Jason Groleau
Beauce, Quebec · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, according to the CFIB, four in 10 businesses say that economic uncertainty, and especially political uncertainty, is discouraging investment in our country.”
“Mr. Speaker, according to the the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, or CFIB, Canadian SMEs and entrepreneurs are still being overlooked by the Liberal government. Businesses in Beauce do not need empty promises. They need a government that stands up for them. Liberal policies have been dragging us down for 10 years.”
“Mr. Speaker, last week, I mentioned that a company from back home, Garaga, had provided the government with overwhelming evidence that garage doors imported from China contained harmful toxic substances that are banned in Canada. Why, despite these warnings, has the Minister of Health not done anything about this yet?”
“That is insane. Why? What is on this land that is costing us $200 million? There is a 25-foot-by-35-foot concrete pad, two sea cans and a gravel road. I could build a dozen just like it with pleasure. I could do that, no problem. The time will come when the Liberals will have to explain themselves to taxpayers. This is insane.”
“His conclusion is that this is a “modest” contribution. The Liberals are spending $13 billion on a modest contribution; meanwhile, young families are unable to get on the property ladder and young people are desperately searching for affordable housing. Canadians do not want announcements; they want more homes. They want construction.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my esteemed colleague from Richmond Hill South . I rise today not to engage in petty politics, but to talk about something very simple that everyone in our regions understands well, except the Liberals, of course: respect for hard‑earned money. Back home in Beauce, money does not grow on trees.”
The complete record
Every one of 197 lines we hold for Jason Groleau, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 4.
“Mr. Speaker, a buddy is a buddy. The Liberals' inflationary deficits are costing Canadians dearly. Canadians will pay $55.6 billion in interest this year alone to the Prime Minister 's banker buddies. That $55.6 billion even exceeds the cost of the Canada health transfer. The Bank of Canada has been clear that the high interest rates are a direct result of the Liberal debt. The fiscal update is next week. Will the Prime Minister put an end to the Liberals' inflationary deficit, yes or no?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has appointed a personal friend of his to serve as Canada's ambassador to Washington. Mark Wiseman is not a wise man. He opposes supply management and does not respect the French language. In fact, he is the founder of the Century Initiative, which aims to bring millions of immigrants to Quebec to diminish the demographic weight of French. How could the Prime Minister appoint a buddy who wants to extinguish the French language and who opposes supply management as ambassador to the United States?”
“Mr. Speaker, Liberal inflation is costly. Liberal taxes are costly. Liberal inaction is costly. Liberal math is extremely costly. The Liberals are announcing a discount of four cents per litre on diesel. Talk about impact—that is terrible. Allow me to share an example. A semi carrying groceries has 15,000 items in it. A discount of four cents per litre amounts to one-fifth of a cent per item. Well done. In short, this plan is not worth a penny. Will the government adopt our plan and suspend all federal taxes on gasoline?”
“Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the Prime Minister described our trading relationship with the United States as a “weakness”. The real weakness is the Liberal policy that is making life increasingly unaffordable for Canadians. The cost of gas, which was $1.40 a litre a few months ago, has now risen to $1.80 a litre. The Liberal math is to reduce it by 10¢ a litre. However, Canadians are still short 30¢ a litre. When will the Liberal government suspend all federal fuel taxes?”
“Mr. Speaker, that is pure disinformation. The Liberals claim it is voluntary. Is that really the case? People are paid if they hand in their weapons before March 31. From April to October, they will not get a penny, and if they still have their gun on October 31, they are a criminal. This law is far from being voluntary. It is abusive; it is undemocratic. The problem is not the gun; it has always been the person holding the gun. That has always been the issue. Will the minister scrap this abusive law, yes or no?”
“Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks, I have travelled across Quebec, meeting with hunters, sport shooters, enthusiasts like myself. They are honest, law-abiding people. They are angry about Bill C-21 , the Liberals' gun confiscation law, because they are being treated like criminals. The Liberals are wasting nearly $1 billion while real crime is skyrocketing across the country. With zero results and zero impact, this law is a total failure. Will the Minister of Public Safety admit that his law is a boondoggle? Will he scrap it?”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague from Richmond—Arthabaska, soon to be known as Richmond—Arthabaska—Val-des-Sources, hopefully, for his speech. I would just like to know where he got the idea and why he is proposing this change.”
