Debates of Feb. 12th, 2026

Opposition Motion—Automotive Strategy

[Tim Watchorn, Liberal, Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC]

Madam Speaker, I must confess that my family also owns an EV. We bought our vehicle in 2022, in large part because of federal and provincial subsidies. I think that is a responsible choice.

What we see from the Conservatives is that they never think about climate change. I would like my colleague across the way to tell us about the importance of electrifying transportation as a way to deal with climate change.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, I think my colleague raised a good point. I do not often agree with the Liberals, but I think that we can work together on some things, and electrification is one of them.

I would encourage his government to be even more ambitious, because abandoning the electric vehicle availability standards we had in the past is an unfortunate move. We know that when dealerships are forced to stock EVs, consumers have more choice and are more likely to buy these vehicles.

I think that is the direction that we need to go in. We know that EVs produce virtually no greenhouse gases, unlike conventional vehicles, which obviously cause more pollution because they burn gasoline. Conventional vehicles account for a substantial portion of our greenhouse gas emissions. I think the figure is approximately 40% in Quebec, and, in Canada, transportation accounts for about 20% because the country produces greenhouse gases in so many other industries. All of that is to say that conventional vehicles account for a significant portion of our greenhouse gas emissions, and we need to move toward the electrification of transportation if we want to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and reach the much-discussed global commitment of net zero by 2050.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, I think it is clear today that the Bloc Québécois was in favour of subsidies for electric vehicles. In fact, it is clear that the government complied with the request that we have been making for quite some time. It finally listened to reason.

However, there is one area in which the government has not yet listened to reason. To me, the Conservatives and the Liberals are two peas in a pod. They are like two sides of the same coin. From what I understand, the latest budget extended carbon capture tax credits for the oil industry through to 2040, when they were supposed to end in 2035. This government is bumping up tax credits and subsidies for the oil and gas industry, then bragging about reinstating a measure that it should never have cancelled.

I would like to hear my colleague's comments on that.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, the simple answer is that western Canada produces oil and has an oil-centred economy, even though the rest of the world is heading in a different direction. Ontario generally tows the same line, since it primarily manufactures gas-powered vehicles. Canada seems incapable of changing its ways.

In Quebec, we produce electricity. That means we have every reason to transition away from oil for both economic and environmental reasons, since we already produce electricity. Right now, however, Alberta and the federal government seem unwilling to invest in a forward-looking and future-shaping economic shift. Instead, they want to keep things as they are for as long as possible. It is like wanting to hold on to coal trains forever. One day, this will simply no longer be possible. We need to start thinking about the future instead of always staying stuck in the past.

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like to start off by sending my deepest condolences and prayers to everyone in Tumbler Ridge. What we saw and what we heard are heartbreaking stories. As a father, I mourn with them. As Canadians, we all stand with the community, and we are sending our prayers to the first responders, the victims and their families. May God bless them all during this challenging time. Canadians from all areas of our country are standing with them.

I will now shift to the issue at hand, which affects my riding quite a bit. Oxford County, usually known as the dairy capital of Canada, has a lot of farmers and a lot of agriculture. We also have a huge footprint when it comes to the auto sector. Members of the government have visited us recently as well. We were just celebrating a successful milestone in Woodstock at the Toyota plant, which started production of the new generation of RAV4s. I visited the plant and spoke to the workers who are producing the amazing RAV4s. Every 30 seconds, a new vehicle pops off the assembly line.

That is possible only because of the hard work, dedication and commitment of the people who make it happen. The workers in the auto industry are some of the best in the world. In my riding and in Windsor, Oshawa, Brampton and Quebec, there is a huge footprint of the amazing folks who are leading the way when it comes to manufacturing.

We are seeing an attack on the Canadian auto industry, and we are feeling it coming from within sometimes, in some of the policies coming from the current government. The government has been talking a very big game when it comes to the auto sector, with a lot of photo ops, a lot of fancy summits and a lot of talk.

