Madam Speaker, it was at a loss; that is right, but it was the current government that made sure those GM jobs stayed in Canada. It was the current government that made sure the auto sector has the supports it needs to advance in the 21st century. We believe in fighting climate change and we believe in low-emission vehicles, and we are seeing record investment in the Canadian auto sector, not just in Ontario and Quebec but right across this country.
What do the Conservatives think? They want to get rid of all of this and forget about it. They call it corporate social welfare. Guess what, those are thousands and thousands of direct jobs that Canadians rely on to pay their bills, to send their kids to after-school activities and to make sure they have a good quality of life, and the Conservatives want to rip all of that up. However, we will continue to fight for Canadians and for good jobs in this country.
I will talk about the second time we stood up for the Canadian economy, a time that most of us would like to forget about because it was when COVID-19 came to our doors and hit us hard in Canada, just like it hit everyone hard around the world. What did we do? We said we would be there to support Canadians. Whether that was with the Canada emergency business account, the Canada emergency wage subsidy or direct payments to Canadians through CERB to ensure that they could make ends meet, we were there for Canadians every step of the way. We ensured that when it was time, when it was safe to do so, we could restart the Canadian economy; it would turn back on and Canadians could get back to work.
What did the Leader of the Opposition say? He said he would not have provided any of those supports. He derided them. He said that putting government money into supporting people was a bad thing. He called that “big government”. On this side of the House, we believe that the government is there to help people. It is there to help Canadians. We do not believe, like the Conservatives opposite, that Canadians should be left to their own devices, to fend for themselves and be left on their own in times of need.
We have been there for Canadians when times were tough, and we will be there for Canadians throughout the recovery. We will be there to make sure they have what they need in order to succeed. That is exactly what we do on this side of the House, and that is exactly—