The Economy

During question period, members debated the state of the Canadian economy. Conservative members said Canada is the only G7 country in a recession, citing three quarters of economic decline out of the last four, job losses, small business closures, high household debt, rising mortgage defaults, and investment leaving the country, and asked the government to admit its policies are responsible. Liberal ministers and members said Canada is in a trade war and facing global economic headwinds, and pointed to the government’s plan to diversify trade, build major projects in energy, mining, transit and housing, spend on defence and small craft harbours, and train young people for skilled trades. Liberals also criticized the Conservative leader’s approach, which Conservatives in turn rejected. Much of the exchange consisted of members repeating these positions in response to one another.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text (opens in a new tab)

7 statements

Sandra Cobena, Newmarket—Aurora

Conservative
“The Prime Minister blames global problems for our recession, but Canada is the only G7 country in one. Businesses have pulled 20 billion dollars of investment out of Canada. I want to know why we are the only G7 country in a recession if the rest of the world is to blame.”
  • A repeated line

    “Why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession?”

    Said 16 times by 13 members since May 29.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wants Canadians to believe that this recession is the fault of the world. Tariffs, energy prices and global uncertainty are all convenient Liberal excuses. However, every nation in the G7 face those same conditions, yet Canada alone has fallen into a recession. Twenty billion dollars in net investment has fled this country under his watch. That is a failure of Liberal economic policy. If the world is to blame, then why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession?

Sandra Cobena, Newmarket—Aurora

Conservative
“Canada is the only G7 country in a recession, and our economy shrank in three of the last four quarters. The government is mismanaging the economy, and I want them to explain why.”
  • A repeated line

    “Canada is the only G20 country in a recession.”

    Said 104 times by 61 members since May 29.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the member can spin, deflect and dress up this issue however he likes, but why should Canadians believe that the Liberal government’s promises about the future are true, when the numbers today prove that the Liberals cannot manage the present? Canada is the only G7 country in a recession. The Prime Minister told Canadians that we have the best deal in the world with the U.S. Oil prices are surging. Canada should be thriving. Instead, our economy has contracted three out of the last four quarters. I will ask again, if the world is to blame, then why—

Jonathan Rowe, Terra Nova—The Peninsulas

Conservative
“Canada's economy has shrunk for three quarters, which means we are in a recession. More small businesses are closing than opening. I want the government to admit its policies caused this recession.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, a recession is two consecutive quarters of economic decline. The Prime Minister has had three of his four quarters in decline. That puts Canada as the only G7 country in recession. While the Liberals are in denial, the facts do not lie. There are more small businesses in Canada closing than opening. More than half of small business owners do not recommend opening a business. When will the Liberals at least admit that their policies put Canada into a recession?

Jonathan Rowe, Terra Nova—The Peninsulas

Conservative
“Many people have lost their jobs, debt is high, and money is leaving Canada. The government needs to admit its economic plans are not working.”
  • Opposition question in Question Period

    Respect 65 of 100

    This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “whatever the Prime Minister is pretending to do”.

    See full analysis
  • A repeated line

    “Canadian households now carry the highest debt in the G7.”

    Said 4 times by 2 members since June 2.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I do not think those words are very comforting to the apprentices or to the 112,000 people who lost their job in the past three months. Mortgage defaults are growing year over year. Canadian households have the highest debt in the G7. Insolvencies hit their highest level since 2009. Twenty billion dollars has fled this country. How much more data does the government need before it realizes that whatever the Prime Minister is pretending to do is not working?

Andrew Lawton, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South

Conservative
“Canada is the only G7 country in a recession. The Prime Minister is hiding from questions about it. I want him to admit our economy is shrinking and that it is his fault.”
  • A repeated line

    “Canada is the only G20 country in a recession.”

    Said 104 times by 61 members since May 29.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it was not that long ago that the Prime Minister got up and said he was the grand economist who would turn things around, the guy we could go to in a crisis. Well, here we are: Canada is the only G7 country in a recession, and where is he? He is nowhere to be found. He ran from a reporter who asked about it. He does not rise in the House of Commons to speak to it, while Canadians are suffering, struggling and paying the price. When will the Prime Minister admit that Canada is in a recession and that he is the one to blame?

Andrew Lawton, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South

Conservative
“My region has the highest unemployment rate in Canada at 9.2 percent, and families are struggling. The government is spending too much money and has put Canada into a recession. I want to know when it will take responsibility for this.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we are never going to get to net zero with that level of gaslighting. My goodness, the London economic region, which includes Elgin and St. Thomas, has the highest unemployment rate in Canada, at 9.2%, with 1,800 jobs lost in April. Does he expect me to go to my constituents and say, “Don’t worry. You can sell all that uranium you’ve been working on”? Families are struggling. Families are suffering. The government keeps spending more and more money and will not even acknowledge the consequences of its actions. When is it going to get serious and account for the fact that it has put Canada into a recession, the only country in the G7 to be there?

Shuvaloy Majumdar, Calgary Heritage

Conservative
“The Liberal government is wrong to say our economy is doing well. We are in a recession. Families are struggling, and we have lost jobs and investment because of the Prime Minister. I want a Liberal member to defend this record.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, members should not believe the Liberals when they say that we have the fastest-growing economy in the G7. We are the only one in a recession. The Liberals should try telling that to the mom skipping meals so her children will not. They should tell that to the grandma at the food bank who is just trying to put Sunday dinner on the table. They should tell that to the student whose future has been stolen. There are 112,000 jobs gone, a trillion dollars of investment gone and $670 billion in generational jobs gone. It is not wars. It is not tariffs. It is the Prime Minister’s record. Which Liberal will get up to defend that?

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