadians have asked us repeatedly in recent elections to do. To continue to step up on indigenous reconciliation is something that we on this side of the House will do. I am sure it was a simple oversight on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition. I know that many people on the other side very much want us to work in partnership and in respect with indigenous peoples in the country.

He also did not touch on the health challenges and health opportunities we have as a country, to move forward on the big things that will make a real difference for Canadians, whether they be national universal pharmacare, ensuring that every Canadian can access a family doctor or ensuring that there are clear outcomes and expectations on mental health care right across the country. These are the things, along with home and palliative care, on which we intend to work.

We understand they are elements we will need to work on with the provinces, in respect and in partnership, because of provincial jurisdiction. That is why I am pleased to have begun some of those conversations already. I am very pleased to have an outstanding health minister and team, along with our deputy prime minister, who will engage directly with the premiers of provinces and territories across the country to move forward on keeping Canadians healthy.

Now the challenge for me is to respond to the Leader of the Opposition's speech, so I will go over his list of priorities for Canadians.

I do not think any Canadian anywhere in this country will be surprised to hear me say that, aside from those omissions, we agree with what he identified as Canadians' top concerns: the cost of living, affordability, the safety of Canadians abroad, ensuring the availability of good jobs for Canadians, fighting climate change and, lastly, national unity.

I think it is worth taking a look at each of those issues as well as some of the points he made and how he thinks we can address those issues. I want to show not only that we know how to listen, but also that we want to work with all parties in the House of Commons.

I will first address the question of affordability.

The Leader of the Opposition recognized that many Canadians are feeling anxious about their personal finances, about the path forward for themselves to retirement and about the path forward for their children to getting good jobs in the future. There are concerns about the rising costs of living. Questions of day-to-day expenses, the costs of housing and everyday purchases keep Canadians anxious. We agree entirely. That is why the Liberal Party set out four years ago to focus on the middle class and the people working hard to join it. What we proposed in this Speech from the Throne, and in this mandate as we move forward, is to respond to that in concrete and tangible ways.

A number of the initiatives we put forward in our first mandate have started to have significant positive effects on Canadians, but we know there is much more to do. The very first thing we did in the last Parliament was put forward a tax cut for the middle class by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1%. We knew that lowering taxes for Canadians was something that would make a difference in their lives and would demonstrate that we understand the anxiety people are feeling. That is the very first thing we moved forward with. We propose, in this 43rd Parliament, that the very first thing we do once again is lower taxes for Canadians.

We are planning on putting forward very shortly a proposal to raise the basic minimum exemption that people pay on their taxes to $15,000. That means that thousands of Canadians will no longer have to pay taxes at all, because they make less than $15,000. Many more will see their tax burdens decrease significantly. If we are looking for common ground in this House of Commons, as we are, this proposal significantly resembles the proposal put forward by the leader of the official opposition to help at the lowest levels of our tax system.

The Leader of the Opposition put forward a proposal that would help Canadians. We only have one small issue with it, which our proposal actually fixes, and I do not think it is a proposal that the Leader of the Opposition or his team will be preoccupied with. I think they can support it, because the change we made is to make sure that as we lower taxes for low-income Canadians and the middle class, we do not actually give any extra advantages to the wealthiest Canadians. The small hiccup in the proposal that the Leader of the Opposition put forward was that it would benefit someone making $400,000 a year than someone making $40,000 a year. We are ensuring that the help we are giving to Canadians by lowering taxes really goes to those who need it most. That will help with affordability.

The second big thing we did as a government four years ago was introduce the Canada child benefit. We stopped sending cheques to millionaire families like mine and that of my colleague, and we started giving more money to those who need it most: low-income and middle-class families. This measure has helped lift over 300,000 Canadian children out of poverty.

However, we recognize that more work needs to be done, and I do not want to use my time talking about what we have done over the past four years. I would rather talk about what we plan to do moving forward. We want to increase the Canada child benefit for families with children under the age of one. I think everyone here can get behind such a measure. As we know, it costs more to care for newborns than it does to raise children who are three or 13 years of age. This measure will truly help families, and we know it will help boost people's confidence in their future and in their children's future. This will also help reduce the anxieties that we know many Canadians experience.

We also acknowledge that housing is a concern for so many Canadians. That is why we recently developed a national housing strategy that will improve affordability and access to housing for Canadians. However, of course we recognize that we still have a lot of work to do.

