House of Commons Hansard #66 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was jobs.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Criminal Code First reading of Bill C-258. The bill amends the Criminal Code to address the Supreme Court's R. v. Jordan decision, aiming to prevent sexual assault trials from being dropped due to unmet time limits. 100 words.
An Act to implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Second reading of Bill C-13. The bill implements the United Kingdom's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The Liberal government views it as a crucial step for trade diversification beyond the US, creating opportunities for Canadian businesses. Conservatives support free trade but criticize the government for failing to secure fair access for Canadian beef and pork exports to the UK and not addressing frozen British pensions. The Bloc Québécois supports the agreement but notes the government's non-compliance with tabling policy. 16400 words, 2 hours.
Conservation Donations Members debate Motion No. 15, which proposes enhancing federal tax credits for ecological donations and monetary contributions to conservation organizations. The goal is to encourage voluntary private land conservation, helping Canada meet its target of protecting 30% of its territory by 2030. Some question the motion's ambition and the government's broader environmental commitments, while others raise concerns about its impact on housing and First Nations. 7900 words, 45 minutes.
Canada's Auto Industry Members debate Canada's auto industry, focusing on challenges from US tariffs and the Liberal government's electric vehicle (EV) mandate. Liberals emphasize government support for workers and industry while acknowledging a pause on EV targets. Conservatives criticize trade handling and call for the EV mandate's elimination, arguing it harms jobs. The Bloc Québécois questions investment distribution, and the NDP advocates for a renewed "auto pact" and diversification away from US dependence. 34600 words, 4 hours.
Canada's Auto IndustryGovernment Orders
December 3rd, 2025 / 8:30 p.m.
La Prairie—Atateken Québec
Liberal
Jacques Ramsay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Chair, my colleague is outlining the Conservative strategy. Its relevance remains to be seen.
However, there was no mention in his speech of a certain president, south of here, who is imposing tariffs. My colleague's leader has called for an accelerated renegotiation of CUSMA and indicated that he would be able to reach an agreement with the United States.
Could my colleague share some words of wisdom on his strategy for negotiating with the United States?
Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON
Mr. Chair, here is what matters to people in Windsor: making sure auto workers can count on their jobs, their paycheques and their future, and that is exactly where the Liberal government keeps coming up short. While the Prime Minister says things like “Who cares?” and insists that trade with the U.S. is not a burning issue, families in my community are living the consequences: uncertainty and anxiety.
Conservatives will always put workers, unions and local industry first, because without a strong auto sector, there is no Windsor economy. That is the difference. Windsor does not need more excuses from the Liberals; it needs a real plan to secure our border and our auto jobs and to rebuild our relationship with the United States before new tariffs hit workers' paycheques.
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague from Windsor West for his impassioned speech.
We know that the riding of Windsor West includes the Ambassador Bridge and is affected by this situation of exports to the United States. I understand the concern about that and the impact that the economic slowdown and the crisis with the United States is having.
If Canada produced only electric cars, but there was still cross-border trade and my colleague's riding got a boost, would he not still come out ahead?
Do the cars produced here, which cross the border several times, need to be gas-powered vehicles?
Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON
Mr. Chair, that is an interesting question. The bottom line is that we cannot impose government-run mandates on people that say they have to buy something. Ours is not a Soviet-style democracy; it is a Canadian democracy where people have the choice to make up their own mind as to what vehicle they are going to buy.
Furthermore, is the infrastructure there, for crying out loud? It is not. I would love for the infrastructure to be there so we can have EVs, but it does not exist right now.
Do Conservatives support these measures? Of course we do. As Conservatives, we too are worried about our planet's future, but there is a way to address that, and it has to be a common-sense way that is fiscally responsible and accountable, as well as transparent.
Chris Lewis Conservative Essex, ON
Mr. Chair, I know how hard my colleague has worked. He has met with people from numerous businesses in our area, and I know because I have been with him. Of course, I am equally passionate about our labour force, for sure, but without business, we have no labour force.
How are the lack of certainty and the tariff threats affecting our tier two and tier three distributors in our auto sector?
Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON
Mr. Chair, my colleague is right that we have been working hard. We have been meeting all kinds of people to allay their fears. However, I can say that there is a lot of anxiety and a lot of despair. There are a lot of missed opportunities as well. The talks are going on, but there are no contracts being signed, because there is a great deal of uncertainty about the trade deals we can negotiate with our partners globally, not just with the U.S. It happens all the time now, unfortunately.
