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The Economy

During question period on the economy, the Conservative leader asked repeatedly whether Canada is in a recession, citing two consecutive quarters of shrinking GDP, 112,000 jobs lost in three months, and food insecurity. The Prime Minister responded that the government is building a stronger, more resilient and independent economy, citing rising business investment, growing exports outside the United States, wage growth, and forecasts that Canada will have one of the strongest economies in the G7. Some of the exchange touched on the Prime Minister’s travel spending and the Conservatives’ claim he did not answer directly, and the Prime Minister also wished the opposition leader a happy birthday.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

11 statements

Pierre Poilievre

Conservative
“Every major country faces the same global problems, but Canada is the only one in a recession. The Prime Minister needs to stand up and answer for that.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, all in the group of 20 nations are faced with the same tariffs, wars and energy prices, yet 19 of the G20 countries are not in recession. One country is in recession. Will the leader of the only G20 country in recession please stand up?

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Pierre Poilievre

Conservative
“Our economy shrank for two quarters in a row and we lost 112,000 jobs. Will the Prime Minister tell us if Canada is in a recession?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Canada has had two consecutive quarters of shrinking GDP. It is the only country in the G20 that can say that. We have lost 112,000 jobs in the first three months of this year, and that has left our country with a quarter of its people in food insecurity. Will the Prime Minister tell us whether we are in a recession or in a technical recession?

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Mark Carney

Liberal
“The government is building a stronger, more independent economy despite global challenges. Business investment is growing, and Canadian wages are rising twice as fast as American wages.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 45 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Signal 34 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, first, may I wish the Leader of the Opposition a very happy birthday? Second, I will even give him his question back. It is my little gift to him. What the government is doing is putting in place the foundations of an economy that will be stronger, more resilient and more independent. In the face of U.S. tariffs, in the face of global uncertainty and in the face of higher energy prices, we are seeing business investment accelerating. We are seeing wages growing at twice the rate of those in the United States. We are seeing this country put in place the conditions for sustained prosperity.

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Pierre Poilievre

Conservative
“Our economy is shrinking faster than any other G7 country. I want the Prime Minister to answer directly: is Canada in a recession?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the birthday wishes. I am 47 years old, but that is 50 with inflation. What I really want as a birthday gift from the Prime Minister is someone who will actually answer the question. Canadians deserve answers, not misinformation. We have had two consecutive declining quarters of GDP growth. We are the only country in the G7 that can say that. We are the only country in the G7 that has seen the economy shrink in three of the last four quarters. We are the only country whose GDP is smaller than it was a year ago, when the Prime Minister took office. Will the Prime Minister tell us, are we in a recession or in a technical recession? Which is it?

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Mark Carney

Liberal
“Experts predict Canada will have the second-strongest economy in the G7 this year and next year.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 48 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is very painful, on someone’s birthday, when you give them a present and they give it back to you. I will do a little research for the Leader of the Opposition. If he would like to ask the C.D. Howe Institute, it knows the answer to that question. He could ask the OECD, which today predicts that Canada will have the second-strongest economy in the G7 this year and next. That is the answer.

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Pierre Poilievre

Conservative
“Canada is in a recession and people are losing their jobs. I want the Prime Minister to answer if we are in a recession or just a technical recession.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it was the only promise he made during the election. He gave the same forecast a few days ago. After that, we found out that Canada is the only G20 nation in a recession. That means Canadians are skipping meals, 112,000 people have lost their jobs, and we have the second-worst unemployment rate in the G7. Can the Prime Minister rise and answer a very simple question: Are we in a recession or just a technical recession?

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Mark Carney

Liberal
“I want to correct the record. During the campaign, I promised to protect Canadians from the opposition leader's bad policies. I also promised to make our economy stronger and more independent. We are doing that now.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 47 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Clarity 18 of 100

    Much of this statement used imprecise wording, lacked details on timing or responsibility, or made broad claims without support.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, once again the official record of Parliament needs to be corrected. I made a number of promises during the election campaign. The first was to save Canadians from the horrible policies of the Leader of the Opposition. The second was to introduce policies that would create a more resilient, more prosperous, stronger, more sustainable and more independent economy. This is what we are doing.

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Pierre Poilievre

Conservative
“The Prime Minister caused a recession while wasting money on expensive plane food. I want him to stop taking these flights and tell us if Canada is in a recession.”

  • A repeated line

    “He has delivered the only recession in the G7.”

    Said 3 times by 2 members since June 2.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, instead, all the Prime Minister delivered was a recession. He promised he would have the fastest-growing economy in the G7. He has delivered the only recession in the G7. While Canadians line up around the block to try to collect from the food bank, the Prime Minister spends $200,000 on inflight meals for just three flights, including $4,200 on crème brûlée and $593 on luxury Normandy butter cups. No wonder he is so out of touch with the people whose jobs he has killed. Can he tell us whether he will ground his plane, and will he stand up and tell us if are we in a recession?

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Mark Carney

Liberal
“Global investors tell me Canada is the best place to invest in infrastructure. They want to invest over $100 billion here. Foreign investment in Canada is growing twice as fast as in any other G7 country.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 0 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, what I will tell the House is what I hear from international investors and businesses when we travel. What I heard in New York is that Canada is the most attractive destination for foreign infrastructure investment. What I hear from major global investors, who want to invest more than $100 billion in this country, is what we are already seeing, which is foreign investment that is running in this country at twice the rate of any other G7 economy. That is—

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Pierre Poilievre

Conservative
“The Prime Minister caused a recession that hurts regular Canadians while big companies profit. I want him to tell the House if we are in a recession.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, obviously the multinational corporations he is profiting are very pleased with the way things are going. As for the Canadian people, who are living under his recession, it is another story. They have not had $200,000-meals on three private flights. They do not have tax havens so they can shelter from the high tax burden he imposes on everyone else. He cannot even bring himself to utter the word “recession,” even though the tech spec definition tells us that he is the only Prime Minister, the only leader in the G20, who has created one. Will the Prime Minister stand in the House and answer this question: Are we in a recession or a technical recession?

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Mark Carney

Liberal
“Our plan is making Canada's economy stronger and more independent. Business investment in equipment is up by 10 percent, and our exports to countries other than the United States are growing fast.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 46 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Clarity 44 of 100

    Much of this statement used imprecise wording, lacked details on timing or responsibility, or made broad claims without support.

    See full analysis
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we are in an economy that is fundamentally being transformed by a government that has a plan to create a stronger, more independent and more resilient economy, a sustainable economy, an economy that moves from reliance to resilience. We are already seeing business investment, Canadian business investment, up 10% in machinery equipment. We are seeing our non-U.S. exports up, and they are on course to double. We are seeing the strongest inbound investment in— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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