However, the rhetoric is not matching the reality, and for my riding, this is having serious consequences, and not just with the job losses. I look at what the auto workers and the industry do for us. They are out in the community, and they are giving back to charities. They are usually the first ones to support events like Coldest Night of the Year, which is a national charity that focuses on people who are homeless. They give back when they can. They come together as one strong community. The industry and the workers are feeling betrayed by the government now.

Looking at the Prime Minister's record, let's look back at the last year. We have lost 5,000 jobs in the industry: direct jobs in Brampton, Ingersoll and Oshawa, and at Paccar in Quebec. There are also tens of thousands of indirect jobs, the spinoff jobs, that operate because of these manufacturing jobs.

Under the current government, under the Liberals' watch and under their failed leadership, auto production has been cut by half. In 2015, over two million cars were made in Canada; now it is a little over a million cars. We are now under attack when it comes to the auto industry. The government has had the opportunity to stand up for our workers, to show solidarity and to fight against the unjustified tariffs that are affecting our community, but it has not. The Liberals are not showing any leadership.

When the Liberals announced the new strategy, workers in my riding did not back it up. I have been getting calls and emails to my office. People are asking why the government is subsidizing, using their tax dollars to fund, American-made EVs. We should be bringing that money here to Canada, especially when Donald Trump is putting tariffs on Canadian-made autos. The Liberals talked about standing up to Donald Trump; we saw the campaign about elbows up. When it comes to issues like this, that is missing. Now the Liberals are repackaging their EV mandate with a different word and different packaging to make it look like it is new and exciting, but it is the same stuff that will have the same consequences on our economy.

The EV mandates were not supported by the manufacturers here in Canada. Brian Kingston and other leaders opposed them. They said that the Liberals did not know what they were talking about and that they had doubled down on their failed experiments. What did that do? It made us uncompetitive and brought instability to our industry, which in return meant job losses. That is why we proposed scrapping the EV mandates a long time ago. We have been calling for that for over a year.

We should be increasing demand for production in our country. We have the best, hardest-working workers. They want to get to work. They want to roll up their sleeves and build Canada. Instead of taking the GST off Canadian-made vehicles, which would incentivize our local economy because on a $50,000 vehicle it would give Canadians a $2,500 saving, the Liberals are going to ship the money down south.

Canadians do not want their tax dollars going into luxury vehicles they cannot afford, especially during an affordability crisis, when that money could be spent on boosting our local economy and making sure our workers get the jobs they need so they can put food on the table and would not have to line up at food banks as we have seen in the last bit under the current government. The government is completely out of touch.

Workers in Oxford County called me last week after the plant in Ingersoll laid them off. When they started getting their payouts and saw that more than half of their paycheque was being withheld in taxes, they were shocked. They had no words to explain what that would mean for their family. They do not know how they will pay their mortgage, rent and other bills, or how they will feed their family. They are making changes now for the summer, such as taking their kids out of their sports leagues.

All they wanted was for the government to do the right thing and stand with them, because that is what it claimed it would do. It talks a big game, saying it is with the workers, but when it comes to standing up for them in the House, it does not. Therefore we brought forward a proposal that would, under section 153 of the Income Tax Act, a federally governed system, provide some relief. When our economy is not doing well, I think relief should be there for workers, which would mean they could food on the table and would give them some breathing space and room for relief.

We told the minister we wanted to co-operate in good faith. We said we wanted to work together in collaboration around the table. The Liberals flatly rejected it. They called it “political malpractice”. I can tell members that it is political malpractice to not stand with the workers who dedicate so much to our country. The Liberals have turned their backs on them. They talk a big game and talk rhetoric, but the reality does not match their words.

Therefore we are calling on all sides to work with us in collaboration. Let us get to the table. Let us scrap the EV mandates; no matter how we brand them, they should be gone. We should look at scrapping the subsidies that are going to fund things down south, bring that money back home and put Canadian jobs and Canadian workers first. Let us take the GST off our Canadian-made vehicles. Let us give our workers the relief they need during these challenging times. That is what it means to be Canadian. It is time to stand up and support the auto industry.

