Debates of June 5th, 2026

The Economy

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Parkland, AB]

Madam Speaker, this is great news. The Liberal government is finally taking responsibility for something. If it is taking responsibility for today's job numbers, it must also be responsible for the reason we are in a recession today. It cannot have its cake and eat it too.

Canada's economic growth is negative. Energy and food prices are rising dramatically. Canadians cannot take it anymore. The Liberals promised an economy that would move at speeds not seen in generations, but the only thing we see growing is our massive debt. When will they reverse course and stop failing Canadians?

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Madam Speaker, what I find quite remarkable is that in the Conservatives' questions there is never a recognition that the U.S. administration has imposed tariffs on some of our key sectors in this country. We are continuing to make the case to try to remove them.

The member blows right by the fact that 88,000 jobs were created in May, primarily in the private sector and primarily in construction, with 150,000 net jobs this year. We have a AAA credit rating. We have a lower deficit. We have the strongest fiscal position in the G7.

We have strong fundamentals and are focused on building major national projects, including in that member's province, to build Canada strong, to build this country strong. We will continue to focus on those plans.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Madam Speaker, every Liberal campaign is on the Prime Minister being the man with the plan and an economic genius. However, under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has now confirmed that there is less than a 1% chance the government will meet its own fiscal anchor.

After an economic decline in three of the last four quarters, he cannot even tell us whether we are in a recession or a technical recession, so I will ask again: Which one is it?

[Stephen Fuhr, Liberal, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement)]

Madam Speaker, I miss that member. I am happy to see him again.

As he knows, the foundations of our economy remain strong. I will repeat them. Foreign direct investment is at a 23-year high. Interest rates remain low. Inflation remains in the Bank of Canada window. Manufacturing numbers are up. Productivity, which has been the boat anchor around our economy for years, is trending in the right direction. Hot off the press is that unemployment is going down. The economy just posted 88,000 jobs.

Today, in his riding, as in mine and everybody's in this room, Canadians are getting the groceries and essentials benefit.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Madam Speaker, as a British Columbian, the member knows that more British Columbians are out of work because of the Liberal government. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is sounding the alarm, saying businesses are postponing expansion plans and investing elsewhere. Under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession and Canadians are paying the price.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. I will give the Prime Minister one more chance. If he is the economic genius he says he is, will he stand and tell us whether we are in a technical recession or a recession?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I think we can conclude at this point in question period on Friday that the Conservatives did not skip into the House with their usual glee. Why is that? It is because they know. They know that the Canadian economy is proving to be very resilient. The hero of the day is the Canadian worker, the Canadian workers in manufacturing and construction.

Just for the naysayers, and it bears repeating, it is very important for Canadians to know that we have added almost twice, that is double, the jobs per capita of the United States of America since December 2024, which is 5.4 per thousand versus 2.5 per thousand. We are outperforming the United States. We are outperforming the G7.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB]

Madam Speaker, despite today's headline numbers, Canada is in a recession. The Prime Minister promised the strongest economy in the G7. Instead, he has delivered the only shrinking economy not only in the G7, but also across the entire G20. That is three out of four quarters of negative growth.

Will the Liberals simply acknowledge that Canada's economy is weaker after one year of the Prime Minister?

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience]

Madam Speaker, I would refer the member to this morning's non-partisan C.D. Howe Institute's Business Cycle Council bulletin to note that his comments are premature. The Canadian economy is actually in a very good position today, with 88,000 new jobs having been created. We can see that the government's plan is working. There is lower youth unemployment, lower unemployment for women and more and more jobs in construction and manufacturing. The government is building Canadians' economy, and I do not understand why the Conservatives do not want to build it with us.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB]

Madam Speaker, here are the facts: There were 25,000 net jobs lost this year, and productivity, business capital investment and GDP are down. Today's numbers show that wage growth is down, with Canadian workers taking home less.

If this is the Prime Minister's idea of a strong economy, what would a weak economy look like?

[Tom Osborne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board]

Madam Speaker, what has happened in the last year is that our largest trading partner has put in unfair tariffs against this country. The Conservatives try to pretend that did not happen. The largest impact would be on the largest trading partner, but we have planted the seeds of a stronger economy. We are building Canada strong and building more infrastructure in Canada using Canadian materials and Canadian labour, with more trading partners. Let us allow those seeds to bear fruit. Instead of talking down the Canadian economy, the Conservatives should join us in building Canada strong.

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

Madam Speaker, under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country that is in a recession. We also have the second-highest unemployment in the G7, the worst household debt and the worst housing costs. The Liberals will say that this is just a technical recession, but there is nothing technical about Canadians who are struggling to feed their families, fill their gas tanks or make their bill payments.

Will the Prime Minister tell us finally whether this is a Liberal recession or just a technical recession? Which is it?

[Pauline Rochefort, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Rural Development)]

Madam Speaker, I would remind my colleague that the Bank of Canada and leading economists, including today, the C.D. Howe Institute, have cautioned against spreading fear and uncertainty when Canadians are looking for solutions. I am proud to be part of a government that is focused on supporting good-paying jobs and growing our economy.

A moment ago, I mentioned Electra Battery Materials in Cobalt. It is investing $100 million to support Canada's critical mineral supply chain and create local jobs. Responsible government supports Canadians when they need it, while managing public finances prudently.

