Debates of June 1st, 2026

The Economy

[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, let me give the member a real answer. Canada's economy is strong and becoming more resilient under this government.

We will never apologize, on this side of the House, for being optimistic about the future we are building in this country, together with all Canadians, with generational investments in housing, infrastructure, defence, innovation and productivity. We are seeing the highest level of foreign direct investments in nearly two decades. That is good news. Canadians know it. We will continue building a stronger—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Cloverdale—Langley City.

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G7 country in a recession. People vote with their feet when they have no other way to vote, and investors vote with their dollars every single day. Right now they are voting against Canada. More than 112,000 jobs have disappeared in just three months. Behind every one of those jobs is a Canadian wondering how to pay the rent, buy groceries and keep the lights on.

If the Liberals insist this is all because of global conditions, why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession? When will the Prime Minister admit that his policies have driven investment and jobs elsewhere?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, last year Canadian exports to non-U.S. markets grew by over 17%. Canada is expected to have the second-fastest growing economy in the G7 this year and next, and in the first four months of this year alone, we landed over $10 billion in commercial deals. Over the past year, Canada has secured more than 20 economic and defence agreements across five continents.

Countries are choosing Canada. We are ranked the world's most attractive place for investment, and we will build—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Joliette—Manawan.

Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals announced on Thursday that they were eliminating the Canadian consumer protection initiative.

That is a fund that supported research into things like the cost of living and competition. It would have gotten $7 million between 2025 and 2027. That is peanuts to a government that is handing out tens of billions of dollars to oil companies. However, losing that funding reduces our organizations' ability to work.

When it comes to consumer protection, why is the minister standing up for big business instead of Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are going to present a new vision for competition in Canada. Of course we believe in the importance of civil society for improving consumer protection. We are going to work with the organizations to ensure that they have access to funding, because their work is extremely important.

At the same time, we are going to work with the provinces and territories because we know that they are largely responsible for everything to do with consumer protection. In short, we will find a solution to this problem. I look forward to working on this issue with my colleague.

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

Mr. Speaker, I hope that is the case, because eliminating the Canadian consumer protection initiative will have no impact on public finances. It is a drop in the bucket.

Then again, eliminating it is quite a gift for large corporations that cut corners. The Liberals are preventing consumer protection agencies from investigating things like shrinkflation in grocery stores, contracts in the telecommunications and banking sectors, airline pricing practices, and the list goes on. They are literally helping large companies protect themselves from consumers who are well informed about their rights.

How can the minister justify that?

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

Mr. Speaker, of course we want consumers to be well informed about their rights. We also believe that we need to do more to encourage competition in the grocery sector, particularly in grocery stores and among all the big chains, as well as in the telecommunications sector, where we know that monopolies or oligopolies sometimes exist, which is problematic.

That is why we are going to take an extremely clear and aggressive approach to competition, while protecting organizations like Option consommateurs, which are also important to Quebeckers and Canadians.

The Economy

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G7 country that is in a recession.

However, just a few days ago, the Prime Minister was bragging that Canada is the second-strongest economy in the G7. It is clear that he misled Canadians. Meanwhile, 112,300 jobs have been lost since the beginning of the year. Canada now has the second-highest unemployment rate in the G7. Other countries are facing the same tariffs and the same international crises.

Why is the Prime Minister the only G7 leader to have led his country into a Liberal recession?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues clearly explained, our government is working to protect the industries and workers who are facing unjustified tariffs from the United States. We are, of course, doing this with our partners in the provinces and territories.

In last year's election, Canadians gave us a mandate to build a more resilient economy and to pursue major projects for Canada's economic future. That is exactly what we are doing across the country. Canadians are proud of the Prime Minister's work.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is right: The Liberals received a mandate, but they are not fulfilling their mandate.

The proof is that we are currently in a recession. Furthermore, the Prime Minister swore he was the only one capable of resolving the problem with Donald Trump. A year and a half later, absolutely nothing has been resolved. Meanwhile, 87,000 jobs were lost in Quebec during the first four months of 2026. Nearly half of those were lost in the construction and manufacturing sectors.

The Conservatives are requesting an emergency debate because we want to know what the plan is. Instead of listening to all sorts of nonsense, can we have an emergency debate to find out what the government's plan really is and see if we can help?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, every parliamentarian can help the government and Canadians support industries and workers and come together to counter the tariffs imposed by the U.S. government. We are always looking for positive contributions from members of Parliament across the House of Commons and at the other place.

We are always happy to work with the member who asked this question, as well as with all of his colleagues in the opposition, because we are here to support Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the sad reality for Canadians is that Canada is in a recession.

