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International Trade

Question period focused on Canada’s trade relationship with the United States. Conservative members asked what the government’s plan is for reaching a trade deal, saying the Prime Minister has given shifting messages about the U.S., that Canada’s retaliatory tariffs raised prices and hurt low-income Canadians without changing American behaviour, and that businesses closing and job losses show the government is focused on politics rather than results. Minister Dominic LeBlanc replied for the government, saying the Conservatives were drawing connections that do not exist, that Canada responded to what it called unjustified and illegal American tariffs to defend Canadian workers and businesses, and that by-elections were called so affected areas would have representation. He also said the Conservatives would not have stood up to the Americans.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

6 statements

Shuvaloy Majumdar

Conservative
“The Prime Minister keeps changing what he says about trade with the United States. He changes his mind to help his party win by-elections. I want to know what his real plan is, or if he is just putting his party ahead of Canada.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister called this the greatest crisis since the Second World War. Then he said Trump is a transformational president. He said integration is subordination and then wanted more integration to “make America great again.” He decried a world of fortresses and then “fortress North America”. He said that we are “at war” and the U.S. wants to break us to own us. Now he has a chat with the President about T-shirts and dress shirts. There is a new deal, the best deal, then no deal beats a bad deal, and now a bad deal beats no deal at all. Every position changes except for one: whatever helps Liberals in December’s by-elections. What is the actual plan, or is it just putting his party ahead of the country?

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Dominic LeBlanc

Liberal
“The Conservatives are making connections that do not exist. They keep bringing up by-elections, even though their own members caused some of them by leaving their party. Our government is working hard to protect Canadian workers and businesses, and we will keep doing that.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, speaking of some positions that never change, there are the attempts of the Conservative Party to connect a series of dots that do not exist. I am surprised the Conservatives continually talk about by-elections. I am not sure it is going to be something they will like to talk about in a few weeks. Some of them, in fact, were caused by members of their own party evacuating the caucus. I understand our friends on the other side want to connect a series of dots. They know very well our government is hard at work to defend workers and businesses in Canada, and we will continue to do that.

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Shuvaloy Majumdar

Conservative
“The government's tariffs against the United States did not change American behaviour. They just raised prices and hurt low-income Canadians. What is the real plan to improve our trade?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, “defend workers”? Last month, economist Trevor Tombe told the foreign affairs committee there is no evidence the Liberal countertariffs changed American behaviour, none. What they did was raise prices across the board and slash the income of Canadians earning under $30,000. Liberals are taxing our most vulnerable to punish Washington, and Washington could not be bothered. Beyond the domestic Liberal politics designed to control our national debate, what is the plan beyond “elbows up” to actually level up?

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Dominic LeBlanc

Liberal
“The Conservatives are making up bad reasons for our actions. When the Americans put unfair and illegal tariffs on our businesses and workers, Canadians expected us to stand up to them. The Conservatives would never have done that. They always make excuses not to defend our workers.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, again, we see members of the Conservative Party attempt to attribute a series of motivations in circumstances that do not exist. They know very well. Our government was very clear. When the Americans increased unjustified and illegal tariffs on Canadian businesses and workers, Canadians expected our government to take a strong position, something the opposition would never have done, because they continually find excuses as to why Canada should not have stood up to the Americans and done the right thing to defend workers.

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Jacques Gourde

Conservative

Linked statement

“Businesses are closing and people are losing their jobs. The Prime Minister is playing politics instead of getting results. When will he deliver the major trade deal he promised with the United States?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, while businesses are shutting down, workers are losing their jobs and families are struggling to make ends meet, the Prime Minister would rather play his Trump card. He said last week that he could wait two and a half years to secure a trade agreement. Conveniently, after calling by-elections, he suddenly picked up the phone and called the U.S. President. Canadians do not want theatrics. They want results. When will the Prime Minister finally deliver the major trade deal he promised?

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Dominic LeBlanc

Liberal
“The Conservatives are wrongly connecting events that have nothing to do with each other. We called the by-elections so those areas have members to represent them. We will stand up to the Americans for Canadian workers and businesses, which the Conservatives would never do.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure whether my colleagues would agree, but hearing the member talk about theatrics seems a bit ironic, considering his behaviour in this place. Once again, the Conservatives are trying to connect a series of events that they know full well are completely unrelated. Yes, we called by-elections, because those ridings deserve to be represented in the House of Commons by strong members of Parliament. Yes, we will stand up for Canadian workers and businesses. We will stand up to the Americans. These are things the Conservatives would never do.

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