Debates of May 5th, 2026

Opposition Motion—Measures to Support the Manufacturing Sector

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this government was elected last year by leading people to believe that it would resolve this conflict with the wave of a magic wand. Here we are, one year later, stuck in this situation. We must act now, because negotiations with the Americans have indeed been dragging on. This continues to have negative impacts. Now that we see that the government has not moved forward or advanced negotiations in the past year and that businesses need help, I would like to know whether the Conservatives will support our motion.

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Shefford gave an excellent speech. She is known for being present in her community and for fighting for her constituents day in and day out for nearly six and a half years, if not longer.

The Liberals are telling us that the measures that have been put in place are enough and that they will truly make a difference. When my colleague speaks with business leaders and workers in her riding, is she hearing the same thing on the ground, that the government has done enough to counter the current tariff war with the Americans?

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, businesses in my riding are obviously asking questions. The government is taking steps, but the steps often do not match up with the businesses' needs. For example, the loan announced yesterday is smoke and mirrors. It will add a burden for businesses, because the assistance is still in the form of a loan, even though businesses in my riding already have loans.

At the economic discussions we attended, representatives of Granby Industriel told us that they did not want any more loans because they already had too many. Representatives of BRP also say that they want other solutions and want to know that the government will help them in other ways, for example by using other means that the Bloc Québécois is proposing. This is clearly not enough for our local businesses. I hear about other concerns that the government has not acted or has let things drag on. For example, its inadequate announcement on the issue of temporary foreign workers is having consequences on businesses.

I think that, if we can get beyond the smoke and mirrors, we can work together, collectively, in the House of Commons, with as little partisanship as possible, to help our local businesses.

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mississauga—Lakeshore.

Today's motion concerns measures to support the manufacturing sector in the face of unjustified and illegal tariffs. The United States, the world's largest economy, is fundamentally reshaping its trade relations with the rest of the world. This rapid transformation is causing significant disruption and major upheaval for Canada, as well as for many other countries, and for our industries, our workers and our communities.

Faced with this reality, Canada has demonstrated that it is serious, committed, and ready to take action. We have approached negotiations with the United States with rigour and in good faith. However, let us be clear. While we wait for our American partners to be ready to engage in serious and constructive discussions, we are not sitting idly by. On the contrary, we are taking action. We are focusing on what we can control and on building Canada strong.

We have already announced a comprehensive tariff response plan to help Canadian businesses adapt, compete and grow in a new global environment. This includes support to help businesses retool and reinvest, measures to increase domestic demand for Canadian products, and actions to strengthen Canada's long-term economic resilience by building a stronger domestic market and diversifying trade abroad. We are taking a truly comprehensive approach to strengthen the Canadian economy and make it more resilient.

Of course, our government took immediate action to support and strengthen the strategic industries that are at the heart of our prosperity and that are particularly affected by these tariffs. These include steel, aluminum, copper and softwood lumber, critical sectors that help build our country, drive our exports and create thousands of high-quality jobs.

Behind these industries are skilled workers, families and entire communities that depend on a sector to live and prosper. That is why we have put in place concrete measures to support workers and businesses affected by the unjustified tariffs, while continuing our efforts to get the tariffs lifted.

We recently created a new $1‑billion Business Development Bank of Canada program to provide support and funding for businesses in our steel, aluminum and copper industries to help them address immediate pressures and transform their operations.

We are also allocating an additional $500 million to Canada's regional development agencies, as part of the regional tariff response initiative, to ensure that this support reaches every corner of our country. This will considerably strengthen our existing tariff response, which includes maintaining countertariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum, reducing freight rates for Canadian steel, adjusting tariff quotas to fight dumping, implementing a buy Canadian procurement policy so that new national infrastructure is built with Canadian steel and aluminum, and making diversification tools available to businesses through the $5-billion strategic response fund.

I would like to give a specific example of how this support is felt on the ground.

