Debates of June 2nd, 2025

Canada-U.S. Relations

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

Mr. Speaker, we know there is a lot of anxiety across the country, particularly when it comes to the steel and aluminum sectors. That is why, over the weekend, I was in contact with industry leaders, as well as union leaders, and we will continue to make sure we protect their jobs.

To be in solution mode, we will make sure that Canadian steel and aluminum are used in our major infrastructure projects. That is why steelworkers said over the weekend, “At a time when our steel and aluminum sectors are being hit by massive U.S. tariffs, this is the kind of leadership we've been demanding and [it] has delivered.”

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, to be clear, the Prime Minister promised elbows up against U.S. tariffs. He promised dollar-for-dollar countertariffs. He promised it would generate $20 billion in revenue, but he broke those promises. He secretly dropped countertariffs to effectively zero. He stopped fighting back against President Trump pretty early on, and now Trump is threatening to double tariffs on Canadian steel to 50%, which is a direct attack against our workers, their livelihoods and the Canadian economy.

If the Prime Minister really is elbows up, if he really is fighting back, can he tell our steelworkers how many dollars have been collected in countertariff revenue from the U.S.? How many dollars? What is the number?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague for the fact that she will now be my critic. It is good news. I am looking forward to working with her.

Indeed, the comments coming out of the White House are preoccupying. That being said, no executive order has been signed yet, so we take these comments very seriously, but we are working on all scenarios. That is why the Prime Minister is in Saskatoon meeting with the premiers of the provinces and territories, and it is also why we will make sure we execute our plan to fight, protect and build.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I did not hear a dollar amount on revenue from those countertariffs, so we can assume it is effectively zero. If the steel tariffs were not bad enough, the Prime Minister is determined to keep the industrial carbon tax on our steel production, driving up the cost of steel production here at home, which perhaps is really no surprise, given the Prime Minister claimed that Canadians do not even use that much steel, as if we do not use dishwashers, fridges, cars, pots and pans, baby strollers, and housing infrastructure, all of which are made with steel.

How can the Prime Minister claim to be elbows up for workers and fighting for affordability while keeping a punishing carbon tax on our Canadian steel producers?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives. We have put in place as a country, as a nation, the largest countertariffs in our history to protect our workers in the steel industry, the aluminum industry and the forestry sector, in all the sectors of our economy, to defend our workers and our industries. We should all, in the House, stand proudly to defend Canadian workers, defend Canadian industry and build Canada strong. That is Canadian.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, aluminum workers in our Saguenay region are very concerned. The Prime Minister promised Canadians that he would stand up to the Americans and their tariffs, yet President Trump is once again threatening to impose a 50% increase. Meanwhile, the Liberal government has reduced tariffs on American products to almost zero, but the Prime Minister assured us that the government would take in $20 billion.

Can our workers in Saguenay find out how much the Prime Minister has gotten from countertariffs so far?

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

Mr. Speaker, I understand my colleague's concern; the entire aluminum sector feels the same way. That is why, over the weekend, I attended the 2025 aluminum summit in Montreal on Sunday evening. I not only met with industry leaders, but I also spoke with the unions.

We will continue to support our aluminum sector in Quebec. We will use aluminum and steel from Quebec and Canada in our infrastructure projects. We will create jobs, we will protect them, and we will be able to defend ourselves against this injustice imposed by the White House.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, many Canadians voted for the Prime Minister because they thought he would stand up to President Trump, but he did away with countertariffs on American products in short order. He also said he would be more fiscally responsible, but his spending estimates are even bigger than those of his predecessor. He talks like a Conservative, but governs like Justin Trudeau. He says one thing, then does the opposite.

When will the Prime Minister stop talking out of both sides of his mouth?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague's comments surprise me. He should actually be proud to have a government that stands up to the Americans. Had we listened to the Conservatives, we would have capitulated.

Members on this side of the House are standing up for workers in the industry. We know how important Quebec's aluminum industry is. We know how skilled and talented our workers are. The best aluminum in the world is produced right here, in Canada, in Quebec.

We will continue to stand up for the industry and our workers, and we will continue to build a strong country together.

Oil and Gas Industry

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were elected on a promise to make Donald Trump's tariff threats their priority. However, what the first ministers discussed in Saskatoon today was not the new tariff threats against aluminum and steel. The priority they discussed was how to force Quebec to accept a dirty oil pipeline from the west. Quebeckers voted for a government that would protect them from Donald Trump. They did not vote for pipelines.

Will the Liberals get their priorities straight?

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

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that Quebeckers are very concerned about the White House's tariff war. That is why they elected 44 Quebec Liberal MPs, something they have not done since 1981. We are going to be there to stand up for jobs in the aluminum sector because we know that this sector is being threatened with higher tariffs.

Of course, we will work with the members from Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean, Bécancour and other regions, and we will stand firm and strong to protect our jobs.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, before meeting with Quebec and the provinces today, the Prime Minister met with business people first yesterday. He was not meeting with steel or aluminum representatives to talk about Donald Trump's new tariff threats. No, he was meeting with fossil fuel CEOs. Oil companies come first; Quebec and the provinces come second. The Prime Minister was not elected to serve oil companies. He was elected to protect Quebec's economy from Donald Trump's threats.

Why is he putting oil companies first?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think the Bloc Québécois needs to understand that the Prime Minister's role is to be able to talk to everyone, whether they are in the aluminum, steel, clean energy or conventional energy sectors. That is the job of the Prime Minister, which no Bloc Québécois member will never be.

