Debates of March 13th, 2026

Employment

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, here is breaking news for the hon. member: We cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. Here is breaking news for the hon. member: Our groceries and essentials benefit will help 12 million Canadians put food on the table. Here is breaking news: We have made it easier for first-time homebuyers. Here is breaking news: We are helping families. We are investing in our defence.

This is what a plan is like when we knew there was a crisis. We prepare for a crisis. Complaining afterward with no plan is not helping Canadians.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, February's job numbers send a troubling signal for Canada's economy. More than 100,000 full-time jobs have disappeared, youth unemployment has climbed above 14%, and our economy is now among the weakest performers in the G7. Young Canadians are trying to start their careers at a time when opportunity is sinking.

When will the Liberal government start working with the opposition to advance practical solutions, including our youth jobs plan, and to remove taxes and red tape that is making it harder for businesses to create jobs?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, do the Conservatives live under a rock? We are in a trade war. We have a war raging in the Middle East. Those are not of our choosing. Those global issues and forces, just to explain causality, are not the fault of the federal government. There are factors in the world that are affecting the Canadian economy. We are moving through a period of unprecedented economic turbulence.

Canadians do not want politicians to stand up in this House and celebrate job losses for political gain. They want a serious government doing serious work to help them get ahead, and that is what we are doing.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, February's jobs report demands serious attention. Instead, Canadians are hearing dismissive responses to legitimate concerns. The government's very own data shows that last month's decline in full-time employment was the largest decline, outside of COVID, since 2009.

Canadians were promised strong economic leadership. If the Liberal government cannot deliver jobs, growth or hope for the next generation, why should Canadians have any confidence that its economic plan will work at all?

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

Mr. Speaker, despite the Conservative rhetoric, we know that we are in a trade war, and we know our economy has challenges.

Last April, Canadians elected a leader with world-class business and economic experience versus a Conservative leader who has never worked one day in the economy. In fact, the only job he has ever created was one for the member for Carleton.

We are going to continue to focus on our economy. We are going to build our economy into the strongest one in the G7.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the February “no jobs” report shows the Liberal policies are not working for Canadians.

There were 108,000 full-time jobs lost, the largest one-month decline in full-time employment since 2020. Youth unemployment shot up to 14%. We have the only shrinking economy in the G7, and now we have the second-highest unemployment. Canadians are not working because Liberal policies are not working.

When will the Liberals accept Conservative proposals, including our youth jobs plan, and remove taxes and bureaucracies that are killing Canadian jobs?

[Jennifer McKelvie, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, we are creating high-paying jobs for young people with our investments in housing.

Build Canada Homes will invest $13 billion in housing. It will catalyze new methods of construction, new jobs in factories, new jobs from coast to coast to coast, using Canadian materials, Canadian steel and Canadian lumber. Yes, that is trees to keys. It will get our youth working, and then they can live in those homes.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, numbers do not lie, and the employment figures this morning are especially dismal. We learned that 108,000 Canadians lost their jobs in February. The fact is, 108,000 women, men and heads of households are now looking for work. In the private sector, 73,000 jobs were lost in February. This proves that after 10 years of Liberal governance, the Liberals' policies are not working.

When will the government start taking effective action?

[Carlos Leitão, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we are taking effective action. We are in a situation that was created by U.S. trade policy. American tariffs put us in this situation. Canadian businesses are finding it very difficult to invest because they cannot predict what the operating environment will be like, given the uncertainty created by the United States.

What we can do and what we are doing is investing heavily in infrastructure and repositioning our economy in the defence sector. I see that Quebec SMEs are very enthusiastic about the possibility of joining this national defence supply chain, and it is going to work.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is so easy to blame the United States.

The reality is that Liberal bureaucracy and Liberal taxation are 100% in the hands of this government. It is worth noting that the Prime Minister got elected by saying that the tariffs would be lifted by July 21, that it would be over, but they are still here. We are a long way from elbows up. It is more like thumbs down from the White House. That is the reality.

Worse yet, youth unemployment is at 14%. Young people are struggling with affordability when it comes to groceries and housing, but now they are also struggling to get work.

Does the government realize that these youth policies are not working?

[Nathalie Provost, Liberal, Secretary of State (Nature)]

Mr. Speaker, the tariff war with the United States is extremely challenging, but we have a plan and that plan is working.

Our country is attracting more investment than any other country right now. We are seeing it. The industrial defence strategy is working and the automotive strategy is producing results.

These things do not happen overnight, but we are making progress and Canadians have faith in us. They continue to support us. We will succeed in rebuilding Canada. That is our plan and we are going to see it through.

Public Services and Procurement

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly was unanimous and now so is the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. All of the parties, including the Liberals, are asking the government to hold an inquiry into the following federal IT fiascos: Cúram, Phoenix and ArriveCan.