Through the regional tariff response initiative, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency administers $80 million to support small and medium-sized businesses. This funding enables businesses to modernize their operations, strengthen their supply chains and explore new markets.

In March, in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche, I announced the very first investment made through this tariff response initiative in Atlantic Canada. Max Steel, founded in 1987 and located in Clair, in the Madawaska region, is hailed as a regional leader in the design, fabrication, welding, and laser cutting of steel structures. I had the pleasure to announce, on behalf of the Government of Canada, a $750,000 contribution to support this local business. This investment will allow Max Steel to acquire specialized equipment such as a CNC structural steel beam production line and welding robots.

This major project will strengthen the value chain for my region's steel industry while integrating modern technologies that improve efficiency and encourage innovation. As Max Steel's chief executive officer said when the announcement was made, this support from the Government of Canada comes at a strategic time and will help the company accelerate its modernization, improve its productivity, and strengthen its competitiveness in the face of current business challenges, while also creating and maintaining skilled jobs in New Brunswick, including in the Madawaska region.

This initiative is the perfect example of what we want to accomplish: giving our businesses, including in rural areas, the tools they need to succeed in the current context of instability.

Building Canada strong also means building regions strong, and this means supporting our local businesses. I want to emphasize that point. Our rural regions are not on the margins; they are an essential pillar of our country and of our economy. As a member of Parliament, I am always pleased to announce investments that support local businesses and support good-quality jobs in my region.

In addition to our efforts to support businesses, we are also actively working to strengthen Canada's economy by diversifying and strengthening our trade partnerships around the world. That is why our government is implementing the most ambitious trade diversification strategy in a generation.

Canada has everything the world needs: abundant natural resources, a skilled workforce, and recognized expertise across a range of leading-edge sectors. We must capitalize on these strengths. We are therefore entering into mutually beneficial trade agreements with reliable partners across the globe.

In just 11 months, Canada has concluded 20 new economic and security agreements across four continents, and the results are already visible. In 2025, Canadian exports of goods and services to markets other than the United States increased by $33 billion over the previous year. This is just the beginning, because we will continue working to open new markets in order to expand opportunities for our businesses and our workers.

I want to give a concrete example of the benefits of our efforts to diversify our economy. In February, our government led a successful trade mission to Mexico, and we will soon be hosting a Mexican economic mission to Canada. These exchanges are not just symbolic. They produce tangible results. Recently, for example, Canada and Mexico agreed on new provisions allowing Canadian potatoes to be exported to the Mexican market for both processing and consumption. The potato industry plays a major role in the Canadian economy and in the economy of my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. Potatoes are the fifth most important crop in Canada, contributing approximately $2.1 billion in farm cash receipts in 2024.

Our agreement with Mexico will give this industry access to a market of over 130 million consumers. From discussions I have had with farmers in Grand Falls, who are very excited about the idea of developing new markets, I know that this news was very well received back home. For our farmers and processors, this agreement represents a concrete opportunity to export their products to Mexico.

In addition to our efforts to provide immediate assistance to the businesses that need it most and to diversify our markets abroad, we have been working hard since day one to strengthen our domestic market. In June, we passed Bill C‑5, the One Canadian Economy Act, which removed federal barriers to domestic trade and labour mobility. Since then, the provinces and territories have also worked toward eliminating trade barriers, and we look forward to the provinces' and territories' next steps.

The buy Canadian policy makes it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to sell their products to the federal government and strengthens our supply chains. We value leading by example and being our own best customer to stimulate domestic demand.

We are also making major investments in building our country. That includes historic investments in housing and infrastructure that are part of an overall strategy to increase demand for Canadian products and an important tool to strengthen our economy and support our businesses.

In my riding, for example, softwood lumber is a mainstay of our economy. History shows that Canada was literally built by our forests and forestry workers. Today, we want to continue building our country with our softwood lumber, our steel and our aluminum. The willingness to buy Canadian is central to our strategy of becoming our own best customer and boosting domestic demand.