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the time the member for Oxford and I had, together with his colleagues, the member for Kitchener South—Hespeler and the member for Cambridge, participating in the rollout of the new 2026 RAV4. I will note that it is a hybrid RAV4 that responded not only to consumer taste but also to the California emission standards, which require an increase in vehicle efficiency.

Does my colleague agree with me that the California emission standards helped contribute to the conditions that resulted in the RAV4 hybrid being manufactured at the world-leading plant in Cambridge and Woodstock?

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Madam Speaker, it was great to have the parliamentary secretary visit our riding. I welcome any member who wants to come take a look at some of the greatest things that get made. They should come to Oxford County; we will take them for a nice tour and show them all the great things that are happening in my riding. It is a beautiful place to be.

One thing that is very clear is that we were making hybrid vehicles before the government started putting all the regulations in. I have been in direct contact with Toyota quite regularly. The company tells me it will do what the market wants, what consumers want. That should be the way our auto sector works: Consumers should decide what kind of cars they want to drive.

If consumers want to drive gas-powered vehicles, they should be allowed to. In Oxford County, that is what a lot of folks want to drive. We have a lot of agriculture equipment, a lot of farming equipment; that is what is needed. If somebody wants to invest in a hybrid, it is their choice; they should be allowed to. If anyone wants to drive an electric vehicle, it should be their choice. We should let Canadians decide what vehicles they want to drive.

Sometimes they could try to use reports that lean towards their biases, but I believe and trust Canadians for their expertise. I can say that Toyota will keep on doing what it is doing, and it actually calls on the government to stand with it as well.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Madam Speaker, my colleague's argument is that the money should be invested elsewhere, especially at a time when people are struggling to make ends meet and the high cost of living is so high.

He is talking about the electric car industry, but what about the hundreds of billions of dollars that are going to oil companies, to American companies that make hundreds of billions of dollars in profits every year and that the government continues to finance at a time when what we really need are meaningful measures?

I represent an agricultural riding. Climate change is a nightmare for farmers. That is what is affecting the cost of living.

There is room for everyone to take their place in the sun. Let us continue to invest in the climate transition while ensuring that people who currently make a living from the fossil fuel industry can gradually transition to renewable energy, because that is the future of our planet.

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Madam Speaker, like my hon. colleague across the aisle, I represent an agriculture community. The farmers in my riding are telling me that input costs are being driven by the government. Whether by taxes on farm equipment or taxes on fertilizer, the Liberals are the ones driving up the costs, which are then, obviously, being sent to our consumers. I have said it before and I will say it again: When we tax the farmer who grows the food, when we tax the trucker who ships the food and when we tax the processor who processes the food, what that does is drive the cost of food up.

I am a big believer that the government should not be choosing winners and losers, and this is why our plan lets the market decide which direction it should be going in, not the Liberal government.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Madam Speaker, I am a member of the Conservative auto caucus. We have met with representatives from Toyota several times, and they specifically complained to us about the fact that the rebates and the programs the government has put in place picked and chose losers in terms of technology. Toyota was the world leader in hybrid technology but said that the government is completely ignoring its hybrid technology and wants to go to the plug-in electric only.

I am wondering if the hon. member has heard this as well.

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have heard it loud and clear. That is why I stand with them every single day, and that is why our plan is the common-sense plan workers want right now, not the Liberals' failed photo ops.

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

Madam Speaker, “We are in the middle of a trade war” is what the Liberals say in response to questions Conservatives raise every time there are more layoffs in the auto sector, in the softwood lumber sector, in the steel and in the aluminum sector. They repeat it to justify their failure to get a deal with the Americans on these tariffs.

Let us be very clear about something right at the get-go: The United States started this trade war. It was President Trump who did it. He put unjustified and illegal tariffs on Canadian products. He has done that, which makes the Liberals' position on this legislation completely incomprehensible.

