House of Commons Hansard #367 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was documents.
International TradeOral Questions
The Speaker Greg Fergus
Colleagues, I know it is Wednesday. It is really important, though, that we only recognize the person who is speaking at the time so the Speaker can hear what is going on.
The hon. Leader of the Opposition has the floor.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, maybe the reason Conservatives were able to get rid of buy America and softwood lumber tariffs is that we helped the Americans crush the Taliban and ISIS, whereas the Prime Minister could not even shoot down a Chinese weather balloon over northern Canada. Now he wants to impose a tariff on his own companies, a 61¢-a-litre carbon tax, 300% higher than it is right now, where there is a 0% carbon tax south of the border.
Why does he want to create an avalanche of Canadian businesses, jobs and paycheques leaving for America?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we see once again right now the Conservative leader constantly talking down the members of the Canadian Armed Forces, talking down and nickel-and-diming our veterans. They shuttered nine veterans services offices; cut thousands of staff, people helping veterans; and made cuts to the Canadian Armed Forces that brought our spending on defence to below 1%. He will not even commit to our timeline to get it up to 2%, and he will not get his security clearance so that he can get the briefing necessary to keep all Canadians safe.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago, The New York Times reported that Canada had the richest middle class in the world and that median income in Canada was higher than in the United States. Today, Canadian workers earn $34,000 less than their American counterparts after the Liberal tax hikes and economic barriers. Now an American president wants to take our jobs away and move them to the United States.
Why not hold an election so that Quebeckers can choose a prime minister who will stand up for their jobs?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, Canadians remember all too well how Stephen Harper had a tendency to capitulate to the Americans. In contrast, we stood up to protect supply management, to renegotiate NAFTA and to protect our aluminum and steel workers.
We will always protect Canadian workers, and we will invest in national security, something the Conservatives refused to do, since they reduced our defence investments to 1% of GDP. At the same time, the Conservative leader still refuses to get his security clearance and take national security seriously.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, following President Trump's election win, it seems likely, if not certain, that a number of people who currently live in the United States will want to leave and seek asylum here in Canada.
Has the government already made plans to ensure regular and orderly management of our borders, including increased monitoring, given that people can claim asylum once they have been here for two weeks, like they did in the days of Roxham Road?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, like any responsible government, we have been preparing for months, regardless of the outcome of last night's U.S. elections, regardless of the results. We will always be there to protect our economy, our forestry workers, our farmers, and our aluminum and steel workers. We will be there to protect the integrity of our borders and our immigration system.
We have always been able to work well with the Americans, and we will continue to do so in order to manage our borders and our economy responsibly.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, that seems like a pretty broad answer considering the fact that there could be millions of people in the U.S. wanting to leave that country, maybe even in the short term. A significant number of them may very well be setting their sights on Canada and, if they manage to enter through an irregular border crossing and stay here for two weeks, they will be allowed to stay.
Will the government put measures in place? Will it at least ensure that the asylum seekers who arrive will be distributed according to the demographic weight of each province and of Quebec?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, this government has already demonstrated its ability to work to protect the integrity of our immigration system and our borders by working with the Americans to improve the safe third country system, to make sure we closed Roxham Road and to be able to take measures to ensure the best distribution of asylum seekers across the country.
We will continue to be responsible and reasonable and always ensure the integrity of our borders and our immigration system.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are worried that Donald Trump's plans will hurt people. They are particularly worried that his plans to impose across-the-board tariffs are going to hurt Canadian jobs. It is going to mean that the cost of everything goes up.
Will the Prime Minister state clearly, stand up today and say that Donald Trump's plans are wrong?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, as we have demonstrated before, we will continue to work constructively with the American administration. We will continue to defend Canadian jobs and interests while we look to create growth and prosperity on both sides of the border. We stood up for Canadian agricultural workers, for Canadian steel and aluminum workers, and for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. We did it with a team Canada approach that brought together labour unions, businesses and premiers of all different provinces. We will continue to work together to stand up for Canadians and create prosperity for everyone in North America.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, that is cold comfort to Canadians who are worried about losing their jobs.
Donald Trump has proposed plans that threaten jobs in Canada. He has proposed plans to impose tariffs that will not only threaten jobs, but also increase the cost of living, which is already too high.
Is the Prime Minister prepared to state clearly today that Donald Trump is wrong?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, when Mr. Trump threatened to tear up NAFTA during his first term as president, we were able to work with him not only to stand up for workers and the Canadian economy, but also to improve the agreement and create opportunities for everyone in North America. We will continue to work responsibly to stand up for Canadian values, interests and jobs, knowing that we can do this together to create prosperity throughout North America.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, after Mr. Harper managed to lift the softwood lumber tariffs, the Prime Minister capitulated and let the Americans reimpose those tariffs. Then, Mr. Biden doubled them. President Trump is threatening to go even further. Hundreds of workers in Saguenay have already lost their jobs because this Prime Minister capitulated.
