Mélanie Joly
Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Quebec · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we are the party that wants to create wealth in Canada. In this tariff war, we must control what we can at home, given that we are in a world where we cannot control what lies beyond our borders. What we can control is how we build. High‑speed rail will allow us to create 51,000 jobs.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is a serious man who knows business and understands the economy. Right now he is working with all the first ministers, basically all the premiers of our provinces and territories, to make sure that we are dealing with the impacts of the trade war, which is never alluded to by the Leader of the Opposition.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are taking care of our people. That is why Quebeckers and Canadians trust us. The Prime Minister , the Minister of Finance , the Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade and I work every day to protect people in the steel sector. Among other things, we have protected the steel sector by preventing all forms of dumping.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have great news. In May, there were 88,000 new jobs, led by jobs for young people. Young people are getting new jobs, and so are women across the country. We have other projects I can cite, and I am convinced that the Leader of the Opposition will rejoice. There are 300 new jobs with Hitachi in Varennes, Quebec.”
“Mr. Speaker, to hear the Leader of the Opposition talk, it seems like he takes pleasure in the prospect of bad news. The reality is that there is plenty of good news. I am going to give him some. There are 200 new jobs at Tenaris in Sault Ste. Marie. We have just secured more than 300 jobs at Kruger in Trois-Rivières.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are working with the Government of Quebec to help companies in Quebec and across the country that are affected by tariffs. That is why we recently announced $1.5 billion to support businesses in the steel and aluminum sectors that were affected by the White House's new tariffs.”
The complete record
Every one of 258 lines we hold for Mélanie Joly, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 6.
“Mr. Speaker, what is ideological about our decision to lower the price of groceries, lower the price of oil and lower taxes in this country? On the contrary, it is pragmatic. That is exactly what we are doing as a federal government, as the Liberal Party. We know that Canadians need help. That is why we are here. Not only that, but we have some good news. In the meantime, wage growth in Canada has outpaced, if not doubled, the rate of inflation. Our plan is working.”
“Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague that we definitely do not want companies to pass costs on to consumers. We will be there to protect consumers at a time when we know that the Competition Bureau needs to do its work. That is why my team and I have engaged the Competition Bureau. We will be hawkish on competition. We will go against any form of illegal proceedings.”
“Mr. Speaker, of course we will be there for the Windsor workers affected by these tariffs. That is why, also, along with Premier Ford, I was in Windsor a month ago to open a new, important battery factory with 3,000 new jobs in Windsor. That being said, we are well aware of what my colleague is referring to. I met with the steel industry again yesterday. I have been working the phones. My colleague the Minister of U.S. Trade has also been on this. Our entire team in Washington is also activated. We will defend our steelworkers. We will defend aluminum workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, I like and respect my colleague very much. We will work together to reduce the cost of rent in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean. We know that access to property ownership is important too, which is why we eliminated the GST on first home purchases. Our plan is working. We have to do more, and we are also going to work to bring good investments in housing construction to his riding. I know there are a lot of projects happening in his riding and the region, and that is a priority for the government.”
“Mr. Speaker, here in Ottawa, we are doing our job. We are doing what has to be done. We suspended the excise tax on gasoline, we lowered income tax for Quebeckers and Canadians, and we have taken steps to help people offset the effects of food inflation at the grocery store. My colleague and I are both from Quebec, and he is well aware that Quebec also has a contribution to make. We are going to work with Quebec's new premier, whose platform promised to fight food inflation and the cost of living in Quebec.”
“Mr. Speaker, yesterday Quebeckers and Canadians woke up to some good news. It was important to find ways to help Quebeckers cope with the effects of the inflation caused by the war in Iran. That is why we decided to suspend the excise tax on gasoline. This measure has been very well received in Quebec and across the country. This follows significant investments made by the government to support families across Quebec and the country. For instance, there was the tax cut we announced a few months ago, as well as the Canada groceries and essentials benefit.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague is making a very serious allegation when he says that the government is no good at math. Sure, if he challenged the Prime Minister to a singing contest, then he might win, but if he challenged the Prime Minister to a math contest, then I am certain the Prime Minister would come out the winner.”