When Donald Trump is tariffing the Canadian economy, and in particular autos, he has said that he wants every single Canadian auto manufacturing job in the United States. That is his stated goal. To do that, he is putting enormous tariffs on Canadian autos. These tariffs are decimating Canada's auto industry. We have seen the closure of two production facilities. Thousands of Canadians who manufactured cars have lost their jobs. These were good, union jobs that allowed people to pay for their families, their mortgages and all of these things.

This is caused by the tariffs. One would think that in the middle of a trade war caused by the Americans, there is no way we would be giving subsidies for American electric vehicles, but we are. It is disgusting.

I spent Tuesday meeting with the Unifor Skilled Trades Council and skilled trades workers. Every single worker I talked to was outraged that the government would send one penny to the United States for an electric vehicle, which is what it is in fact doing with rebates.

Every single American electric vehicle should be ineligible for any kind of rebate. It is insulting that the Liberals are not doing that. They could do it with one stroke of a pen. The Prime Minister likes to do these fancy announcements with a pen. He pretended to get rid of the carbon tax by signing something. We all remember that a while ago. He could actually do it for this. With the stroke of a pen, the Liberals could make sure that American EVs are ineligible for one penny of Canadian tax dollars until the Americans take their illegal and unjustified tariffs off our auto sector, but they do not do it. They are kowtowing to Donald Trump with this policy, and I do not understand why they are doing it.

The Liberals ran an the entire election on elbows up and saying that they could deal with Donald Trump and that they would stand up to Donald Trump, but here they are subsidizing Donald Trump's buy America plan. He wants every single auto in North America to be made in America.

I have looked auto workers in the face and told them about this policy, and they are outraged. The Liberals say that they have had conversations. I challenge any Liberal member to go and sit down with an employee from the shuttered Brampton plant and say to them, “We are sorry you lost your job, but by the way, we will be giving rebates for American-made EVs.” I can say right now that the meeting would not go well, because they are outraged. I am outraged too.

We should not send the Americans a single penny for a single EV until every single illegal, unjustified tariff is taken off Canada and what we produce. The fact that the Liberals will not do it is shameful.

Now, let us talk about something positive we could do for the Canadian auto sector, not the thing the Liberals are doing, which is to hurt it by giving those rebates for American EVs. I have also talked to auto workers about our policy, which is to take the HST off all Canadian-made vehicles, not picking and choosing as the Liberals have done. There is one Canadian EV that may get this subsidy, which is the Dodge Charger. It is a $95,000 electric muscle car. There are not a lot of people buying them. In fact, in 2025, 600 people in Canada bought the Dodge Charger.

Rather than having a program that is going to primarily benefit the United States and other countries, why not have a program to support our auto workers?

This policy to take the HST off all Canadian-produced autos came from auto workers. I know because I met with them, I talked to them, and I asked, “What could we do to come up with a policy that would help each and every one of you to secure your jobs, to actually bring back some production jobs?” This is what they talked about, because over 95% of the vehicles produced in Canada are not EVs.

The 125,000 Canadians who work in the automotive sector in Canada rely on non-EV vehicle production. These niche subsidies that the Liberals are giving to help Donald Trump's buy America program are not helping the auto sector, not even remotely.

This would actually incentivize Canadians to buy vehicles. If we look at taking the 13% HST off a vehicle in Ontario, on a $50,000 vehicle we are looking at around $7,000. We are in a cost of living crisis, and when a lot of Canadians go out shopping, they are looking at the cost of things very intently. If they could buy a Canadian car for $7,000 less than an American car or a Japanese car or any other country's car, they will buy the Canadian vehicle.

That is why it is so incomprehensible that the Liberals will not adopt our policy. It is a policy the auto sector workers want. It is one that will be good for all auto production. It would not send a penny of Canadian tax dollars to Donald Trump and his buy American program, unlike their EV subsidy program, which I will again say is absolutely outrageous and unacceptable when we are in the middle of a trade war with the United States.

