House of Commons Hansard #10 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was unemployment.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act Second reading of Bill C-4. The bill, An Act respecting certain affordability measures for Canadians and another measure, aims to implement a tax cut for 22 million Canadians, eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes up to $1 million, and remove the consumer carbon price from law. Liberals argue these measures deliver on election promises to make life more affordable. Conservatives call it "half measures" insufficient to address the cost of living crisis and rising unemployment, criticizing the continued industrial carbon tax. The Bloc Québécois questions the lack of a budget and argues Quebec was unfairly excluded from carbon tax rebates. 27100 words, 3 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Madam Speaker, we have seen the job numbers, and I would say it is in large part due to the trade war that we are facing with our neighbour to the south. For Canadians, and I hear that the Conservatives will rejoice, later on today we will be tabling legislation, including a plan to build Canada strong.
On that side of the House, they just ask questions. On this side of the House, we put plans forward to build Canada strong.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Madam Speaker, the fact is that unemployment has been steadily increasing under this government for two years.
This week, I spoke to Josh, a hard-working and experienced labourer in his late 30s. Josh has been unemployed for more than a year and has now put in over 1,000 applications. StatsCan's numbers show that unemployed Canadians like Josh are searching longer and becoming more desperate.
By raising taxes, obstructing development and letting immigration get out of control, Liberals are depriving people like Josh of the opportunities they deserve. Will they change course so that Josh and others can get back to work?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Madam Speaker, I think about Josh, his family, his community and all the communities around the country that are affected by this trade war. That is why we are going to table legislation later on today with a plan. The way to address what is going on for Josh and his employment status is to build a plan to create opportunities, to build Canada strong, to build a confident Canada and a prosperous Canada.
I salute the work of my colleagues the Minister of Transport and the Minister responsible for One Canadian Economy. They have done great work to build that one Canadian economy that will create—
EmploymentOral Questions
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Madam Speaker, if the Liberals had a plan, the typical way they would put a plan before the House of Commons to address unemployment is in something called a budget, and yet we have no budget. Their response to terrible unemployment numbers is to blame others, blame external events, and to fail to present the House of Commons with a budget.
The Liberals said that a plan beats no plan. They have no plan. They have no budget. They have no plan to address out-of-control unemployment. They need to cut taxes, allow development and control immigration. When will they change course so that people can get back to work?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, indeed this government has a plan. This plan will be tabled later today in the form of legislation, which the member and his colleagues will have a chance to support. It is a plan to build this country; a plan to collaborate with every premier in this country, who have endorsed this plan; a plan to build major projects; a plan to get our economy on track; and a plan to create opportunity for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Will that member stand up and support our plan?
Fraser Tolmie Conservative Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK
Madam Speaker, today we learned that Canada's unemployment rate has risen to 7%, the highest in a decade outside the pandemic. For students, this number is even higher, at over 21%. Canada's youth are eager to start their career paths but are facing obstacles at every step. They want to have independence and not be a burden to their parents.
For 10 years, the Liberals have been at the helm of our economy, and things have only gone downhill. The Liberals have created this unemployment crisis. Do they have a real plan to fix it?
Wayne Long LiberalSecretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Madam Speaker, we stand with the families who are impacted by unjust, unfair and illegal tariffs to the south of us. We stand with those businesses.
We are a government of action. We have just advanced legislation to cut taxes for 22 million Canadians, we are lowering the carbon tax, and we are lowering the taxes on first-home homebuyers.
Gabriel Hardy Conservative Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC
Madam Speaker, the youth unemployment rate in Quebec is three times higher than it is for the rest of the population. Specifically, it is 17%, compared to 5%. Summer job postings have fallen by 22% compared to last year. With house prices skyrocketing by hundreds of thousands of dollars, our young people just want to start working so they can begin saving up.
When will the government finally present a budget so that our young people can budget for their future?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Madam Speaker, my colleague will have the opportunity later today to vote in favour of legislation that includes a plan to build Canada strong with projects of national significance to ensure that Canada has the strongest economy in the G7, that industries can thrive and that young people can find jobs in the future.
The best way to build Canada strong is to put forward an action plan. That is exactly what we are going to do on this side of the House. Canadians will be watching to see what the Conservatives do. Will they support us in building Canada strong?
Gabriel Hardy Conservative Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC
Madam Speaker, those are still just words, and there is still no budget in sight for us.
Our young people just want to participate in the economy and make sure they are working to build their future. Now we have learned that youth unemployment is three times higher than the rest of the population. Worse still, a new Statistics Canada report tells us that 1.6 million people are unemployed, which is a 13.8% increase over last year.
When will the government stop abandoning our young people, who just want to work to build a future?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Madam Speaker, young people want to see what the Conservatives are going to do today.