“Mr. Speaker, there is something I can certainly explain to my colleague, whose friendship I rather enjoy, and that is the fact that the tariffs that are currently in place against the manufacturing sector are affecting our industrial base. This certainly has an impact on investment. In the meantime, the government has not just been sitting around twiddling its thumbs. What have we done? We have been working on a plan. We have worked with businesses in Quebec and across the country. We have also made sure to help those directly affected by the tariffs, including workers and entrepreneurs. Our goal is to create jobs, despite everything. Guess what? We have created 80,000 of them over the past six months.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect and affection for my colleague, but I am sure that not even he believes what he is saying. The reality is that our government was able to create more than 80,000 jobs in the past six months. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy, which is 11 times bigger than ours, lost 6,000 jobs over the same time period. According to the Bank of Canada, inflation is under control. Salaries are going up by 4.3% across the country. That is part of what it means to work for Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am listening to my colleague. I have a lot of respect for him and we work on a number of issues together, yet I fail to understand why he refuses to acknowledge that, as a result of this government's decisions that prioritize Canadian procurement, suddenly new jobs are being created in his riding in La Pocatière at Alstom. Why does he not ask us about that? I am sure that the people of La Pocatière are very happy. This will affect the entire services sector, the entire sector all across his region. The same goes for the member for Louis‑Saint‑Laurent—Akiawenhrahk , who just asked the Quebec lieutenant a question. We are investing in the Quebec City area. We are making sure that Davie will have more—”
“Mr. Speaker, the government has gone on every production line in the auto sector, and we have the support of workers. I know the Brampton facility is really important to my colleague, but what did the head of Unifor Canada, Lana Payne, say? She said the Conservatives' auto proposal is putting the Stellantis Brampton plant in jeopardy and also GM Ingersoll's future in jeopardy. Why are they against the auto workers in Brampton and Ingersoll?”
“Mr. Speaker, whatever that was, what the Conservatives forgot when thinking of our auto industry is actually 200,000 workers. Why? It is because they forgot about auto parts. Canada has been leading when it comes to auto parts. We have the three biggest companies in the world: Linamar, Martinrea and Magna. They forgot to protect the GM engine and transmission workers in Cambridge. They forgot the Ford engine auto workers in Windsor. They forgot the Honda engine workers in Alliston. They forgot. I could go on.”
“Mr. Speaker, everyone is in favour of our auto strategy: the Conservative Premier of Ontario, Premier Ford, industry, unions, consumers, everyone, so why do they not get with the program and get on our side?”
“Mr. Speaker, let us talk about facts. The proposal by the Conservatives is too little, too late. Why? They did not even consult workers when doing it. They have no measures for workers in their auto proposals, and actually, Unifor, which represents workers, is against it. Our auto proposal is actually supported by the Conservative Premier of Ontario. Premier— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”
“Mr. Speaker, I will also have the opportunity to meet the same people my colleague will be meeting later today. I had the opportunity to work with him last week. Why? It is because we want to help workers in the aluminum industry. We know they are being hit with unjustified tariffs from the Trump administration. We are here to protect them. We are also in talks with several businesses in the region to provide support. We are having discussions and making decisions regarding major upcoming investments at Rio Tinto. We are there for Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague referred to several cases related to sectors in Beauce that have been affected by U.S. tariffs. Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions will work with the member. That said, I would like him and his caucus to do more to condemn the U.S. tariffs, because the silence on that side speaks volumes.”
“Mr. Speaker, our government's plan is working. Our plan is to maintain control over immigration, with the knowledge that Canadians trust us to do so. We were able to reduce immigration levels. For the first time in nearly 50 years, we have managed to slow population growth in Canada. We will also ensure that we reach an understanding with the Government of Quebec. In fact, the lieutenant reached an agreement with the Government of Quebec last week, because we must be able to not only keep immigration under control, but also support businesses that are facing labour shortages.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for Oshawa auto workers and my colleagues, but the reality is that she should talk to her colleague from Bowmanville—Oshawa North , who went to Washington and talked down Canadians, saying that we were having a “hissy fit” regarding the trade war and not defending the auto workers or the investment that this government is making in them. We have an auto plan. It is a good one. She should also talk to Unifor because the union, which represents the workers in Oshawa, is against their plan.”
