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Employment

Question period focused on new job numbers showing about 68,000 jobs lost in September and 110,000 over two months, with unemployment at 6.5% and high youth unemployment. Conservatives said Liberal policies are costing Canadians their jobs, pointed to losses in Quebec and struggles of young workers, and urged the government to adopt their plan. Liberals attributed the weak numbers to a trade war and global volatility, and highlighted their own measures: tax cuts, trade agreements, spending cuts, training for skilled trade workers, housing construction, and projects like Churchill Falls, noting Conservatives voted against some of these measures.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

12 statements

Garnett Genuis

Conservative
“The share of Canadians working is the lowest it has been in 29 years. I want the government to change the policies that are causing people to lose their jobs.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, the government must answer for today’s devastating job numbers. Canada now has the lowest labour force participation in 29 years. A smaller percentage of Canadians are working today than at any point in the last 29 years. On the eve of Thanksgiving, we see that Canadians are not just losing jobs; many are losing hope. Canadians will judge the government by the results, so will the government finally reverse course on policies that are making Canadians poorer and depriving them of opportunity?

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal
“Last month's bad job numbers were caused by a trade war, not our policies. We are managing the economy well by cutting taxes, signing 20 new trade deals, and saving $60 billion in government spending.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I should not need to remind any member of the House that we are in a trade war, and a trade war causes economic volatility. The job numbers last month reflect that volatility; that is clear, and we empathize with Canadians who might be struggling to keep their jobs. What we are doing is controlling what we can. We have cut taxes on income, housing, fuel and new business investment. We have saved $60 billion in government operations, have signed 20 new trade and security agreements and have seen the second-highest growth in the G7 and the highest foreign direct investment. This is how we respond in the face of a trade war.

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Garnett Genuis

Conservative
“Liberal policies are costing Canadians their jobs. Over the last two months, 110,000 jobs were lost, unemployment is at 6.5 percent, and youth unemployment is at 13 percent. When will the government use the Conservative plan to fix the economy?”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, that answer is both callous and fact-free. This is not just a month-over-month escalation. We were shedding jobs as a result of Liberal policies long before this trade war, and job losses are concentrated in sectors that are not trade-exposed. There were 68,000 jobs lost in the last month and 110,000 in the last two months. Unemployment is up to 6.5%, and youth unemployment is up to 13%, with 50,000 jobs lost in Quebec alone. We did not get to a 29-year low in labour force participation overnight. It is not just month over month. It was not always like this in Canada. It will not always be like this in Canada, but we need an implementation of the economic action plan that Conservatives have put forward. When will the Liberals act to get Canadians—

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal
“The Conservatives are just trying to scare people for social media clips. We are supporting Canadians by cutting taxes on income, housing, fuel, and new business investments. Our new tax deduction gives Canada the most competitive taxes in the world, which will bring in investment and create jobs.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, while the Conservatives focus on QP skits and clips for their online social media feeds to scare Canadians, we are stepping up to support them every step of the way. We are investing in our economy and have made generational investments. We have cut taxes on income, housing, fuel and new business investment. In fact, the productivity mega deduction that the Prime Minister announced at the investment summit makes Canada the most tax-competitive advanced economy in the entire world. That is going to bring in new investment, help counteract the trade war and create jobs for Canadians.

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Vincent Ho

Conservative
“Canada lost 110,000 jobs in the last two months, and our unemployment rate is 6.5%. People are worried about losing their work while life gets more expensive. I want the Prime Minister to admit he is failing on jobs.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, it is Thanksgiving, and this morning’s latest job numbers are devastating. Almost 70,000 jobs were lost in September, bringing that to a staggering 110,000 jobs lost in just two months. Unemployment has skyrocketed to 6.5%, which is the second highest in the G7. Recently I spoke with Jordan, a father in Richmond Hill who is worried about losing his job while struggling to keep up with the Liberal affordability crisis. While hard-working Canadians worry about their next paycheque, the out-of-touch Liberal government keeps delivering more talk but no results. How many more Canadians have to lose their jobs before the Liberal Prime Minister puts down the $500 buttercups and admits that he is failing to do his?

