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The Economy

Oral questions focused on the state of the Canadian economy following the release of new jobs data. Conservative members said Canada is the only G7 and G20 country in a recession, noting a net loss of about 24,500 jobs since the start of the year, high youth unemployment compared with pre-pandemic levels, affordability pressures on mortgages and housing, and bank forecasts of slower growth; they asked ministers to acknowledge the recession and asked that a Statistics Canada report on the matter be tabled. Liberal ministers pointed to the addition of 88,000 jobs in May, largely full-time and private-sector work, 99,000 new youth jobs, a drop in the unemployment rate including a decline in youth unemployment, and job growth outpacing the United States since December 2024, despite U.S. tariffs, and cited investments such as the Quebec City tramway as sources of future employment.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

12 statements

Garnett Genuis

Conservative
“Canada has lost over 20,000 jobs this year, and our economy is shrinking. Why is Canada the only country in the G20 in a recession?”

  • 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

Madam Speaker, under this Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. We are glad to see that more Canadians are working this month than last month, but we are down over 20,000 jobs since the beginning of this year. We are still expecting negative growth, and we have the second-highest unemployment in the G7. Simply put, we are comparing to a worse baseline. This should not be the new normal for this great country. Why is Canada the only G20 country in a recession?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“Canada added 88,000 jobs in May, mostly full-time work in the private sector. Since December 2024, Canada has added more jobs per person than the United States.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 46 of 100

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

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  • A repeated line

    “Canada has added more jobs per capita than the United States.”

    Said 4 times by 3 members since June 2.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, members will appreciate that this morning we woke up to some incredibly good news for Canadian workers: The Canadian economy added 88,000 jobs in May alone, mainly in the private sector and mainly in full-time work. Job growth in May was broad-based across all industries, but get this: Since December 2024, Canada has added more jobs per capita than the United States. We have incredibly good news from one coast of this country to another to another, and we are celebrating today for—

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Garnett Genuis

Conservative
“Canada's job numbers are worse than the government claims. There are 24,500 fewer people working today than at the start of the year, youth unemployment is way up, and Canada has the second-highest unemployment in the G7.”

  • 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

Madam Speaker, I want to be clear that it is good news that more Canadians are working this month than last month, but we have to be honest about these numbers, because the government House leader is eager to cherry-pick. We have 24,500 fewer Canadians working today than were at the beginning of the year. Compared to pre-pandemic averages, unemployment is up by 0.6% overall and over 2.5 points for youth. Under this Liberal Prime Minister, we have the second-highest unemployment in the G7. Having the best job numbers in Canada should not be like having the best bobsledding team in Jamaica. Canada is the only G20 economy in a recession.

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Patty Hajdu

Liberal
“Our economy created 99,000 new jobs for young people. The opposition keeps saying the economy is failing, but we are creating jobs for everyone.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 40 of 100

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

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I will pass by the obvious material in that question to focus on what is important, which is jobs, and jobs for youth. That member has spoken many times about the importance of creating good jobs for youth, and in fact 99,000 new jobs for youth is something to celebrate. In fact, Benjamin Reitzes from the BMO said that the solid May jobs report should silence the people who are talking down the Canadian economy. He said this “should silence the recession crowd.” I guess he is speaking about the member opposite. While those guys are running down Canadian opportunities, we are focused on creating jobs for everyone.

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Garnett Genuis

Conservative
“Canada is the only G20 country in a recession, and youth unemployment is high. I want the government to explain why this is happening and whether they think this is normal.”

  • 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

Madam Speaker, the so-called “recession crowd” is literally the analysts at Statistics Canada. Here is the fact: Canada is in a recession under this Liberal Prime Minister. Let us talk about youth unemployment. The pre-pandemic average for youth unemployment was 10.8%. We are 2.5 points above the pre-pandemic average. The question for the government is this: Is this the new normal? It should not be the new normal; we should be back to where we were. A recession is not success. Canada is the only G20 economy in a recession, objectively. Why?

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Mélanie Joly

Liberal
“Our economy is growing and creating jobs, even with unfair U.S. tariffs. We created 147,000 jobs, including 88,000 last month.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Respect 82 of 100

    This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “he did not read the news this morning”.