Canada is the only G7 country in a recession. Canada has the worst food inflation in the G7 and the second-highest unemployment rate in the G7. That is the reality. That is the result of Canada's Liberal Prime Minister, who was supposed to be an economic magician. In the end, it is not working.

Why is the Liberal Prime Minister's Canada in a recession when the other G7 countries are not?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians know why. They are well aware that Canada's economy is one of the most highly integrated with the American economy and that we are facing headwinds and disruptions because of the illegal and unjustified tariffs imposed by the Americans.

That being said, the reason Canadians chose this government is because a lot of things remain within our control. For example, we can build one Canadian economy. That could potentially add $215 billion to the GDP. That is what we are doing. We can build major projects. Examples that come to mind include high-speed rail between Quebec City and Toronto, expanded port infrastructure and market diversification. That is exactly what we are doing to support Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is all well and good, but the problem is that it is not working.

One in three families is struggling to pay their mortgage every month. That is what the Liberal government has done to Canadians. Some 2.2 million Canadians are going to food banks every month. That is the way things are under the Liberal government and the economist turned Prime Minister. Some 112,000 jobs have been lost.

Every country in the world is facing economic crises and threats from Mr. Trump, so why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my previous response, the Canadian economy is far more integrated with that of the United States.

However, here is what I have noted when looking at the past year. As a result of government initiatives and efforts made by Canadians, we have increased our non‑U.S. exports by nearly 40% over the past year. That is a major shift. It is because we are signing trade agreements, security agreements and agreements on critical minerals around the world.

That is what Canadians expect. That is exactly what we are doing.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G7 country in a recession.

The Liberal recession is not just a graph. It is parents standing silently in front of an empty fridge when the children ask what is for dinner. It is watching children go to school on an empty stomach when our food banks can no longer provide.

If the crisis is global, as the Liberal government claims, why are our communities the only ones suffering, unlike all the other ones in the G7?

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

Mr. Speaker, “it is not working”. We hear that every day: “It is not working”.

However, in La Presse a few weeks ago, journalist Marie‑Eve Fournier quoted a research chair who said that it is working. The Canada groceries and essentials benefit is working. Food Banks Canada says that it is working.

We are working to help Canadians in their everyday lives. We are working to create jobs. That is true in my hon. colleague's riding. We are attracting investors. It is working. Just because other members say that it is not working does not mean that, in reality, Canadians are not behind us. They are there, and they support us.

Canadian Identity and Culture

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, known worldwide for its talent and creativity, Canada's cultural industry supports hundreds of thousands of jobs nationally and drives economic growth.

In 2023, China was Canada's fourth-largest creative export market. During the Prime Minister's visit to Beijing in January, Canada and China committed to advancing further opportunities for cultural exchanges and partnerships.

Can the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages please update the House about his recent trip to China?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, last week I was in Shanghai and Beijing to speak with my counterpart, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, notably to discuss the importance of our creative industries and our cultural exports. Together, we agreed to increase our exchange of cultural exports, specifically in the creative industries. I will be following that up in the fall with a proper trade mission focusing specifically on those important drivers of economic growth, our cultural industry, as well as the creative industry. This is really important as we diversify our economy.

The Economy

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is now the only G7 country in a recession. The Prime Minister spent the last year creating new bureaucracies, racking up debt and refusing to repeal job-killing regulations. Food insecurity is up. Job losses are up. Income insecurity is up. Insolvencies are up, and housing remains unaffordable.

The rest of the world faces the same outside factors that this government is blaming for its failures. Why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, sometimes it would be a good question to ask some of the CEOs of these companies that are making massive investments in Canada, like Kraft Heinz investing $250 million in Montreal and Bayer investing $45 million in canola research in Winnipeg. A couple of weeks ago, I was at K+S Potash in Saskatchewan, which is investing $3 billion over 10 years. Cargill in Saskatchewan is investing $350 million in a new crushing plant, and Imperial Oil in Strathcona is investing in biofuels.

Are all these CEOs of these major international and national companies making a major mistake, or do they actually believe in Canadians like we do?

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we believe in Canadians. They can talk to CEOs. We are talking to Canadians.

This Canada-only recession means that there are three unemployed Canadians for every vacant job. It means that taxes, food, housing and other essentials now account for more than 100% of an average family's income.

Will this Liberal government admit today that its long-term, ongoing failure to build up Canada's economic resilience has driven Canada into the only G7 recession, apologize and implement the Conservative plan to unlock our resource wealth and make life affordable?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government has delivered real affordability measures, including cutting the gas excise tax, all while ensuring that we are reducing our projected deficit by more than $11 billion.

Our trade agreements have opened up preferential access to 1.5 billion consumers across 16 trade agreements, 51 countries and roughly two-thirds of global GDP. Those are the facts. Maybe opposition members could recognize truth when they see it.