I want to talk a little about the strategy. The Liberal EV strategy is to produce a lot more EVs. That is what they say they are going to do. There might be a slight problem with that. Stellantis, in an announcement just this week, has said it is moving away from electric vehicles and moving away from the command economy to the demand economy, because demand is actually for non-EVs. That is Stellantis, one of the largest auto manufacturers in the entire world. They are saying it is actually not time to double down on EVs, because consumer demand is not there.

However, the Liberals are going to double down on it. They are doubling down on giving money to Donald Trump's America and doubling down on a strategy that the automakers are moving away from. It gets worse. Ford just announced today that they took a $1.1-billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2025. They lose $27,000 for every EV they make. They have also said they are going to reorient and move towards consumer demand, yet the Liberals are going in the opposite direction.

It does not make sense. We need to allow market conditions to determine the kinds of vehicles that people are going to buy, like the hybrid RAV4 that my colleague from Oxford talked about. Why is that not eligible for these subsidies? Why are the Liberals picking and choosing winners? This person is a winner; this vehicle is a winner. Elon Musk's Tesla is a winner, but Canadian manufactured vehicles are not.

There is a very simple thing that could happen in this Parliament. Number one, the government could change this legislation so that not a single penny of Canadian dollars will go to subsidize vehicles made in Donald Trump's America. It is very simple, and every single Canadian would support this.

Number two, the government could take the HST off Canadian-made vehicles to support the 125,000 men and women who work in the automotive supply chain in Canada, 95% of whom make non-electric vehicles. It would spur demand. It might actually bring back some jobs. I do not know why the government is not doing this. I do not know why the government would ever consider sending a penny of Canadian dollars to vehicles made in the United States when Donald Trump has declared a trade war on Canada. The Liberals should apologize to Canadians for that.

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Madam Speaker, I welcomed the beginning of my colleague from Dufferin—Caledon's speech, where he did acknowledge the trade war. Unfortunately, he spent the rest of his speech mostly talking about the policies that we think will spur investment in response to consumer choice.

I heard a number of critiques of different kinds of investments, including, if I understand correctly, the kinds of investments that would have been made by a previous government of a different colour during the financial crisis, investments that helped attract Japanese automakers, and other policy choices.

Within the motion and within the critiques of the investment attraction policies that we are putting forward on this side, what positive ideas does the member have to attract new investment into auto production in Canada?

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

Madam Speaker, it is kind of unbelievable to me that the member would ask that question. I think I was very clear that we would take the HST off every vehicle made in Canada. That would spur the automakers in Canada to invest in Canada. They might decide they are going to invest in multivehicle platforms at their remaining factories here in Canada so they can produce more different models of Canadian vehicles that do not have HST, because they would be less expensive than those of their competitors.

There is one thing I have never gotten an answer to, despite asking many times in question period. I know the member will not answer it today and will not answer it in question period. Why are the Liberals giving rebates for American-made vehicles when Donald Trump has declared a trade war on Canada and is trying to ruin our auto sector? Why will the Liberals not answer that question?

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, let us talk about questions that have never been answered. So far, no Conservative has answered a fairly simple question from the Bloc Québécois benches.

In the case of this motion, Conservative logic suggests that cars manufactured in the United States should not be subsidized because we are in a tariff and trade war with Donald Trump's United States. However, we never hear the Conservatives complain about the fact that the government is providing tax credits and direct and indirect subsidies for the oil and gas industry, which is largely owned by American shareholders. They do not have any problem with that.

I would like someone to explain that to me. I am open to discussion.

Why is it acceptable to subsidize an industry that is primarily American-owned, namely the oil and gas industry, but not to offer a $5,000 rebate on electric cars manufactured in the United States?

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

Madam Speaker, that has a pretty simple answer. Number one is that those are things available in the tax code; they are not a direct rebate. Those are totally different things. They are tax advantages that every company that operates in Canada gets. Number two is that they are actually operating in Canada, creating Canadian jobs, paying Canadian taxes and creating Canadian wealth. Vehicles manufactured in the United States do none of those things, so I do not understand why the member is confused. It seems very obvious to me.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Madam Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of my colleague a company called Edison Motors. It is a start-up company that is trying to build hybrid trucks here in Canada. The company faces challenges because it put a generator in the truck rather than an on-the-road engine, and generator engine emissions requirements and on-the-road engine emissions requirements are different. The government has failed to even talk to this company and give it approval to build these trucks.

