“I want the government to spend more money now to offset effects of US tariffs on Canadian manufacturing companies and workers. I don't like the government's slow response and focus on loans instead of direct support. I think the US tariffs violate free trade principles and hurt our economy.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
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A motion from the Bloc Québécois condemning new U.S. tariffs on Canadian products containing steel, aluminum or copper. The Bloc accused the Liberal government of not doing enough to fight the tariffs and protect jobs. The Liberals defended their response and efforts to diversify trade. The Conservatives criticized the government's handling of the file, saying they were all talk but haven't gotten results.
“This is bad for those industries. We know it's bad. Very bad. We will spend money on them. We believe in spending money on them. Do you agree?”
“The government was unprepared. They didn't know about the problem at first. They know now but aren't doing enough. The Prime Minister says they're aware now, but there's still no good solution. Businesses have too much debt already. Loans won't help them. They won't last until July with just loans. We need to do something else. I want the government to change the program. They say they're open to adjusting it. I want them to do that.”
“I want Canada to increase its energy production. That would give us more power to negotiate against US tariffs. We need more leverage to get those tariffs removed. Loans won't help businesses. Businesses are being hurt by these tariffs.”
“I don't want to build pipelines. Building pipelines won't make Trump lift his tariffs. I want the government to spend money on helping businesses instead of building pipelines. Businesses are suffering because of the tariffs. We need to help them first. That is more important than building pipelines.”
“I want to make the government look bad for not solving the tariff crisis. The government promised to end the tariff war but they didn't do it. They keep moving the deadline. We have good ideas but the government won't listen to us. They should do what we say.”
“I don't think the government is doing enough to help businesses with the tariff crisis. The government made a false promise to fix it. The U.S. President doesn't want to fix it. The government needs to give businesses money now to help them keep their workers. The government's plans take too long. We need to give businesses a wage subsidy now to help them survive.”
“I'm frustrated. I think people voted for this government because it made big promises. It promised to fix problems with tariffs and the U.S. President. But the problems aren't fixed. They're worse. The government isn't focusing on this. It's not doing what it promised. People are impatient and unhappy. I think the government should be doing more.”
“I want the Prime Minister to spend more time in the House. I'm frustrated he didn't know about a US tariff change. He promised to fix it but didn't. Now the government announced loans, but that's not enough. Quebec's steel industry is suffering. The government should pay more attention to Quebec, not just Ontario. I want the government to control our steel market and protect it from Chinese dumping. They also need to clarify the rail transportation subsidy. I'm not impressed with this government.”
“I'm filling time with kind words about my colleagues from Quebec. I want to look like I care about their businesses. But really I just want to remind you that the government has made investments in the port of Contrecoeur. I hope that helps those companies so they stop asking for more money.”
“I don't like that he changed the topic. I want to keep talking about my riding's jobs. I want the government to give contracts to my preferred companies. Let's not send money abroad.”
“I want Canada to have more power. We should expand our resources and manufacturing. That way we can be stronger when we negotiate with the U.S. I don't like how the Prime Minister is handling the U.S. tariffs. I think we should deal with those tariffs.”
“I don't agree with you. I want Quebec to do its own energy transition. Our strength is greener steel. The government should support that instead of oil.”
“I like my friend's speech. Quebec's economy needs small businesses. Especially ones that export to America. The new tariffs will hurt them. I want to know why he thinks the government hasn't done enough.”
“The new tariffs are bad. They mean steel companies in my riding won't get orders.”
“I want taxpayers to spend $1 billion on loans for businesses that use a lot of metal. Tariffs are bad and un-free-trade. Government must spend money to protect these companies now.”
“The government took in $10 billion from tariffs but only gave businesses back $5.7 billion. Why won't they listen to the industry and give them more? Why only loans? Why didn't the economic update even mention this crisis?”
“There's already lots of programs to help those industries. We'll keep adding more. Some loans, some other things. The details don't matter, just trust us. We're doing stuff now and we'll do more stuff later.”
“The other guy's bad at trade deals. He flips back and forth. We ended up with all these tariffs. He just makes excuses. He's not good at this. It's all an act.”
“I disagree. Our guy said the world changed. He said a bad deal is worse than no deal. That's our line and we're sticking to it.”