In closing, I would like to remind members that the challenges ahead are real, but that our government is determined to take action. Canada has a history of resilience, innovation and determination. By investing in our industries, workers and regions, we are not just responding to present-day challenges; we are building a future where our economy is stronger, more diversified and more independent, a future where Canada continues to stand out on the world stage.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate the member on his very good speech.

I welcome the big-picture vision that the comprehensive response is based on. For example, there is talk of strengthening the domestic market for products that SMEs can no longer export to the United States because of the 25% tariffs. The domestic economy can compensate for that.

However, does he think that the government understands the crisis and the urgency of the transition? By the time contracts are awarded in the domestic economy or new opportunities open up abroad, SMEs' order books will be empty. Without any more income, they are at risk of closing down. For example, every week in Quebec, businesses that had been around for decades are closing down. Those businesses came to tell the committee that it was not enough to give them loans, because they already had too much debt.

What does the hon. member think about that?

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I think that is why it is important to have a comprehensive strategy with short-term actions, including the assistance measures that were recently announced in the form of loans and various types of subsidies to help the businesses most affected by the tariffs. There are also medium- and long-term measures.

Strengthening the Canadian market means investments in our infrastructure and the buy Canadian policy that we are currently implementing. It also means diversifying our markets internationally.

We are also providing support through various programs to SMEs that want to explore new markets. That includes a range of measures that will have an impact in the short term to help the businesses most affected by the tariffs, but also to help strengthen these businesses in the long term and, ultimately, to strengthen the Canadian economy.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have been hearing Liberal rhetoric all day long about building major projects, but the Liberal Prime Minister likes to talk about Canada as an “energy superpower.” The reality is that the Liberals' own anti-development laws have been blocking our ability to build a pipeline to move our own resources to market. Meanwhile, the United States is approving energy infrastructure at record speeds on its terms, not ours.

Behind the Liberal illusions, the Enbridge CEO said, “the conditions don't yet exist for that pipeline to be built.” The CEO of TC Energy said, “capital goes where it is welcome. And for too long, it hasn't felt welcome here” with the Liberals. After a full year of their being in office, not a single major project has been approved by the Liberals' $246-million Major Projects Office.

How does the Liberal Prime Minister expect to negotiate lower tariffs or a better trade deal with the Americans when he refuses to build the very infrastructure that would give Canada unbreakable leverage abroad in the first place?

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that, over the past year, we have announced a series of measures to support the development of major projects of national interest in Canada. I am thinking in particular of the offshore wind project off the coast of Nova Scotia and a whole range of other major projects. We have also announced a suite of targeted measures to support our businesses and various sectors affected by the tariffs.

I would like to point out that, on several occasions, our colleagues in the official opposition have had the opportunity to vote in favour of measures to support our businesses and workers, but that, on almost every occasion, they have opposed them. For our part, we are truly focused on strengthening the Canadian economy and delivering on our promises through major projects of national interest, while standing by our businesses and workers, something that does not seem to be the case for the opposition.

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

Mr. Speaker, Les Pays-d'en-Haut has about 1,000 lakes. My riding is home to a great business called Multinautic that manufactures aluminum docks. It was able to take advantage of a tariff response grant. The company's employees are very happy because they export a large part of their production to the United States.

I would like my colleague to explain how tariff response strategies work for small and medium-sized businesses.

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, in my speech, I mentioned the importance of concrete examples. When we announce an additional $500 million through the tariff response initiative, for example, what does that mean for small and medium-sized businesses in our regions?

It means support for businesses in Les Pays-d'en-Haut. It also means support for businesses like Max Steel in Madawaska—Restigouche to modernize, adapt, retool and deal with the current challenges. In and of itself, I believe that this support is about more than just numbers to be debated in the House. It is about concrete assistance that makes a difference for our businesses, helps create and maintain good jobs in our regions and rural areas, and opens up new opportunities for these businesses to continue to prosper.

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, these are challenging times. The global market and trade landscape has shifted rapidly, over the last year especially. This includes, of course, the imposition of tariffs.

