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.”
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“Mr. Speaker, we all know that auto workers are building the best cars in the world for the world, but we all know that the auto sector is completely integrated within North America. Is my colleague saying right now to call for a boycott against American EVs, which are made with Canadian parts by Canadian auto workers? Is that what she is suggesting?”
“Mr. Speaker, we believe in affordability and we believe in electrification. We just do not understand why the Conservatives are so against electrification at a time when, in five years, 40% of all the cars sold worldwide will be EVs. We will not hold back our auto workers. We will invest in the future of the sector. We will make sure that we leapfrog what is going on in the United States, and we will create jobs across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct my colleague. There is not only one EV made in Canada; there is the Dodge Charger, of course, but there is also the Pacifica, and more to come. We have two battery plants. One is an LG battery plant in Windsor, which the Conservatives are against, and we still do not understand why. There is one being built as we speak, by Volkswagen, which is good news; there are 3,000 jobs coming to St. Thomas. When it comes to our auto workers, we will continue to fight for them. We will not sit idle while a lot of the industry is going through its most difficult period in decades. We will fight for them.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague's increasing his rhetoric does not actually make him right. What is right is that we have met the tariffs by the U.S. administration against our auto workers with countertariffs. Every time production reduced in Canada, what did we do? We made sure that we limited market access. We limited it to Stellantis by 50% and also to GM by 24.2%. We will invest in the companies that invest in us, and we will make sure to create good jobs in this country.”
“Mr. Speaker, do members know what we do on this side of the aisle? We look people in the eye and say we will defend their jobs, and that is exactly what this auto strategy is about. It is about supporting auto production in Canada. We are making sure that we are talking to Koreans, to Germans and to Chinese to create good jobs in this country. We will not just let our industry go bit by bit to the south. We will fight for these jobs. We have an auto strategy, and the Conservatives should get with the program.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of time and respect for my colleague, but I must say I do not understand why no Conservatives will ever say that they oppose the U.S. tariffs on auto workers. I do not understand why they have not been vocal in defending the jobs in Brampton, and in Ingersoll at GM, saying that the U.S. tariffs on auto workers are unjustified and unjustifiable. Meanwhile, we will make sure, as we did in the 1980s when auto plants from American car companies were being closed, that we embrace the Japanese automakers. We will do that, and we will endorse companies that build EVs.”
“Mr. Speaker, indeed, I have good news. Last week we announced our auto strategy based on two objectives. The first is making sure we support auto production here in Canada and support those who invest in us, basically the companies that produce cars in Canada. The second is making sure that we embrace where the industry is, which is electrification, and where it is going. Apart from the Conservatives, everybody has been in favour of it: Premier Ford, the unions, the industry and even environmentalists and consumer groups. Why do the Conservatives not get—”
“Mr. Speaker, we are here for Canadians, and we are here for the long term. The program is planned for a five-year period, which will help support families throughout this time of rising grocery prices. We are also here for Canadians through other programs such as the Canada child benefit and the national school food program. The good news is that the federal government and the Quebec government have signed an agreement. We will be there for kids and families. We will be there for everyone across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, grocery prices are indeed rising; we know that, which is why we are in problem-solving mode. We have proposed a solution to Parliament—a clear solution that is also supported by the Conservative side—which aims to give $1,200 back to a family of four and $900 back to a single person. We are here to help Canadians in these times of food inflation.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that we have a plan and it is called the budget 2025 implementation act, no. 1 . We have been seeing obstruction from the opposition, the Conservatives, for far too long. Unfortunately, in these tough times, where the geopolitical situation is very intense and families across the country are struggling to make ends meet, Canadians expect us to be able to work together. Will the Conservatives vote in favour of the budget, yes or no? Will they stop filibustering the budget implementation bill?”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague, but she is not referring to all the important data. The data shows there has been an increase in wages year over year of 3.4%, while inflation was at 2.4%. Basically, wages are increasing more than inflation. At the same time, in December, the Bank of Canada maintained its interest rate at 2.25%, and the governor mentioned that the economy was proving resilient. We have created 189,000 jobs more than the U.S.”
“Mr. Speaker, since September we have created 189,000 jobs. This is great news for Canada. That is more jobs created in Canada than in the U.S. We have the second-fastest-growing economy. Let me give examples: Alstom, with 240 new jobs in Thunder Bay, 150 new jobs at Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville and 100 new jobs in La Pocatière; 330 new jobs at Bombardier; 300 new jobs at Vale-Glencore in Sudbury; at Vianode in St. Thomas, Ontario, a Conservative riding, 300 new jobs—”
“Mr. Speaker, we have good news today. In fact, the Conservatives are going to vote in favour of our plan to help ordinary people pay for their groceries. It is an important plan. It means that the most vulnerable families across the country are going to receive $1,800 each. We want to thank the Conservatives for finally seeing the light and realizing that our plan works.”
“Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague and, quite frankly, we are already doing many of the things he suggested, including cutting red tape. I find it fascinating that the Conservatives never, ever criticize any of the messaging that comes out of the White House. They will never say the tariffs are unjustifiable and unjustified. They will never say there is a trade war. They will never say the victims of this trade war are the people who work in the softwood lumber sector, the aluminum sector, the steel sector and, of course, the automotive sector. The question is, why?”
“Mr. Speaker, clearly the people who work in the lumber and forestry sector are affected by the tariff war. That is why we have introduced several important measures. My colleague, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources , is working on a plan. In the meantime, we have measures through the Business Development Bank of Canada, or BDC, and through Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. I have a great deal of respect for my colleague and would even call him a friend. I would be happy to work with him on specific cases, because we have to be there for workers in Quebec's forestry sector.”
“Mr. Speaker, who will get Oshawa's auto workers' jobs back? My colleague is misleading the House, because what she is missing in the Trillium report she is referring to is that in 2016, Japanese automakers were responsible for 44% of auto production in Canada. At this point, it is now 77%. We will invest in those who invest in us, and we will support those who are making sure our auto workers are at work.”
“Mr. Speaker, what is clear from the government is that, notwithstanding the U.S. tariffs, after 10 years, we were able to create 3,000 new jobs at the Windsor NextStar battery plant, which the Conservatives are against. Why are are they against 3,000 jobs in Windsor? We were also able to create 4,000 jobs in St. Thomas in a Conservative riding. Why are they against it? Why are we not all working together to make sure we are attracting new investment in the auto sector? Meanwhile, we are working with the Province of Ontario on a great auto strategy.”
“Mr. Speaker, of course, our hearts and minds are with the auto workers, and we are there for them. Again, this morning, I was on the phone with Premier Ford and with Vic Fedeli, working on new opportunities to bring even more auto making to the country. That being said, what we never hear from the Conservatives is the fact that these auto workers are victims of the unjustifiable U.S. tariffs. Why are they not denouncing that? Why are we not all working as one team Canada? That is what auto workers want.”
“Mr. Speaker, at a time when certain countries are cutting research, at a time when academic freedom is under attack, we believe in science and we believe in research. That is why we have launched our new talent attraction strategy with a budget of $1.7 billion to attract the best and the brightest to the country. This is one of the biggest budgets on earth to make sure that we bring them to our country. To all those watching us or listening to us right now, please come to Canada. We have lots to offer, and we can make sure that they feel at home.”
“Mr. Speaker, this government was the first one to create jobs in the auto sector. At this point, there are 3,000 new jobs in St. Thomas because of the Volkswagen battery plant, which they are against. At this point in the last year, 3,000 more jobs were created in Windsor at the Stellantis and NextStar plant because of this government, and they are against it. Stop being against auto workers. We are an auto nation. We believe in them and will invest in them.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have no lesson to take from the Conservatives, who bailed out GM and protected their executives rather than their workers. That is exactly what they did at the time. What we are doing is coming up with a plan. They have no plan whatsoever. We presented it to Premier Ford. What did he say? He said it was a really good plan. We will have good news soon.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have been to Oshawa. I have met with the workers. I know how much they are frustrated and anxious. That is why we are standing side by side with them. That is why, also, I have been in contact with Unifor, their union. I have been in contact with GM itself. That is also why we are getting our money back from GM. That is also why we have restricted GM's access to the Canadian market. We will invest in those who invest in us.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are already cutting bureaucracy and taxes. We did so for 22 million Canadians a while ago. In fact, this was a bill that should have gotten more support from our colleagues. Not only are we the second economy in the G7 in terms of growth, but more jobs are being created in Canada than the United States. Since 2025, 189,000 jobs have been created.”
“Mr. Speaker, across the country we have great news. There are new jobs in Thunder Bay at Alstom. There are new jobs in La Pocatière in Quebec. There are new jobs in St. Thomas with Volkswagen. There are new jobs at Vale and Glencore in Sudbury. There are new jobs at Bombardier in Montreal. There are new jobs at Hitachi in Varennes. There are new jobs at K+S Potash in Bethune, Saskatchewan. Also, there are new jobs at Toyota. It is good news.”
