Debates of Oct. 9th, 2025

International Trade

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, he must be on to something here, because Canada has invested a half-trillion dollars in the U.S. over the last five years alone and probably a trillion dollars in the next five years if we get the agreement we expect to get. This is what the Prime Minister said. This is after he has failed to get tariffs lifted on our auto workers and our lumber workers, after thousands have lost their jobs and after he created the second-highest unemployment and the worst growth in the entire G7.

Here is a very direct question: The Prime Minister is committing a trillion Canadian investment dollars to head south to the U.S. Has he secured an agreement that President Trump will send the same here?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has no tariffs on auto parts. Canada has the lowest tariffs on finished goods in the world. We are working towards an agreement that would increase investment in Canada and would increase investment in the United States. However, we will accept only the best agreement for Canada, and the private sector, if we remember that, will make those decisions.

Natural Resources

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says he is going to put it right in the agreement, so presumably he is going to enforce it somehow. It is another Liberal contradiction, another failure and broken promise by the Prime Minister.

Let us go to energy. Just days ago, the Prime Minister voted in favour of an energy cap that would make it impossible to fill another pipeline; then he woke up and discovered that President Trump has, for the last eight years, supported the Keystone XL pipeline. We know that as long as he blocks production in Alberta, we will not be able to fill that pipeline with oil, so what is he going to fill it with, maple syrup?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I voted, as did a majority in the House, against a motion to get rid of something that does not actually exist. We are working with the private sector, we are working with the Province of Alberta and we are working with the Americans to unlock great Canadian energy to build this economy strong.

International Trade

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are making progress. I get a sense that, in a month or a month and a half, my colleague, the leader of the official opposition, will be ready to talk about Quebec's independence. We are making progress.

Meanwhile, medium- and heavy-duty trucks will be subject to a 25% tariff starting November 1. Lumber is subject to various types of tariffs at a rate of 45%. Aluminum and steel are tariffed at a rate of 50%. Automobile tariffs are in the range of 27.5%.

I would like the Prime Minister to explain to us when he will be speaking with businesses in the affected industries, their workers and subcontractors—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it was difficult to hear the last part of the question but here are some key points regarding where things stand.

First, we have the best agreement in the world with the United States. Second, we are in negotiations to ensure that steel and aluminum tariffs are reduced. Third, the tariffs on trucks and automobiles are the lowest in the world.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will take the Prime Minister at his word regarding what he said during the election campaign. He said that soon after the election, there would be no more tariffs, and that tariffs should not be used to retaliate against friends, allies and partners. He said that the tariffs would be eliminated quickly and that in the week following the election, he would go there and sign the free trade agreement.

He is the one who changed his mind. Not only did he change his mind, but he is also going to negotiate a pipeline to the United States. What will that do to diversify our economy?

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, to diversify Canada's economy with reliable partners and partners like Asia and Indonesia, we just entered into a comprehensive agreement with Indonesia. We are in major negotiations with the European Union and all of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries. There will also be deals with South American countries.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are well past the deadline the Prime Minister set for himself when he was campaigning. I guess the situation is understandable.

Now he is telling us that negotiations are under way to lower tariffs. It has been six months. They keep going up. The United States is adding new tariffs. This can hardly be called a great success right now.

Can he at least, in the meantime, roll out the programs he announced for aluminum and lumber? Those sectors have not yet seen a penny of what was promised.

[Mark Carney, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite will have the opportunity to support programs for the steel and aluminum industries and all sectors in Quebec and Canada in the upcoming budget on November 4.

Employment

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since the Prime Minister took office, nearly $54 billion in investments has fled our country, yet the Prime Minister said that Canada will send the U.S., “$1 trillion in the next five years—if we get the agreement we expect to get”. It is Thanksgiving, and I will tell members what Canadians expect. They expect a Prime Minister who will stand up for investment in this country and who will stand up for Canadian jobs.

When will the Prime Minister do that and finally stand up to the Americans, stand up to Donald Trump and stand up for Canadian workers?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform my hon. colleague and the members of the House that we have provided billions of dollars of support for this economy, including $5 billion in a strategic response fund. We are doing this while supporting our workers, supporting sectors, including the auto sector, and maintaining Canada's AAA credit rating and the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. We will get the best deal for Canada, and we will take the time we need in order to get this done.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the minister that Canada has the fastest-shrinking economy in the G7. I would like to inform the minister that the Prime Minister has been all about concessions.