What do we have to show for it? We have a Prime Minister who says, “Who cares?” or that it is not a burning issue. The folks in my city take that to the bank, because that is the uncertainty they are dealing with, and it is not something they are happy about. It might have sounded like a clever statement to make, but what the people of Windsor heard loud and clear is that the Prime Minister does not care about them. Conservatives are here to hold him accountable and to make sure he understands that Windsor matters.
Wade Grant LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Chair, I will be sharing my time with the member for St. Catharines.
It is a privilege, being a first-time member of Parliament, to rise in this House to speak to today's take-note debate on the automotive industry. Before I begin, I want to acknowledge that we are standing upon the traditional unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation.
I am going to focus my remarks on the electric vehicle availability standard, but first, let me point out that Canada's auto manufacturing industry is one of the country's largest export industries. It directly supports over 125,000 good-paying jobs, and many of those are unionized. Last year alone, it contributed $16.8 billion to Canada's gross domestic product. Its significance cannot be overemphasized.
That is why the Government of Canada stands firmly with its auto industry and its workers, and when it comes to the auto industry, electric vehicles are the future. One in four vehicles sold globally is a zero-emissions vehicle. We need to make sure that our auto sector is well positioned to thrive in, and can contribute to, this transition.
There are important benefits for Canadians and the environment as well. Zero-emissions vehicles are less expensive to operate and cheaper to maintain. They have fewer moving parts. They do not contain spark plugs or engine air filters that need to be replaced. They do not need oil changes or engine tune-ups.
According to the Canadian Automobile Association, the average electric vehicle owner saves 40% to 50% in maintenance costs compared to those associated with gas-powered vehicles. It also estimates big savings in powering electric vehicles. According to the association, the average Canadian spends close to $3,000 on gasoline, but when it comes to powering an average electric vehicle, it works out to only a few hundred dollars each year.
Of course, we are also looking at reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. When it comes to the technology, investments in Canadian innovation are continuing to improve the range, efficiency and battery life of EVs, as well as the overall efficiency in the transportation sector. Canada is investing in research and development, such as in NRCan's energy innovation program and its on-road transportation decarbonization project with the University of New Brunswick.
This project aims to reduce the cost and improve the performance of electric motors used in EVs. It seeks to ensure a secure and more cost-effective supply chain for motor vehicle materials through the development of new high-silicon electrical steels and rare earth element-free magnets. These new materials will make EVs more affordable and reduce reliance on trade with other rare earth element-producing nations. Advances in EV technology are also continuing to improve performance in cold weather. Most models now have systems for preconditioning the battery before charging, which drastically increases the charging speed in cold weather.
There is no question that here in Canada we have everything we need to lead the global electric vehicle ecosystem. We have decades of experience in automotive manufacturing, and we have a talented workforce. However, at this time, automakers are navigating extreme market dynamics. The Government of Canada recognizes this.
We realize that Canadian automakers are seeking changes in trade and tariffs on Canadian vehicles. They are navigating shifts in the automotive industry, and they are experiencing economic uncertainty. That is why the Government of Canada announced on September 5 that it would waive the 2026 model year vehicles from the electronic vehicle availability standard requirements, and on that very same day it also launched a 60-day review of the electric vehicle availability standard, which has concluded. The Government of Canada will, in due course, announce the path forward that best supports Canadian industry, while ensuring Canadians have choices in the EV market of the future.
As a father of two young children looking for their future to be clean and green and making sure that we leave them a future that is even better than today, I look forward to working with this government and I look forward to working with those across the way to make sure that this happens.
Scot Davidson Conservative New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON
Mr. Chair, the Liberal EV mandate punishes Canadian manufacturers, it puts Canadian auto jobs at risk and it hands an even larger share of the market to Elon Musk and Tesla in the United States that have absolutely no footprint in Canada.
Can the member opposite explain why the policy of this Liberal government is to weaken Canada's auto sector while strengthening an American company and American auto jobs? To put it another way, is it a policy just to make Elon Musk rich?
Wade Grant Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Mr. Chair, the short answer to my colleague is no, but we have to look at our automotive manufacturing capacity. Canada's EV market has seen growth in the number of EV models available to Canadians. Now over 100 different models are available to consumers and we want to grow that. We want to give Canadians more choice and make sure that they can go to any dealership across this country and find an EV that will suit their lifestyle, their way of life, whether it be bringing their kids to soccer or going to a job in a mill or wherever they may have a job.
