Debates of Oct. 20th, 2025

Automotive Industry

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, let me be extremely clear: The auto sector in Canada is the victim of unjustifiable and unjustified 25% tariffs by the American administration, period.

Meanwhile, the auto workers are trying every day to make sure that they develop the best product on the face of the earth. That is what we will continue to help them do while we are facing trade tensions with the American government.

We will work with Doug Ford's administration, with Unifor, as one Canadian team. We need to do it for the sake of our country and the sake of our workforce.

[Kathy Borrelli, Conservative, Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after Stellantis was handed $15 billion for an EV battery plant in Windsor, it has now sent 3,000 jobs from Brampton to the United States.

In my community, workers are now worried about their own jobs, how they are going to pay their mortgages and how they are going to feed their families.

Canadians deserve transparency about the multi-billion dollar contracts they paid so much for.

Can the Liberals even confirm that their contract included a Canada-wide jobs guarantee for workers, or will they continue to cover up for their incompetence?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions]

Mr. Speaker, the decision by Stellantis is completely unacceptable, but we will make sure to hold it to account. That is why we will be sure to use the full force of the law should the company not bring production back to Brampton.

Meanwhile, the documents will be produced before committee. My colleagues will have access to them, and we will also make sure, obviously, that all forms of support for Stellantis are checked. Obviously, we need the workers to be back in Brampton.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister failed to negotiate a win with President Trump, and Canadian auto jobs are on the line.

Stellantis was handed $15 billion, and it has now announced it is moving 3,000 jobs to the United States. The current finance minister negotiated the deal and bragged about it. Now these auto jobs have left Canada for the U.S., and he refuses to be transparent.

The Liberals are hiding from the Canadian auto workers they sold out.

Is there a Canada-wide jobs guarantee, yes or no?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, just because our colleague, with great indignation, asserts a series of conspiracy theories does not mean they are true.

What is true is that our government is standing up for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses. The Prime Minister met with President Trump in Washington two weeks ago. We have engaged in a series of conversations and negotiations precisely to get a deal that is in the interest of all Canadian workers, including auto workers and those in other sectors of the economy in every region of the country.

That is the work we are doing every day.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the result of that meeting of the Prime Minister and President Trump was the export of 3,000 auto workers' jobs from Canada into Trump's America. Talk about failure.

Meanwhile, this finance minister signed a $15-billion deal for jobs with Stellantis in Canada. It was supposed to include money to retool those plants.

What we keep asking is simple: If there is actually a job guarantee in this contract, why do they not just tell us how many jobs will this contract guarantee for Canadian auto workers? If there is not, it is absolute negligence.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well, as my colleague, the Minister of Industry has indicated, that of course, all the information will be put before the parliamentary committee appropriately.

Just because our colleagues on the other side assert some falsehood with great indignation does not make it accurate. What is accurate is that our government is standing up with the province of Ontario, the government of Premier Ford, to defend these workers, to defend all sectors of our economy.

That is the work we do in Canada. That is the work we are doing in Washington. We will continue to do that work.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is unbelievably cold comfort for the 3,000 auto workers and their families whose jobs vanished to Donald Trump's America after the Prime Minister's meeting with Donald Trump. They have to think, “How am I paying my mortgage? How am I going to put food on the table?” These are the kinds of answers Liberals give.

It is a very simple question. Fifteen billion dollars went to Stellantis, and in that $15 billion, if the Liberals had a clue how to negotiate, they would have included a guarantee of Canadian jobs. We do not need to wait until these contracts are released; this member should know the answer.

Is there a job guarantee for Canadian auto workers, yes or no?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that our Conservative colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not like to work with Premier Ford and his government. On this side of the House, we will work with all premiers of every political stripe, and groups representing workers and businesses, precisely to defend those businesses from the unjustified tariffs imposed by the American administration.

We will do that work in Canada, and the good news is we are also doing that work in Washington, D.C.

Finance

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this Liberal government was elected exactly 10 years ago on one specific promise, namely that it would run small deficits and return to a balanced budget during its first term. That promise was supposed to generate investment here in Canada.

What remains of that promise 10 years later? The Liberal debt has doubled, and Canada has the worst economic growth per capita in the G7. Will the Prime Minister at least keep his promise and ensure that the deficit in the next budget does not exceed $42 billion?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite will have to wait for the budget to see the numbers and the investments that it will generate.

During the election campaign, we said that we would spend less in order to invest more, and that remains our commitment. We are going to build Canada. We are going to focus on major projects and create jobs in every region of this country.

The member opposite is welcome to carefully review the document that we will be presenting on November 4.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to translate what he just said. He is talking about generational investments. These are investments that will borrow from future generations of young Canadians.

