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International Trade

During Question Period on international trade, Conservative members said that despite the Prime Minister’s promise to buy and build in Canada, government spending on American companies has risen, with roughly $8 billion going to U.S.-linked firms, and they linked this to factory closures and layoffs from the trade war. They also asked whether the Prime Minister’s personal investments in the United States create a conflict of interest. Liberal ministers replied that the purchases support Canadian jobs, citing spending on General Dynamics in London, Ontario, IBM Canada, and Microsoft Canada, and argued that companies investing in Canada employ tens of thousands of workers and that foreign direct investment is at a 23-year high.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

13 statements

Luc Berthold

Conservative
“The Prime Minister promised to buy and build in Canada, but he broke that promise. Spending on American companies is up by 50 percent, and eight billion Canadian dollars went to the American economy instead of ours. He needs to stop putting on a show and actually invest in Canada.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, their styles may differ, but this Liberal Prime Minister has the same obsession with grand theatrical announcements as his predecessor. This is just like the solemn promise to buy and build in Canada. It was all just hot air, because he has done exactly the opposite ever since making that promise. Government procurement from American companies has increased by 50%, and $8 billion of our money—money that belongs to workers, mothers and the unemployed—is boosting the American economy. It is like watching the same play against a different backdrop. When will he stop grandstanding and actually invest in Canada?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“Our buy Canadian policy is working. It gives jobs to 5,000 workers building icebreakers at the Davie shipyard and 400 workers building train cars. We will keep doing this.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is astounding to hear the opposition member talk about grand theatrical announcements. He should go talk to the 5,000 Davie shipyard workers who will be working on the construction of six icebreakers. He should go and talk about grand theatrical announcements to the 400 workers in Saint‑Bruno and La Pocatière who will be building train cars for VIA Rail. I am left completely perplexed every time they attack investments like this one under our buy Canadian policy, which is working and which relies on Canadian content and the expertise of our workers. We will keep going.

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Luc Berthold

Conservative
“The government gives us slogans instead of real answers. The Prime Minister said Canada was at war with the United States. Most of his personal investments are in the U.S. I want to know if that conflict of interest is why he is sending $8 billion to the American government.”

  • Opposition question in Question Period

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    This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “Is it because 90% of the Prime Minister's personal investments are in the United States that he is sending $8 billion…”.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, all of this government’s ministers are following the Liberal Prime Minister’s lead. They are giving us words, slogans, announcements and theatrics but never any results or real answers for Canadians. On August 22, the Prime Minister said that Canada was at war with the United States. When we asked him why, he simply said that it was because the Americans had attacked us. Is it because 90% of the Prime Minister’s personal investments are in the United States that he is sending $8 billion of our money to help the United States government wage war against us?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“The member should check the facts, and I can give him a briefing. The money he mentioned supports Canadian jobs. It includes $2 billion for General Dynamics to support 1,700 jobs and 600 suppliers. It also funds IBM Canada and Microsoft Canada, which support thousands of jobs here. Our policy buys Canadian to bring investment and create jobs in Canada.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleague to do his research, and if he wants a briefing, we would be happy to give him one. With regard to the $8 billion he is talking about, I will give him a few examples. We are talking about $2 billion for General Dynamics, which represents 1,700 jobs in London and 600 Canadian suppliers. That is the buy Canadian policy in action. Part of the investment he mentioned is going to IBM Canada, which provides 5,000 jobs across the country, including 1,000 jobs in Bromont, and another is going to Microsoft Canada, which provides 5,300 jobs. We made the deliberate choice to adopt a policy that gives priority to Canadian content to attract investment to Canada and create jobs in Canada.

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative

Linked statement

“Our trade war with the United States has caused many factory closures and layoffs in Canada. The government promised to buy from Canadian businesses to fix this, but it bought fifty percent more from American companies instead, spending nearly eight billion dollars. I want the government to explain why.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we have been in a trade war, and everyone knows this, with America, and there have been real consequences because of that: The Stellantis plant in Brampton closed, Paccar had major layoffs, Stelco now has layoffs, and hundreds of business across this country are laying off workers. The Liberals had a solution: Buy Canadian. What were the results? They bought American. They have increased the buying from American companies by a whopping 50%, in the middle of a trade war, to $7.8 billion. Why is that?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“The Conservatives are wrong about our spending. Two billion dollars of that money goes to build 190 armoured vehicles for our military. This supports 1,700 jobs and 600 suppliers in London, Ontario. A Conservative member even asked for these exact investments.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives need to get their facts straight. Of the $8 billion the member is talking about, there is $2 billion for General Dynamics to build 190 light armoured vehicles for the Canadian Armed Forces. There are 1,700 jobs that depend on it in London. That is 600 suppliers. The Conservatives’ own member for London—Fanshawe was asking for these investments in Canadian content and Canadian workers. It is a little rich to hear them now complain about these investments that are building Canada strong.