“Mr. Speaker, what they have is not even a plan. It is an auto pitch, because the reality is that they did not even consult Unifor, the very workers affected by the plant closures. Unifor has said that their ideas will permanently threaten the future of Brampton and Ingersoll plants, which does not make sense. There is good news in the auto sector. The investment by Toyota and the production at Toyota and Honda is up. We are opening new battery facilities with 3,000 new jobs and we will make sure that the biggest investment by Toyota—”
“Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things in there that do not make sense. First and foremost, every time we invest in the auto sector, the Conservatives talk about it and put it down. What I mean by that is that we have a new auto plan and they are too late. What I mean by that is that they think that we should basically wait for Washington to change its mind or go back to the 1960s with the auto pact. We have a plan. We will protect workers, and we will attract investments.”
“Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that our thoughts are with the workers at Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie. I had the opportunity to meet with the workers and their union, as well as with Algoma Steel management. We are in problem-solving mode because we know that, contrary to what the Conservatives are saying, these job losses are due to the tariff war. Nevertheless, we are helping Algoma Steel develop new business projects, projects that will bring jobs back. We are confident that we can achieve this over the next few months.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of time and respect for my colleague, but when he says we cannot blame anything happening in the world for what is happening at Algoma, I think he does not understand the 50% tariffs by Washington against Algoma workers, because that is the reality. We have been in solution mode. We have said that for the 1,000 workers at Algoma, we will be there to support them and help them find jobs. We are also in discussion with Tenaris, an important steel company in Sault Ste. Marie. We will create jobs at Tenaris as well.”
“Mr. Speaker, obviously, it is a tough day for many families in Sault Ste. Marie and many workers at Algoma, but we will bring back these jobs. We are working on the plan to make sure that the workers get their jobs back. I have been to Sault Ste. Marie twice. I have met with the Algoma Steel CEO. I am meeting with him again. They have two interesting projects. The first one is on the defence front, and the second one is in infrastructure. We will build homes in Canada using steel from Algoma, and we will build ships, planes and vehicles across the country with Algoma steel as well.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct something my colleague said. It is not true that Algoma Steel is shutting down. That would be an insult to all the employees, the more than 2,000 employees who are still working at Algoma in Sault Ste. Marie. The member should do his homework. One thing is clear. We are going to bring jobs back to Algoma Steel. What I want to say to all Canadians watching us right now is that we have a solid plan. We have launched the defence industrial strategy, which is going to create 125,000 jobs in Canada. We will invest in our armed forces, which will also create jobs.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of time and respect for my colleague. I know that the Oshawa community is going through hardship right now because of the fact that GM cut the third shift. However, she should talk to her colleague from the Oshawa region as well, who went to Washington and forgot to advocate for the auto workers in his riding. That is the first point. The second point is that we need to work as one team Canada, because the unions in the U.S. are now in favour of our position, which is no tariffs on auto workers. We need to work to put pressure on the D3, including GM. I was in conversation with GM this week. We will make sure we create jobs—”
“Mr. Speaker, when we look auto workers in the eye, we know that they know they can trust us. Why is that? It is because we have a plan, notwithstanding all the headwinds against our auto workers and against the auto workers of the entire world. This morning I was in conversation with the new CEO of Audi. We are working on attracting new investment to Canada. We will use our defence procurement to attract new investment in our auto sector. We will use every single lever of the government to make sure we can defend the sector's jobs. At the end of the day, this is not fake news but real news.”
“Mr. Speaker, when my colleague and the Conservatives talk about the auto sector, I do not know why they are scared to talk about the auto tariffs. I do not know why they are not condemning the trade war against us. At the same time, I do not know why they are not supporting what another Conservative is saying, Premier Ford, who is supporting our new auto strategy. Notwithstanding all the headwinds against our auto workers, we have been there fighting for them, supporting them and creating new jobs. I was in Windsor with Premier Ford last week. We just created 3,000 new jobs.”
“Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things we cannot control in the world, but there are many things we can control. What we definitely can control is how we build one Canadian economy. There is good news on our manufacturing PMI, which basically monitors new business activity. My colleague referred to steel, aluminum, auto, etc., and we are at a 13-month high. That means that businesses are now receiving more orders, and more jobs are being created. The tariffs have impacted us, but we have a good plan, we are bouncing back, and we will fight for jobs.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Orléans for her excellent question. We presented our new defence industrial strategy about two weeks ago and we are already taking action. My colleagues, the Minister of National Defence , the Secretary of State for Defence Procurement and I announced $900 million for a new drone innovation hub and for a new Bombardier aircraft built here in Canada. We will create jobs in Mississauga, Saint-Laurent and Abbotsford, British Columbia. We will create jobs across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, the government is very sensitive to what is happening in Mirabel. Of course, we will work with the mayor, the reeves, the farmers and the UPA. Our Quebec lieutenant is working on this issue, as is my colleague, the Minister of Transport . Having said that, we know that high-speed rail is a good project. However, as my colleague said, social licence is important, and we can do both.”
“Mr. Speaker, the more I listen to my colleague, the more I think he has read our game plan, because apart from what he said at the end, he just repeated everything we say every day. If my colleague wants to join us, there is still room on our benches, and we are ready.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague is also well aware that if the company in question is struggling financially, then we can work together to support it through Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, the portfolio I am responsible for. That said, I will be happy to look into this issue with the Minister of Transport to find a solution that is good for the people of Valleyfield.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague. I know that she works very hard on her files. I also know that she represents a riding where marine transportation is very important. I will be happy to look into this issue with her. Of course, we are also looking for ways to move steel across the country as we develop more major infrastructure projects domestically, and we will be working on that with the Minister of Transport as well. I will be happy to work with my colleague after question period.”
“Mr. Speaker, again, we are hearing the same rhetoric from the Conservatives blaming Canadians for the trade war. The Conservative member for Bowmanville—Oshawa North said that Canadians are having a “hissy fit” over, basically, tariffs, at a time when GM auto workers in his own riding had just lost their jobs. Why are they not able to say that the trade war is because President Trump decided to impose tariffs on the world, including Canada? We will fight for our auto workers. We have a great auto strategy. Even Premier Ford is in favour of it. We will make sure that we save jobs.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have been in discussions with the company. We know that the company is facing financial difficulties. The Quebec government has decided not to move forward with supporting this company. However, we believe in the battery sector. We also believe that Lithion has significant assets that tie in with our strength in critical minerals. I have worked with the Bloc Québécois before to find solutions, and we will find a solution.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my colleague, but I have to correct her because we created more jobs last year than the United States did. We created 189,000 jobs while the United States created 181,000 jobs, even though the U.S. economy is 10 times bigger than Canada's. What is more, our exports are growing. Exports to Europe have increased by 31%, on top of increases of 8% for Latin America, 18% for Africa and 6% for Asia. We are also a foreign investment destination for the first time in 18 years. We are working on attracting lots of investment to Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, there are lots of things we cannot control. Certainly we cannot control the White House, but there are lots of things we can control. What we can control is how to build one strong Canadian economy. Who said that first? It was the Prime Minister . Who copied that yesterday? That was the Leader of the Opposition . Of course, we will work on an auto pact that is tariff-free. Of course, we will work to have a strong critical mineral supply. Of course, we are willing to work as one team Canada. The Conservatives should just get on board.”
“Mr. Speaker, to answer my colleague directly, obviously we can. We can get to a good deal. This is exactly why the Prime Minister is engaged, but this is also exactly why our colleague, the Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade , is in Washington today, meeting with the U.S. Trade Representative to do that work. That being said, we took good note of what the Leader of the Opposition said yesterday at the Economic Club of Canada, and we are very happy that a lot of our program is being copied.”
“Mr. Speaker, indeed, at a time when we are investing 2% of our GDP in defence, going towards 5% of our GDP by 2035, as other NATO countries are, we are also creating jobs. That is why, through our new defence industrial strategy, we will build the ships, the drones, the planes, the right tech and the right AI. While doing so, we will create 125,000 jobs across the country. This is good news. This is good news for Canada. We will stop being in dependency mode. We will be in control mode here at home.”
“Mr. Speaker, of course, if the Conservatives knew a lot about the auto strategy, they would know that we are already supporting the Canadian-made auto sector and Canadian-made vehicles. That will be for the Dodge Charger and the Pacifica. We are convinced that there will be more because we will have more investment in the sector. The Conservatives have all been asking the same question. I guess their leader gave them a sheet to read. Fundamentally, what they need to remember is that Canadians are in favour of this because the entire sector is in favour of this.”