I want to speak today about the opposition day motion, item (c) specifically, which states, “express concern that this new trade environment will have irreparable effects on our manufacturing sector and the jobs that depend on it”. My colleagues have spoken at length about the economic impact of the tremendous work that the government is doing to try to transform the economy, protect our sovereignty and bolster economic growth, but today I want to speak specifically about labour.

Tariffs have had a broad impact on Canada's labour market. It has been rightly stated that they have hit the steel, automotive and softwood lumber sectors the hardest. They are creating stress for workers, employers and communities right across the country. My city of Mississauga and the surrounding GTA, especially Steeltown, Hamilton, have been rocked by tariffs, but the people of Steeltown are fighters. They are strong, and the Canadian government is fighting alongside them.

In the midst of this, the member from Joliette—Manawan wants us to step back and condemn the imposition of American tariffs. He wants us to express our concern about the effects they will have on our jobs and our manufacturing sector. I get it. I understand, but I can assure the member opposite that we are well beyond polite expressions of outrage. Instead, we are meeting today's challenges with disciplined focus on building a stronger, more resilient economy. That is enough with the belly aching. It is time to take action, and we are. We are doing so co-operatively with stakeholders, industry and labour. That is how we will mitigate the impact of the tariffs.

A year ago, the Prime Minister was elected with a vision to build Canada strong together. Since that time, we have been relentlessly focused on protecting our sovereignty and our capacity to grow. We are not backing down from tariffs. We are standing up for workers to make sure they have the support they need to succeed. As we build Canadian and as we buy Canadian, we are giving every worker the tools they need to succeed in a changing economy. That is what investing in people means. It is about building the foundation for long-term economic strength.

The Prime Minister has said numerous times that as we cope with economic uncertainty, our most powerful recourse and our most powerful tool is to control what is within our power to control. In other words, we should take the bull by the horns. How do we do this? How do we mitigate the impact of these uncertain times to build a stronger, more inclusive economy? We invest in Canada. We invest in infrastructure, the defence industrial strategy and major projects, and we invest in Canadians, in people.

First are the skilled trades and apprenticeships. The government knows how vital tradespeople are. They build our homes, keep our cities running and take care of infrastructure we rely on. A strong skilled trades workforce builds Canada. It builds us strong. Canada needs more skilled trades to build the nation-building projects, the affordable homes, the new defence industries and stronger infrastructure. To meet this, team Canada Strong will recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 new Red Seal trade workers in the next five years. It is an ambitious agenda, one that will generate good-paying jobs now and into the future.

Step one of that plan is recruitment. Team Canada strong will provide young people with a clear path to learn and enter the trades, and to link up with employers. Young people will start in registered apprenticeships, earning income, gaining experience and contributing immediately to those major projects.

The second phase is training. We are boosting modernizing the apprenticeship training to expedite the Red Seal certification with $331 million in funding over five years, starting in 2026-27. We will also expand union training and innovation programs to enable union-run training centres to upgrade facilities and invest in modern equipment.

The final stage is hiring. Once certified in a Red Seal trade, tradespersons can receive up to $5,000 as a completion bonus. Income supports will also be available for those who are between the periods of training and work.

Training for the trades can take a long time, and sometimes income stability is a concern during the completion of those years, so we are going to make sure that apprentices get the financial support they need, starting now. We recently announced $75 million over three years, starting in 2026-27, to double the union training and innovation program, which supports union-based apprenticeship training. This is part of our current investment of nearly $1 billion a year to support the Red Seal program through tax credits and EI benefits and the project funding of unions, other tradespeople and stakeholders.

Next, I want to talk about why the Government of Canada is creating workforce alliances to help Canadian workers weather the tariff storm. Our government is committed to protecting and supporting workers in this period of uncertainty by creating one labour market. Existing workforce development approaches are fragmented and not well coordinated. There is a need for greater cohesion.