When will an election be called so that Canadians can choose a prime minister who will defend our jobs and bring home powerful paycheques?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, a few years ago, when we defended NAFTA, jobs and Canadian workers, we worked with Conservative premiers, unions, and labour and industry groups across the country using a team Canada approach to defending Canadian interests and creating growth throughout North America. Only one party did not participate in that exercise. and that was the Conservative Party of Canada, which sulked and said that we should capitulate on everything and that everything was too important to try to stick up for ourselves. That is not what people want. People want a government—
International TradeOral Questions
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister also capitulated on buy America, a policy that discriminates against our construction, steel and aluminum companies. They can no longer sell their materials to the U.S. for government construction projects. This provision was withdrawn during the Harper years but was reimposed by President Trump, with the consent of this Prime Minister, who agreed to sign a so-called free trade agreement that included a buy America policy.
Will the Prime Minister allow us to have an election so we can fight for our construction workers and workers in other sectors?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we will always work with the Americans to create prosperity while also defending our workers here. Speaking of defence, we are not going to take any lessons from a member of Mr. Harper's cabinet, because this Conservative leader was there when the Harper government decided to cut defence investments to less than 1% of GDP, which the Americans absolutely do not want. We are going to increase that investment to 2%. The Conservative leader refuses to commit to that, and what is more, he refuses to get the security clearance needed to deal with national security issues.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago, our economy per capita was equal to that of the United States. In fact, Canadian workers were earning more than their American counterparts. However, after nine years of taxes and economic roadblocks imposed by this radical Liberal government, we see that Americans are $34,000 richer per person and that the United States' economy has grown by 18% per capita, while Canada's economy has declined.
We know why Mr. Trump wants to create jobs in the United States, but why does this Prime Minister want to help him?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I know Donald Trump well enough to know that he would be extremely confused, as Canadians are, about why, at a time when all democracies are facing uncertainty and foreign aggression, the Leader of the Opposition still refuses to get the security clearance he needs to receive top secret briefings and protect his MPs and Canadians properly. The Conservative leader is turning down national security briefings.
Neither Donald Trump nor Canadians would understand why.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, what President Trump must not understand, and must actually find kind of humorous, is that while he wants to take jobs from other countries and give them to Americans, he sees, here in Canada, a Prime Minister who wants to help him do it. Let us review the track record. The Prime Minister brought in a massive tax on energy that he wants to quadruple, which will drive our trucking, manufacturing, factories and other businesses abroad. He raised taxes on investment. He blocked key energy projects. He shipped half a trillion dollars down to the United States.
Is the Prime Minister auditioning to be the secretary of job creation in the United States?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Leader of the Opposition needs to get his facts straight. In the nine years since we took office, foreign direct investment has increased by 60% in this country, so much so that, last year, we were number one per capita for foreign direct investment in the G20.
We continue to work hand in hand with the United States, with whatever administration, to protect jobs and to grow our economies. What the American government will not understand is why the Conservative leader continues to refuse to get the security clearance necessary to protect Canadians, to protect us all from foreign interference.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago, our per capita GDP, which is income per person, was equal to that in the United States. The New York Times said that Canadians were richer and that our workers were making more money. Since that time, the American economy has grown by 18% per person. In Canada, it is actually smaller. We have had the worst per capita GDP decline of any G7 country since the year before COVID, all after the Prime Minister hiked taxes on investment, on work and on business, and after he unleashed a wicked attack on our energy sector. Again, why is it that he keeps trying to create jobs for Americans?
Why do we not bring the jobs home?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, once again, we see the Conservative leader cherry-picking his numbers. The reality is that the IMF predicts that Canada will have stronger economic growth next year than the United States, full stop. What he is trying to do is continue to talk down our economy. He pretends that maybe he is going to be able to deal with an American government that will not understand why he dropped defence spending to below 1% of GDP when he was last around the cabinet table and why he continues to refuse to get the necessary security clearance to get the briefings, to keep his own caucus safe, much less all Canadians.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, I cannot think of anyone who would more favour quadrupling the carbon tax to 61¢ a litre in Canada than the Prime Minister. Maybe there is one person. Perhaps President Trump would not mind, because of course it would mean that our trucking companies, our factories and our mines would all shut down and go south of the border, where they would pay zero carbon tax.
We have enough to worry about with President Trump potentially imposing tariffs on Canadian companies.
Why would our government impose tariffs on ourselves?