“Mr. Speaker, what the Conservatives need to understand right now is that the industry needs predictability and clarity. At a time when there is a revision of the USMCA, we were able to provide that. By providing that, we are now having conversations with German automakers, Korean automakers and Chinese automakers that want to invest in Canada and create good jobs. Why are the Conservatives fundamentally against what the market is saying, which is that this is a good plan and Canada is a great destination to invest?”
“Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague is fighting hard to change the narrative, but the auto strategy has already been out for a week and everybody is in favour of it, including, of course, Unifor workers who are working at GM in St. Catharines and Premier Ford, who we all know is a very strong Conservative, as well as the industry, auto parts workers, everyone. Why is that? It is because, fundamentally, it is a good plan. We know that the industry is going towards electrification. Capital is following that innovation. We will not hold our workers back. We will protect them.”
“Mr. Speaker, finally my colleague met with the Unifor workers. It took him months to do that. We have been in contact with Unifor since the get-go, even before U.S. tariffs were imposed. We have been in contact with them to make sure that we would be working together, as one team Canada, because it took months for the Conservatives to denounce the U.S. tariffs for our auto workers. We are there with the industry. From the industry and businesses to auto workers and unions, everybody is in favour of the auto strategy, including Premier Ford. Why are the Conservatives not in favour?”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of time for my colleague and a lot of respect for her, but she knows that our auto industry is obviously facing important challenges. It took months for the Conservatives to denounce the U.S. tariffs on autos. We know that the entire sector is integrated within North America with Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Now, when she is talking about EVs made in the U.S., she has to take into account, and Conservatives need to take into account, that Canadian auto parts are part of these EVs. Is she going after the Canadian auto parts workers all across Ontario? That is my question.”
“Mr. Speaker, of course we believe in affordability. We believe that Canadians can have access to EV incentives, such as up to $5,000 for a car that is up to $50,000, as well as those for Canadian EVs, because obviously, we believe that the future of the industry is electrification. Recently, there were more EV sales in Europe than those of gas combustion cars. At the same time, we know that in the next five years, 40% of all the cars worldwide will be electric. Our plan is to make sure that we bring our industry to the forefront of innovation and that good jobs are created here.”
“Mr. Speaker, what is a good idea is our auto strategy, which has been welcomed by the industry, unions and industry workers who want to make sure that they have a job today, tomorrow and 10 years from now. The global auto industry is moving toward electrification. When modernization occurs, we need to be there. That is why we will support electrification. Why are the Conservatives ideologically against both affordability and electrification?”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like, first and foremost, to extend my heartfelt prayers to the victims and families in Tumbler Ridge. I know the government is there to support those affected. I would like to remind my colleague that the money that is going to be supporting EV incentives is actually for Canadians at a time when we need to make sure that affordability is at the core of everything we do as a government. That is why Canadians need to be able to have access to more money to afford the right cars, including those made in Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Mont-Saint-Bruno—L'Acadie for his excellent work. He plays a very active role in our auto caucus. He asked me a question about our auto strategy. It is an excellent strategy focused on two objectives. The first is domestic production. The second is electrification, because we believe that this is where the industry is headed. We do not want to simply be victims of the White House's decisions. We will be there for our auto sector in Ontario and across Quebec.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are already helping the automotive sector with $3 billion, and we will continue on that path. We will support the 500,000 people who work in the auto sector in Ontario, but also in the battery industry in Quebec. We agree that we need to invest more in the electrification of transportation because it also supports jobs in our beautiful province. My colleague also needs to understand that the North American auto sector is completely integrated. When he calls for a boycott of electric vehicles made in the United States, is he saying that workers manufacturing auto parts for this sector will—”
“Mr. Speaker, after being in a tariff war for almost a year, it is surprising to finally hear the Conservatives denounce the tariffs imposed on the Canadian automotive sector. In the meantime, we have presented a plan, a plan supported by the entire industry, by the unions, by the Premier of Ontario, where the industry is really established, as well as by environmentalists. We agree that we need to invest in the electrification of transportation and of the auto industry, because we know that, globally, that is where the investments are being made. We follow the capital.”