That said, what is most important right now is that we want to build. We are going to invest in major infrastructure projects. For Quebec, one of the fundamental infrastructure projects is the high-speed train between Windsor and Quebec City, something the Bloc Québécois should support.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Prairies burn, the first ministers are in Saskatoon talking about dirty oil pipelines and scrapping environmental assessments. That is the Canadian identity today: A Liberal Prime Minister who sits down with oil companies before discussing matters with his counterparts, and provinces that isolate Quebec in order to force it into accepting a pipeline. All these people keep telling us that Canadian unity and the national interest are at stake.

Does the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture honestly believe that Canadian unity and the national interest are all about building pipelines while the Prairies are burning?

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

Mr. Speaker, what is in the national interest is creating and protecting jobs.

That is the question that people in every Bloc Québécois riding and every riding here are asking themselves: Who can deliver the goods? Only one party can, and that is the Liberal Party. Only one government can protect and create jobs, and that is the Liberal government.

We will get there by working with the Government of Quebec, of course, and by working with all the provinces. In this tariff war, it is essential to refute the White House's rhetoric and create jobs at the same time.

Canada-U.S. Relations

[Dan Muys, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised elbows up with dollar-for-dollar tariffs on the U.S. that would collect $20 billion. The Prime Minister then broke that promise, giving Canadians elbows down when he dropped the tariffs on the U.S. to effectively zero. Now Trump is threatening to double tariffs on Canadian steel to 50%, attacking Canadian workers, their jobs, their livelihoods and our industry.

Can the Prime Minister tell our steelworkers how much has been collected from tariffs on the U.S.?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Finance and National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, clearly the member on the other side is misinformed, but let us talk about the great things we have been doing for Canadians lately.

Last week, we introduced, as the first thing in the House, a tax reduction for the middle class, and 22 million Canadians will benefit from that measure. Not only did we do that, but we also made sure that we removed the GST for first-time homebuyers for homes up to $1 million dollars. Those are measures that make a difference in the lives of Canadians. Those are measures that make a difference in every region of Canada. Those are measures that build a strong Canada.

[Dan Muys, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, did the steelworkers in Hamilton hear that? There was not one number in that arrogant answer.

I do not think that is surprising given that this is a government whose Prime Minister believes that Canadians do not actually use steel in their daily lives. For workers and businesses in my community of Hamilton looking for the support that might have come from the revenue of those countertariffs, they are being left empty handed, and they are worried about their futures.

Let me ask this again: If the Liberals are truly fighting back, can they tell us how much has been collected from tariffs? I ask them to just give a number.

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

Mr. Speaker, we know that there is a lot of anxiety across the country in the steel and aluminum sector, particularly in Hamilton. That is why I was in contact with the CEO of ArcelorMittal Dofasco over the weekend. I also talked to the head of the Canadian steelworkers and am making sure that our MPs from Hamilton are really on board as they are fighting for jobs in their communities.

This rhetoric coming out of the White House is extremely preoccupying, but no executive order has been signed. That is why we will continue to fight with countertariffs to protect our workers and make sure that we build national projects.

Employment

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, unemployment is up 7%. Youth unemployment is at 14%. Canadians cannot find work, and the burden of government red tape is making things even worse. Small businesses spend 32 working days every year wrapped up in excessive regulations. It is no wonder they cannot afford to hire or innovate.

Will the Liberals finally cut the red tape strangling our economy so businesses can hire and Canadians can find jobs?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, the government is focused on making sure that employers have the quality, skill and talent they need to grow their small and medium-sized businesses and ensure that corporations across the country have the kind of innovation and talent they are asking for.

I would recommend that the member listen to and check in with the employers in his riding who are talking about the need for more talent. We will be there for every Canadian who wants to ensure that they, too, can get a great job.

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it has been 10 years that I have been listening to Canadians. The minister should listen to Canadians who cannot find a job. There are fewer new entrepreneurs than ever. Productivity and growth are down. Forget the scissors and the pruners. We need a chainsaw to cut through all this red tape. It is time to clear a path for Canadians to be successful and to hire.

Why do the Liberals keep choking Canadian workers and businesses with their red tape?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister often says, no one can be against the good things that Canadians can do for themselves.

The Prime Minister and ministers are in Saskatoon today doing the hard work of removing red tape in the form of internal trade barriers so we can have one Canadian economy and not 13 Canadian economies. This could lower prices up to 15%, increase productivity up to 7% and add $200 billion to the economy. That is eliminating red tape. That is standing up for Canada.

Canada-U.S. Relations

[Harb Gill, Conservative, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised elbows up, promised dollar-for-dollar tariffs on the U.S. and claimed he would collect $20 billion. The Prime Minister broke that promise, giving Canadian steel and auto workers an elbow in the ribs when he dropped tariffs on the U.S. to, effectively, zero. Now President Trump is threatening to double tariffs on Canadian steel to 50%, attacking Canadian workers, their jobs, their livelihoods and our industry.

Can the Prime Minister tell us how much he has actually collected from tariffs so far and how he is going to help secure jobs in Windsor?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will not only make sure that Canadian steel and aluminum are in our major projects, but we will also make sure that all the investments we are putting up in defence are to create jobs, which will have an impact on the steel and aluminum sector. That is why the United Steelworkers mentioned, at a time when our steel and aluminum sectors are being hit by massive U.S. tariffs, that this is the kind of leadership it has been demanding and that has been delivered by the government.