We have worked with municipalities and provinces to respond to the very real need for housing. We recognize there is more to do and that is why we are continuing to invest in infrastructure. We look forward to bringing in the Canada housing benefit, which will be a portable benefit based on going to families rather than to a specific apartment or location. This will give families a broader range of choices in affording the housing they need in order to build a future for themselves and their families.

We also recognize that far too many young Canadians, far too many first-time homebuyers are seeing greater barriers to buying their first home as housing prices rise across the country. Even with economic growth and more jobs, we know that people are facing anxiety, and that any delays in millennials or others buying their first home ends up accumulating in missed opportunities to build the equity throughout their lives that would afford them a good retirement. That is why we put in place the first-time homebuyer initiative a number of years ago, which provides money to first-time homebuyers that lowers their mortgage costs and makes buying their first home more affordable. However, that is something we have done already.

What we are proposing to do as a next step around housing affordability is to make sure that people in high-cost markets, like Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, Victoria or the GTA, have a larger benefit. That would allow more people to buy their first home, even in places where the cost of housing is significantly higher than other places. Our focus on affordability and supporting the middle class , as well as the people working hard to join it, runs through everything we do.

What was interesting about the Leader of the Opposition's comments on this is that he talked about the carbon tax as being a significant cost for Canadians. If he is serious about reducing people's anxiety about the future and reassuring Canadians about their ability to tackle new challenges and support their families, it would be good if we were able to lay out the actual facts of what our plan of putting a price on pollution means for Canadians across the country.

First of all, to prevent pollution from being free anywhere in the country, we wanted to work with the provinces to ensure that they could create a price on pollution in a way that suited each province and its realities. That was the starting point. We would rather not have to bring in a federal backstop anywhere across the country, because we know that provinces have varied needs and perspectives and should be able to determine their own way of fighting climate change and putting a price on pollution to make sure it is not free anywhere in the country. However, we also need to make sure that everyone across the country is doing their part to prevent pollution from being free anywhere in the country, and that we have a level playing field. That is why, rightly, in our pan-Canadian framework to fight climate change, we expect a similar level of equivalency and stringency right across the country.

There are a number of provinces that do not believe it is important to fight climate change or to put a price on pollution. Therefore, we have to move forward in bringing in a backstop.

However, every single dollar collected from a particular province for the price on pollution will be returned to that province. Most important, average costs for an average family in that province will be less on the price on pollution we added than the climate action incentive we return to them at tax time before the full year is up. Therefore, very simply and clearly put, in the provinces in which there is a federal backstop, that is, New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and soon Alberta and Manitoba, the average citizens of those provinces will be better off with this price on pollution than they would be had there been no price on pollution. Indeed, in a province like Saskatchewan, where the Leader of the Opposition is from, I can point out that families will be hundreds of dollars better off every year with this price on pollution. If one wanted to truly bring down the temperature and the anxiety in the west, pointing out that fact might actually help.

We recognize as well that fighting for better affordability for Canadians means fighting the challenges of poverty that far too many Canadians continue to face. That is why initiatives like the Canada child benefit and our fight against poverty have helped in lifting over 900,000 Canadians out of poverty over the past years. That is something on which we know there is much more work to be done. For every family we have seen lifted out of poverty, there are more families we need to help. That is what we are going to focus on in the coming years.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

I was just going to suggest we break so we can go to question period. I am not sure if the right hon. Prime Minister is going to continue his speech afterward. I just want to clarify.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11 a.m.

Liberal

Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have still four points to make, based on what the Leader of the Opposition said. I will continue after question period to respond to the Leader of the Opposition.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

I thank the right hon. Prime Minister. That was for my clarification.

The hon. member for Durham.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11 a.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order. I wanted to give the Prime Minister the ability to finish the bulk of his remarks, so I waited to bring it up.

My point of order relates to the general practice of the House, which is that before the government talks about the provisions that are going to be contained in a bill, that it table the bill with this House. The Prime Minister, in his remarks, made a specific reference to a tax measure and the exact change he is going to bring in with respect to the basic personal exemption, in a bill that has not yet been tabled in this House.

We are talking about collegiality. I would ask the Prime Minister to table the bill that contains the specific tax measures referenced in his remarks, so that Parliament can review what he is talking about as per the normal course of this House.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

11 a.m.

