Dominic LeBlanc
Beauséjour, New Brunswick · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we are deeply involved at every level with Canadian companies, with representatives of Canadian workers, and with our colleagues in the provinces and territories. We hold regular, weekly consultations and round tables with various sectors of the economy. We will be holding them next week.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleague just said, we are facing a tariff situation that is unfair and unjustified in light of our free trade agreement with the United States. We have another opportunity this week to discuss this agreement with U.S. representatives. However, at the same time, we are not sitting idly by.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues clearly explained, our government is working to protect the industries and workers who are facing unjustified tariffs from the United States. We are, of course, doing this with our partners in the provinces and territories.”
“Mr. Speaker, every parliamentarian can help the government and Canadians support industries and workers and come together to counter the tariffs imposed by the U.S. government. We are always looking for positive contributions from members of Parliament across the House of Commons and at the other place.”
“Mr. Speaker, our colleague from the Bloc Québécois talks about respect for democracy. We in the government will start by waiting for Quebeckers to have their say in the upcoming provincial election this fall. We understand that the members of the Bloc Québécois are engaging in hypotheticals.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Beauport—Limoilou for his important work on this critical issue. As everyone knows, the government is committed to continuing to negotiate with our American and Mexican partners as we head into the CUSMA review.”
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“Mr. Speaker, I know it is an inconvenient truth for the Leader of the Opposition that Canada, right now today, has the best deal of any trading partner of the United States, but do members know what? It is not good enough for Canadian workers and it is not good enough for Canadian businesses. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition, who would have signed any bad deal put in front of him, the Prime Minister did not do that. We said we would do the work to support Canadian workers and Canadian industries and that we would buy Canadian, be our own best customer and then negotiate a good deal with the United States.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows full well that Canadians did not trust his judgment when it came to standing up to President Trump and not signing an agreement that was in the interests of the United States. What did we do? We worked with the United States to find an agreement that will be in the interests of Canadian industries and workers. At the same time, we are taking more measures to support Canadian workers and industries, even today.”
“Mr. Speaker, again, our colleagues keep repeating phrases that they know are not accurate. What is accurate is that our government has always supported the hard-working women and men who work in our steel sector in every corner of the country. We have put in place unprecedented support measures. We are prepared to continue to do more. The Prime Minister met with industry leaders in this sector last week. We will always stand up for the hard-working women and men in our steel sector and in other sectors of the Canadian economy.”
“Mr. Speaker, as we said yesterday, just because our colleagues keeps repeating the same inaccurate phrase, that does not make it real. The Prime Minister has said that our government will always stand up for workers in the auto sector, in the steel sector, in the aluminum sector and in the forestry sector. Unlike the Conservatives, our government is not going to sign just any old deal. We are going to sign a deal that is in the interests of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy, and we are going to continue to support those sectors as we go through these difficult times.”
“Mr. Speaker, again, our colleague knows full well that the government is very interested in taking every measure step to protect the aluminum industry, the workers in that industry and the other industries that were just mentioned. He knows full well that President Trump is the one who decided to suspend the negotiations that, to us and to the American side, were on track to bringing Canada and the United States to an agreement that would have been in the best interests of these workers. As long as the Americans do not want to negotiate, we will be there to protect the industries affected.”
“Mr. Speaker, it might be useful to remind our colleague from New Brunswick that the government had been engaged in constructive and extensive negotiations with the American administration and that we were pursuing a deal we believed would be in the interests of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy, and the Americans as well. President Trump decided to suspend those negotiations, and while he did that, is my colleague suggesting that the government do nothing to support the very workers he talked about? There is good news: We are not going to do that. We are going to support those workers and stand up for those industries.”
“Mr. Speaker, the government is actively involved with the sectors of the economy that are facing the most pressure from the unjustified 232 tariffs. This includes, obviously, auto workers. It includes workers in the steel and aluminum industries and in the softwood lumber industry. We have already taken steps to support those workers and those businesses. My colleague should be excited that there is more good news coming in our government's effort to support those industries as we navigate through a trade circumstance Canada did not create. We are not going to sign any deal like the Leader of the Opposition —”
“Mr. Speaker, just because the Leader of the Opposition keeps repeating the same line over and over again, that does not make it real. The Leader of the Opposition knows very well that our government was elected to defend Canadian workers and the Canadian economy. That is exactly what we did in the budget that was tabled in the House of Commons. The opposition decided not to support Canadian workers, provinces, territories and sectors under attack by unfair American tariffs. We are going to continue to support Canadian workers and the Canadian economy and negotiate a deal with the United States.”
“Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well that the government was elected with a mandate to diversify our trade with other countries around the world. This is an ambitious agenda that Canadians supported in the last election. Perhaps my colleague was a bit confused. Generally, that starts with the head of government taking a trip, to the United Arab Emirates for example. The good news is that we have signed an agreement with this important investor country. We will continue to support the Canadian economy.”
“Mr. Speaker, like his colleague from Fundy Royal , the member would remember very well the time he served in Prime Minister Harper's office. They were overrun with credit card spending and government cutbacks. The Conservatives pretend to be interested in things now, like the fight against crime, but they were cutting CBSA officers and underfunding the RCMP. What did they do yesterday? They voted against investments in his province, in my province of New Brunswick and in infrastructure that will build the strongest economy. We have no lessons to take, as the finance minister said, from the member.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleague from Bourassa for his question. We are living in a time of transformation. We are laying the groundwork for some of the most significant investments made in Canada since the Second World War. Canadians elected an ambitious government, a government that would take action to build a strong and resilient economy. In just a few moments, the House of Commons will be hearing all of the good news. I know all parliamentarians are looking forward to it.”
“Mr. Speaker, just because the Leader of the Opposition keeps asserting the same fake premise, it does not make it real. What is real is that the Government of Canada can control certain things. We can control the investments we make in partnership with Canadian businesses and Canadian workers to build a strong economy here. We can work with provinces and territories, as we are proud to do, to defend the Canadian economy and to work with the United States to get an agreement that will be in the interests of Canada. This is something the Leader of the Opposition will never get a chance to do.”
“Mr. Speaker, again, I can understand the Leader of the Opposition may be frustrated for a whole series of reasons. He has a caucus meeting coming up this week. He may be very concerned about that as well. What I can tell the Leader of the Opposition, and all colleagues in the House, is that the Prime Minister is committed to doing the difficult, serious work necessary to build the strongest economy in the G7. This starts by supporting Canadian workers, building big in Canada again and doing everything necessary to get the deal with the Americans that will be in the interest of Canadian workers and Canadian businesses.”
“Mr. Speaker, I can imagine the frustration the Leader of the Opposition feels when he sees a Prime Minister elected to take this serious economic and sovereignty challenge with all of the seriousness it deserves. This is why Canadians thought the Leader of the Opposition was not up to that task. This is why Canadians chose a Prime Minister who takes serious issues seriously, who will defend Canadian workers and Canadian businesses, and stand up for the right deal for Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to doing the serious work necessary to get a deal with the United States and to build a strong, resilient Canadian economy. This was the commitment we made to Canadians in the election. This was an election the Leader of the Opposition lost because people did not believe he would be serious in either supporting Canadian workers and Canadian businesses or standing up to the Americans for a deal that is in the interest of all Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I said a moment ago, our government is committed to working with all partners in our federation, to working with premiers in every part of the country, to working with union leaders and business leaders to support the Canadian economy and Canadian workers, and to negotiating with the Americans for a deal that is in the interests of Canada. That has been the government's position from the beginning. I am proud of the work that we have done with all the premiers, the businesses and the union leaders across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will repeat the answer I just gave to the Leader of the Opposition in French because he asked the same question in English. Our government was elected to negotiate an agreement with the United States that is in the interests of Canadian workers and Canadian industries. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition , we are not going to sign whatever agreement the Americans might suggest. We are going to sign an agreement that benefits Canadian workers and the Canadian economy. At the same time, we are going to build in Canada, we are going to invest in Canada and we are going to support workers and Canadian businesses.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows full well that the government will not accept just any deal. We have been clear that we will negotiate an agreement with the U.S. government that is in the interests of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy. Canadians know very well that the Leader of the Opposition would have accepted any old deal. That is not Canada's position. We are going to support both Canadian industries and Canadian workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois knows full well that our government always collaborates with our provincial and territorial counterparts, with business leaders and with workers' representatives. The good news is that I will be in Montreal on Thursday morning to meet with Minister Fréchette. We will talk specifically about what more we can do together to support Quebec industries and workers in Quebec and across Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, what are we going to say to investors who see Canada's economy in a positive light? What are we going to say to Canadian workers who are obviously worried about the tariffs? We are going to tell them that the government is here to support them, that we have a series of measures for investing in major projects in Canada. We are going to tell them that we support the industries being impacted by the tariffs. At the same time, we are prepared to negotiate an agreement with the United States that will put us in a better economic position.”
“Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows full well that our government is always ready to sit down and work with the American government, with the secretaries in Mr. Trump's administration, to negotiate an agreement that serves the interests of Canadian industries and Canadian workers. We are always available. The Prime Minister has repeated this. In the meantime, we are not going to wait around for that moment to come before we protect Canadian industries and build a strong economy here in Canada. We are investing in all the industries necessary to meet Canada's supply needs.”
“Mr. Speaker, of course, our government remains fully prepared to resume discussions with the U.S. government. However, our colleague alluded to certain potential tariff increases. We have to be careful and wait for the official executive order from the U.S. government before concluding that certain percentages will be applied. However, we fully share his concern about the future of forestry workers and industries. As in other sectors of the economy, we will support these workers and industries and—”
“Mr. Speaker, I am not surprised that our colleague remembers the last federal election so clearly. Canadians chose a government that was prepared not only to defend and support Canadian industries, but also to negotiate with the U.S. government to reach a deal that is in the best interests of Canadian workers and industries. Canadians had their say in the last election. They knew full well that the Conservative Party was utterly incapable of standing up to the U.S. government and defending the interests of Canadian workers and businesses. We are up to that challenge.”
“Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well that we are working to support auto workers and the sector in Canada. There is over 100 years of proud history of making vehicles in Canada. It is a manufacturing sector that is important to every part of the country. That is why we are not only taking measures with the Government of Ontario, partners across the country and unions to support the industry and those workers but we are also negotiating with the Americans so we can get a deal that is in the interests of the long-term security of Canada's auto sector.”
“Mr. Speaker, our government has no difficulty looking at the hard-working women and men who work in our auto industry and in industries across the country to say that we are fighting for their jobs, we are standing up to the Americans against unjustified tariffs and we are negotiating what we think will be agreements that will be in the best interests of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy. What we are also doing at the same time is taking steps to support those very industries in Canada. That is what we were elected to do. That is what the Prime Minister is doing with everybody on this side of the House.”
“Mr. Speaker, our colleague has heard very well that the government will make these contracts available to the opposition. He can assert a series of fabricated conspiracy theories, but it does not make them true. What is true is that our government is supporting a proud tradition of building vehicles and cars in Canada. There is over 100 years of Canadian workers building these cars. We are going to defend those workers, support those businesses and fight to ensure we get a deal with the United States that is good for Canadian businesses and Canadian workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, our colleague referred to apologies. Perhaps he would like to lean forward a couple of rows and suggest to his boss, the Leader of the Opposition , that he should apologize to the men and women who serve in Canada's RCMP for attacking their integrity and attacking the work they do to protect all Canadians. He should be ashamed of himself. He pretends to stand up for the police. He attacks them unfairly, and he should apologize to the women and men who serve in the RCMP. That would be a good apology.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition had 45 minutes to think about whether he will apologize to the brave men and women of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who work to defend Canadians every single day. His attack on the integrity of the national police is totally inexcusable. Why does the Leader of the Opposition, who claims to support the police, not take a minute to apologize to the women and men who serve Canada in the RCMP instead of attacking their integrity?”
“Mr. Speaker, we understand that our Conservative colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not like to work with Premier Ford and his government. On this side of the House, we will work with all premiers of every political stripe, and groups representing workers and businesses, precisely to defend those businesses from the unjustified tariffs imposed by the American administration. We will do that work in Canada, and the good news is we are also doing that work in Washington, D.C.”
“Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well, as my colleague, the Minister of Industry has indicated, that of course, all the information will be put before the parliamentary committee appropriately. Just because our colleagues on the other side assert some falsehood with great indignation does not make it accurate. What is accurate is that our government is standing up with the province of Ontario, the government of Premier Ford, to defend these workers, to defend all sectors of our economy. That is the work we do in Canada. That is the work we are doing in Washington. We will continue to do that work.”