“Mr. Speaker, four cents per litre of gas is not going to make any difference. What a joke. Canadians are suffocating thanks to the Liberals' inflationary cost of living. The government has collected an extra $10 billion in federal gas tax. That is ten thousand million dollars. Instead of padding Ottawa's coffers and making their rich buddies billions of dollars richer, can the Liberals help real people in our communities? My question is straightforward. Will the Prime Minister stop picking Canadians' pockets and lower the cost of living?”
“Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister chose to reduce gas taxes by a measly one-third. As a result, Canadians are still paying 15¢ in federal tax per litre of gas. The Liberal inflation of the last 11 years is costly for Canadians, the people of Beauce, workers and businesses. This is a sign that the government does not respect its citizens and is completely out of touch. My question is for the Prime Minister. Will he vote in favour of our Conservative motion, which will suspend all federal taxes on gasoline?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claim that federal taxes on gasoline and diesel have no effect on inflation or the cost of living. Seriously, is anyone buying that? Do they have any respect for Canadians? We are talking 25¢ a litre. Meanwhile, Canadians, people from Beauce, workers and entrepreneurs are seeing their bills skyrocket and their purchasing power plummet. My question is simple. Will the Prime Minister suspend the federal gas tax, yes or no?”
“Mr. Speaker, the regions of Quebec have run out of patience. The Liberal government's inaction is costing them dearly. That is not according to me; it is according to mayors, business people and organizations in the Chaudière-Appalaches region who are here in Ottawa to sound the alarm. The Prime Minister promised to get rid of U.S. tariffs on steel and softwood lumber. He failed. He plunged the immigration system into total chaos. That is another failure. Now, jobs are being lost in every one of our regions. How many more jobs will we have to lose before the Prime Minister keeps his promises to businesses in Beauce?”
“Mr. Speaker, the answer is simple. Canadians do not believe it because all they hear are words. They are not seeing any results. Announcements are made, but there is no progress. Since I started here, the government has done nothing but make announcements. It makes sense that people do not believe the government, because no real action is being taken on the ground. The example I can give once again is the negotiations with the Americans, which were supposed to take place at the beginning of the Prime Minister's mandate but never did. Now, it is business as usual and nothing is happening.”
“To me, it is a waste of time and money. Canada is not lacking in talented entrepreneurs or strong industries. Canada needs a government that takes action, not a government that is asleep at the wheel.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Shefford for the question. It is much appreciated. I would like to acknowledge my committee colleague, who is looking at me and wants to hear my response. I will respond to my colleague's first comment about the importance of diversifying our sector and diversifying the countries we trade with. Yes, I agree that we need to expand our circle of friends in business. I agree on that point. However, I want to come back to something. She says that we do not hear much about Indonesia. We hear about the United States. However, no one here is talking about that. It seems that we are the only ones talking about it on this side of the House. We share a border with the United States. We do business with the Americans. We are talking about 0.12%. We are spending time on this.”
“Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. Yes, we need to diversify our markets everywhere, we need to improve our businesses, and we need to enter into agreements. However, allow me to repeat myself, the way I do as a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade: When it comes to non-tariff barriers, the details of agreements are important. Simply signing agreements is not enough. Signing an agreement is easy; anyone can do it. What matters is getting something in return. I can give my esteemed colleague an example: the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA. Under CETA, we were supposed to export 300 million dollars' worth of pork. How much was sent? The answer: zero. Because of non-tariff barriers, access is not guaranteed.”
“In conclusion, farmers in Beauce, as everywhere else in rural Canada, feed the country and the world. However, they are struggling and only benefit from free trade when they have genuine reciprocal access to new markets. Once again, Bill C-18 does not remove all non-tariff barriers, so our farmers will have to continue to fight for fair and reciprocal access.”
“tariffs, non-tariff barriers in Europe, and major increases in input costs. The Canadian government needs to prioritize producers, defend our industry, and achieve meaningful gains for our farmers. That is the way to protect Canadian producers and put Canada first. Canada cannot control what the President and other countries' negotiators do, but one thing it can do is control its own destiny. The government must ensure that all non-tariff barriers are removed and secure a firm guarantee that trade will be not only free, but fair. Again, it has to be a win-win situation. We must diversify our trade without leaving our farmers behind. We can strengthen our sovereignty and grow our economy. That is how Canada can take control and put itself first.”
