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The Economy

Question period focused on the state of the Canadian economy. Conservative members repeatedly asked whether the Prime Minister would acknowledge that Canada is in a recession, citing figures such as job losses this year, a possible deficit of as much as $72 billion in 2026 according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, stagnant purchasing power, and downgraded forecasts from major banks. Liberal ministers replied that the economy is performing well, pointing to OECD growth projections for the G7, rising foreign investment, wage growth ahead of inflation, over 165,000 jobs created since the summer, youth employment gains, and government investments in areas like skilled trades, transit, housing and major projects.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

10 statements

Luc Berthold

Conservative
“Canada is the only G20 country in a recession, and major banks say our economy is getting worse. Canadians are poorer now. I want the Prime Minister to admit that we are 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

Mr. Speaker, let us talk facts. Under this Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is reining in her growth forecasts. The RBC, TD Bank and BMO have downgraded their outlooks. Canadians look on as their standard of living erodes. The Prime Minister, however, still refuses to utter the word “recession”. I am therefore going to ask him this simple question again: Are we in a recession or are Canadians only theoretically poorer than before, after a decade of Liberal rule?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“Our economy is doing well because of this government's work. Experts predict Canada will have some of the highest growth in the G7. Outside investment is up, wages have grown faster than inflation for over three years, and we just added 88,000 jobs.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 100 of 100

    Of this answer, 100% addressed the question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, facts are stubborn things. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development anticipates that Canada will achieve the second-strongest growth of the G7. Over the past year, foreign direct investment in Canada reached twice what it was for our G7 peers. For 38 months, wages have risen faster in Canada than inflation. On top of it all, one especially stubborn fact that displeases the Conservatives is last month’s good news for Canada’s economy with the creation of 88,000 jobs, because Canada’s economy is a lot more resilient. This resilience is due in part to the efforts of this government.

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Luc Berthold

Conservative
“Canada has lost 45,000 workers this year, the economy is shrinking, and the budget watchdog says the government will fail to meet its spending goal. I want the Prime Minister to admit our country is in a recession.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, here is another figure. There are 45,000 fewer Canadians in the workforce than at the beginning of the year. These facts speak for themselves. The Parliamentary Budget Officer just completely dismantled the economic narrative put forward by the Prime Minister and the minister opposite: We are facing lower growth, higher deficits and declining productivity, and we are the only G20 country that is in a recession. What is worse, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has said that there is a 99% chance that the government will fail to meet its own fiscal anchor. The Liberal Prime Minister presents himself as a great economist. How would he describe a situation in which the economy is shrinking, Canadians are getting poorer and the government has no chance of meeting its anchor? Canadians call that a recession.

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“The Conservatives cheer when our economy struggles, but our government is working to grow it. We are investing in mining, high-speed rail, ports, and planes, and we helped create 88,000 jobs last month.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 43 of 100

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Conservatives are overjoyed whenever we face even the slightest headwind in the Canadian economy. However, on this side of the House, we wake up in the morning and ask ourselves what we can do despite external circumstances, despite the illegal and unjustified tariff war we are facing. What can we do to build Canada’s economy? We are investing in Nouveau Monde Graphite, the biggest graphite mine in the G7. We are investing in high-speed rail between Quebec City and Toronto. We are designating the Port of Québec as an international container port. We are investing in 150 Airbus aircraft, and we created 88,000 jobs last month. That is what we are doing on this side of the House.

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Eric Lefebvre

Conservative
“The budget watchdog says our economy is shrinking and our deficit is growing. Canada is doing worse than other major countries. I want the Prime Minister to tell us if Canada is 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

Mr. Speaker, I have a brief reminder for the minister. The country’s best years were under the Conservatives. Slower growth and a higher deficit: That is the alarming assessment from the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The result is that GDP per capita growth in Canada remains among the lowest in the G20; the Canadian economy has contracted over the last two quarters; and under this Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country in recession. I have a simple multiple-choice question for the Prime Minister: Has Canada entered a recession or a technical recession?

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Anna Gainey

Liberal
“Our economic plan is working. Youth unemployment has dropped, and young people have 22,000 new jobs. We are also spending $6 billion to help 100,000 young people train for and get skilled trade jobs.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 46 of 100

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

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we are focused on economic growth and we are working hard to achieve it. Our plan is working. The youth unemployment rate has fallen by nearly 1%. That means 22,000 jobs for our young people. What is more, we are investing $6 billion in the skilled trades to recruit, hire and train 100,000 young people. We on this side of the House are building Canada strong for everyone.

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Eric Lefebvre

Conservative
“I want the government to admit that Canada is in a recession. The Liberals are adding $318 billion to the debt by 2031. Will they stop mismanaging the economy?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I asked whether we were in a technical recession or a recession. Once again, there is no answer. In order to solve a problem, we first have to acknowledge that a problem exists. However, the Liberals still refuse to acknowledge that Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the Liberals are going to add $318 billion to the national debt by 2031, assuming no other measures are put in place. There is no limit on the Liberal credit card. Will the government finally put an end to its mismanagement, which has, unfortunately, plunged Canada into a recession?

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Anna Gainey

Liberal
“Our plan is making the economy stronger. We are creating tens of thousands of jobs and spending money on hospitals, community centres, transit, and affordable housing.”

  • 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 39 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, our government has a plan to transform the foundation of our economy and make it more resilient. We are creating tens of thousands of jobs, particularly in Darlington and Contrecoeur. We are investing in hospitals, community centres, public transit and affordable housing. We are creating the conditions for long-term prosperity and building Canada strong from coast to coast to coast.

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Richard Martel

Conservative
“Canada is in a recession, the deficit is huge, and daily life costs more. I want the Prime Minister to admit that the country is 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

Mr. Speaker, under this Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. The Parliamentary Budget Officer’s report confirms that the deficit could be as high as $72 billion in 2026. Meanwhile, Canadians’ purchasing power has stagnated since 2015. For Quebeckers, that means that groceries, mortgages and gas are more expensive. Are these technical bills, or will the Prime Minister admit that Canada is in a recession?

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Rachel Bendayan

Liberal
“We have created over 165,000 jobs in Canada since the summer. Compared to our population, we are creating almost twice as many jobs as the United States.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, since this summer, we have created more than 165,000 jobs here in Canada. In May alone, 88,000 jobs were created. If we look at the United States, for example, we see that Canada is creating jobs. The number of jobs created per capita in Canada is almost double that of the United States. It is great to see that so many Canadians are optimistic and have a positive outlook on the future.

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