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Employment

Question period focused on employment following a Statistics Canada jobs report. Conservatives cited rising unemployment, high youth unemployment, and the loss of over 50,000 private sector jobs in one month, asking when the government would present a plan to create jobs and control deficits. Liberals pointed to Canada’s low debt costs and credit rating, defended deficit spending as support for Canadians, and cited building trades unions’ support for budget investments in housing, energy, and construction that they said would create union jobs.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

4 statements

Shelby Kramp-Neuman

Conservative

Linked statement

“Unemployment is up, youth unemployment is high, and 50,000 private sector jobs were lost last month. At the same time, the government plans to run deficits over $50 billion every year for five years. When will it show a real plan to create jobs and get the country's finances under control?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the government keeps talking about its ambitions, but today’s jobs report from Statistics Canada tells a very different story. Unemployment is up 6.7%, youth unemployment has jumped to 13.7% and 50,000 private sector jobs have vanished in just one month. Meanwhile, the government is projecting five more years of massive deficits, exceeding $50 billion annually, along with mounting debt servicing costs. When will the government stop making promises and deliver a credible plan to create jobs and put Canadian finances back on a sustainable footing?

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Ryan Turnbull

Liberal
“Canada's economy is strong. We have low debt costs and a top credit rating. The Conservatives are the only ones who doubt our economy. We will not apologize for spending money to help Canadians, and the Conservatives should support our plan.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 16 of 100

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

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Signal 31 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the lowest debt service costs in the world. We have a AAA credit rating, and long-term bond yields are rising less than other countries in the G7. Everyone in the world recognizes the strong fundamentals in the Canadian economy except the Conservative Party of Canada. It is the only one doubting Canadians and this country. We will never apologize for investing in Canadians and putting our country on track for a prosperous future. That is what we were elected to do. When will they get on board?

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Garnett Genuis

Conservative
“The government did not answer my question about jobs, and their budget barely mentions them. Last month, Canada lost over 50,000 private sector jobs, unemployment went up, and less than one in five job seekers found work. I want to know when the government will fix this problem.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, pretending one’s grades are better than they are is not a way to improve one’s performance. The question was about jobs. The answer did not mention jobs. The budget barely mentioned jobs. We see the results today in the Statistics Canada jobs report. That report is not about aspirations; it is about results. Over 50,000 private sector jobs were lost in one month alone. Youth unemployment spiked. Unemployment overall spiked. Less than 20% of Canadians who were looking for a job found a job in the last month. Canadians are struggling. Jobs are down. When will they actually fix the problem?

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Stephanie McLean

Liberal
“Our budget cares for Canadians and invests in workers. Building unions support it because our spending on housing, energy, and building projects will create good-paying union jobs.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the budget that was tabled yesterday shows that we care about Canadians. It also shows that we are investing in the future of Canadian workers. Just yesterday, Canada’s Building Trades Unions said: Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) welcomes the federal government’s investments in infrastructure, housing, energy, and major projects in Budget 2026. These investments represent an important opportunity to build Canada’s economy, strengthen energy security, and create good-paying, unionized jobs with lasting benefits for Canadian workers and their families. Canadians believe in this budget. They should too.

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