“As with the agreement with Indonesia, the Liberal government is prepared to sign the free trade agreement without obtaining any guarantee that our Canadian producers will receive barrier-free access. Meanwhile, our farmers are struggling to remain competitive. Our beef producers raise cattle of the highest quality, some of the best beef in the world. They are proud, and they deserve a government that is willing to fight for them. We need a government that will fight to ensure that Canada's free trade agreements are 100% barrier free. Too often, this Liberal government seems reluctant to fight to eliminate the most significant barriers affecting farmers in Beauce and across the country. In the meantime, regions like Beauce are facing enormous challenges, including U.S.”
“However, in practice, the United Kingdom continues to impose non-tariff barriers to prevent us from accessing their market. The consequences for our beef and pork producers are devastating. Allow me to share some figures from the Library of Parliament. In 2024, the United Kingdom exported 42 million dollars' worth of beef products to Canada. In the first half of 2025, 28 million dollars' worth of beef products entered Canada. In 2024, Canada exported only 85,000 dollars' worth of beef products to the United Kingdom. In 2025, brace for this: zero. That is right, zero dollars. It is all well and good to sign agreements, as my colleagues say, just to save face. However, an agreement that serves no purpose is a waste of time and money.”
“Just look at the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union. The Liberals promised to resolve the issue of regulatory differences between Canada and Europe. Today, 10 years later, nothing has changed. European producers have full access to our market to compete with Beauce's farmers, while we are unable to export our pork and beef. The devil is in the details. Over the past few weeks, the Standing Committee on International Trade has been hearing testimony about the non-tariff barriers that the United Kingdom continues to impose on Canadian beef and pork. The United Kingdom's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership eliminates tariffs on Canadian beef and pork on paper.”
“According to the Canadian Cattle Association, “The integration of the North American cattle market makes it near impossible to achieve this residency requirement”, so they will not be entering into an agreement or doing business with them, plain and simple. This impossible requirement may prevent our Canadian producers from taking advantage of duty-free access to the Indonesian market. (1640) This apparent non-tariff barrier represents a significant challenge for Canadian beef producers. Although Global Affairs Canada mentions a memorandum of understanding establishing a dialogue on sanitary and phytosanitary issues, we are concerned about this. We are seeing a trend where non-tariff barriers are simply not being addressed by the Liberal government.”
“Meanwhile, the Prime Minister and the Minister of International Trade travel all over the globe and come back to Parliament with minor free trade agreements. These agreements are minor, but they contain hidden tariff barriers. A recurring issue raised by Canadian beef producers is that Canadian beef continues to face a technical problem that we call non-tariff barriers. For example, Indonesia requires that beef exports come from cattle born and raised in Canada or that have resided in Canada for at least four months immediately prior to slaughter. These are called non-tariff barriers. Producers have complained. We do not hear much about this from the Liberal government.”
“The Liberals are hiding the reality, and the reality is that we are still facing unjustified U.S. tariffs. Beauce borders the United States. Its geographic location allows our businesses, farmers, manufacturers, exporters and retailers to do business with the world's largest economy. However, the Liberals have failed the people of Beauce. They have basically given up on the relationship with the United States. After promising a speedy trade deal with Washington, they are now at an endless impasse. The people who come up to me day after day are not talking to me about Indonesia. They are talking about the American tariffs. Every day, people in Beauce ask me whether we are going to have a new agreement or a deal with the Americans. I have never heard anyone mention Indonesia. It is simply not the priority.”
“This approach must remain our priority as Canada seeks to diversify its markets. Under Stephen Harper's leadership, the Conservatives actively championed free trade with free nations, signing numerous free trade agreements to diversify our trade, but in a cautious and very responsible manner. Unfortunately, under the Liberals, Canada has fallen behind, and our dependence on the Americans and the United States has only grown over the past 10 years. Today, the Liberals are trying to make up for lost time by signing agreements quickly and at any cost, but they are forgetting to do their due diligence. This brings me to Bill C-18. The Prime Minister called this agreement between Canada and Indonesia revolutionary. There is nothing revolutionary about it. It is pretty marginal. Canadians need meaningful results.”