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I have a lot of time and respect for my colleague, but the reality is that he did not read the news this morning. I think he took his notes from yesterday, and he is trying to keep the same narrative today. The reality is, indeed, we are in job-creation mode. Indeed, notwithstanding the trade war, which the Conservatives never acknowledge, that we are dealing with unjustified tariffs from the U.S., we were able to create 147,000 jobs in this country. Last month alone, it was 88,000. We are building the economy and building the country strong.

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Gérard Deltell

Conservative
“Canada is the only G7 and G20 country in a recession. High prices keep young people from buying homes, and one in three families cannot afford their mortgage this year. Will the minister admit this?”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, here is yesterday’s reality, today’s reality and, unfortunately, likely tomorrow’s reality: Canada is the only G7 country, and in fact the only G20 country, that is in a recession. Take the issue of housing. We have hyperinflation that continues to have a devastating impact on our young people. The dream of home ownership is drifting out of reach for young people, and one in three families will not be able to make all their mortgage payments this year. That is the reality. Can the minister acknowledge that?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“We helped Canadian workers by adding 88,000 jobs in May, and the unemployment rate went down. Quebec now has the second lowest unemployment rate in the country, led by young people working in construction and manufacturing.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, we are very proud of the results we delivered for Canadian workers this morning: 88,000 jobs were created in the month of May alone. The unemployment rate has dropped. For my colleague’s information, the unemployment rate in Quebec, which interests me and my colleague, who is from Quebec, is the second lowest of all the Canadian provinces. That result is driven by the construction and manufacturing sectors and led by young Quebeckers.

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Gérard Deltell

Conservative
“Canada has lost 24,500 jobs this year, and more young people are out of work. The government will not meet its goal to lower the deficit. Will the government admit Canada is the only G7 country in a recession?”

  • 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

Madam Speaker, of course, on this side of the House, we are always pleased when Canadians find jobs. However, as of right now, there has been a net loss of 24,500 jobs since the beginning of the year. I also want to talk about young people. The reality is that youth unemployment has gone up. The Parliamentary Budget Officer was scathing yesterday when he said that the odds of this government hitting its fiscal anchor of reducing the deficit is less than 1%. That is the reality we get with this government. Is the government capable of admitting that, yes, Canada is the only G7 country that is in a recession?

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Mélanie Joly

Liberal
“The new numbers show the economy is doing well. We helped create 88,000 jobs. Youth unemployment went down by almost 1% last month, not up. The Prime Minister also announced help with the cost of living today.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 45 of 100

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

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I know that my colleague is passionate about the economy. We have had several conversations about it. I also know that he is a numbers guy and that he respects facts. The truth is that the figures are clear this morning. We helped create 88,000 new jobs. My colleague said that youth unemployment is up, but it is actually down. It dropped by nearly 1% in the past month. I can, of course, provide him with the most recent figures from Statistics Canada. I am sure he will read them. There is also good news when it comes to affordability. This morning, the Prime Minister made an important announcement—

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Gérard Deltell

Conservative
“Canada is in a recession, and the banks say our economy will grow slower than other major countries over the next year. I want a minister to admit that our country is in a recession.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, of course I respect Statistics Canada. In fact, I asked that Statistics Canada’s report confirming that Canada is in a recession be tabled, but the members opposite said no. That is a real shame. The reality is also that the banks have bad news. The Bank of Montreal predicted yesterday that over the next year, Canada will experience the worst economic growth in the G7, yet the government still refuses to talk about a recession. Is there a minister who has the courage, honour and dignity to acknowledge that Canada is, in fact, the only country in the G7 and G20 that is in a recession?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“Canada added 80,000 jobs recently, and fewer people are out of work. We are also investing billions of dollars in building projects like the Quebec City tramway, which will create 80,000 more jobs. The opposition MP for Quebec City wants to cut nearly $3 billion from this project.”

  • A repeated line

    “That is good news for Canadians.”

    Said 5 times by 2 members since May 4.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I will reiterate what my colleagues said because it is important. Over the past few months, the Canadian economy has created 80,000 jobs. We are seeing a drop in the unemployment rate, especially in youth employment. That is good news for Canadians. I want to take this opportunity to say that we learned something else this week. We found out that the Government of Canada is going to invest billions of dollars in infrastructure, including in the Quebec City tramway. This is going to create more than 80,000 jobs. Those are 80,000 good jobs for our constituents. It is well known that the opposition MP for the Quebec City area has always opposed this project. He campaigned on a promise to cut nearly $3 billion in federal funding from the Quebec City tramway. That is shameful.

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