“Mr. Speaker, we will always be there to defend our people working in advanced manufacturing. Again yesterday, I was with Premier Ford. We announced what we would be doing to protect our auto workers. I would like to remind my colleague, with whom I have a good relationship, to make sure that she understands how many jobs we have created since the beginning of September. Actually, it was 54,000 jobs in September, 67,000 in October, 60,000 in November and 8,000 in December, and we will continue to grow the economy and create jobs across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, do members know what gross negligence is? It is when the Conservatives, under Harper, decided to do a deal to bail out GM and Chrysler, and shook hands with these two giants. Two Ford plants closed, a GM plant closed, and Orion Bus closed. We have no lessons to take from the Conservatives. We were the first government to bring jobs back to the auto sector, and there are 3,000 right now in Windsor at the NextStar facility. We will make sure that we get our money back from Stellantis.”
“Mr. Speaker, we stand with our workers in the auto sector who are victims of the unjustified and unjustifiable American tariffs, and we will continue to fight for their jobs. When it comes to Stellantis, we had a deal, and Stellantis broke it. We will go after the money.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have no lessons to take from the Conservatives. In 2009, when the Harper government decided to bail out and shake hands with GM and Chrysler. At the time, it gave them $28 billion of Canadian taxpayers' money with no job guarantee. Two GM plants closed, one in Oshawa and another in Windsor, and one Ford assembly plant closed as well. An Orion Bus plant also closed in Mississauga. This is their record. We are creating jobs, and we are fighting for Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, we take things very seriously when it comes to investing taxpayers' money, and when it comes to Stellantis, we had a deal. They broke it, and we will make sure that we get our money back, period.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague is engaging in wilful blindness because he is selectively choosing the figures he wants to report. The reality is that inflation is down to 2.2%. The reality is that wages are up by 3.3%. This means that people have more money to deal with the cost of living. For our part, as a government, we are ensuring a strong social safety net and cutting taxes. We are there with our various programs, including school nutrition. We will be there for Quebeckers across the province.”
“Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers elected 44 representatives in Quebec so that we could take care of the economy in the face of U.S. tariffs. Our plan is working. GDP growth is at 3.2%. Inflation is under control at 2.2%. In September, 60,000 jobs were created. In October, 67,000 jobs were created. We have the strongest growth in the G7. We still have a lot to do, we know that, but we are growing the economy while protecting our social safety net.”
“Mr. Speaker, when my colleague is talking about corporate welfare, what I am saying to him is that workers are worth every dime, particularly Algoma ones in light of the American unjustified tariffs. That is exactly why we decided, along with the Conservatives in Ontario, with Doug Ford's government, to support the company as it was facing an existential threat. The company was not going well. We knew we needed to help. We decided to make the investments, and meanwhile, we know that the future can be brighter because we are working on two things: a steel plant and a plate mill for defence and infrastructure.”
“Mr. Speaker, we do not need any lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to courage and standing up for workers who are unionized. That is why I was in Brampton, along with the workers, and that is why I was even talking to Lana Payne a bit earlier today. What was she telling me? She was telling me how when Harper and the Conservative government at the time, in 2009, decided to bail out GM and Chrysler, they did nothing to protect the workers. That is the Conservatives' record when it comes to the auto sector.”
“Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I did not admit that; second, I read the contract, and third, the committee members will have all the details. That being said, what we will do is fight for these jobs. We know that the workers are affected in the auto sector and the steel sector by the unjustified and unjustifiable American tariffs. We will make sure that we get these jobs back in Canada, and we will fight for every single job.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have three points. First, the member should ask the member for Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore on his side of the House whether she agrees with what he says regarding the Stellantis workers in Windsor. Second, when it comes to the documents, the committee members will have access to all the documents. That is a moot question. Third, when it comes to what is happening with Stellantis in Brampton, we had a contract and Stellantis broke the contract. We will get our money back.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague and a lot of respect for his dad and for all the people who have worked or are working at Algoma Steel. That is why our priority and my priority is to make sure they can continue to earn a great salary at Algoma Steel as the company is adapting to new types of steel for the defence sector and also for the housing sector. I must say that our buy Canadian policy is also helping Algoma and other steel plants as we continue to fight for these jobs across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, my point is that we will continue to fight for these jobs. The company was clear today: If it was not for that $400 million and the $100 million from Ontario, the very existence of Algoma Steel would be in jeopardy.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a news flash: We are in a trade war. Therefore, because of what is happening right now, we are fighting for the jobs at Algoma Steel and across the steel sector in the country. That is why we have been there for the— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”
“Mr. Speaker, of course, our thoughts are with the workers at Algoma Steel. I have been in contact with the company. I have also been in contact with the union. We know the entire business model of the steel sector in Canada is based on U.S. automakers. Obviously, with unjustifiable tariffs of 50% by the U.S. administration against our steel sector, this can happen. We have been working with the company by offering $400 million to get through these difficult times as it is pivoting with new products and new markets.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague. We work together very well. What he and I both know is that ordinary Quebeckers want to be able to get good jobs. At a time when the U.S. administration is imposing a host of tariffs, we must always be there to protect businesses that provide good jobs in Quebec's regions. I am therefore going to keep working with him, especially in summer, so that people can keep their jobs and to ensure that a social safety net is in place in Quebec and across Canada, because that is something we believe in.”