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Chair, I would like to congratulate my colleague, who is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. He made a point of mentioning that because he has the audacity to stand up in the House to defend the government's environmental vision for the automotive industry. That is so ironic, because the government signed an agreement to build a new pipeline to produce more oil. Why? It is to keep the auto industry rolling even more. It is very consistent with the Canadian vision. We are at the mercy of oil and gas and the auto industry.
Why has the government stopped investing in the electrification of transportation? Why has the production and innovation that was being done in Quebec been diverted to Ontario? Is oil and gas really Canada's future yet again? What is the point then of having a parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change?
Wade Grant Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Mr. Chair, I take offence to that comment because I am the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, who happens to be a first nations MP from the province of British Columbia who grew up on the coast. I recognize that the coast is a very supernatural place for me to grow up, and I have worked with first nations all my life.
We have been very emphatic that first nations rights and title will always be honoured and will always be at the forefront of any negotiation going forward. In fact, yesterday I met with the Assembly of First Nations, the B.C. caucus, to ensure that I will be engaging with them along the way. I will continue to do that because I continue to lift up my province, my heritage and those who elected me.
Jacques Ramsay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Chair, we often hear that the main obstacle to Canadians choosing electric vehicles on a large scale is the lack of charging stations. I would like the parliamentary secretary to explain what exactly would be needed in terms of charging station infrastructure to make it easier for Canadians to buy electric vehicles.
Wade Grant Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Mr. Chair, there are a number of members in my family who have chosen to have electric vehicles and they very much enjoy driving them. They enjoy driving them and finding places they can go on a single charge. I do recognize that we need to ensure we expand our electric charging stations across the country, whether it be in rural or remote areas, or within urban centres. We do need to ensure that we invest in those technologies to make sure we bring down the cost as well. That is what this government has committed to do: invest in green future and invest in green energy. I look forward to being a part of that solution.
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my hon. colleagues who have participated in this debate. I understand the emotion on all sides that we heard. We heard some emotional speeches. There has been a lot of finger-pointing and blaming, but I understand where that comes from.
St. Catharines has a long tradition of automotive manufacturing. The largest private sector employer in my riding is General Motors. That is not something new. Like many of the communities that have been represented here tonight, it is something that, in many of these communities, goes back decades, if not a century if we are talking about Windsor, Niagara or Oshawa. This is deeply embedded into our communities. It is generations of workers and families.
There was a similar experience with a paper mill in Thorold. I was the fourth generation to work at that plant. It closed. When my dad started there, there were thousands of workers and good-paying jobs. My grandfather and my great-grandfather raised a family on a job at that paper mill. They were similar to the jobs we see at General Motors, Stellantis and Ford. That emotion is there and is understandable because our communities are hurting. Our communities are afraid. I heard that at the doors in St. Catharines. We went to the polls and I have heard it since. We have a capricious American administration down south. We do not know what is going to happen next. What is strange to me here is that the blame is not going toward a capricious American regime; it is being spread around by, and I get it, the opposition. That is its job.
Let us look at the facts.
The fact is that Canada and the U.S., since the Second World War, had a good deal going on both sides. My understanding is it was practically an equal trade balance with respect to cars being exported and imported, as well as parts and whatnot. This whole relationship has been upended by one administration. It is a frightening thing. However, this government will always be there for our workers. We cannot force an American government to accept a deal. It worries me that the Conservatives would accept any deal just to get one done. It needs to be a good deal because, as another member mentioned, if a certain level of tariffs exists it is going to be devastating for the sector.
All is not lost in Niagara. I know there is a great deal of fear in Niagara and beyond. There is a battery separator plant related to the Honda investments in Ontario, Asahi Kasei in Port Colborne, a billion-dollar factory being built in Niagara. This is transformational for that region. Despite the uncertainty, despite the issues, that factory is being built today. The construction continues. That is because of this government and the Province of Ontario stepping up to defend workers. It has been the case, whether in Brampton or Windsor, that this government is there.
We cannot stop an American government from putting on tariffs, even though it is hurting its workers. I saw a headline in an American paper yesterday that Americans are buying fewer cars because cars are too expensive. We have the solution for that, which is lower tariffs on automotive steel and aluminum. However, we do not have control now. In the absence of that control, the government is going to stand up and be there for workers. We have done it before, time and again, year after year, and we will continue to work with the Government of Ontario to ensure we maintain many auto jobs and produce more auto jobs into the future.