Liberal

Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC

Mr. Speaker, the initiatives I proposed are spelled out in our platform, which is there for everyone and every Canadian to see.

Violence Against WomenStatements By Members

11 a.m.

Liberal

Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, we have a duty to commemorate one of the greatest tragedies in our country, a tragedy that occurred in my riding of Outremont at the Polytechnique 30 years ago today.

On that day 14 women were killed by a semi-automatic rifle. Why? Because they were women.

We know the task before us. It is to legislate stronger gun control, such as for the type of gun used to kill those 14 young women.

Today at 5:10 p.m., 14 white lights will shine from across Mount Royal in Montreal where the Prime Minister and I, and hundreds of others, will honour the memory of those victims. As I look around this chamber at the women here and in my community, I know how deeply that act of cowardice has failed to silence women.

Political Co-operationStatements By Members

11 a.m.

Conservative

Scott Aitchison Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege to be able to speak in the House of Commons on the first day of this 43rd Parliament.

To the people of Parry Sound—Muskoka and to all Canadians, I have a simple message. It is time for all of us to start working together. We have just come off of a bitter campaign and our country is divided. Voters are crying out for positive leadership.

In this minority Parliament, I hope we will tone down the rhetoric, turn up the positivity and take up the good work of nation building with things like finding common ground to bridge the growing urban-rural divide in this country; a serious commitment to infrastructure and housing in all communities, big and small; and common-sense solutions to the very real challenge of climate change.

For my part, that is the kind of positive change I sought office to bring about. Regardless of the challenge, we need to get all levels of government, along with the private sector, working together.

Our job together, today and tomorrow, is to ensure that we live up to these goals.

Violence Against WomenStatements By Members

11 a.m.

Liberal

Steven MacKinnon Liberal Gatineau, QC

Mr. Speaker, on this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, I would like to recognize the work being done in the Outaouais by wonderful and dedicated organizations.

This includes, for example, the work done by the Maison Unies-vers-femmes, a women's shelter in Gatineau, and the essential services the staff has been providing to women victims of domestic violence and their children since 1979. As part of the organization's Open Your Eyes to Stop the Violence campaign, we are reminded that according to a 2014 study by Statistics Canada, the City of Gatineau has the second highest rate of domestic violence in the country. We all have a responsibility to speak out against violence against women. We cannot close our eyes to it.

I invite the people of Gatineau to watch the video clips the organization has posted online and to get involved in this important awareness campaign.

Violence Against WomenStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Bloc

Louise Chabot Bloc Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

Mr. Speaker, we have not forgotten.

Today, December 6, we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the painful École Polytechnique tragedy, when 14 young women were murdered in their classroom because they were women. Still today, tragic incidents of violence against women are far too common. For those women, for our daughters, our mothers and our sisters, there must be an end to this violence.

“We must not forget” means that we must keep on marching, speaking out, putting in place real measures and taking concrete action to eliminate all forms of sexual violence. This is a collective effort that concerns and engages us all. It is our duty to speak out and to take action—above all to take action—that engages all of society.

George SpringateStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC

Mr. Speaker, we have lost a great Canadian, a man of extraordinary talents and accomplishments.

George Springate was a man with a big heart and a boundless love of Canada. As citizenship judge, one of the many roles he occupied over his lifetime, George inspired countless new Canadians with his passionate invocation of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship.

A police officer, lawyer, football player, member of the National Assembly, professor, judge, television sports commentator, George Springate epitomized all the opportunities that Canada offers its citizens.

George was larger than life. He was a friend to all. He touched our lives by his friendship and his philanthropic work, which benefited so many wonderful causes and organizations.

On behalf of all members of the House, I offer his wife of 35 years, Dr. Judy Gill, our most heartfelt condolences on this profound personal loss that is shared by so many.

Harry McWattersStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Conservative

Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC

Mr. Speaker, when the Canada-U.S. free trade deal was first announced over 30 years ago, many B.C. grape-growers feared it would mean tearing out the whole valley full of crops, tearing out vineyards out of fear that they could not compete with the giant California wine industry.

However, there was a man, a visionary man, who believed B.C. could grow and produce the best wines in the world, and his name was Harry McWatters, who is also known as the grandfather of British Columbia wine.

Harry's accomplishments are far too many to mention, but suffice it to say he was a visionary, his thinking was bold and his passion and commitment to excellence were traits he happily shared with those in the industry. More importantly, he was a loving husband, father and grandfather.