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Leslie Church

Liberal
“Our government has a serious plan for the economy. We are investing in growth, attracting businesses, and training workers. Since September 2024, our job growth per person has nearly doubled that of the United States. We have added 163,000 jobs, including 24,000 in the private sector last month.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, Canadians are looking for a serious government with a serious plan, and that is what we are delivering. Global volatility, economic uncertainty and trade tensions are having a direct impact on Canadian families, workers and businesses, but we are focused on what we can control. We are focused on investing, driving growth, attracting investment and investing in people and skills and the retraining we need. Our per capita job creation has nearly doubled that of the United States since September 2024, and our private sector is holding strong, creating 24,000 new jobs in September and adding 163,000 jobs—

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Vincent Ho

Conservative
“The Liberal government has failed young Canadians. Tens of thousands of youth jobs have disappeared, wages are not keeping up with rising prices, and many young adults cannot afford to move out of their parents' homes. Conservatives have a plan to fix this.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, we Conservatives have a serious plan to save Canadian jobs and save Canadians’ money. Let us talk about Emily, who is a young graduate from Richmond Hill who did everything right. She studied hard and earned her degree, but is still left jobless after almost two years and is living in her parents’ basement. Young Canadians like Emily are watching their opportunities disappear after 11 years of the Liberal government. She is not alone. Nearly 67,000 youth jobs vanished in just two months. Meanwhile, wages have grown at just 2.3%, below the latest inflation rate of 3%. Worse, 35% of young adults under 35 still live with their parents. Is this how the Liberal Prime Minister wants to bring together families on Thanksgiving?

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Leslie Church

Liberal
“Our plan helps train 100,000 new skilled trade workers. It gives money to apprentices and businesses that hire them. The Conservatives voted against it.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, my colleague opposite had the chance to vote in support of team Canada strong, which is making generational investments to hire up to 100,000 new Red Seal trade workers to support building and support the investments we are making right across the country. As part of team Canada strong, we are opening up paid apprenticeship placements in early 2027. We have introduced a new apprenticeship training grant, with a $5,000 completion bonus and $10,000 in wage incentives for employers to hire new apprentices. This is the kind of serious action that Canadians—

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Jason Groleau

Conservative
“The government says job creation is up and housing costs are falling, but Quebec lost 50,000 jobs in September. I want the government to admit that losing these jobs is not good news.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, this week, the Prime Minister’s parliamentary secretary told the House that everything is going well in Canada, that the cost of housing is dropping and that job creation is up across the country. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister recently asked us to give him a break because he just got here, even though he has been here for 18 months already. Today, we learned that 50,000 jobs were lost in Quebec alone in September. Does anyone on the other side of the House have the courage to stand up, look Quebeckers in the eye and tell them that losing 50,000 jobs in one month is good news?

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Caroline Desrochers

Liberal
“We are working with provincial leaders to build a stronger economy. Our projects, like Churchill Falls, local shipyards, train manufacturing, and housing, are creating tens of thousands of jobs.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, we are working hard with the premiers of all of the provinces and territories, across party lines, to build a stronger economy. Because of this co-operation, this summer, we were able to launch the Churchill Falls project, which will save Quebec taxpayers $200 billion and create 23,000 jobs. Other examples include the Davie shipyard, which will create 5,000 jobs, and the Via Rail project that is being carried out by Alstom in La Pocatière, which will create 700 jobs. We are investing in housing and infrastructure to create tens of thousands of jobs. We are there for working Canadians and Quebeckers. That is why they elected us.

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Jason Groleau

Conservative

Linked statement

“Life is too expensive, housing costs have tripled under the Liberals, and Quebec just lost 68,000 jobs. The government must stop sending money to other countries and start taking care of Canadians.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, we are in a cost of living crisis. People are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Gas is expensive. The cost of diesel has doubled in a year, and home prices have tripled in the last 10 or 11 years of Liberal governance. As if that were not bad enough, we are also learning that people are losing their jobs. In the past two months, August and September, 68,000 jobs were lost in Quebec alone. The Liberals are completely out of touch with the reality facing Canadians. Will they stop sending money to other countries and start taking care of the people here at home?

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Caroline Desrochers

Liberal
“Times are tough, but our housing plans are working. More homes are being built, rents are dropping, and we made a deal with Quebec for 4,000 new units. The Conservatives vote against every measure we propose to help Canadians with costs.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I would like to set the record straight and get back to the facts. Yes, the economic situation is difficult. Yes, we live in a volatile world. I would point out, however, that housing construction has increased, including in Montreal. Rents have dropped across Canada. We have signed agreements with Quebec to build 4,000 housing units. We recently launched the Canada rental protection fund to protect our affordable housing stock. When it comes to affordability and to helping Quebeckers and Canadians, the truth is that the Conservatives vote against every affordability measure we propose. It is hard to take what they are saying seriously.

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