Scot Davidson Conservative New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON
Mr. Chair, I guess we are having a disconnect here as Conservatives. The member stood in this House and defended the carbon tax to Canadians for 10 years, and it was good until it was not. Now Conservatives are here holding the government to account on an EV mandate that is going to crush the auto sector. Honda, in my riding, has specifically told me that with the uncertainty it has paused the mandate. Now we have uncertainty. These are self-inflicted policies from the government that have absolutely nothing to do with Donald Trump and the United States. Could the member comment on that?
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Chair, that is nonsense, and this is what we have been seeing from the Conservatives for years. The carbon tax had nothing to do with this. The auto sector was increasing, and it is ridiculous for that member to even point to that.
Now he brings up the EV mandate. As of a few months ago, the EV industry was continuing to grow in this sector. It had nothing to do with that, yet he refuses to blame Donald Trump. I wonder why that is. It is shocking from the Conservative Party. It is unbelievable that its members would stand in the House with smoke and mirrors. There is one reason for this. It is tariffs by one administration, one government. That is the reason we find ourselves in this situation, not the smoke and mirrors that Conservatives bring to this debate.
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Chair, my colleague has indeed been an advocate for several environmental issues. I am thinking in particular of innovation in the auto sector. I know that the electrification of transportation is one of the values he has been promoting in the House for a long time. That said, what has his government done in recent years?
It cut back on innovation. Programs such as Sustainable Development Technology Canada had the merit of investing in SMEs that were creating this technological innovation so that we could all have electric vehicles by 2035 in order to save our planet.
However, momentum in investments and in SMEs stalled from a failure to respect patents and contracts. Ultimately, these investments collapsed. What do we have in the latest budget? Absolutely nothing.
Why have the Liberals abandoned the goal of having only electric vehicles on our roads by 2030 or 2035?
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Chair, I do not think anyone has given up on electric vehicles. As I mentioned, as of right now, there is a billion-dollar battery separator plant being built in the Niagara Region. This is as we speak; it is transformational. The automotive industry has jumped leaps and bounds over the last few years, and that is continuing as ranges are getting higher.
We are seeing some of the old tired talking points from the Conservatives that EVs do not work and they are not going to be the future. They are the future. Canadians are buying them. Canadians are accepting them. The technology is getting better and better. Niagara is reaping those rewards, and we will see that when the plant opens, hopefully very soon.
Jacques Ramsay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Chair, I know that my hon. colleague travels throughout his riding and knows his fellow citizens very well. I would like him to tell us what he has been hearing.
What are his constituents saying about the measures our government is taking?
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Chair, I like that he says criss-crossing. My riding is not geographically that large, but I do get across it as much as possible.
There is an apprehension that I think exists in all of our ridings. The closer we get to the border, the closer that is, because that friendship and trust have been broken. Since the Second World War, we have looked to the United States and the United States has looked to us as a partnership. Canadians are taking that harshly and buying less. They are looking at the shelves and looking to see the red maple leaf is there before they buy. This is something I know will continue. That apprehension exists, but at the same time, we have to be there as a government to show that we support them in times of uncertainty.
Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON
Mr. Chair, it is an honour to rise on such an important issue, which not only affects my riding but Canadians right across our country. Canada's auto sector is the backbone of our country. We have over 100,000 auto sector jobs here in Ontario. We are very proud of our auto workers, who have done a fantastic job. They give $14 billion to our economy. That is a lot of money. That is a lot of workers. That is a very positive impact on our local economy.
My riding of Oxford is also home to a strong auto sector. We have Toyota and we have CAMI. We have all heard the news coming out of CAMI that 1,200 jobs will be terminated, recently announced by GM. This has devastated my community. In Ingersoll, 1,200 workers means 1,200 families. It affects our businesses. It affects the thousands of spinoff jobs that support our local economy. It also hurts our township. The CAMI plant is 12% of Ingersoll's tax base. When we lose that, that is going to have some serious ramifications for the citizens in my riding.
I have always said this. I have always said that in Oxford County, our farmers are the heart of our community, but our auto workers are the backbone. They are very hard-working, highly skilled people who roll up their sleeves and get things done. What we have seen in the last few years is a government that is failing our auto workers and that is failing our auto industry at large. It continues to fail. It continues to let them down. It continues to sell out our workers.