Artificial Intelligence

[Abdelhaq Sari, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Madam Speaker, AI is fundamentally redefining how Canadians work, learn and build their businesses. Our students want the skills and tools to seize the jobs of tomorrow. Our SMEs want to adopt AI so they can innovate, grow and create good jobs here in Canada.

Can the government explain how Canada's “AI for All” strategy will enable Canadians to take full advantage of the economic benefits of this technological revolution?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and to the Secretary of State (International Development)]

Madam Speaker, our strategy creates a national AI literacy initiative that will reach one million post-secondary students and 3,000 teachers. It will offer up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians. We are also helping SMEs adopt AI by investing $1 billion in programs like regional AI initiatives and the LIFT program.

The Economy

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister said he was going to build at speeds not seen in a generation. He knows that Bill C-69 and other terrible Liberal environmental policies are still on the books, yet the Liberals are taking their sweet time to fix the mess that they themselves created, so now they are bogged down in endless consultations and more of the same old gabfest. The Prime Minister has been in power for more than a year, and he still has not fixed any laws that prevent major projects from moving forward.

When will the Prime Minister do what is necessary to scrap the Liberals' antidevelopment laws so we can once again build big things in this country?

[Ginette Lavack, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services]

Madam Speaker, I have spoken to people in Portage—Lisgar and in Brandon, in my riding of Manitoba. I was at the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce luncheon a few weeks ago, and all of those in the business community there, from all of the sectors, said that major investments are important. They said, “Keep doing what you're doing.”

I was really, really proud to support PrairiesCan, the economic development agency in our region. It is giving financing to a number of projects with over $5 million through the tariff relief fund and the Prairies strategic innovation fund, which is supporting businesses doing great work on the ground. All of these people are going to get what they need to keep—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Portage—Lisgar.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, our businesses thrive despite Liberal taxes and over-regulation. The Liberals know exactly why we cannot build big things in this country. They critiqued themselves in their own discussion document, finally admitting the truth. It states, “federal laws have rules that can make regulatory processes slow”.

Simply put, it is the Liberals' own antidevelopment laws that are the problem. It is clearer than ever that this is all just a Liberal illusion. The Prime Minister wants to keep our oil and gas in the ground just as much as Justin Trudeau did.

Does the Prime Minister have the courage to fix the mess the Liberals have created, or does he just hope that empty promises will get things built again?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, we have already announced several major projects. We have put shovels in the ground on several more, and there are several more to come. I can assure my hon. friend that, whether someone lives in his province of Manitoba, or in Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec or the Atlantic provinces, there are major projects. They are coming. There is a pipeline full of them. The investments keep coming in from around the world, and we are going to build Canada strong.

Transportation

[Grant Jackson, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Madam Speaker, just last week, a tragic collision just east of Brandon claimed the life of a 49-year-old woman after a semi-truck failed to stop at an intersection on Highway 110. Our thoughts remain with her loved ones during this devastating time.

Since then, reports have revealed that the trucking company involved had its Manitoba safety licence revoked in 2021, yet it was able to continue operating in Manitoba under a licence issued in another province.

The Liberals know that this licensing loophole has existed for some time, so why has the transport minister not taken any action to close it and ensure preventable deaths like this never happen again?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, we are of course saddened at the tragic accident in Brandon, and I express my condolences to the victims, their families and indeed all the constituents of that member.

Highway safety is an incredibly important issue in this country. It is also an issue that provinces have a duty, in their jurisdiction, to uphold. I want to applaud the Minister of Transportation in Manitoba, who has called for a national collaboration and a database for the certification of trucking companies. The federal government stands ready to support this initiative at any moment.

The Economy

[Emma Harrison, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Madam Speaker, when the Canadian economy faces headwinds, Conservatives are quick to highlight the negatives, but when Canadian workers succeed and this side of the House brings good news, their silence is deafening.

The reality is that our plan to build a stronger, more resilient Canadian economy is creating more well-paying careers and opportunities for Canadians. Supporting workers and growing the economy should not be a partisan issue. It should be something we can all celebrate.

Can the Minister of Jobs and Families update the House on what today's job numbers mean for Canadian workers and families?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Madam Speaker, may I start with what a joy it has been to have that hard-working member of Parliament join our benches. Her experience in agriculture and farming is such an asset to the government.

Here is a number that, I suspect, is not going to make it into the clips that the Conservatives usually use to rage farm across this country. In fact, 88,000 net new jobs were announced in May and there are 100,000 jobs for summer students this year. It is really important that we stay focused on what Canadians expect us to stay focused on, which is their opportunities in the workforce.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Madam Speaker, Canada is the only G20 country in a recession, under the Liberal Prime Minister.

Farmers warn that food security begins with protecting valuable farmland, yet the Liberals continue to advance the $90-billion Alto rail project, despite concerns about its impact on more than 5,500 farms. While $2.5 million in bonuses has already been paid before a single inch of track has been laid, Canadians across the country pay and local communities suffer.

Is the Liberals' plan for food security to slice up farmland? Is this what they call governing in a technical recession, or is it really just a technical war on agriculture?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, we are so proud to be pursuing the development of high-speed rail throughout Canada. In fact, we look forward to the day when that member can hail a high-speed train in his sector of the woods in southwestern Ontario. We will, of course, achieve that by working with farmers and their representatives. We will, of course, do that by upholding principles whereby agriculture continues to flourish in our country.

We do note the Conservatives' opposition to this project. I can tell that member that most Canadians have noted their opposition to that project as well.