Tracey Ramsey

[International Trade, June 13th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the workers know that the Liberals have not yet met with them since these tariffs went on. We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000 workers employed directly by the steel and aluminum industries and all those who depend on them. Trump's tariffs have already started affecting the lives of workers and communities that simply cannot wait for support from their government.

The government says it was prepared for the worst-case scenario. If that is true, then why is the government not telling workers what its plan is to protect Canadian jobs? Where is the plan?

[International Trade, June 13th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, that is interesting, because I do not believe you have met with them since the tariffs came on.

We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000—

[International Trade, June 13th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, the uncertainty of trade relations with the U.S. is already having a serious affect on our industries, and thousands of Canadian workers are greatly concerned for their jobs. Absent proactive action, the Liberal government is letting Canadians endure one round of punitive trade tariffs after the next, which threatens significant job losses for Canadians.

The Liberal government must secure a permanent exemption, but it also must be fully prepared if the permanent exemption is not secured. This includes preparing for the contingency of offshore diversion of steel to the Canadian market and extending the duration and coverage of employment insurance.

New Democrats urge the government to address the very real problem of cheap imports directly or indirectly entering the North American market, including increasing resources to the CBSA to investigate and respond to the increased dumping of products. Canada cannot become a dumping ground for foreign steel.

I hope the Liberal government will take these actions seriously and act urgently.

[International Trade, June 13th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I rise this morning now seeking answers to a question I originally raised in March about the then impending steel and aluminum tariffs on U.S. imports. Clearly those tariffs have become a very real and difficult reality for the manufacturers and workers in those sectors in Canada today.

At that time, more than three months ago, the NDP was calling for the Prime Minister to take immediate action to protect the more than 146,000 good-paying jobs. The New Democrats demanded immediate action by the government to get a permanent exemption to this unfair tax from the Trump administration.

Canadians know that these tariffs have been imposed upon us unfairly. They know that Donald Trump has used the U.S. section 232 investigation and the justification of protecting national security as an excuse to impose these tariffs. Canada has always been America's closest ally and partner in trade and in defence.

Canadians also know that President Trump has his own divergent agenda. In fact, after the actions that he and members of his administration took against Canada this past weekend, I was prompted to stand in the House yesterday and ask for unanimous consent to show solidarity and a united front against Trump's divisive bullying tactics.

That is why my motion called for all members of this place to also stand in solidarity with workers, farmers and manufacturers. My motion was one step. The retaliatory tariffs imposed by the Government of Canada against the U.S. are just another step.

I want to know, in these early hours, answers to multiple questions, questions that Canadians are asking themselves today.

How will the Government of Canada, in light of the uncertainty of trade relations with the U.S. and the NAFTA renegotiations, protect our industries and thousands of Canadian workers who are greatly concerned for their jobs?

Rather than taking defensive and proactive action immediately, the Liberal government will not impose the retaliatory tariffs until July 1. Why has the government not acted more swiftly, like Mexico or the EU?

How will the Liberal government continue to work to secure a permanent exemption?

How has the government prepared for a contingency of the offshore of diversion of steel to the Canadian market?

What will the government specifically do to support workers? Will it make some more offers as it did for softwood lumber? Will it extend the duration and coverage of employment insurance and provide retraining packages?

Ultimately, will the Liberals keep their promise to allow trade unions the right to file complaints under the Special Imports Measures Act?

These are all questions that Canadians today are asking of the government. I am proud to stand here and ask them on behalf of the NDP.

I would like to read part of a press release that was released today, June 12, by the United Steelworkers. It urges the government to act swiftly to impose the retaliatory tariffs. It says that it “joins...the country's steel producers in expressing concern that the counter-measures should be implemented as soon as possible.” We see both labour and steel producers united in this call.

The USW says, “Canada should not wait until July 1 to respond to the unjustified U.S. tariffs.” The USW represents thousands of steel and aluminum workers across the country.

This is a submission on the Canadian counter measures to U.S. tariffs. It is signed by Ken Neumann, who is the Canadian USW national director.

Last, I would like to read a quote from him. He says, “Canada’s steelworkers need support similar to what was afforded to Quebec’s aluminum workers and Canada’s forestry workers. The government of Quebec has offered $100 million in loan guarantees to support the aluminum industry based in that Province. Canadian steel communities are already hurting...”