This summer, we sadly said farewell to Harry, who passed away at his home in Summerland, British Columbia. I would ask this place to join me in recognizing an outstanding Canadian, a man who in his own endeavours demonstrated that Canadians can succeed and compete in an industry once thought impossible.

God bless Harry Mcwatters and may he rest in peace.

London North CentreStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London North Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, as I rise for the first time in this 43rd Parliament, I wish to extend sincere gratitude to the residents of London North Centre for once again placing their trust in me to serve as their member of Parliament. I am honoured and humbled by their ongoing support. I will continue working hard to advance priorities that improve their lives, while also ensuring London is well represented.

This includes building upon accomplishments from the last Parliament: historic investments for better transportation, improved infrastructure, support for affordable housing, research, job creation, tax cuts for those who need it most, and much more.

Finally, none of us would be here without our support networks. To my campaign volunteers, I thank them so much for helping return me to the House. To my family and friends, their support is beyond appreciated. To my wife Katy, her love and unwavering dedication mean so much. I thank her for always being by my side.

Jean LeahyStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the life of Jean Leahy, who passed away in August. Jean, who hailed from Fort St. John, was a tireless champion for women's rights, farmers, seniors and the environment.

As a farm activist, Jean served as women's president of the National Farmers Union, was instrumental in developing more equitable farm property ownership for married women. She was also a driving force behind legislation to allow farming women to contribute to the CPP.

Jean worked passionately as a member of the Peace Valley Environment Association to protect farmland in the Peace Valley. Recognized as Fort St. John's citizen of the year, Jean was seen as a pillar of her community. She served as president of Save Our Northern Seniors on the affordable housing committee, and others.

Jean would say that she wanted to make sure her grandchildren grew up in a better world. The world is certainly a better place thanks to Jean's life's efforts, and we salute her.

Edmonton ManningStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Conservative

Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB

Mr. Speaker, I would like to first take the opportunity to thank the constituents of Edmonton Manning for once again placing their trust in me as their member of Parliament. It is an honour and a privilege to serve my constituents in this 43rd Parliament.

This summer, I knocked on every door in my constituency. What I heard was that Albertans were struggling to get by and the Liberal government was not making it any easier. I heard stories from past engineers in the oil and gas sector who lost their jobs and were still struggling to make ends meet.

For my constituents of Edmonton Manning, I will not stop fighting for their livelihoods and their ability to support their families. I will be their voice in Ottawa, not Ottawa's voice in Edmonton Manning.

Public SafetyStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON

Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking the people of Brampton North for returning me to this place for another term. I am grateful for their trust in me to move forward on our community's top priorities.

I am beginning this work today by speaking to a critical issue to both my constituents and many Canadians: the increase in violent domestic crime in our communities.

Over the past 10 years, 22 women and children have been murdered in Brampton as a result of domestic violence. Their names include Lucy Wojtalski, Maria Gorospe, Christian Gorospe, Laura Grant, Riya Rajkumar and many more. Too often they died at the hands of someone they knew well, like a spouse or a parent.

No one should fear for their lives at home. We need our community and all levels of government to keep working together to prevent these horrific crimes before they occur. We must keep building on the work we started in 2015. We must do more.

Violence Against WomenStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Conservative

Leona Alleslev Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, on December 6, 1989, the entire country was horrified to learn that 14 young women with bright futures had been killed in cold blood for the sole reason that they were women.

There were tears and anger, and 30 years later, the sadness and bewilderment still linger.

How can we, as a society, stand by when people are killed simply because they are women? The pain of their loss will stay with us forever.

We must never forget this tragedy, and every single one of us has a responsibility to keep building a society in which all women feel respected, are free to pursue their passions, and do not face barriers because they are women.

We owe that to these 14 women, but we also owe it to our daughters, to our sisters, to our mothers and to who we are as Canadians.

École PolytechniqueStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Conservative

Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the constituents of Sarnia—Lambton for sending me back here to represent them in this 43rd Parliament.

Today I rise to honour and remember the victims of the tragic massacre at École Polytechnique 30 years ago. As the first female engineer in the House of Commons, it is fitting for me to pay tribute to these women. They were my sisters. I name them now to respect them for the strong women they were: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.

We must each do more to prevent such acts of violence in our country, especially those that specifically target women. May we never forget them.