“Mr. Speaker, first of all, it is a pleasure and an honour for me to represent the magnificent region of Beauce in the House. Today, I rise to speak to Bill C-18 on the Canada-Indonesia economic agreement. Beauce is considered the entrepreneurial capital of Canada. We have a large number of businesses and entrepreneurs. We also have many farmers. Beauce is home to some of the best farmers in the world. We work hard. We are proud to grow our economy. Beauce, and the people from there, create wealth. That is why, as parliamentarians, we must do everything we can to help them develop new markets, but we must develop them with discipline, care and rigour. Conservatives have always defended and will always defend free trade, but also trade that is fair and reciprocal. I call these win-win agreements.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to say good afternoon to my esteemed colleague from Beauport—Limoilou. It is a very beautiful region. My mother-in-law lives in that magnificent region. We are all in favour of developing new markets. However, I will pick up on my colleague's chess analogy. Right now, the government is going after the pawn instead of the king. Strategically, in chess, the goal is to take down the king. Right now, the number one issue is U.S. tariffs and the agreement with the U.S. government. The Liberal government seems to be hiding from that and backing down. It is being vague. With the agreement in Bill C-18, yes, we want to grow, but it is not going to pay off right away. It will take many years. Also, this represents less than 0.1% of trade. My question is very simple. Why are the Liberals not dealing with the real issues?”
“Mr. Speaker, this weekend, Beauce was deeply shaken by a serious accident involving a bus carrying a group of young cadets. Sadly, Xavier Landry Rousseau, a 13-year-old cadet from Scott, unfortunately lost his life. Several other teenagers were injured, some seriously. This tragedy has devastated families, loved ones and the entire community, including the greater cadet family. In these difficult times, our thoughts are with the young boy's family, the injured teens, and all the cadets, officers and instructors affected by this tragedy. I also want to acknowledge the first responders, police officers, firefighters and medical staff for their outstanding work and quick response. On behalf of the people of Beauce, I offer my deepest sympathy to Xavier's family, the young cadets, their loved ones and the entire Beauce community.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a petition from the people of Saint‑Martin, in Beauce, who are concerned about the persistent failure of the cellular network in the region. The petitioners note that a number of areas in Saint‑Martin have a weak or even entirely unavailable cellular network. The difficulty they have in making reliable phone calls to their families, businesses and emergency services has created social, economic and public safety challenges that are affecting the quality of life of the people of Saint‑Martin. The people of Saint‑Martin are asking telecommunications providers and relevant authorities to take steps and concrete measures to improve their cellular network. They are calling for this issue to be treated as a regional priority.”
“Mr. Speaker, a recent RBC survey reveals that 64% of millennials are anxious about their future, and that four in 10 millennials fear they will never be able to pay off their debts. Meanwhile, TransUnion has confirmed that Canadian household debt has reached an all-time high of $2.6 trillion. After years of Liberal inflationary deficits, young Canadians are going into debt just to survive. How many more failures will it take for the Liberals to admit that they have destroyed affordability in Canada?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Canadian forestry sector is being hit with unjustified U.S. tariffs of 45%. Liberal inaction continues to threaten the lumber industry and our workers. After 346 jobs were lost at the Domtar plant in Baie Comeau in January, this morning it was announced that 90 forestry workers in La Tuque and Montreal will be losing their jobs. When will the Prime Minister start working with the Conservatives, get rid of the U.S. tariffs and stand up for forestry workers?”
“Madam Speaker, if that is the number one issue, why is he not dealing with it? The United States is, and always will be, our largest trading partner. Everyone knows that. On January 13, 346 forestry workers at the Domtar plant in Baie-Comeau lost their jobs. When will the Prime Minister start working with the Conservatives and stand up for workers in regions like Beauce?”
“Madam Speaker, the forestry sector has been under attack by unjustified U.S. tariffs since October. In January, the manufacturing sector was hit hard by the loss of 28,000 jobs. Instead of working to resolve U.S. tariffs and support Canadian businesses, the Prime Minister prefers to buy Chinese cars. Can the Prime Minister work with the Conservatives, address the real issues and stand up for forestry workers?”
“Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of chaotic, inflationary Liberal management, housing costs have more than doubled in Canada. It is clear that the cost of housing has doubled. In Beauce, one in five families can no longer afford to pay their rent. When will the Liberals stop fuelling inflation, work with us and finally present a budget and a real affordability plan?”
“Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my Bloc colleague. I am guessing that the statistics were likely inflated back then. There was no Facebook in those days. I want to come back to cell coverage by sharing an example of the situation in Beauce. It takes 20 minutes to drive from Saint-Georges to Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce. For 15 minutes between these two places, there is no cell coverage. Nothing works. People also live between Saint-Georges and Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce. Cell phone service affects more than just work and businesses. It also affects public safety. When there is an emergency, people use their cell phones. This is an excellent question that I would like to put back to the Liberals: Why not invest? How much is the deficit costing us?”
“Madam Speaker, my colleague just gave me the perfect opening. I learned the term “filibuster” here, over the past eight months. Let us talk about filibustering. The Liberal chair of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities cancelled the last three meetings, and at four meetings, another member spoke for four hours to save his government. He hid behind his minister. Guess what? We are talking about road safety here. Do not get me started on filibustering. It is a waste of time and money for everyone.”
“I touched on a number of points in my speech, but before we break for the holidays, I invite all members to use some of our time off to reflect, recharge their batteries and come back with concrete solutions for Canadians, not just to save our jobs and our ridings, but to help all 40 million Canadians. We are not here to pay lip service. We are here to make life better for Canadians. I want the people of Beauce to know that I will continue to fight for them with all the energy they deserve. I wish them happy holidays.”
“Let us create wealth and provide businesses and workers with the right tools. Let us streamline programs and speed up processes that are extremely cumbersome. One glaring omission in the budget is that it does not include any measures to improve cell coverage in my region of Beauce. This issue directly hinders business productivity. It is impossible to be competitive without access to such an essential service. However, there is nothing in this budget to address that. It is also a matter of public safety. A situation occurred in Saint-Martin, in my riding, during a children's activity. There was an emergency, and no one could get a cell signal. It could have been fatal. It is time to stop talking and start taking action. Our children should never be put at risk because of a lack of investment.”
“Our role as members of Parliament is to be there on the ground, in our constituency offices; to be there with the Fédérations de l'âge d'or du Québec, in the arenas, and wherever people come together. Last week, we did seven or eight activities with some extraordinary people. The message is very clear: People want a better quality of life, and they want things to cost less. They want the government to take action. Most of all, they want a more affordable life. On the other side of the House, they tell us that the industrial carbon tax has no impact on the cost of living. The truth, however, is that the tax adds 17¢ to the cost of a litre of diesel, and that amount comes directly out of the pockets of Canadians. Let us now take action. Let us stop talking and act to support our farmers.”
“The government could be doing something about it, but this budget does nothing for them. Take credit card fees, for example. These fees are paid directly by SMEs and can be as much as 2% or 2.5%. In Europe, a law was passed that limits these credit card fees to 0.3%. I see nothing in this budget that supports SMEs. Entrepreneurs need concrete support, not just fine words and fine speeches. I have been here for eight months, and it is time to put forward some real solutions to help SMEs survive, grow and invest. Canadians and the residents of Beauce do not want fine words; they want us to take action. They want us to work for them, not for ourselves. They want us to give them the straight goods.”
“Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to commend the courage of my colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière . He gave a very moving speech that took tremendous courage and a lot of guts, and I am very proud of him today. He has been a mentor to me since I first arrived. I want to congratulate him. Last week, my speech was interrupted while I was talking about the generational budget, which the people in my riding call a credit card budget. I am honoured to pick up my speech where I left off. I spoke about agriculture and labour, and now I would like to talk about SMEs in the regions. Our small and medium-sized businesses are vital to our communities. They create jobs and keep our communities and regions going. However, SMEs' costs keep going up and up.”
“We want to the government to renew permits in regions where the unemployment rate is less than 5.5%. We need workers. I will ask the question one last time today. Will the Prime Minister deal with this matter before Christmas? (1325) If businesses have workers, they can stay open, produce, be competitive, invest and, most importantly, create wealth.”