“Mr. Speaker, not only did the entire team read it, but we also read what the Harper government did in 2009 when it bailed out GM and Chrysler at the time. What we saw was that there was no job protection in that deal. What we will do now is make sure we fight for these jobs. We will make sure we will put maximum pressure. The Conservatives should stop whining. They should just get on board and make sure—”
“Mr. Speaker, we are all very much aware that auto workers are affected by the unjustifiable and unjustified American tariffs. That is why we have been supporting all of them, working with Unifor and working with Lana Payne, who is on speed dial and to whom I speak pretty much every day. This being said, we will continue to fight against Stellantis to make sure it brings back its operation in Brampton. We will make sure we work with GM at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, because we think there is a path towards a good news story—”
“Mr. Speaker, I beg to differ, because the workers do not agree with my colleague's statement. The Unifor unionized workers are completely behind the government's plan to push back against any form of movement at Ingersoll, because we believe GM can act, along with the government and along with Unifor, to bring back a new model. Meanwhile, I have had several meetings. I even went to Ingersoll. I met with Unifor. We will continue to fight for these jobs.”
“Mr. Speaker, the 44 members from Quebec are very proud to defend this government and to stand up for the interests of Quebeckers because, during the last election, Quebeckers told us that they wanted us to be able to protect them from what was happening in the United States. Given the changing geopolitical context and given that the United States is also making its own decisions regarding energy policy, we need to be able to be our own sovereign nation. That is why we decided to sign such an important agreement with Alberta.”
“Mr. Speaker, obviously, our thoughts are with the workers affected by the unjustified and unjustifiable tariffs imposed by the White House. We will continue to work with them as Algoma Steel goes through a difficult situation, to say the least. My team and I have been in contact with Algoma's leadership team. We absolutely have every confidence in the Algoma workers as they are going through this hardship. We will make sure we support them as they are developing new products and accessing new markets. We will fight for these jobs.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague, but I think he should call Lana Payne, the head of Unifor, which represents the Bombardier workers in Montreal. That is because, following the fact that we changed the tax regime on that particular aspect linked to jets, Bombardier announced 600 new jobs in Montreal and Quebec. Obviously, like the NDP, we are in favour of unionized jobs, we are in favour of creating jobs and we will fight for these ones.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have seen better from my colleague. I think my colleague should spend more time with people in the auto sector, the forestry sector and the steel and aluminum sector. Why? These individuals are asking us to open international markets and reduce our dependence on the U.S., as my colleague from Louis‑Hébert was saying. That is because it is very, very important for us to be able to export our aluminum, our forestry products and our steel to Europe and Asia. That is exactly what the Prime Minister and the team are doing.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member is really living in the world of political fiction, but that is good because it shows people from the various caucuses of all the other parties what is really going on within the Parti Québécois in Quebec and the Bloc Québécois here. One thing is clear: We will be there for Quebeckers with our 44 members in the House. We will defend our economy and our jobs. We will invest and we will ultimately strengthen Canada's sovereignty.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that my colleague would venture to talk in the House of Commons about the Parti Québécois's new plan to create a new currency for Quebec. Quebeckers are very concerned. They are wondering whether there is really going to be a third referendum, whether we are going to lose our purchasing power and whether, at a time when the American president is threatening Canada's sovereignty, we are really going to weaken our position as Quebeckers by handing the reins over to Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon so he can invent his own currency. That would be absurd.”
“Mr. Speaker, the only person hiding under a rock right now is the Leader of the Opposition when he looks at his caucus. I think the Leader of the Opposition wants to make sure that the Canadian economy remains dependent on the U.S. economy. I think that is his strategy and he is not being up front about it with Canadians. On our side of the House, the strategy is to diversify our markets and create jobs, including by going to the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf countries, Europe and Asia. In fact, the Swedes are in town. That is good news. We are doing good business.”