This is just one example of the government totally failing to support our own Canadian industry. I am wondering if the member has an example from his neck of the woods of where the government does not support these new start-ups.

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

Madam Speaker, the challenge is that the government likes to pick winners and losers across a whole host of things. The problem with that is that governments do very few things well, the current government even less than normal governments. When governments are trying to pick winners and losers in industry, they almost always pick the wrong things.

We could look at what happened with the battery plants. Stellantis just sold its interest in the battery plant for $100. It is not actually producing car batteries anymore, for which the Liberals gave them all the money. It is now producing home batteries. Because it did not know which technology was going to lead in the EV sector, the government put all its eggs in one basket, and it made the wrong choice.

Governments should not pick winners and losers; they should create environments in which all companies want to invest and risk capital, and let the best company win with the best idea.

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to stand in this place to represent the amazing folks of Essex. As always, I want to thank my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, without whom this is not possible.

On behalf of the folks of Essex, yesterday was a really touching day here in the House, a moment of solidarity and thoughts and prayers for the Tumbler Ridge families, victims, survivors and the ones that probably hit me the most, the first responders and the thought of what they are waking up to today and tomorrow and the weeks, months and years ahead. As a first responder myself, I know it is a long journey, and I hope they know there is always somebody to talk to. There is always support. I am thinking of and praying for them.

I want to, first and foremost, thank my colleague from Dufferin—Caledon. He really did encapsulate so much of what my speech is about. I have had the opportunity to live right next to the busiest international border crossing in North America, which will be opened, the Gordie Howe International Bridge. For six and a half years, I have had the opportunity to be a co-chair of the Conservative auto caucus. I have met with dozens and dozens of manufacturers across the country, but specifically in the Windsor-Essex region. These manufacturers have invested enormous amounts of money to create jobs and to create a good, strong tax base for our region. The part that frustrates me the most, probably, is that these are the folks who invest the money and what they end up with is that the goalposts move.

A decade ago, Canada was building about 2.3 million vehicles per year. We are now at about 1.2 million per year. These folks put all the investment into their EVs. I am talking about the mould-makers and the tool shops, the ones that had to retool because the government, the Liberal government, told them that this will be the mandate. Now they have done all that investment, and what do they have? They are told that we are going to go back to fuel engines because the government realized that the consumer is not ready, that the vast majority of consumers are not ready to purchase these EVs. At the same time, it is going to move the goalposts again, so that even though they have made all the investments, the government has given them no support to cover those costs and is now going to talk about a new fuel standard.

I just got back, about a month ago, from a trip with the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group to Mexico. I met with some very influential people down in Mexico. It was a great trip. I also met with the senate of Mexico. I heard about how much further along they are in their talks with the United States, specifically on the automotive sector, than we are. The government, quite frankly, is nowhere near the finish line on that front.

What does that really mean? It means more Canadian jobs lost. Windsor-Essex specifically has 24,000 workers, indirectly and directly, supported by our auto industry. I am sure many of them wake up in the morning and wonder if the third shift at Stellantis is actually going to go down to a second shift again.

I have had an opportunity for so many years now to meet with Brian Kingston, David Adams and Huw Williams. They are from the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association and the global automotive manufacturers association. I have met with Canadian mould-makers. They have been telling me for six and a half years that industry does not drive demand, that consumers drive demand, so get rid of the EV mandates. We have been screaming from the top of the hills to the government to please get rid of the mandates. It finally listened and got rid of the EV mandates. What it did instead was to again move the goalposts. Everybody now gets to start from ground zero once again.

Next week, I will be at the Toronto Auto Show, having round tables with industry leaders once again. I can only imagine what that conversation is going to look like. However, most of all, it is about the workers. It has only ever been about the workers. My father always said that we can have the greatest widget in the world, but we will not build one and we will not sell one without the people.