“Mr. Speaker, just because our colleague, with great indignation, asserts a series of conspiracy theories does not mean they are true. What is true is that our government is standing up for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses. The Prime Minister met with President Trump in Washington two weeks ago. We have engaged in a series of conversations and negotiations precisely to get a deal that is in the interest of all Canadian workers, including auto workers and those in other sectors of the economy in every region of the country. That is the work we are doing every day.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, we remember the Conservatives standing up in the House with manufactured indignation that the Prime Minister should be talking to the president every day and the Prime Minister should be in Washington, asking why has he not been in Washington. The good news is that the Prime Minister and the president speak frequently. They are in touch on a whole series of international issues, the most important of which is, obviously, the Canadian economy, Canadian workers and Canadian jobs. That is why we are looking forward to discussing those exact issues in the Oval Office tomorrow with the president.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I said in an answer a few moments ago, the Prime Minister will be travelling to Washington later today for a working session in the Oval Office at the invitation of the U.S. President. Obviously, we intend to discuss the issues just raised by our Bloc Québécois colleague. We are deeply concerned about the tariffs on the softwood lumber industry. We discussed other sectors, like steel, aluminum and automobiles. These are exactly the kinds of discussions we are going to have with our American partners. We are going to keep doing whatever work it takes to get there.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canada is currently in the best position of any major trading ally of the United States, but we have said consistently that we have work to do with our American partners on sectoral tariffs. We have work to do in building an economy in North America that is in the interests of Canadian businesses and Canadian workers. That is exactly the conversation the Prime Minister will have with the president. Was the Leader of the Opposition suggesting that, if the President of the United States invites us to go to Washington for a meeting and a working lunch, we should have just said no and hung up the phone?”
“Mr. Speaker, I remember the Leader of the Opposition and some of his colleagues criticizing the government for not having enough direct, face-to-face engagement with the President of the United States. Good news is that the president has invited the Prime Minister to a working meeting tomorrow in Washington, followed by a working lunch. Obviously the conversation will centre on trade issues and what we want to do to protect Canadian industries and Canadian workers, at the same time building an economy in North America that is in the interest of both countries. The discussion will also talk about a series of other international issues.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is right. At the invitation of the U.S. President, the Prime Minister will be going to Washington tomorrow to continue the important discussion on the trade relationship, how to protect jobs and industries in Canada and how to build an economy in North America that is in the interests of both countries. Other international issues will also be discussed. I would have been surprised if the Leader of the Opposition had not been pleased with these efforts with our U.S. partner.”
“His legacy will live on here in the House of Commons, in his community and in the lives of the thousands of people whom he helped to find hope and solace. Rest in peace, my friend. Thank you for your friendship and remarkable service to our country.”
“His success was our nation's success, and all of us can be proud of the way Canadians opened their homes and their hearts, as they have time and time again over the course of history, to those people fleeing war and persecution. John McCallum led that effort brilliantly. John embodied those values and led those debates. (1550) [ Translation ] Throughout his career, he served Canadians with intelligence, dedication and kindness. [ English ] I would like to offer our sincerest condolences to his beloved wife, Nancy, and to their three boys, Andrew, Jamie and Duncan. May they find comfort in knowing the profound impact their husband and their father had on our country and his numerous friends and colleagues, myself included.”
“In June 2001, as a backbencher, he introduced a motion in the House of Commons to nominate Nelson Mandela as an honorary citizen of Canada, making Canada the first country to extend such an honour to this iconic champion of equality and human rights. Fast-forward to 2015, when, building on his ability to leverage Canada's global reputation as a compassionate and progressive nation, John, as the newly appointed minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, spearheaded Canada's efforts to resettle more than 40,000 Syrian refugees in record time. The scale of the task cannot be overstated. It required mobilizing considerable government, local, private sector and community resources, and John poured his heart and soul into this noble effort.”
“From there on, we quickly became friends, finding common interests, not just in political matters but in family holidays together, on fishing trips in New Brunswick and family holidays abroad as well. I will forever cherish those memories, and seeing John's wife, Nancy, and their children on Parliament Hill today reminded me of those happy moments. John became minister in January 2002, and later I had the opportunity to serve as his parliamentary secretary at National Defence, the highlight of what was then my first term in the House of Commons. In those early years, in addition to his ministerial responsibilities, John made a name for himself as a courageous and outspoken advocate on pivotal issues that helped shape Canada into a more open, tolerant and welcoming society.”