The Liberals have backed down on the DST, backed down on softwood lumber, backed down on auto, backed down on investments and backed down when our workers needed them to stand up to Donald Trump, like the Prime Minister said he would. We have auto plant closures, steel plant closures and layoffs across the country.

Canadians want to know why the Prime Minister is sending $1 trillion in investments to the Americans. When is he finally going to stand up for Canadian workers?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we actually believe in the potential of this country. In fact, the statistics are bearing this out. We have the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. Inflation and wages are working in Canada's favour. We will continue to grow this economy by investing in workers and by investing in sectors, and we will do this while making sure that foreign direct investment flows to Canada, where we sit at the very top of countries as ranked in the G20.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, while in Washington, the Prime Minister bragged that the Liberal government has already driven half a trillion dollars of investment south of the border over the last five years, and then he proudly vowed that he would send another $1 trillion south of the border if we get the agreement we expect to get. In other words, this is exactly what the Prime Minister wants to do. He wants to drive investment from Canada to the United States. So much for elbows up.

Here are the choices: Does the Prime Minister plan to order that Canadian pension funds be invested in the United States, or does he plan to continue his anti-development initiatives—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. government House leader.

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

Mr. Speaker, we have this disturbing trend with the Leader of the Opposition making something up, and then members up and down the line add on new, and very intriguing, figures and facts. We do not really understand it. We cannot follow the logic.

Here is what I can say the government is doing: It is in negotiations with the United States. As we speak, the Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade is there. We are going to negotiate a great deal for Canada, and we are going to continue to build Canada strong.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, here is what we know that cannot be refuted. We know that Canada has the fastest-shrinking economy in the G7. We know that the unemployment rate is the second highest. We know that Canadians are already struggling to put food on their tables and take care of their families. Now we know that the Prime Minister went to the United States of America and promised that he would drive another $1 trillion of investment south of the border, therefore putting Canadian families at a disadvantage, because they will not have jobs.

What will the Prime Minister do to put his elbows up and stand up for them?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, taking the opposition research bureau's stuff and just repeating it does not make it true. What we do know, and Statistics Canada would confirm this, is that Canada's economy is, in fact, growing. What does growth mean? It means we are adding value to our economy and adding opportunities for workers. Of course we are concerned about job losses, and of course we will continue to defend Canadian workers right across this land, but one thing is for sure, and that is that we will take our statistics from this side of the House.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK]

Mr. Speaker, there is an old proverb that says that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Canadian workers are getting sick and tired of the Prime Minister's good intentions. The best predictor of the future is the past, so let us take a look at the Prime Minister's record. His last act as the chair of Brookfield was to move the company headquarters out of Canada and into the United States, into the welcoming arms of President Trump.

I guess it is pretty clear that the Prime Minister will continue to sell out Canadian workers to the U.S. Is that not right?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what I announced in the House: Eighty-five per cent of our exports enter the United States tariff-free. What is more, the Canadian economy is an open economy. Capital moves across the border in both directions, and we will do everything we can to continue to attract capital to Canada so that we can invest and grow faster.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised the U.S. President investments of “$1 trillion in the next five years—if we get the agreement we expect to get”. Now we know why the Prime Minister recommended moving Brookfield's headquarters to New York when he was president of that company. Now the Prime Minister is asking Canadian businesses and investment funds to go invest $1 trillion in the United States.

Why is the Prime Minister trying to improve the U.S. economy instead of Canada's?

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

Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I am surprised to see that our friends across the way do not understand the concept of capital flow. The Canadian economy is an open economy. Capital comes in and capital goes out. We have a great tradition of investing abroad and accepting foreign investment. That is what we will do and that is how we will grow the Canadian economy.

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

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we understand quite well that the Prime Minister recommended moving Brookfield's headquarters to New York when he was the company's chair.

This year, the largest trucking company, TFI International, an outfit with 27 employees, announced that it would be moving its head office to the United States. It is no surprise that Canada's economy is shrinking faster than any other G7 nation's economy.

Does the Prime Minister know that he is working for Canadians, not Americans?