What will the government do to help?

[Impact Assessment Act, June 12th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the MP for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, for his fantastic work and his wonderful speech here in the House.

This bill could have been something incredible that reflected where we need to go as a country. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a situation where it falls far short of where we need to be.

I want to focus on one particular area, and that is navigable waters. In 2012, Bill C-45 came to this House, causing a loss of key protections for navigable waters in Canada. One of the strongest critics of this bill and of the removal and stripping of protections at the time was the Liberal Party. We went from 2.5 million navigable rivers and lakes down to 159. There was a promise made by the Liberals during the campaign that they would return these strong protections to our waterways.

In my riding of Essex, I am surrounded by fresh water. We have Lake Erie on one side and Lake St. Clair on the other. The rivers, tributaries, and small lakes we have need protection under our government. Unfortunately, the Liberal government is breaking a promise it made to Canadians and is not returning those protections. As a matter of fact, the Liberals have gone further than that. They are narrowing the scope of the definition that was set by our courts to define any river or lake that is deep enough to float a boat as being a navigable water. They have changed that definition and narrowed it. They have exempted pipelines and transmission lines. They are allowing the minister or developers to bypass requirements for a transparent approval process.

I would like to ask my colleague how this failure, this broken promise, will impact the health of our navigable waters in Canada.

[Canada-U.S. Trade, June 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, in a moment I will be seeking the House's consent for a motion.

At this difficult moment in our history with our U.S. neighbours, Canadians need to know that all sides of the House stand united as one.

Mr. Speaker, there have been talks amongst the parties and I believe if you seek it, you will find consent for the following motion. I move:

That the House:

(a) recognize the importance of Canada's long-standing, mutually beneficial trading relationship with the United States of America;

(b) stand with Canadian workers in communities that directly or indirectly depend on this trading relationship;

(c) strongly oppose the illegitimate tariffs imposed by the U.S. government against Canadian steel and aluminum workers;

(d) stand in solidarity with the Government of Canada in its decision to impose retaliatory tariffs;

(e) remain united in support of Canadian farmers and supply management, which is integral for dairy, chicken, turkey, and egg farming;

(f) reject disparaging ad hominem statements by U.S. officials which do a disservice to bilateral relations and work against efforts to resolve this trade dispute.

[International Trade, June 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, in one of those tweets yesterday, the president stated that he is still considering a tariff on the Canadian auto sector. Trump maintains that Canadian autos are a security threat to the U.S., but we all know that there is no greater security partner to the U.S. than Canada.

Sixty-five per cent of all car parts in Canadian assembled vehicles are made in the U.S., and 120,000 Canadian workers will be the first to pay the price. How is the government preparing for what could be a devastating attack on Canada's auto industry?

[International Trade, June 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were faced with a barrage of tweets and headlines after President Trump's G7 visit this weekend. His destructive comments about our industries, workers, and leaders will not help resolve the barriers we face in NAFTA.

New Democrats believe we must stand up to Trump. The government cannot let jobs in steel, aluminum, farming, and manufacturing go unprotected. Could the minister tell the House what the government has planned for next steps to resolve this ever-growing trade dispute with our largest trading partner?

[The Economy, June 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we are four days into the U.S. unfair steel and aluminum tariffs, and Canadian workers in the manufacturing sector spent the weekend worried about their jobs. Canadians are asking why the government was waiting 30 days to bring in our own tariffs. These tariffs are a Band-Aid solution, and the government must work toward a permanent exemption. The clock is already ticking on a similar decision on tariffs to our auto sector. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are literally on the line. How is the government going to ensure Canadian workers in our largest industries are protected against destructive tactics from south of the border?

[International Trade, June 1st, 2018]

Madam Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister called Jagmeet Singh to discuss these tariffs. The NDP leader gave his support for retaliatory tariffs but urged the Prime Minister not to forget about the workers affected.

Too often in a trade war it is the workers who pay the price, so what will the government do to protect workers and their communities, such as Saguenay, Sault Ste. Marie, Regina, Edmonton, Kitimat, Hamilton, and my riding of Essex? Will the government sit down with labour and industry immediately and put together a package that supports workers, protects their jobs, and defends their communities?