“In 1994, he left university life for the private sector where he held the position of senior vice-president and chief economist at the Royal Bank of Canada. That is where he forged a reputation as a very well-respected economist who could explain major economic trends in simple terms for the average person, a quality that helped me a great deal throughout our friendship. [ English ] After more than half a decade at RBC, John decided in 2000 to enter public life, and he was elected in the riding of Markham—Thornhill. That was when I met John for the first time. As luck would have it, we were sitting next to each other on that very first day in the House of Commons almost 25 years ago.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to rise today on behalf of the government and my Liberal caucus colleagues to pay tribute to the life of one of our former colleagues, someone you also knew well, Mr. Speaker, and one of my best friends, the late Hon. John McCallum, whose kindness, generosity and incredible sense of humour touched everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. I will provide a brief overview of his long and distinguished career. Before entering politics, John was known as one of Canada's top economists. He started his academic career in western Canada, at the University of Manitoba, before becoming dean of the faculty of arts at McGill University, where he was at the forefront of the national unity debates that were on Canadians' minds at the time.”
“Mr. Speaker, I agree with the first part of the question from my friend, the leader of the Bloc Québécois. Obviously, we have to show respect in our conversations and relations with our American counterparts, and the same goes for the American people. The United States has the largest economy in the world. We currently have the most advantageous agreement of all its trading partners. At the same time, as we have said, we need to diversify our relationships and seek out other markets and other partners. I have good news: We can do both at once.”
“Mr. Speaker, in our discussions with our American counterparts, we constantly talk about the importance of having agreements that benefit both economies. I agree with my friend, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, that the United States will always remain our only neighbour and a critical economic partner. The Prime Minister has said that the trade relationship is changing. That is what we need to work on to determine the best way to protect Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the Bloc Québécois for his question. I am not the least bit embarrassed to remind members of the House and all Canadians that we are in the midst of important discussions with the United States on two fronts. First, we are talking about how to improve trade relations in the short term in strategic sectors, such as the steel, aluminum, auto and softwood lumber industries. Second, we are getting ready to review the free trade agreement between our three countries. That is important work that we look forward to doing with Mexico and the United States.”
“Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the bill on one Canadian economy seeks specifically to respond to the threat of U.S. tariffs and economic instability. During the election campaign, the Prime MInister was very clear. We are going to build major projects in Canada and we are going to build them the right way by respecting the environmental standards and working in partnership with indigenous peoples, the provinces and the territories. I know that my friend from the Bloc Québécois may not be happy about us working with the provinces and territories to do great things in Canada, but that is precisely what we are going to do.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the U.S. President had a constructive meeting in Kananaskis during the G7. They discussed a number of issues. Obviously, the priority for us was to speak directly to the U.S. President about the issue of tariffs and, as my colleague just indicated, the impact that tariffs are having not only on Canada's economy and Canadian workers, but also on the U.S. economy. We wanted to talk about the fact that it is harmful to Americans to continue with this tariff plan. I am confident that we have made progress, but we will not stop until this matter is resolved.”
“Mr. Speaker, I see that our friends in the Bloc Québécois miss our former leader and prime minister, Justin Trudeau. I think that is important to note. On the contrary, we have introduced a bill in Parliament that specifically enables the Government of Canada, in partnership with the provinces, territories and indigenous peoples, to build major projects that will drive the Canadian economy forward and allow for significant development in renewable energy. That is what Canadians expect from this Parliament.”
“Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise that I do not agree with my friend from the Bloc Québécois when he says that we have adopted a purely Conservative policy. On page 1 of our election platform, on the very first page, we talk about building one Canadian economy out of 13 and ensuring that we can once again carry out major projects that are in the national interest. That is why NDP, Conservative and even CAQ premiers agree with this approach.”
“Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois knows full well that we just finished an election campaign during which the Prime Minister , our party leader, asked Canadians for a clear mandate to accelerate projects of national interest. That is precisely what the bill before the House of Commons will do. However, to suggest that the government would scale back environmental impact assessments and consultations with indigenous peoples is false. We will do the opposite of that through a mechanism that allows for agreements with the provinces.”