As part of a broader tariff package announced by the Prime Minister on September 5, and echoed in our budget of 2025, we are investing in modern measures to protect, build and transform Canada's workforce in these strategic industries. New investments include workforce alliances to tackle urgent labour market challenges in six priority areas: housing and construction, transportation and supply chains, advanced manufacturing, the care economy, mining and minerals, and energy and electricity. Our workforce alliances are unified by one core mission, which is to create lasting job opportunities for Canada's workers where they are needed most. Canada's workforce is the strongest when employers, unions and training partners work together. Together, they will keep Canada's workforce strategy grounded in the real needs of the country.

All this investment is essential. Canadian industry is the backbone of our country's economy. Every sector matters. That starts with steel, Canadian aluminum and Canadian lumber. Supporting these industries is about reinforcing our made-in-Canada industrial capacity, protecting good jobs and strengthening our communities.

Big things are getting built. What is going to strengthen our economy for generations to come is having them built. We set up the Major Projects Office. Fifteen projects have been referred, which will support 60,000 jobs across the country, from the Crawford nickel mine in Timmins, the Darlington nuclear plant in Ontario and the terminal container project in Montreal to the Grays Bay road and port project in Nunavut and the LNG project in B.C. That is just to name a few.

The work we are doing is focused on one thing: building a strong economy that supports great-paying jobs. This is the backbone of the build Canada strong agenda.

Canada's labour market is indeed experiencing unprecedented pressures from tariffs, skill shortages, supply chain disruptions and broader economic shifts. Our focus is on building the strongest economy in the G7, and we are holding our own despite the headwinds. Our economy is growing twice as fast as Germany's and three times as fast as Italy's. It does not feel that way sometimes in communities like Steeltown, but we are going to get there. We are going to make sure that no one is left behind.

Without skilled workers, we cannot meet the moment. Canada's independence and prosperity depend on the workers who build them. That is why, in March of this year, we announced $228 million for Ontario under the workforce tariff response. It is to support the people who are affected in the hardest-hit sectors to help adjust, especially to the new opportunities.

It has never been more important for a government to invest in people. It is all about investing. It is all about people. It is all about Canadians.

Workforce development is the cornerstone of economic strength. To meet the challenge of this moment, we are equipping workers with greater tools to strengthen Canada. To this end, in 2025, we introduced—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

We will continue with questions and comments.

The hon. member for Joliette—Manawan.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I fully understand the government's plan to diversify the economy and stimulate growth in various sectors. Towards the end of his speech, my colleague said, “We are going to make sure that no one is left behind.”

What worries us is that many small and medium-sized businesses in Quebec, Ontario and elsewhere are being hit hard by the new 25% tariffs on the value of goods that were exported to the United States. By the time these businesses can get back on their feet by securing contracts in the domestic market, for example, they will be short of cash, their order books will be empty, and they may even be forced to shut down. What they came to tell the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology is that they need help, but that it cannot take the form of a loan, as they are already heavily in debt.

I get the impression that the government does not grasp the current sense of urgency. Furthermore, in Ontario, there are, for example, mould makers—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

I must interrupt the hon. member to give the hon. member for Mississauga—Lakeshore a chance to reply.

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday, the Minister of Industry and the Minister of AI announced $1.5 billion. This is the quote from workers at the United Steelworkers: “Today’s announcement is a positive step for companies facing serious pressure from the ongoing U.S. trade war. It matters to workers because these businesses support good jobs across Canada’s industrial supply chain.”

Canada is stepping up to support them now.

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are losing jobs in our country. We have lost hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs under the Liberal government. In the London region, which is close to Oxford county, we have had the highest number of manufacturing job losses. We have lost over 5,000 auto sector jobs, all under the Liberals' watch and their reckless policies.

The member listed off a lot of the programs and investments they have made, but these have actually led to the opposite effect. We have lost jobs, and we have the second-highest unemployment rate in the G7.

Can the member tell us, other than handouts, what have people really gotten back from the so-called programs the Liberals keep announcing?