Windsor—Essex has some of the finest skilled trades workers in the world, the greatest tool and die makers and machinists in the world. The infrastructure is already there, but the government continues to tie the hands of these tier twos, tier threes and the OEMs, who are just trying to put forward good-paying jobs to allow food on the tables of Canadians across this country.

I have met with them on the shop floors. I can promise members that the workers in Windsor—Essex are not very excited when they wake up early in the morning to go to work and find out that, at the end of every week or biweekly off their paycheques, their money will be going to subsidize a job in the United States or in other foreign countries. I can only imagine how incredibly upset they must be. I can only imagine what the conversation on the shop floor is. Can members imagine waking up in the morning and going to work knowing that, at the end of the year, our taxpayer dollars, the ones that we literally worked so hard for and gave to the government, were going to another country, another company, so that they could literally eat your lunch? It is absolutely nonsensical, and it is, quite frankly, disgusting.

These workers have built our industry. They are the same ones, such as those in Unifor, who sponsor so many hockey teams, soccer teams and so many events. We see them everywhere. These are the ones who are truthfully community-minded, and they equally do not deserve to be slapped in the face. That is why Conservatives are always going to put Canadian workers and auto manufacturers first.

Conservatives are not about subsidizing other countries. What we are really about is making life more affordable for Canadians, which is why this bill will introduce the removal of HST on Canadian-built vehicles. What does that mean? It means about $2,500 on a $50,000 vehicle. By the way, the $50,000 vehicles are somewhat out of reach, almost a luxury vehicle for Canadians today, because of the price of food and consumables. I am very proud that my colleagues and I have introduced this piece of legislation, which would make life more affordable.

To conclude, the government told industry, “Here's the goalposts and here's what you're going to do”, and industry did that. Now the government is saying, “Oh, by the way, we know you made huge investments. We're not going to give you any support for those investments, but we just changed the goalposts again.” It is no wonder that Canadian companies are leaving this country in droves when the government makes it so unaffordable to do business in Canada.

Conservatives are here to ensure that we are part of the solution, not part of the problem.

[Dominique O'Rourke, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will start by saying that what we want to do is bring some clarity to this conversation, and not conflate and confuse things.

The member opposite voted against budget 2025, which had funding for a strategic response fund to support tariff-affected companies and industries, like the auto sector. The Conservatives voted against the productivity superdeduction that allows large manufacturers to write off capital investments in their first year, which helps the sector. He voted against trades training and supports for people who need to retrain.

I would like to know, sir, how you support that position when we are working hard to protect those jobs and workers?

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

I would remind members to speak through the Chair and not directly to other members.

The hon. member for Essex.

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, how do we support it? What we do not do is send $5,000 subsidies for electric vehicles to other countries, only to turn around and sell them back to Canadians who, quite frankly, cannot afford those vehicles.

I was pretty black and white in my speech. We have to stop moving the goalposts on Canadian companies and start making sure they have the appropriate backstops to keep Canadian auto workers moving and working.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères said earlier that the average price of an EV is $63,000. That is expensive, and it is the average price. Let us not get carried away. The measure applies to vehicles that cost less than $50,000. I do not know how much my colleague's vehicle cost, but it was likely close to the average price.

Why target one industry, the electric vehicle industry? EVs are very popular in Quebec since the Quebec economy is more focused on the energy transition. Why are the Conservatives not looking at the fact that, in recent years, the government has given hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to American companies that make billions of dollars in profit every year? I am talking about the oil industry—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

I must interrupt the member to give the member for Essex a chance to answer his question.

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague brings up some really good points in regard to all the subsidies for infrastructure that have been put in place. I believe they are around $53 billion. At the Stellantis plant in Windsor, there are great jobs, but it was designed to build electric vehicle batteries for vehicles, and today, it is not building them for vehicles.

The government needs to really understand that with all the money it is putting out, it has to get it back into Canadian hands. That is only going to start happening if we are manufacturing in Canada.