For 10 years, the Liberals have been promising that their deficits are attracting more investments to Canada. The Minister of Finance is keeping all the deficit spending policies that have driven many Canadians to use food banks. Since the Prime Minister was elected, tens of billions of investment dollars have fled Canada.

Will the Prime Minister, yes or no, end this spending spree or, at the very least, honour his promise of keeping the deficit under $42 billion?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, what strikes me when members opposite rise and speak about inflationary spending is that they never identify the inflationary spending in question.

Are they talking about the Breakfast Club? Are they talking about the increased benefits for seniors? Are they talking about child care or day care?

What is inflationary spending?

Housing

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I was thrilled to hear the Government of Canada's announcement on the Build Canada Homes initiative. This transformative program is a bold and critical step toward making housing more affordable for Canadians by accelerating the development of affordable homes all across the country. I had the honour of attending one of the many announcements in Toronto and saw first-hand the excitement and hope this program is bringing to all of our communities.

Could the minister give the House an update on the great work being done under this housing initiative?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we know Canadians urgently need more affordable housing, and Build Canada Homes is set to deliver that. We just announced, last week, the first Build Canada Homes project at Arbo Downsview, which is for 550 new homes. This project is a perfect example of how we are making real progress using innovative construction materials, prioritizing Canadian materials to build faster and smarter, and ensuring Canadians have access to affordable housing.

That is just the beginning.

Finance

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while Canadians are tightening their belts to make ends meet, the government keeps running up record deficits. The Prime Minister's reckless spending and record-breaking deficits delivered the worst per capita growth in the G7, and investments in workers are down by 10%. Now the Prime Minister is set to double the deficits even beyond what Trudeau planned.

Will the Prime Minister assure Canadians that this deficit will not go over $42 billion in the next budget?

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I know the party opposite may not like this, but let us look at some facts. We have the strongest credit rating in the world with a AAA credit rating from S&P and Moody's, the lowest deficit in the G7, the lowest debt level in the G7, the lowest net debt-to-GDP in the G7 and the biggest potential in the G7.

The leader opposite said he was going to bring it home. He did not bring home the election. He did not bring home his riding and half his party want to send him home.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this kind of reckless spending is just breaking the backs of our children and grandchildren. For 10 years, the Liberal government promised that billions in deficit spending would lead to more growth and investment. Now the results are in. Canada has the worst per capita growth in all the G7. Billions in investments are fleeing this country every single month the Prime Minister remains in office.

When will the Prime Minister tell Canadians just how much more he plans to impoverish future generations?

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservative leader continues auditioning to be opposition leader, we are focused on building the strongest economy in the G7.

Canadians, on April 28, had a clear choice between two leadership styles, one with world economic and business experience, the other having never worked a day outside the House. Canadians made a choice. They went with our side to build the strongest, most resilient economy in the G7 and that is exactly what we are going to do.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have been promising that their deficits will stimulate investment for 10 years, and what do we have to show for it? The lowest growth in the G7, a more than 10% drop in investment and a declining economy. Every dollar spent by the Prime Minister comes directly out of the pockets of Canadians. The people of Beauce deserve much better. After doubling the debt, believe it or not, the Liberals are now gearing up to double the deficit.

On November 4, will the Prime Minister keep his promise that the deficit will not exceed the projected $42 billion?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition had 45 minutes to think about whether he will apologize to the brave men and women of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who work to defend Canadians every single day. His attack on the integrity of the national police is totally inexcusable.

Why does the Leader of the Opposition, who claims to support the police, not take a minute to apologize to the women and men who serve Canada in the RCMP instead of attacking their integrity?

Health

[Jake Sawatzky, Liberal, New Westminster—Burnaby—Maillardville, BC]

Mr. Speaker, all communities have been impacted by the toxic drug and overdose crisis, and those in British Columbia are no exception. Earlier today, this government announced support for 40 projects in western Canada that will give communities more tools to help people struggling with addictions.

Can the Minister of Health explain how this government is working with communities to fight the drug crisis?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, no community can face the drug crisis alone. We have a whole-of-government approach, and the Department of Health is part of the solution. The projects we are supporting today will save lives. One such project is the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver, which has a proven track record of helping people struggling with addictions. From now on, this centre will be able to provide services in five regional offices.

The drug crisis must not be addressed based on ideologies, but on various types of data-based action—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk.

Employment

[Gaétan Malette, Conservative, Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Ring of Fire project in northern Ontario would be a game-changer for our region at a time when we desperately need it, yet the Prime Minister continues to delay by refusing to move forward with the project, which would create thousands of jobs and has billions of dollars in investments. The project did not make the cut on the Liberals' project list, and the work will not even start until 2028.

When will the Liberals get shovels in the ground and finally get the Ring of Fire project approved and under way?