Climate ChangeStatements By Members

11:15 a.m.

NDP

Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, young people have been taking to the streets calling for action on the climate crisis. They are worried about our future. They do not need more pretty words. They need action now. They want ambitious targets, a green new deal and the government to wake up. Instead, the Liberals are hitting the snooze button, kicking targets from 2030 to 2050.

Canadians are tired of the Liberal government's empty words, declaring a climate emergency one day and approving a pipeline the next. The government promised to end fossil fuel subsidies but still hands out billions to big oil and gas companies.

COP25 is a time to announce real action to invest in green jobs, power, transit and housing; to eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies; and to put tougher emission targets into law.

Canadians are counting on us.

Claude BélandStatements By Members

11:15 a.m.

Bloc

Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC

Mr. Speaker, today I want to pay tribute to Claude Béland, a great Quebecker who left us on November 24 at the age of 87.

As president of Mouvement Desjardins from 1987 to 2000, he embodied everything that is most noble and admirable about Quebec.

A passionate advocate of co-operation, he is one of the reasons why the co-operative movement is more entrenched in Quebec than virtually anywhere else in the world.

He was a true humanist who believed that the economy should serve the people, not the other way around. He was nothing like the cold and calculating bankers we encounter far too often in the world of finance. He loved Quebec and belonged to that great generation we know as the architects of Quebec's Quiet Revolution, and to whom we will always owe so much. He was the noblest embodiment of our finest qualities.

Thank you, Mr. Béland. You still inspire us, now and for many years to come.

Violence Against WomenStatements By Members

11:15 a.m.

Conservative

Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON

Mr. Speaker, today we mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women. This day has been set aside to commemorate the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history that occurred at Montreal's École Polytechnique, where 14 women were murdered. Today marks the 30th anniversary of this tragedy. It reminds us of the daughters, sisters and friends who lost their lives. These victims were all women with bright futures, whose families will never have the opportunity to see them flourish.

Throughout Canada, communities and organizations are joining together to commemorate this day and to continue our efforts to fight for a world free of violence against women.

I would like to finish with an excerpt from a poem written by Wadia Samadi entitled Finding Freedom.

My makeup does not cover my bruised face
My smile does not hide my haggard visage
Yet, no one comes to help
They say: it will get better
They say: don’t talk about it
They say: this was my fate
They say: a woman must tolerate
Don’t air your dirty laundry, they say.
When will this end?

Violence Against WomenStatements By Members

11:20 a.m.

Liberal

Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, 30 years ago, I was a student in Montreal, and I still remember just how shocked I was when I heard what was happening at the École Polytechnique and how the attack targeted women.

Today is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women. It is a day of remembrance, but it is also a day of action.

Let us take action to put an end to violence against women.

Let us seek out women's groups in our communities and make donations of our time and money to support them.

Let us take action to establish better gun control.

We need to have stronger controls and ban handguns and assault weapons. That is what the survivors and families of Polytechnique victims have asked of us, through their group, PolySeSouvient.

Let us join together as we remember the women from Polytechnique. Let us not forget what we need to do. We need to end violence against women. We need to introduce stronger gun control. Let us do this. It is the least we can do in their memory.

The EconomyOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Regina—Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan

Conservative

Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, this morning, we learned that 71,000 jobs were lost in Canada last month. Alberta and British Columbia lost 18,000 jobs, while Quebec lost 45,000. This is a serious economic crisis across the country.

Why did the government make no mention of this in the throne speech?

The EconomyOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we take job losses very seriously and we will always work to strengthen the middle class and help Canadians prosper in an uncertain world. That is exactly what we will continue to do.

The plan that we proposed yesterday talks about strengthening the middle class and fighting climate change while creating new opportunities and new jobs for Canadians, protecting Canadians and keeping them healthy all across the country.

That is exactly what we will continue to do. We will address the needs of all Canadians who are concerned, including those who have lost their jobs.

The EconomyOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Regina—Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan

Conservative

Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, quite the contrary, the status quo is not working. His plan is leading to jobs leaving this country. In fact, under the Prime Minister, foreign investors are rushing for the exits. Foreign direct investment is down 56% on his watch and today's job losses are the worst since the 2008 financial crisis.

Again, with all signs pointing to an economic downturn, why did the Prime Minister fail to mention any of that in his Speech from the Throne?