Instead of just talking, they will have the opportunity to take action to support young people across the country by backing legislation that lays out an ambitious plan for Canada. The Prime Minister has put forward an ambitious plan. He had a meeting with all the provincial and territorial premiers. Canada is more united than ever to build a strong future for our young people, our communities and our industries.
Will the Conservatives support our plan to build Canada strong?
Marilène Gill Bloc Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan, QC
Madam Speaker, our aluminum and steel industries have been paying the price for Donald Trump's tariffs for three months without any help from Ottawa. This week, the tariffs doubled.
Employers like Alouette and Alcoa are the backbone of the economy in a region like the north shore, not to mention all the businesses that depend on steel. We need to provide liquidity for our industries. The money from the countertariffs needs to be redirected. We need to set up a wage subsidy program to prevent job losses.
After three months in a tariff war, what is Ottawa waiting for?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalPresident of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade
Madam Speaker, on the contrary, we are not waiting.
Yesterday, my colleague the Minister of Finance and I met with people from the steel industry and others. We talked about the importance of supplying liquidity to support the aluminum sector in Quebec and across Canada. The Department of Finance has a mechanism specifically designed to provide that support. We already adapted EI measures before the election to guarantee that workers would be eligible. We will continue to collaborate with workers and industry to ensure that we are there for industry while standing up to—
Steel and Aluminum IndustryOral Questions
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The hon. member for Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan.
Marilène Gill Bloc Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan, QC
Madam Speaker, an employment relationship is not employment insurance. The Liberals are abandoning our regions. We can see it.
There is another example: softwood lumber. Groupe Remabec, among others, is laying off people throughout Quebec, and Arbec is doing the same in my community. Our industry has been in a trade war with the Americans, not since Donald Trump was elected, but since his first term in 2017. Our forestry industry has been getting hit with U.S. tariffs for eight years now, without liquidity and without support for creating added value through processing.
How many layoffs will it take for Ottawa to do something about this?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Transport and Internal Trade
Madam Speaker, softwood lumber is very important for Canada and its regions. That is one of the reasons I will be very pleased to get the support of all members in the House for our legislative measures to implement our plan to build one Canadian economy. This plan will truly build Canada. We need softwood lumber to build our magnificent country. That is why anyone who is worried about softwood lumber needs to support this bill.
Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC
Madam Speaker, Donald Trump's attacks on our economy are escalating, and our industries are not asking for the moon. They are asking for guarantees in terms of access to liquidity when needed and access to wage subsidies to hang onto their workers and their expertise.
All we are asking the Liberals to do is to plan ahead for once, rather than waiting for plants to close and for Quebeckers to lose their jobs. The Liberals need to be proactive, rather than reacting after it is too late.
What are they waiting for?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, like the Conservative Party caucus, the Bloc Québécois will have a golden opportunity to support the Government of Quebec and all the provincial and territorial governments in Canada, industry stakeholders, the business community, unions and, most importantly, people who are looking for good opportunities, because we intend to build the country through projects of national significance.
We intend to respond to Mr. Trump and the Americans by building and developing major projects in Canada. Later this afternoon, the Bloc Québécois will have the opportunity to support a real plan to do that.
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Madam Speaker, last year, 15,000 Islanders relied on Loaves & Fishes, the food bank in my community. While there were 225,000 visits to food banks across B.C., one-third of those were for children.
The Prime Minister promised affordable groceries. Instead, the cost of infant formula is up 9% and the cost of beef is up a whopping 33% since January. Liberals keep spending; Canadians keep hurting.
Will the Liberals finally table a budget that fights inflation so Canadians can afford to eat?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, the hon. member, whom I welcome to the House, was obviously not here, but perhaps she should talk to her colleagues, who systematically opposed every affordability measure proposed by the government: child care, the Canada child benefit, school nutrition programs, dental care and pharmacare. The party she ran under has systematically resisted and voted against every single affordability measure that would help the very people she claims to represent.
Tamara Kronis Conservative Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Madam Speaker, the minister engages in finger-pointing, while a third of the people who are using food banks are children. How are parents supposed to provide healthy lunches for their kids when the cost of apples is up 19%, the cost of cheese is up 5% and the cost of oranges is up 26%, not since 2015 but since January?
Two days of groceries cost more than $100 in my community. The Liberal government is spending a half-trillion dollars without telling Canadian parents where the revenue is coming from.
Will the Prime Minister respect the will of the House and table a budget this spring?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, the member asks about budgets. She should ask her colleagues in her own caucus about past budgets, budgets that have helped the very people of whom she speaks: the people who are looking for school nutrition programs, who benefit monthly from the indexed Canada child benefit or who take their kids and drop them off at federally subsidized child care—
FinanceOral Questions
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
Could we allow the hon. member to answer a question that absolutely nobody heckled while it was being asked?
The hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons has the floor.