We have had a great discussion on EV mandates. The Liberal government is driven by ideology, an ideology that does not work. The Liberals are forcing their radical views on manufacturing with the EV mandates, which will have serious implications. Brian Kingston, the CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, has said very clearly it is “a direct challenge to our competitiveness as an auto manufacturing jurisdiction because it is levying punitive costs on companies that do not achieve these arbitrary sales targets.”
They are not feasible either. Electric vehicles are not working. The CAMI plant BrightDrop project was an electrical vehicle project. Hundreds of millions of dollars were put into that plant's retooling. A lot of things happened, but it does not survive because there are no sales right now. The demand for electric vehicles has gone down. I am a big believer of the free market. The market should decide where a product should go. Canadians should decide what cars they should be driving. It should not be forced by a top-down government that is pushing its own agenda.
In rural Ontario, those EV cars do not work. Electric vehicles do not work because of bad weather, no infrastructure and not enough towing capacity. The Liberals failed on EVs, and that is hurting our auto industry. Second, they failed on our trade situation. The Prime Minister has travelled across the world and has talked a big game, but when it comes to one of our most serious partners, he is missing in action.
Ninety-two per cent of our vehicles are shipped to the U.S. This is a big part of our industry. The Prime Minister needs to work and get to the table to get a good deal for our auto workers. Everywhere he goes, tariffs go up. It is the same in the auto industry. Toyota, whom I met with last week, said the same thing to me. If the tariffs do not come down from 10%, they will have to re-evaluate their situation as well.
The industry will be destroyed, yet the Liberals are missing in action once again. When they are handing out taxpayer dollars, hard-earned taxpayer dollars, they are not even reading contracts. The latest news we heard was that they gave $15 billion of hard-earned taxpayer money, and they did not even read the contract to see if there were any job securities. They are signing blank cheques to executives while our workers are the ones paying the price.
This has to change. We must stand for auto workers. We must protect our auto industry . The Liberals are missing in action. They are pointing fingers everywhere else. It is they themselves who should be looking in the mirror and knowing they are the problem and that they have to get out of the way.
Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON
Mr. Chair, cities like Windsor, Ingersoll and Oshawa depend on stable, predictable supply chains.
Does my hon. colleague from Oxford agree that the government's delays, uncertainty and endless photo ops have made it harder, not easier, for manufacturers to invest and hire? I would also like to hear some stories from him about what people are telling him in his riding in relation to the auto sector.
Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON
Mr. Chair, the auto industry is being burdened by the regulatory burden, the EV mandates, the weak action on tariffs and, obviously, the industrial carbon tax. They are setting up roadblocks at every step of the way. That is taking away the certainty. They are now saying that they are pausing the EV mandates. That is not a permanent solution. There is still no certainty on what is going to happen. We have to end the EV mandates.
The Conservatives will do that. Our auto workers support that. I can tell us that, in my riding, auto workers are very nervous. They want action. We have asked the minister for action on the CAMI plant. There is nothing, no answers, no plan and no updates. Every day that goes by is more trouble, more nervousness, more anxiety and more panic for our workers. It is time the Liberals finally stood up for Canada's auto workers.
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Chair, in his remarks, my colleague talked about contracts, and that reminds me of the battle that took place at the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology two years ago, specifically regarding the Stellantis, Honda and Volkswagen contracts. The Conservatives were fighting what I thought was an irresponsible battle to release the contracts. We had access to them. Although I thought it was reasonable for us, as parliamentarians, to be able to verify the content and ask certain questions, respecting trade secrecy is essential if we want to maintain investments. Is it Conservative policy to want to make these contracts public and to always fight these battles, which will harm Canada's and Quebec's ability to attract foreign investment? That is the consequence. The Conservatives are saying it will make trade secrets public when firms invest here. Is that really what the Conservatives want to do?
Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON
Mr. Chair, when $15 billion of Canadian money is being sent out to executives and we do not know if there are job securities, that is a problem. Just recently, we heard in committee about when Conservatives demanded that the contract be presented to the House so that we could examine the contract. First, we learned that the government did not review its own contracts before signing, and second, we learned it was the government who redacted the contract, because Stellantis came out and said that it never asked for anything to be redacted. The government is clearly hiding something. It is Canadians' money. It is for Canadian workers, and Canadians deserve to know.