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The government says it buys Canadian, but it is sending more money to the United States instead. We are in a trade war, so we should buy less from America. I want the government to explain why it is not doing that.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals must have a different definition of what buy Canada means than what we think buy Canada means. If we are buying Canadian, we do not actually increase the amount of money we are sending to America. It is a pretty simple economic lesson. Why did the Liberals do this? It is because their buy Canada is all illusions. They are all talk, no results. If we are in the middle of a trade war, as we all know, we should be buying less from America. Will someone explain why we are not buying less from America in the middle of a trade war?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“Our policy supports Canadian workers and brings investment to Canada. It is working. Stopping these investments would hurt thousands of jobs at major companies across the country.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I will happily explain. It is because we made a deliberate decision to favour Canadian content and attract investment in Canada. If the member is suggesting that we should stop investing in General Dynamics, for instance, to build these LAVs for the Canadian Armed Forces, he should tell that to his colleague, the member for London—Fanshawe. He should say that to our colleagues from across the country who depend on these jobs in their ridings. We are talking about 5,000 jobs for IBM and 5,300 jobs for Microsoft Canada. This was a deliberate choice to increase Canadian content, and our policy is working.

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Andrew Lawton

Conservative
“The Prime Minister promised to buy Canadian, but his government has given $7.8 billion to American companies instead. One-third of what the government buys now goes to American businesses. I want to know if his promise to buy Canadian was just an empty slogan.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government, since the Prime Minister took office, has given $7.8 billion to American corporations. This is the same Prime Minister who made a big, grand show of theatre in promoting a government policy to buy Canadian, yet since then his government has increased government contracts to American companies. They now make up one-third of what the Canadian government is buying. The out-of-touch Prime Minister is ignoring what Canadians want and what he promised to Canadians. I have a very simple question: Was “Buy Canadian” just another empty Liberal slogan?

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Tim Hodgson

Liberal
“The Conservatives' ideas would cost Canadian jobs. Their logic would push away companies that support 8,000 jobs in Montreal and 6,000 jobs in liquefied natural gas.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, if we were to follow the Conservatives’ flawed logic, we would tell DP World to go away and to take the 8,000 jobs that are at the port of Montreal with it. They would tell Shell and Petronas to go away and to take the 6,000 jobs at LNG Canada away. They would tell— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Tim Hodgson

Liberal
“The Conservatives do not know the difference between companies that help Canada and companies that hurt Canada. Their ideas would chase away thousands of jobs from Saskatchewan.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, they would tell BHP to take the thousands of jobs away it is building in Saskatchewan. The Conservatives do not seem to understand the difference between someone who is invested in Canada and someone who is crapping on Canada.

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Andrew Lawton

Conservative
“The Prime Minister tells people to buy Canadian, but he keeps 91% of his assets in the United States and has increased government contracts there. Meanwhile, Canadian businesses are laying off workers because of high taxes, too many rules, and no trade deal.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, if the minister wants someone invested in Canada, why has the Prime Minister put 91% of his assets in the United States? This is a very real problem. Canadian businesses in my community and across this country are laying people off because the government has turned its back on them through 10 years of high taxes, high regulations and an inability to get a deal and support businesses. When the Prime Minister told them that they should buy Canadian, they expected him to follow the example and not increase government contracts to the U.S. Was it buy Canadian or sell out Canadians?

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Stephen Fuhr

Liberal
“Foreign investment in Canada is at a 23-year high. These companies employ tens of thousands of Canadians. We will keep supporting them as long as they keep investing here.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to remind the House that foreign direct investment in Canada is very important. It is at a 23-year high. These companies that do direct work in Canada employ tens of thousands of Canadians. They have IP. They have headquarters. They retain talent. They do many things here. We will support them, as we will support Canadian industries, as long as they continue to build out their presence in Canada.

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