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I disagree on a couple of issues, primarily the lack of government supports and interventions. I believe they are going to be immediate and sustainable supports. In fact, in the year that has passed, there have been the initiatives of the government through major projects, the defence industrial strategy, the workmen and apprenticeship programs and the supports for those who are affected by the tariffs. These are the supports the government is providing as a bridge to get through it. The greatest ability is economic growth, and we are outpacing most of the G7 to create those jobs and protect Canada's sovereignty.

That is going to play well and will support Canada's strength.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the chance to sit on the defence committee with my hon. colleague. He is our chair, and he is a wonderful chair.

We have been doing historic investments in defence. One of them is the $1.5 billion we announced for L3Harris in Mirabel. I would like to hear the member's comments about how defence investment helps counterbalance tariffs.

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member is with me on the defence committee, and he does an extraordinary job.

The extraordinary job of the government is highlighted in a particular instance of the defence industrial strategy, which is the extraction of the critical minerals that we can then deploy to make greater services. This is from New Economy Canada: “With North America...we are moving beyond extraction and turning our natural resources into the advanced materials that power EVs, defence technologies, and the next generation of innovation. This is about building a stronger economy by doing more of the work here at home.”

Creating jobs, building and selling at home and leveraging the strength of Canada will propel us ahead.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague did not indicate in his speech whether he would be supporting the motion. I am curious. Does he agree with what is before the House today? Will he vote for or against the motion?

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I support anyone in the House who supports Canada. Anyone in the House that wants to propel Canada to provide its strength and defend our sovereignty will have my support. I support the motion in its context because that is about providing support for Canada and Canadians.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what a nice introduction. I will pick up on what my colleague just said.

He supports anyone who supports Canada. The major issue with the tariff crisis is that the federal government keeps crowing about building Canada. However, looking at the proposals that the government put forward these past few weeks, it looks more like building Canada while ignoring Quebec. Which two sectors are the most impacted by the U.S. government's tariffs? There is the aluminum sector, which is primarily based in Quebec.

Then there is the forestry sector, which is subject to a mix of countervailing and anti-dumping duties on top of 10% tariffs, for a total of 45%. The forestry products we send across the border to the U.S. have their profit margins cut by 45%. No economic sector can withstand that. The entire forestry industry back home is in upheaval and going through incredibly tough times, and the government is not doing anything to help.

I just wanted to mention that as a response to what my colleague said.

What I want to highlight today is the double standard. I have been here since 2019. Whenever the auto sector or the energy sector—which the government generally equates with oil and gas—is in trouble, the government is there to help. The economic update includes investments in oil and gas. That is a normal thing for the government. When it comes to the more Quebec-centric sectors, however, the government is nowhere to be found.

I am feeling generous, so I will split my time. I was getting a bit agitated, but I am calming down now.

As I was saying, there is a double standard, and it is major. As I mentioned on Friday, just for fun, I looked through the economic update to demonstrate this double standard. To figure out the intentions behind a document, we can simply search for keywords. How many times do the words “forest” or “forestry” appear in the government's economic update? I searched for both terms. They show up six times. How about the word “aluminum”? It shows up 12 times. Just for the heck of it and to satisfy the member for Repentigny, I looked up “climate change”; there are five occurrences.

If we want to hit a home run, to use the federal government's language, we need to talk about oil and gas. If we look up the word “gas” in the latest economic statement, we see that it appears 45 times. That is the federal government's primary interest. The word “oil” shows up 153 times. That is what the federal government is interested in, as we have seen in recent weeks. It offers well-thought-out, deliberate strategies for the oil and gas sector, and it offers absolutely nothing for the forestry and aluminum sectors, which are facing the highest tariffs.

I will quickly talk about forestry, because we submitted a proposal to the government. That was part of the discussions that the Bloc Québécois wanted to have with the government, discussions that did not take place when the economic statement was being prepared. Some people got together to talk about how to solve this problem of countervailing and anti-dumping duties. That is money that is being held at the border, and it has likely exceeded $13 billion to date. How can we get this $13 billion back and ensure that it is invested and that the operations and facilities of the forestry sector are maintained?