“On page 96 of the budget, the government recognizes the important role temporary foreign workers play in our regions and says that it will adjust according to those regions' needs. My question is simple: When will the government respond to these businesses' needs? They are waiting. It is urgent. I have good news. Yesterday in committee, I asked the Minister of Industry about this. She told me that the Prime Minister was well aware of how important this matter is. My question is simple: Will the Prime Minister respond to our businesses before Christmas or not? Rather than reducing delays, renewing permits more quickly and helping employers, the government is making the program more complicated, slowing things down and jeopardizing entire sectors of the rural economy. The Conservatives' position is clear. We have said it.”
“The labour shortage in my riding is real, ongoing, permanent and suffocating. I speak with farmers, processors, restaurant operators, manufacturers and business owners every day. They all tell me the same thing, “We need workers.” They cannot function without temporary foreign workers. We have full employment back home. We, the Conservatives, know that the reality is different in Canada's big cities. We are able to acknowledge that. However, can the government acknowledge that things are different in the regions? Our position as Conservatives is very clear. We want the government to renew the work permits for all temporary foreign workers in regions where the unemployment rate is below 5.5%.”
“There are no strong measures to support farmers. The government talks about food security, but it refuses to make a real investment in local production. The current programs are too slow and too complicated. The bureaucracy involved makes them impossible for most family farms to use. As my brother-in-law know all too well, the paperwork never ends. While the cost of fertilizer keeps rising, machinery is 30% more expensive and profit margins keep shrinking every year. The government tells us that everything is fine. Its head is stuck in the sand. While our farmers are struggling to survive, Ottawa talks about innovation, but without making any investment. Without real support, our lands, our independence and our communities are at risk. Let us talk about rural areas. I come from a magnificent rural area.”
“Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak about a budget that, unfortunately, misses the mark on every front. It is a budget that fails to meet the needs of our regions, our businesses, our agriculture and Canadian families. It is a budget that, instead of building for the future, simply kicks the can down the road. It will burden our children with generations of debt by piling deficit upon deficit, debt upon debt and accounting falsehood upon accounting falsehood. It is a magical thing. If there is one sector that deserves real and ambitious support, it is agriculture. Farmers are under unprecedented pressure: rising input costs, industrial carbon tax, inflation on equipment, labour shortages, tariffs, additional energy costs and rising transportation costs. However, there is not one word of serious discussion about that in the budget.”
“Mr. Speaker, at last we get a good answer. The Minister of Transport is ordering his members to disrupt the work of the committee, with more than 10 hours of Liberal obstruction. What a waste of money. They are throwing money out the window. Why is the minister doing what it takes to avoid transparency? Why does the minister want to hide the truth from Canadians? Why is the minister condoning these obstruction tactics? Why is the minister preventing the committee from doing its work, to the detriment of road safety for the residents of Beauce?”
“Mr. Speaker, my question is for the chair of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. The Liberals have been in a panic ever since we brought up in committee how they, through Canada Post, have given contracts to companies involved in the Driver Inc. scheme. The committee chair has cancelled three meetings in the past month. Twice, we have had to use emergency powers to force him to do his job. Will the committee chair go ahead with next Tuesday's meeting, or will he continue to hide behind his minister?”
“Mr. Speaker, my father promised me that if I worked hard, I could buy a house and have a nice place to raise my family. Can I promise the same thing to my daughters today? The answer is no. Over the past 10 years, the Liberals have doubled the cost of homes and housing. What are the Liberals doing to solve the problem? They are creating more bureaucracy with Build Canada Homes, which would build housing at a cost of $3.2 million per unit. That is really very impressive. Will the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure stand up and admit that his program is a total failure, yes or no?”
“Madam Speaker, unlike the Prime Minister , we care about softwood lumber. No loan program can replace $780 million in annual salaries in Chaudière-Appalaches. The Prime Minister promised a quick deal with the Americans. In reality, things have gotten worse. Tariffs have tripled. Loans are not what businesses want. Businesses want a trade agreement with the Americans, our vital market. Will the Prime Minister quit hurling insults, quit saying “who cares” and “I don't care”, address the real issues and fix the softwood lumber deal with the Americans, yes or no?”
“Madam Speaker, the United States is imposing crippling 45% tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber. This weekend, when asked whether he had talked about trade with Donald Trump, the Prime Minister replied, “Who cares?” I can say that people in Beauce care, as do the people in Chaudière-Appalaches, where the softwood lumber industry supports about 8,000 jobs. Does the Prime Minister have the guts to rise today before the 8,000 workers in our region and repeat that he does not care?”