Every time Ottawa gets involved in an IT project, it results in serious problems for citizens and staggering cost overruns. The House will soon be presented with the committee's unanimous call for an inquiry, but let us save ourselves some time.

Will the government respect this unanimous call and hold an independent public inquiry?

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Jobs and Families]

Mr. Speaker, 7.7 million seniors are getting the right amount of benefits on time. Yesterday, we gave a briefing to all of the opposition members who wanted to participate. We told them about all of the technical problems.

I am entirely at your disposal if you have any questions, if you have other problems or if you have cases that you want to discuss with me.

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

I would like to remind the parliamentary secretary that when members say “you” they are not talking directly to other members but to the Chair.

The hon. member for Jonquière.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals continue to bury their heads in the sand, there are still 69,000 pensioners who are having problems with their OAS pension because of Cúram.

After 10 years of problems with Phoenix, the public service union said two weeks ago that there are still 233,000 files to be settled. These are not statistics. These are people who deserve these fiascos to end once and for all.

When will there be a public and independent inquiry?

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Jobs and Families]

Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, 7.7 million seniors are getting their benefits on time. The old benefits system was fragile. It was constantly out of service and it was expensive to maintain. Keeping that system would have been disastrous or would have led to a system failure in which no one would have received benefits.

We are working on finding solutions.

Employment

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the February jobs report is dire news for Canadians. Canada lost 108,000 full-time jobs in February. This is the largest one-month decline in full-time employment since COVID. Further, we saw 73,000 job losses in the private sector, and youth unemployment shot up to over 14%. Under the Liberals, Canada has the only shrinking economy in the G7, and now the second-highest unemployment in the G7 as well.

When will the Liberals listen to Canadians and the plan that we have put forward to remove taxes and the bureaucracies that are killing jobs in Canada?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, obviously the jobs data that came out this morning is unfortunate, but the Conservatives can fixate on month-to-month data. They never mention, or their script never recites, anything on long-term trends.

What did we see just a few days ago? It was a very clear announcement in Bloomberg. My colleague can go look at it. The largest amount of foreign investment that Canada has seen since 2007 was secured for this country. That means jobs and that means opportunities, for young people in particular.

What did we see yesterday? We saw a huge investment in Canada's north: ports, airports, the construction of the Mackenzie Valley highway and the securing of Canada's north. That is how we build Canada.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the difference between the Liberal rhetoric and the realities facing Canadians is stark. Canadians are not working, because Liberal policies are not working. We have the only shrinking economy in the G7, and now the second-highest unemployment in the G7. To make matters worse, Canada has the highest food price inflation in the G7. We are leading in all the wrong categories.

When will the Liberals remove the taxes and bureaucracies that are killing jobs in Canada and driving up the cost of living?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is very well read. He will look at the recent reports of the International Monetary Fund, which has made clear that Canada stands as an example for the G7, and in fact for the entire OECD and beyond.

What we have now is an opportunity to engage in serious policy to build up this country. I mentioned yesterday's investments in Canada's north. We have investments in Canada's west. I hope the Conservatives support that at least. We have investments in Canada's east. It is a jobs focus. It is a focus on opportunity because opportunity leads to jobs, which leads to purchasing power, which leads to affordability. That is how we build up this amazing country.

The Economy

[Jim Belanger, Conservative, Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is true that we cannot control what happens abroad, and we cannot make excuses on affordability issues that stem from bad decisions from the Liberals.

The Prime Minister continues to go ahead with bad policies, like the industrial carbon tax and the fuel standard tax, which will rise to 17¢. This applies to every Canadian, especially those who bring us our food, driving up the cost of our grocery bills even more.

When will the Liberals accept responsibility for what they can control and remove policies that make life more expensive for Canadians?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I have good news for the hon. member. Just yesterday, our Bill C-4 on affordability measures got royal assent in our Senate, which is fantastic news. That means 22 million Canadians will receive a tax cut on their income tax, saving $840 for dual-income families. Families that are trying to purchase their first home will save up to $50,000 on homes under $1 million. That is good news for Canadians all across this country.

We have also moved forward with the groceries and essentials benefit, which will save families just under $1,900 this year. That is—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. member for Central Newfoundland.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe what I heard yesterday. The housing minister blames skyrocketing housing costs on the war in Iran. Everyone knows this affordability crisis is due to 10 years of his government. Canadians are facing the worst food inflation and the only shrinking economy in the G7, yet the Prime Minister is pushing ahead with his industrial carbon tax and his fuel standard tax, which will rise to 17¢ a litre.

When will the Liberals stop blaming events abroad and take responsibility for policies at home to make life more affordable for Canadians?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the member opposite back. The last time we heard from him, members will recall, we established a permanent national food program for 400,000 children. What was his response? He said that it was garbage. How dare he stand up and talk about affordability? When we wanted to feed children, what did he say? He called the program garbage. It is silliness. That is what the member is all about. He should get on board and support the budget.