We wondered why Export Development Canada would not play a leading role and make it possible to buy back a portion of the countervailing and anti-dumping duties at the end of each month. The government refused and ignored that. Do members know what I find shocking? The Standing Committee on Natural Resources invited EDC representatives as witnesses, and we spoke with them.

Let us look at the double standard I am talking about. In 2022, EDC invested $9.3 billion in the oil and gas sector in tax benefits and incentives. Yes, just in that one sector. It is clear where the federal government's major investments are going. In 2023, the amount was $7.3 billion.

If a fraction of that was going to support the forestry sector, we would be over the moon. We would be very happy. However, the federal government has never suggested such a thing.

For carbon capture and sequestration strategies alone, EDC handed out $102 million in 2023 and $464 million in 2022. Obviously, the federal government is focused on the energy sector.

Forestry is definitely the part of the natural resources sector that gets the least attention. The member for Lac-Saint-Jean and I actually did a comprehensive study to figure out what the federal supports for the forestry sector amounted to. The economic benefits for the federal government coming from our region of Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean alone exceed the sum total of federal supports for the forestry sector. That is quite something. Why is that? It is because the federal government has always been afraid of standing up for softwood lumber. It is so shocking that even babies are screaming in the House.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

I lost my train of thought. I am sorry. I was saying that my region is giving more to the federal government in terms of economic benefits that the sum total of supports it is getting for the forestry sector. Federal investments in the forestry sector go through EDC. The government has never stood up for that sector because primary processors are told that they need to go through Global Affairs Canada.

Global Affairs Canada then says that no financial supports can be offered because that would be in violation of trade deals with the U.S. and our trade dispute with the U.S. regarding softwood lumber. Consequently, not a single primary processor of softwood lumber can receive any kind of support from the federal government. We took a closer look at this, because it seemed so unfair. For medium-sized businesses in the forestry sector, the primary market is Canada. The primary market is domestic; it is within Quebec. Even businesses that do not export anything to the U.S. cannot get any sort of financial support from the federal government.

The federal government will soon be tabling a strategy for retooling the forestry sector so that it can get through the crisis and create more added value. That is what we hear, but in the past 20 years, the federal government has never given so much as a dime to the forestry sector. Now it is wondering why it is so hard to invest in infrastructure and why all the small communities in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean and the rest of Quebec that depend on forestry are losing their shirts. It is insane. Sawmills are consolidating. The pulp and paper sector is ailing. Meanwhile, the tariff crisis is going on, but there is no federal government support in any form.

Last August, the federal government allocated funding to the forestry sector. Seven or eight months later, no one had yet seen a penny of that money. The program parameters had to be tightened to be able to fund certain forestry companies. I get the impression that the same thing is going to happen in the aluminum sector. Primary aluminum is doing relatively well, because the price is adjusted according to the U.S. Midwest premium. However, aluminum processors, based primarily in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, are in an impossible situation. They are currently paying off loans they took out in 2018, and now the government says it is going to allow them to take out new loans. Who can operate that way in an industrial sector, constantly taking out loans to cover the cost of tariffs because the government is not doing its job?

What was announced may be a good start, but we will see how it plays out over time. What I personally hope is that the federal government stops investing Quebec's share in fossil fuels and instead uses it to defend Quebec's own interests. I hope that our colleagues from Quebec, both in the government and in the Conservative Party, will be ready to support us on this.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague's speech. It was a very fine speech. If I were in his shoes, I too would be angry and asking questions. This morning, I listened to the leader of the Bloc Québécois. I know that the Bloc is critical of U.S. tariffs on Quebec's economy, and rightly so, but our government has already gotten to work. I would remind my colleague that a bad deal is worse than no deal at all.

In this context, does the Bloc Québécois also see the importance of reducing this trade dependency? Do they recognize the needs of Quebec's SMEs to access new international markets?