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The Economy

Question period focused on the state of the Canadian economy. Conservative members repeatedly said Canada is the only G20 country in a recession, citing negative growth, rising food and energy costs, growing debt, and Parliamentary Budget Officer comments on the government’s fiscal targets, and pressed the government to acknowledge a recession and change direction. Liberal members pointed to 88,000 new jobs, low interest rates and inflation within the Bank of Canada’s range, foreign investment, and the first payments of the Canada groceries and essentials benefit as evidence their plan is helping with affordability, and said the Conservatives ignored U.S. tariffs on Canadian sectors that the government is working to remove. Several exchanges centred on whether it was appropriate to highlight grocery benefit payments, with Conservatives saying such payments signal economic trouble and Liberals defending them as concrete help.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

30 statements

Todd Doherty

Conservative
“Canada's economy is shrinking, and we are in a recession. The government will not meet its spending goals. I want the Prime Minister to tell us if we are in a recession or a technical 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, every Liberal campaign is on the Prime Minister being the man with the plan and an economic genius. However, under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has now confirmed that there is less than a 1% chance the government will meet its own fiscal anchor. After an economic decline in three of the last four quarters, he cannot even tell us whether we are in a recession or a technical recession, so I will ask again: Which one is it?

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Stephen Fuhr

Liberal
“Our economy is strong. Foreign investment is high, interest rates and inflation are low, and unemployment is going down. The government is also giving Canadians money to help pay for groceries and essentials.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 35 of 100

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

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I miss that member. I am happy to see him again. As he knows, the foundations of our economy remain strong. I will repeat them. Foreign direct investment is at a 23-year high. Interest rates remain low. Inflation remains in the Bank of Canada window. Manufacturing numbers are up. Productivity, which has been the boat anchor around our economy for years, is trending in the right direction. Hot off the press is that unemployment is going down. The economy just posted 88,000 jobs. Today, in his riding, as in mine and everybody’s in this room, Canadians are getting the groceries and essentials benefit.

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Todd Doherty

Conservative
“The government's policies have caused people to lose jobs, and businesses are investing in other countries instead of Canada. We are in a recession. I want the Prime Minister to admit that.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, as a British Columbian, the member knows that more British Columbians are out of work because of the Liberal government. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is sounding the alarm, saying businesses are postponing expansion plans and investing elsewhere. Under the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country to fall into a recession and Canadians are paying the price. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. I will give the Prime Minister one more chance. If he is the economic genius he says he is, will he stand and tell us whether we are in a technical recession or a recession?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“Canada's economy is doing well because of our workers in manufacturing and construction. Since December 2024, Canada has added more than twice as many jobs per person as the United States.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 44 of 100

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

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I think we can conclude at this point in question period on Friday that the Conservatives did not skip into the House with their usual glee. Why is that? It is because they know. They know that the Canadian economy is proving to be very resilient. The hero of the day is the Canadian worker, the Canadian workers in manufacturing and construction. Just for the naysayers, and it bears repeating, it is very important for Canadians to know that we have added almost twice, that is double, the jobs per capita of the United States of America since December 2024, which is 5.4 per thousand versus 2.5 per thousand. We are outperforming the United States. We are outperforming the G7.

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Michael Cooper

Conservative
“Canada is in a recession. Our economy is shrinking while other major countries are growing. I want the Liberals to admit the Prime Minister has made the economy weaker.”

  • A repeated line

    “The Prime Minister promised the fastest-growing economy in the G7.”

    Said 10 times by 7 members since April 27.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, despite today’s headline numbers, Canada is in a recession. The Prime Minister promised the strongest economy in the G7. Instead, he has delivered the only shrinking economy not only in the G7, but also across the entire G20. That is three out of four quarters of negative growth. Will the Liberals simply acknowledge that Canada’s economy is weaker after one year of the Prime Minister?

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Anthony Housefather

Liberal
“Canada's economy is doing well. We added 88,000 new jobs, especially in construction and manufacturing. Fewer young people and women are out of work. Our plan is working, and the Conservatives should support it.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I would refer the member to this morning’s non-partisan C.D. Howe Institute’s Business Cycle Council bulletin to note that his comments are premature. The Canadian economy is actually in a very good position today, with 88,000 new jobs having been created. We can see that the government’s plan is working. There is lower youth unemployment, lower unemployment for women and more and more jobs in construction and manufacturing. The government is building Canadians’ economy, and I do not understand why the Conservatives do not want to build it with us.

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Michael Cooper

Conservative

Linked statement

“Jobs, business investment, and the economy are all down this year. Workers are making less money. The Prime Minister is wrong to call our economy strong.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, here are the facts: There were 25,000 net jobs lost this year, and productivity, business capital investment and GDP are down. Today’s numbers show that wage growth is down, with Canadian workers taking home less. If this is the Prime Minister’s idea of a strong economy, what would a weak economy look like?

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Tom Osborne

Liberal
“The United States put unfair trade fees on us this past year. We are strengthening our economy by building things with Canadian materials and workers, and by finding new trading partners. The Conservatives should help us build the country instead of saying our economy is doing poorly.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, what has happened in the last year is that our largest trading partner has put in unfair tariffs against this country. The Conservatives try to pretend that did not happen. The largest impact would be on the largest trading partner, but we have planted the seeds of a stronger economy. We are building Canada strong and building more infrastructure in Canada using Canadian materials and Canadian labour, with more trading partners. Let us allow those seeds to bear fruit. Instead of talking down the Canadian economy, the Conservatives should join us in building Canada strong.

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Eric Melillo

Conservative
“Canada has high unemployment, high debt, expensive housing, and is in a recession. People cannot afford food, gas, or bills. I want the Prime Minister to admit his government caused this.”

  • 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 the Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country that is in a recession. We also have the second-highest unemployment in the G7, the worst household debt and the worst housing costs. The Liberals will say that this is just a technical recession, but there is nothing technical about Canadians who are struggling to feed their families, fill their gas tanks or make their bill payments. Will the Prime Minister tell us finally whether this is a Liberal recession or just a technical recession? Which is it?

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Pauline Rochefort

Liberal
“Economists say we should not spread fear about the economy. Our government is helping create good jobs and grow the economy, like a $100 million battery material project in Cobalt. We are supporting Canadians while spending money carefully.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I would remind my colleague that the Bank of Canada and leading economists, including today, the C.D. Howe Institute, have cautioned against spreading fear and uncertainty when Canadians are looking for solutions. I am proud to be part of a government that is focused on supporting good-paying jobs and growing our economy. A moment ago, I mentioned Electra Battery Materials in Cobalt. It is investing $100 million to support Canada’s critical mineral supply chain and create local jobs. Responsible government supports Canadians when they need it, while managing public finances prudently.

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